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Poetry Magnum Opus

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Just my dos pesos: Ten seems a reasonable number of ACTIVE members. I personally prefer quality over quantity. Opus, to me, seems to have found a balance of intellect that works well, even though not always in agreement; who would want to read only one view? I readily admit to being remiss in contributions and replies, but perhaps that's for the good. Personally, I also like having time to consider and comment on the superior works that are presented here by especially talented writers--and at no cost. I consider myself fortunate to have been allowed association with more genius than my peanut brain can handle.

Paco

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David W. Parsley

This won't be all that helpful, but I agree with both Barry and Paco. It would be nice to have more postings and more readership. But the current Conversation, in verse and otherwise, is very stimulating and informative. I'll be commenting and posting more once my house in Rancho Palos Verdes sells and I move a little closer to work (Azusa, currently 48.5 miles of LA traffic away - doctor's recommendation after last year's health issues.)

- Dave

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Well...it seems we all have two choices: we contribute material and share our thoughts with other members, or we sit on the sidelines and complain that the "site" policies are at fault. Opus, like any literary discourse site, is dependent on the participation and interaction of its members. (In my less than humble opinion.)

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I must apologize publically if I have exceeded a member's right of expression considering a site of which I have no investment. I would feel a great loss if Opus failed, as suggested. This electronic sanctuary is of great benefit to me, although I admit to abusing the privilege. I am daily thankful for the ability to correspond with open-minded, artistic fellow humans. Well, not sure of Brendan's claim to humanity. ;)

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Franklin, I agree with everything you've said except for the part about "abusing the privilege." I don't see any of your contributions as abusive.

 

PMO is:

 

 

1. A showcase and repository for its members' works

 

2. A discussion forum for poetry and writing enthusiasts

 

3. A valuable resource (i.e. the Reference section Tinker has built and maintains)

 

4. Exclusive

 

 

There are many poetry forums, and often their topics -- where writers present their (presumably) carefully crafted works -- are filled with distracting graphics (included by the users) and advertisements. PMO is a serious board. Its users do a great job of self-moderating and keeping the standards up. For example, when someone includes a picture with his poem, the picture makes sense. It supplements the literary art to form a complete work. No one is including corny, pink "*****LOVE*****" graphics with unicorns and hearts with his poems or in his signature. There's plenty of that out there, boards with many users, for those who prefer quantity over quality.

 

Barry, PMO is what the users make of it, but how much individual users participate has to do with many personal factors. There's no pressure. Do as much or as little as you want, but don't expect more from others than you yourself are willing to contribute. Create some valuable content (i.e. discussion topics and replies). You prompted a discussion here, and that's a good thing, but it has only turned into a discussion because Franklin and Dave contributed significantly. I hardly saw it as a topic when it was posted. A one/two line zinger with no depth and devoid of any suggestions is just a prompt. I mean why not just make it a poll with "Yes" and "No" for choices? I don't usually respond to prompts, but participants have turned this prompt into a discussion.

 

So, I myself have no complaints about anyone's level of participation. No one is obligated to create content. If one would like to see more content, create some! Make it meaningful. Barry, your Michelangelo sonnets topic is terrific and has a place on this board. (I just saw the topic now.) It should be archived in the Reading section, so I'll move it there where it can still be commented/discussed.

 

New members are always welcome, but they are approved upon request. That was started as a measure to weed out spammers who try to join (by the hundreds daily), but I have to believe it has limited membership in a positive way to members whose reasons for joining coincide with the purposes of this forum. Some want to post and participate while others have never participated and have joined in order to have unlimited access to the entire board and the Reference section. Both are good reasons. This is not facebook where one can form a group and recruit "friends" with the click of a "join" button nor is it instagram where one can be rewarded by clicks of a "like" button. This is a writing board, and people whose interest is writing have no problem following clear, written registration instructions. If they can't be bothered to take a few steps to join then there's facebook, instagram, and many sites with ads, spammers, and cute unicorns in the posts for more immediate gratification. (Lots of members, too!)

 

I've know a long time how to increase membership. I'm a member on several quality (non-writing) enthusiast forums that have thousands, even millions of members, many, many which are sure to also have a writing interest. I could contact those boards' administrators and ask if I could promote our PMO writing forum on their boards. I'm sure it would be approved, and I'm sure it would attract many members. But is that what we want? And what would their expectations be? Would they be in line with our members' needs? Would the new members' participation be meaningful or would it just be another place on the internet for these people to plaster their thoughts on anything and everything eventually necessitating a need for monetization? Are quantities of new users worth it to have the site become bloated with ads?

 

I get what you mean, Barry. You want more activity. That's understandable. I'll try to do more. But even if I don't do more, what's stopping you from doing more? Create. Make content. Use the board. Your work (poems, prose, topics, etc.) is not any lesser if no one comments on it for a year. "Leda and the Swan" is "Leda and the Swan" even if no one ever made a reply or a comment about it. This is the internet, and I believe there's no better outlet, not books, magazines, etc. (and those mediums are great also) for readership of my works. No university press is in any hurry to publish my poems, though I am sure that here, online, they will be read.

 

Whether my participation increases or stays the same, I am in this for the long haul. The board is not "moribund" even if only one person participates in a year. The board is here, and all members are welcome to participate today, tomorrow, or a year from now.

 

Thanks for the topic/discussion. This is more than I've written in a week.

 

Tony

Here is a link to an index of my works on this site: tonyv's Member Archive topic

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Whether my participation increases or stays the same, I am in this for the long haul. The board is not "moribund" even if only one person participates in a year.

 

That's all I need to know.

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