Hello Lucie and Sam,

Thank you very much for posting your thoughts for all to read. There are some great suggestions being brought to the forefront here and in private emails to me that I think probably warrant a survey. If people would like to see some things done differently, or have us change things up a bit, please DO share your ideas with us. In addition to having Karnak as an exercise forum where we could meet and play, we also have our chatroom. As for the challenges, I still post them weekly (Times Ten), bi-weekly (Flash and Drabbles) and monthly (Pandora and Book Titles) but the Member Choice and Mod Choice were discontinued when we joined the IBPC - they had little to no activity (noms and pollers) as it was at that time. Perhaps we can re-visit them?

I also posted (Last Night) a thread in Nero's News reminding all that there are options available should you wish to make a donation to support & help with the expenses of running MM. It's a news link at the top of the forum. http://forums.mosaicmusings.net/index.php?showtopic=12082

Thank you all! Keep the ideas coming! This is your site - you need to tell us what you want from it.

-Lori

Lori,
I think people are always hesitant to make suggestions, particularly the newbies. The atmosphere here has always been open and friendly and I think it is a good, positive step to once again remind the members that all suggestions and comments are welcome.

JLY

Absolutely John - thanks for reminding us!

At the end of the day, this is their site - so we need to know what it is they want/ what they like/ what they don't like etc. in order to make it the place of choice...

The one caveat I'll toss out there is this: One size doesn't fit all - but to find a common ground works, and works well!

Hi Lori~

Just returned from (holiday) Cape Town and I am sad to read the beginnings of this thread. I have been ill for months and now we are travelling a lot! So, that is why I am and have been so inactive...! I suppose we all have excuses? But, I am back for a week and then we are off to Tanzania for a week. I will be in and out - the short is I am here and committed. I hope you can make a plan.

I will read the rest of the postings later, and give you further feedback.

Chin up!

Bev

Hi Bev - thanks for stopping in!

I'm going to post the link back to the 'What do our poets enjoy most about MM" thread here and hope you'll all add some thoughts over there in that thread.

Thanks all! Be back soon.

http://forums.mosaicmusings.net/index.php?showtopic=11989

~Cleo

Hello Everyone,

First, let me reach my hand to Lori, as I - know just how much of "LORI" she puts into MM, and it is for us; HER MEMBERS, Her Friends and as she always treats each of, HER FAMILY! A lot of time, money and energy goes into MM. I read through many of the posts and realized a few things... We all, especially me, with some health issues and yes, family issues, monetary issues had not been online (at all, nowhere,) for a lengthy time ... and for various reasons many other members were absent as well. I personally can say it isn't a reflection of MM at all. There isn't anything that MM can do more, it wasn't anything anyone at MM was doing that kept me off line ... It came down to my own mind, (or lack of it) my own problems and family demands were just more than I had energy to share with.

Rus offered some excellent ideas: So excellent in fact that Lori has them already provided. She maintains several weekly challenges, several monthly challenges, we have available to our muse the Chat Room which we've talked about getting a weekly or monthly discussion session going, Lori offers many other avenues to stir our muses. We also have the monthly Message/Email she sends out to update members on such things. There is too much more to remember! LOL

Sam 4RUM, made a very valuable comment in his post to quote:

Although Vanity sites also slow down at intervals during the year, I suppose they don't die down completely because it is not as time consuming, exhausting or needs any real efforts to participate. Unlike a community like Mosaic Musings, to post comments and critique a poem takes time, effort and the ability to think and discover, sometimes even research.

At vanity sites and many other sites where they don't consider themselves vanity sites, but give out unearned atta-boys or leave harsh and unfriendly, unhelpful, unguiding comments often take very little effort.

