Or, my empire of forums has expanded!
A Writers Forum on IHMMB! Who would have thought such a thing was possible?
Every year I make the same vague resolution to be a more positive person and refrain from being so snarky, critical and impossible to please. Every year something happens on or around 7.37 am January 1 to make me break that promise. This year though, it’s different! Here is is January 3 and I’m still walking on sunshine and full of all the love and the power that the universe has to offer. I am so dang giddy that I would mock myself if only I could get off this ray of sunshine. And what, might you ask, has me so happy?
Why my new forum of course! In partnership with my friend George Angus of Tumblemoose Writing Productions (and embarrassing Twitter encounters) we’ve started a new board called “On Writing: Thoughts from the Masses” on the I Hate My Message Board forums. I am excited about all the activity we’ve seen so far and extremely optimistic about the potential for this forum.
My philosophy in building forums is similar to some guy, landscaper I think he was, who was building a park or something. Maybe it was Central Park, that sounds right. He cleared the land, planted everything including the grass but waited for a year to see where people would walk before putting in the paths. That’s why there is only one topic in the writing forum right now, my goal is to see what the people want to talk about before breaking it into categories and subforums.
We envision a place where aspiring and experienced writers can ask questions, give answers, share triumphs and disappointments and offer a friendly ear and then a swift kick in the butt to get you off it and back to work. We welcome strong opinions and vigorous debate tempered with a real desire to reach out and help.
I’ve written a lot about the things that annoy me about forums but I’d like to think that my genuine passion for the medium shows through my grousing about animated siglines and Dorito Announcers. I can’t claim to be any sort of authority on social networking but for my money there is no simpler and effective way of growing a tight knit community than a thriving message board. I’m very lucky that my first attempt went better than anyone could have imagined and I am committed to making this next venture a huge success.
To get things started, we’ve got a small contest going – two winners will recieve their choice of one book from Tumblemoose’s 10 “Must Have” Books for Writers and the person who has done the most to help us publicize the contest gets a $25 Kiva.org gift certificate. It’s simple to enter, just post which book you’d like on this thread. Guest posting is enabled, but we’d be thrilled if you’d take a minute to register – it’s free and easy and no ads for logged in members!
I can’t wait to see you all there!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Congratulations on everything you’ve accomplished over the past year. It has been a joy to watch your hard work and dedication pay off. Now, if you could let me know how many ounces there are in a gallon I can be on my way.
I refuse to endorse this venture until my kickbacks arrive.
(Nah. You just keep on keepin’ on with your bad self.)
Congrats! It’s good to see you so excited and positive.
Shucks thanks guys. I really think this is a step in the right direction for me.
@Vered as opposed to my normal self?