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The Barbelith Dance Card

 
  

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mondo a-go-go
13:13 / 20.07.05
I've been meaning to do this for ages, but kept putting it off because I spent so little time online. I'm not spending that much more time online now, but I decided to go ahead anyway.

"Go ahead with what?" I hear you ask. "What's a dance card, anyway?"

Okay, a quick explanation on that. Back in the day, all of, oh, a couple of years ago, I used to frequent another message board called the MLF (I know a couple of other Barbeloids would also visit there from time to time, too). The owner of the MLF came up with this lovely system whereby whoever signed up to the dance card list with their address could then receive mail from anyone else who was on the dance card list. People sent all sorts of lovely things to other people on the list: holiday postcards, old comics, CD swaps, birthday cards, Amazon wishlist goodies, homemade cookies, housewarming presents, postcards just for the pleasure of sending postcards, old clothes for crafting; pretty much anything. It was almost as much fun reading the threads about what other people had sent and received as it was to send and receive stuff yourself. I gained a lot of pleasure one month by sending out about 40 postcards, and getting messages from almost everyone telling me how I'd made their day with random fun mail. And you can still send some weird things in the mail, despite new restrictions...

RULES

There was no rule that said you had to send anything, and there was no rule that said if you did send anything, you had to send something to everyone on the list, and no rule that said if you received anything to had to send something to that person in return. But there were three basic rules:

1. You have to be on the Dance Card to get stuff (though this doesn't stop you from making separate arrangements with people who aren't on it, if you want to)
2. You can't give out addresses to anyone else without permission from whoever the address belongs to.
3. No anonymous mail
-- this was in the immediate era post-9/11 and anthrax scares. I'd say anonymous postcards are okay (though they can't be acknowledged), but anything sealed should be signed.

There was also one simple courtesy note, which wasn't a set rule, but I think it should be:
4. Acknowledge the mail you received. It's only polite, especially if people have spent a lot of time or money on sending you something, but the same is equally true even if it's just a postcard.

And a couple of rules for simple practicality:

5. Inform me if you've changed your address

So, I've been thinking for ages and ages that it would be nice to have something like this for Barbelith (I remember talking about it with Kit-Cat Club about two years ago), but I'm unsure about how to monitor it. Obviously, there is concern that people should be secure about swapping addresses and putting them on a semi-public list like this, especially as so many people on here are practically anonymous, and it would potentially be very easy for trolls to abuse it given half a chance (to my knowledge, this never happened on the other board, where everyone used their real names as well as online monikers). Whilst this is a concern, I don't want it to stop anyone from playing.

I'm happy to maintain the actual list of addresses, but I was hoping one (or two) of the regulars could help me with collecting addresses and vetting usernames, since they are more likely to know who people are. I know this seems a little elitist, but think of it as the same anti-troll principle as the current system for board membership -- after all, people want to feel safe and secure about handing out their home addresses! In principle, all this means is that, if you sign up through me and I don't recognise you immediately, I can refer to someone who's been around more than me recently who can tell me who you are and whether or not you're a troll. Since most people aren't trolls, there shouldn't be any problems.

Once I've collected the list, I'll email details to everyone on it. I'm not sure how regularly to maintain/update it, though, since I'm not online so much as everyone else. Every two months?

Info that's required:

Name -- for obvious reasons, you should include your Barbelith moniker even if you're using your real name for mailing purposes, otherwise people probably won't know who you are. But you don't have to use your real name if you don't want anyone to know it -- as long as you think the mail will get there even if addressed to your fictionsuit.

Full snail mail address -- home or PO Box, or wherever it's best for you to get your mail

email address -- so that the list can be emailed to you, and also in case people want to acknowledge mail without posting it publicly.

So, who's interested in signing up?

Secondly, any volunteers for helping me collect addresses?

Thirdly, is there a birthday-dates thread, so people know when to send birthday cards? Should we start a new one? Also, a wishlists thread? And could someone then put them on the wiki? (I'd probably forget)
 
 
Jack Denfeld
13:15 / 20.07.05
Jack Denfeld
1342 Homeless Avenue
Behind a trash can, VA 23462
 
 
Char Aina
13:25 / 20.07.05
i'm into the postcards thing, but i hve no money for larger gifts...
count me in.
 
 
mondo a-go-go
13:30 / 20.07.05
Aww, Jack, I'm sorry! And there's a great gambling CD I really want to send you, as well.

toksik, you don't have to send anything you don't want, that's the joy of it.


I forgot to say that if do want to sign up, you should PM me your address. Once I have a volunteer or two, I'll confirm everything, and then email it out to everyone who signed up...
 
 
Olulabelle
13:37 / 20.07.05
This is a lovely idea Anna. I'm in.
 
 
Jack Denfeld
14:06 / 20.07.05
It is a good idea. Hopefully I can join up eventually. Well Hell, I guess I could still send stuff.
 
 
Squirmelia
10:21 / 21.07.05
I'd like to join in, although would have to give two addresses, since receiving parcels at my current address seems too complicated.
 
 
mondo a-go-go
14:54 / 22.07.05
Two addresses is okay. What's the size limit for the one that won't take parcels? Magazine-size? Smaller?

I think I'll make the deadline for this session August 1st. Then there'll be another update on October 1st, if that's okay with everyone.