Vanity Sites:

• Members often don't read the poem.
• Members leave one or two liners that are GENERIC in meaning
• Members often just say, "Wow, keep writing!"
• Members posting often don't reply to the comments left on their poems

Other Sites:

• Often skim through a poem
• It is effortless to speak down to someone learning poetry rather than to take the time to inspire
• Most don't take the time to teach, guide or assist for the betterment of the poem or poet

Mosaic Musings:

• Our forums insist on quality in both personal interactions and participations -
• A critique begins like tasting a fine wine, you read it - then mush it around a while to decide if you liked it or didn't
• then we take the time to understand it
• take the time to interpret, and grasp all things we like and dislike
• we then, take the time to offer these thoughts in a kinder, more instructive or partnering discussion, instead of being rude or even patronizing
• If the poem requires some mild direction in form, style, word choice, habit etc - we take the time to offer it
• we also expect that our poets who post a poem, give the same courtesy in return to reply.

All these things take a lot of energy, time and thinking power. Often, many member's minds are so overwhelmed by off line issues, that thinking just isn't available! LOL I know, it happened to me.

My points here are this... MM is the closest thing and probably, IMO, exceeds the wonderment and success that Poem Kingdom once had - And I believe that once a few of us that get back into the saddle again and start giving the critiques and comments, and responses that make our site stand out among many others will follow and return, because you just can't find the compassion, teaching, learning and resource of friendships and guidance that is found at MM!

I think, Lori, that anything you can do to tweak down the finances of monthly expense you should do, because you shouldn't be supporting all of it.

I will be first in line to offer a donation to help get things done. We'll see where it leads from there.

As for Merlin's comment - I love ya dearly kind sir ... of course I miss your muse as much as you miss her/him ... but it surely isn't MM's time to go off and die graciously. Perhaps we are just in a slow slumber before a new and exciting crew of members that are new to poetry, eager to learn and grow and are willing to offer that energy to everyone - equally and perhaps they won't be in it for the ego of poetry, but more so for the love of reading, learning and growing!


It's a wonderful home with a wonderful family...

Hugs, Liz

Hi Liz,

Thanks for your feedback!

Bev - I hope you'll return too with some ideas perhaps.

Two items I'd like to address further are noted below.

As for helping out with the expenses to run MM, on the 2007 tax return, we filed $1,175 in expenses, excluding the holiday cards and calendars which I paid myself and $404 in income (of which $40 was donations and the rest was chapbook sales). The expenses will change in 2008: $479 went to Apollo Hosting last year ($160 this year and that should be it as we're moving the entire site to our own server). An additional $179 went to skin purchases, which won't recur as I think we have enough of them now, lol. $310 was for postage services, which will remain a variable expense, and $50 to Invision Power Board for their annual fee and the remaining for MM bank expenses. I did not have to purchase any supplies last year, but will this year for new ink cartridges for chapbook printing.

Rus mentioned some great ideas that I'd like to revisit. The first item we should discuss further is the searchable option. Is there something we could do as a educational site? One thing I thought of was a Glossary of Poetic Terms, which I actually started designing a few years ago. Click here to see 'A', then click 'B'. That's all we ever completed - and I'd like embellish the glossary to include poems for the poetry forms. Porblem is, there's so many out there, I'd need help to get this off the ground. Since there are other sites that have this info, I'm not certain it's a good use of our time?

Rus also mentioned the creation of a "Mosaic Review" or "Newsletter", which would increase the time I spend at my keyboard and monitor. I did one newsletter in the summer of 2005, "Syntax and Musings", and made a chapbook collection of it as well - in which we spotlighted one poem of each member who wanted to contribute. I would love to do another one. You can read about it here: http://www.mosaicmusings.net/newsletter.htm If members are interested, I'll start a thread and ask each to choose ONE of their poems, and a Prose section as well as I did previously.

To quote Rus: Number One: We do have the weekly Times Ten challenges, perhaps if there is more interest, we could post a poll each saturday (similar to what New Cafe does) where members would choose the response they enjoyed the most from the previous week, and that person would be recognized.

Number Two: We could also bring back the polling process for the monthly "Pandora's Chaos" contest as well, but I ditched the polling because the activity was so low before. Adding polls takes time too so I wouldn't want to make the changes if the participation won't be there.

Number Three: We offer the quarterly 'Odin's Opposition' in which the winners receive a discount off a chapbook publication contract as well as some complimentary chapbooks from our store. Participation is low, so again, we need to remind the membership (and I admit, we are behind in announcing the last winners, as one judge has been AWOL, so we'll need to fill in.

