Re: [Harp-L] Facebook vs Harp-L

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

I can't speak for harp-l and its commitment to a text-based interface that is accessible on even the oldest personal computers and the slowest internet connections.

In the distant past SPAH helped fund harp-l. Later harp-l refused further funding in order, I believe, to maintain its independence. This year harp-l was a recipient of SPAH's Award of Special Merit but, true to form, the harp-l listowner was not in evidence, so sometime harp-l support person Ben Nathanson was drafter to receive the award on harp-l's behalf.


SPAH has had discussions about starting its own online forum (as any member who actually attended the 2013 Annual General meeting at the SPAH convention may remember). The problem - as always - is in finding a volunteer to run and maintain it. SPAH does have a Facebook page that's fairly active and functions as its "post-it-now" outlet for immediate sharing in the social networking world.

Winslow

Â
Winslow Yerxa
President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica
Producer, theÂHarmonica Collective
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, JazzschoolÂCommunity Music School


________________________________
 From: Greg Heumann <greg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 9:25 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Facebook vs Harp-L
 

I am grateful for HARP-L - there are a lot of good people here you donât find on Facebook. HARP-L has a long, long history. But HARP-L is now 3 generations behind the way people with common interests communicate online. I fear it is attracting very few new members and that will only get worse. Old members are dying. Surely HARP-Lâs audience is shrinking. âListservsâ pre-date internet âforumsâ such as Adam Gussowâs âModern Blues Harmonicaâ forum (and a host of others). Internet forums have been common for 15 years or so. Yahoo Groups are a form of forum as well. Then came âblogsâ. And now we have âsocial networkingâ like Facebook. There are MANY harmonica-related groups on Facebook. The younger the person, the more likely they are to use ONLY the newest forms and stick with them. Theyâre also more likely to migrate to the Next Great Thing when it happens. 

It is a shame that HARP-L doesnât move to a newer format that has a web-based user interface and is more searchable, more organized, more flexible. But it takes effort and administration to make that happen. I donât have time to volunteer - do you? and I certainly donât want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Once again, Iâm grateful for HARP-L and appreciative of the work that does go into to keeping it running. Now, SPAH - thereâs an organization that could and perhaps should take the reins and drive. Perhaps the SPAH and/or HARP-L management want to comment. 

/Greg


> From: "Harmonicology [Neil Ashby]" <harmonicology@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] Facebook vs Harp-L
> Date: August 19, 2014 at 4:11:46 PM PDT
> To: "harp-l" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> 
> 
> Has Facebook become the superior source of harmonica related information as compared to Harp-L?
> 
> Here is the link to a composite SPAH 2014 video as found listed on Facebook:
> 
> " http://www.digitalaspirations.com/Shared-Videos/SPAH-2014/i-3Tv59Qc/A ".
> 
> /Neil (" http://thebuskingproject.com/busker/2025/ ")