Subject: Re: [Harp-L] looking for a new home...

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

I haven't had much time to post on Slidemeister in a few months  so went to 
the site this morning to check out what was going on with this  topic 
....to find that Gnarly (Gary) was allowed to continue the  thread and to 
'discuss' the issue with AJ even after Grant (Genepool) said he  was banned.
 
I don't understand Gary's bringing up acrimony since I saw no evidence of  
that at all.
 
I thought AJ explained his points of view as they applied to his initial  
sign-up Rules & Regulations (quoted below). IF others have issues with this  
idea - why not suggest (on Slidemeister) that perhaps yet another area be 
set up  for just such cross-over discussions as this? Why turn it into a fight 
against  the listowner?  He listened when people wanted a diatonic 'room', 
why  wouldn't he listen if enough people wanted another area? 
 
SmoJoe has also explained very satisfactorily here how and why Slidemeister 
 came about in the first place....as a sanctuary for chromatic players who 
could  barely get any in-depth discussion of chromatics going without 
feeling drowned  out by talk of Blues and amps and other gear. The players back 
then who were  eager to have a site of their own were simply not interested in 
such other  aspects of harmonica talk....even if they played diatonics 
themselves as most  chrom players do or did. They were interested in opening up 
and fixing  chromatics - talking about valves, etc...something which bores 
most diatonic  players.
 
I've looked back in the archives from those years (when I first signed on  
with both) and in all honesty there was very, very little chromatic 
discussion  here on harp-l. Fortunately more has opened up over the years despite  
the general 'sense' of this list as still 'primarily' a blues/diatonic site  
- which is perfectly fine.
 
Occasionally I want to point people to Slidemeister when a specific  
chromatic question is asked..since I know the particular topic has usually  
already been hashed out in extreme depth there. One thing I very much appreciate  
about SM is that the posts don't disappear into the archives to be sought 
out  later. They're alive and well and immediately accessible - and can be 
continued  in real time. Someone else will respond to a post/question - and so 
a particular  thread which might have had even a year's hiatus will pick 
back up as if it  never stopped. That's terrific and worth its weight in gold.
 
Like harp-l, Slidemeister has evolved over the years.  The  difference is 
it's no longer a list where originally I felt distinctly  unwelcome and 
uncomfortable but a website where I'm perfectly free to  discuss any and all 
aspects of my chromatic instruments and music. What many of  us who belong there 
like so much about it is the complete lack of censorship -  something 
people are now getting the wrong impression about. We police  ourselves as far as 
language and 'friendliness'. There are no emails to be  concerned 
about..one simply posts responses to others' posts. When someone steps  over the 
bounds, he/she is usually gently but effectively 'handled'  by  other posters. 
In addition, there's a 'report to moderator' button which I just  noticed and 
have never used.
 
Many other harmonica friendly sites have sprung up in recent years as  
well. 
We get to choose now where we feel the most comfortable.  Each of these 
lists has their own peculiarities, rules and regulations. Here on  harp-l, meta 
discussion is frowned upon. On Slidemeister the owner of the list  does not 
wish to have and completely abhors diatonic mixed with  chromatic 
discussion. That is his right as Owner of the list.
 
He was finally persuaded to have an area devoted to diatonics for those who 
 played both or for some who might be interested in chromatics but aren't 
quite  'there' yet - and it's worked well... easy enough to post in that 
area. People  do. I've taken the following from his posted instructions about 
the  rules and regs (available even before one signs up):
 
"Please be sure to take the time to post your stuff under the proper board. 
 We went through an awful lot of trouble to set up boards to handle 
specific  subject matter to insure that no one ever has to waste time sorting 
through information they don't  want, to find information they do want. 

Right off the bat, on  this new site, we got this down to where it works 
fine and SlideMeister is now  the most efficient harmonica forum on the web.  
If your post concerns  Diatonic content, that's great; Just DON'T try to 
sneak it into anything  but the Diatonic board (under the BanterMeister board) 
By the same  token, don't even think about put Chromatic stuff in the 
Diatonic section,  unless you're making a comparison of the harmonicas, okay? 
Repeat: Comparative  discussion is both good and encouraged, as long as you make 
sure you do not put it in the Chromatic boards.  That stuff may all be 
discussed in the BanterMeister / Diatonic  board.

Keeping things efficient"
 
So what's wrong with that? Here's another example of how the site has  
changed and his flexibility. He's a religious man, quite comfortable with his  
personal lay ministry. I'M not personally comfortable belonging to a list  if 
it was skewed to one religious point of view...nor skewed to one  political 
point of view. Religion was discussed fairly often and openly, so I  
seriously thought of leaving. Political talk began to rear its head on  the site.  
So to keep it fair -especially since Slidemeister has  members joining from 
all over the World - AJ decided  that ALL religious and political talk 
would be banned. IF one wishes to  discuss religion separately - there is a 
separate area set up for that just  as there is for diatonics. Perfectly fine 
with everyone who belongs to the list.  Those of us not interested, don't have 
to visit.
 
Naturally, since many harmonicists (including the listowner) play both  
chromatics and diatonics, occasionally some talk of diatonics will come up   in 
ordinary conversation, and it's NOT been treated as a 'banning' offense by  
AJ. I'm witness to this.  I don't know when or where Rob ran into his  
problems - but I'd guess it was further back in time than the newer changes made 
 and the huge explosion of members added to that site.
 
The Grant of 'genepool' obviously ran afoul of AJ in some  way..either 
didn't comprehend when told the rules were up to the listowner  and there was no 
compromise on that particular issue...or perhaps it was simply  a matter of 
his having to change the 'heading' of the topic?  
 
 It isn't the end of the world - AJ's a reasonable enough guy - as  long as 
you understand the rules of HIS website.
 
Right now the site is down for fixing - with some allowance for posting in  
a limited fashion. However to join up one has to agree to abide by the  
rules as is true for any list or website. There's nothing remotely  unusual or 
unreasonable there.
 
 Since I find it a very relaxed and comfortable site on which to post  - 
specifically due to the banter back and forth between the regulars  who've 
been posting for years, I'd hate to have misunderstandings chase  potential 
members away. As much of an outspoken rebel as I've been, I've  never once run 
afoul of AJ and his vaunted 'obstinacy'...as others have termed  it. He's 
been nothing but gracious to me for as long as I've been a part of  
Slidemeister and treated me very well indeed.
 
In my opinion....the two 'main' harmonica sites are Harp-l and  
Slidemeister. And they've both done very well for a reason. One caters to one  segment 
of the harmonica playing world and one to the other. There is and can be  
cross-over....but one has to know just where and when not to step over the 
line  to keep both sites comfortable for everyone to enjoy.  Fwiw, a great many 
 people I know feel comfortable belonging to both.
 
Elizabeth