One last idea Rus mentioned, and I'll see if there's a way to do this through the admin CP as a bulk email is "To have a reminder notice go out, "Since you have been away for so long, x-number new poems have been posted into your favorite area, and the poets would like to hear from you, and read a new one from you."--just a reminder. Even if automatically generated, it would remind also of the caring at the admin level." Sounds like a great idea, I know I can send emails with a filter specifically as follows: Send to members who's last visit was n days ago but it will not tally the number of posts - which is OK - just a simple "We miss you and would like to interact with you again" might be a great thing to incorporate. The one caveat with that is that I purposely do not email Bronze members, those who've been inactive for more than a year - as we got burnt in the past from people who complained that we were 'spamming' when I sent the monthly emails out to them. I mean REALLY, come on folks - delete your account instead -!@#$!!!!. Why join here if you have no intention to post?

Well, that's it for now - seeking further input.

~Lori

Hi Lori and everyone,

Just had a little suggestion to add. There's some great ideas on this thread and of course, to put all of them into action at once would be a lot of hard work!! And it might be hard to know at the beginning, which ones to put the work into. So how about a sort of questionaire to members, or at least to active members, with ideas and get people to indicate which ones interest them, or what they think; and then based on the replies, it might be easier to know which things are worth going ahead with? I would be really happy to give a hand with this if it was something you wanted to do. Just a thought anyway!! I thought the points made above about this site compared to Vanity sites was so true and interesting. Before I found here, I went to quite a few!! And couldn't understand why all people wanted was praise. I got into terrible trouble at one point for trying to make a suggestion!! Since I came here, I feel I've learned so much that has benefitted my writing and the lovely thing is that anytime I'm given constructive feedback, it's always done in such a helpful and respectful way and I can see the point of it immediately. I don't think I've ever even disagreed slightly with a suggestion I've been given. And in turn, I know if I comment on anyone's work, I will get a reply and that in turn has taught me a lot about critiquing and given me loads of enjoyment with the added opportunities for interaction and getting to know people. So please remember Lori, what you've created here, is just so marvellous and even though times like this must be disheartening, your acheivements here are absolutely wonderful:)

Lucie,
You expressed sentiment about MM that is shared by many but oftentimes few take the time to express in a public format.

I share many of your perspectives relative to the warm, helpful critiquing that is done here and I would hope that friendly atmosphere will continue to set us apart from other poetry online groups.

JLY

Sam ~ what sincere words you have used here. I am sure Lori appreciates them. So will all at MM!

Bev

Dearest Lori,

I for one dont want to see MM shut down. It's worth staying out there... The community here is family to me... I know I haven't been around at all for the past two years, but I do browse around every now and then.

Lori, despite the craziness in my life, I will pull myself together and come back soon enough. I promise...

See you on the boards. Good luck with your novel...

Love to all
Dani

Dear Siren,
How wonderful to hear from you! You're a lovely person and an extremely good poet. We miss you!!
I hope your problems get sorted out soon, both personal & political & whatever...If you come back here, maybe we can do our share to help "pull you together" again....I can give testimony to that. MM is my second family. I've not found that elsewhere (not bothered much, I know the scenario...).

As several people, such as Lori, Ron, John, Emily, Liz, Snow, myself & many others have said, MM is about perfecting our poetry, but also about being friends, offering support in difficult times and having a good laugh when the occasion rises....LOL...

So perhaps you can try us out again soon?

Much love & hugs, Sylvia ***

Hey Sylvia,

It's wonderful to feel wanted again and i am tiptoeing back and will post again soon, Inshallah (by the will of God)...

Hugs to you dear....

Dani...


PS: The poem u asked about is titled "You Are Lucky My Son" and if u make search of my name "Daniah Lababidi" you'll fine it published on Heartplace.

Hi Dani - it's good to see you here again. I hope you will post your poetry soon, I have missed you! Although I did have a spell of being absent myself - sometimes life just takes over! My muse is not too healthy either, so I'm posting old work for revision.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Hugs
Snow

Dear Eira,

It's been such a long time my dear. I have missed u and have missed being around and sharing and i am planning on sharing soon... How r things going with your family?

Love
dani