Wonder if a section like this on BcoF might be of value to readers ...

[Bruce Wall]

Source

 

Might also include other links, etc ... under one easy cover ... 

 

(I only note this as I see that the BcoF links listings - such a valued resource - are daily posted on Twitter)

 

N.B:  This is just a suggestion ... The idea suggested may be entirely unpractical and unwanted.   I, for one, would certainly understand.

[John Mallinson]

Not sure what you are suggesting. Do you want a super version of links with photos and extensive quotes? Several good reasons why that can't be done. Or so you envision something else?

[LupusMelis]

I'm a bit flummoxed too as to what you're suggesting, Bruce, and content is my 'day' job! Are you referring to Top10/15/20 esque style posts? Or instagram accounts?

[Bruce Wall]

Not sure what you are suggesting. Do you want a super version of links with photos and extensive quotes? Several good reasons why that can't be done. Or so you envision something else?

 

No, no.  Nothing so elaborate.  Simply a section for general resource links outside of the daily media feeds so effectively (and appreciatively) rendered here..  (I think there was one of these kinds of pages in the old Ballet.co.uk but I may be mistaken.  I am I fear ever aging ... and already old.)  It could be one, say, where informational sources such as say Twitter addresses, etc. might be included, (not that, of course, any one and/or member would have to subscribe to such.  No necessity for that whatsoever.)  It might merely be a source of external resource should anyone voluntarily wish to indulge/contribute - and perhaps a brief comment aside each notation as to the nature of the overall content of that listing.  I am also not suggesting that it should be a forum page with a dedicated team of researchers (as in the case of the article listings from the daily established media links)  It could be merely one where BcoF members - of whatever stage - might add addresses/points of establishment (but no pictures/videos) such as they felt might be helpful/informative and as/when they are able.  As with all other BcoF consitituent parts it would, I assume, be overseen by the much valued (and refreshingly fully/legally named as examples of good practice to all) moderators.    

Edited August 28, 2014 by Bruce Wall

[Sim]

Hello Bruce.  Many thanks for your suggestion above, which is a perfectly valid one.  However, a new part of the forum involving external resources (finding them, maintaining the site on a daily basis and reading everything that is posted up) would be too much for us moderators to take on at the moment.  John, Janet and Ian are already doing a sterling job with the daily links and the photo archive, and for a discussion forum that is already more than we can ask! 

 

Should you find any external links that you think would be of interest to our readership, please go ahead and upload them (within the parameters of our AUP) from time to time.

 

I do hope you understand our position.

 

Sim Dixon

Chair

BalletcoForum Committee

[Bruce Wall]

Dear Sim,  Much thanks to you and all for your kind consideration.  It is greatly appreciated.  

[simonbfisher]

Bruce, so many thanks for the original link on this thread. So much to see!

 

Whatever did we do before the internet? (Now there's a separate thread, maybe!)

[Melody]

Even if we don't have a dedicated section for these sorts of links, that doesn't mean it can't be done informally if people are interested. It'd only need to have someone start a thread called "online ballet resources" or something (assuming there isn't already something of the sort), and people could add posts containing links to pages they think the group might find interesting.

 

They wouldn't be systematically sorted, and some of them might go out of date, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be useful.

Edited September 2, 2014 by Melody

[Sunrise]

Even if we don't have a dedicated section for these sorts of links, that doesn't mean it can't be done informally if people are interested. It'd only need to have someone start a thread called "online ballet resources" or something (assuming there isn't already something of the sort), and people could add posts containing links to pages they think the group might find interesting.

 

They wouldn't be systematically sorted, and some of them might go out of date, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be useful.

 

I think a thread like this would be nice, especially if it was a subforum that stayed at the top of the page. It would mean that new or periodic users could have a resource where official websites / blogs of note / twitter accounts would be, even if it was jumbled up and informally done, without trawling through old threads.

[capybara]

No doubt this has been considered by the Administrators (to whom many thanks) but I have often wondered whether there would be any advantage in separating Performances Seen from General Discussion?

[John Mallinson]

When the forum was set up we were very keen that the structure should be simple, with the minimum number of forums and sub-forums, part of the thinking being that the more clicks you have to make the less likely you are to be bothered to explore what lies within. This was all discussed at length in a thread which is now in the Archived discussions sub-forum. It makes for interesting reading.

 

Since the original structuring was settled we have added one new forum (Photo archive) and two sub-forums: Doing Dance has acquired For Sale/Wanted and Special Ticket Offers has been added to Ticket Exchange. Keeping things simple is still the aim but if others have strong feelings one way or the other we’d like to hear them.

 

As far as Bruce W’s original suggestion goes there’s no reason for someone not to start a resources thread here and see whether it’s used and useful.

[Melody]

I must admit when I started reading the forum, I was rather confused by the "Performances Seen and General Discussion" heading because the two seem to me to be different enough topics to warrant being separated. Glad to see I'm not the only one! In my case I think it's probably because my interest in ballet tends toward the historical and because I so rarely get to see any performances by British companies these days, which means I'm looking for the general topics in among a whole slew of threads about specific performances. I know there's some cross-fertilisation between them, where a thread about a particular performance can take a more historical or more general turn, but I don't think it would hinder discussion if a general topic sparked by a review of a particular performance was started in a new forum dedicated to general discussions.

 

I'm fine with leaving it as is in the interest of a simple format, but I agree with capybara that the two do seem to be candidates for separate forums (main forums, not subforums). And I definitely agree that a forum with a ton of subforums and subsubforums does tend to be intimidating and to result in people restricting themselves to a small number of subforums where they might miss all sorts of interesting stuff because they never saw the threads.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Melody