And don't forget to include your email addresses!
 
 
Tryphena Absent
15:21 / 22.07.05
I'd like to do this.
 
 
Triplets
17:34 / 22.07.05
I'd like to sign up.
 
 
charrellz
18:52 / 22.07.05
Sounds like fun.
 
 
paranoidwriter waves hello
20:09 / 23.07.05
Nice idea. Count me in; that is if a c/o address is OK(?)
 
 
Axolotl
10:36 / 25.07.05
I think I'd like to take part.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
11:05 / 25.07.05
Yeah, sounds wicked.
 
 
Katherine
11:58 / 25.07.05
I'm interested.
 
 
mondo a-go-go
15:11 / 25.07.05
Um, y'know, it kind of helps to PM me your addresses and not just tell me here that you're signing up... :]

I'll collate what I have at the end of the week and email it out next week. This means you have to make sure I have your email addresses (hey olulabelle, you forgot to give me yours).
 
 
HCE
15:57 / 25.07.05
Might want to ask bitchiekittie, who had something like this going with postcards a while back.
 
 
mondo a-go-go
16:21 / 25.07.05
Ask bitchiekittie what? She has already offered to help, if that's what you mean.

Also, people who are concerned about the cost of oversea mail, please read the first post again, especially the bit about No Obligations! :]
 
 
sad robot
16:27 / 25.07.05
i'm in. do i pm you my address?
 
 
Katherine
16:46 / 25.07.05
Ok, just pm'ed you. Sorry about that I was at work and got distracted.
 
 
HCE
17:36 / 25.07.05
You could ask bitchikittie to recommend a good chocolate bar, or ask her for gardening tips.
 
 
bitchiekittie
18:11 / 25.07.05
I don't know any good gardening tips, though I could tell you good luck stories and show some pics to match. now chocolate - I could tell you about chocolate.
 
 
mondo a-go-go
18:19 / 26.07.05
Mmmm, chocolate. Actually, I've been having an on/off craving for praline or hazelnut chocolate this week. But that's a bit off-topic.

I've got quite a good list of people at the moment. You have a couple more days before I close the sign-ups for this time around! (But if you miss the deadline, there's always the next one for October)
 
 
HCE
21:19 / 26.07.05
Final o/t comment in this thread: HERSHEY BOUGHT SCHARFFENBERGER. I hope this is only a rumor.
 
 
grant
02:08 / 27.07.05
That's like the Chinese buying Land Rover/MG.
 
 
Evil Scientist
12:44 / 27.07.05
This sounds like quite a nice idea, how do we get in on it? PM someone our address presumably?
 
 
waxy dan
09:12 / 28.07.05
I'd like to get in this if it's okay? I don't contribute to the list nearly as much as I'd like due to time constraints; snail mail'd be a nice way to do a tad more.

It's a luverly idea.
 
 
mondo a-go-go
09:28 / 28.07.05
"how do we get in on it? PM someone our address presumably?"

I resisted the temptation to be snarky about this last night, but somehow I can't resist it this morning, because I'm kind of astounded by how people say that they want to sign up to something and obviously haven't read exactly what it is and how they sign up. Don't you people read the small print? I know I don't always bother to do that myself, but it's been said about three times in this thread:

PM me if you want to be added.

(I really want to post that in GIANT INESCAPABLE LETTERS so that no one can miss it, but it doesn't seem to work)

Sorry, but if you read the posts then you would know and I wouldn't have to keep repeating myself! </snark>

waxy dan, there have been a couple of sign-ups from semi-lurkers and people who post less than they used to, so I wouldn't worry on that count.

I'll post a list of people who've signed up so far, in a bit...
 
 
grant
14:54 / 28.07.05
Would the wiki be useful for this?
 
 
mondo a-go-go
17:33 / 28.07.05
Please.


Also, will people please not PM me with requests for specific peoples' addresses? Didn't I say that I would email the list out to everyone after August 1st? I think I did. :]


Signed up so far:

me (Anna)
iconoplast
bitchiekittie
Nina Clamourity
Kit-Cat Club
angel
invisible_al
gingerbop
toksik
Olulabelle
Stoatie
Scrubb
Charrellz
astrojax69
paranoidwriter
Phyrephox
archraven
Squirmelia
grant
madfigs Septathalon VII
sad robot
Robot Zero Go
betty woo
waxy dan


Did I get everyone?

sad robot, betty woo and waxy dan: I need your email addresses!
 
 
TeN
18:11 / 31.07.05
this sounds like alot of fun, and I'd love to sign up, but I've got so much on my plate as it is, and I promised myself I wouldn't sign up for any more fun little projects like this because most of them wind up being ignored.

maybe come October I'll be a little less hectic?
I hope so.
 
 
mondo a-go-go
14:13 / 02.08.05
Okay, this month's sign-up period is NOW CLOSED.

I'll be emailing out the address list to everyone who signed up once I get the last two or three remaining email addresses off people...
 
 
mondo a-go-go
14:58 / 05.08.05
Gah! Sorry I've been so tardy on mailing the list out to people. I haven't been online so much this week, and I was waiting for people to send me their email addresses, and trying to hash a few ideas out with bitchiekittie. (The results of which you should hopefully see soon).

I've written an FAQ, which I will post on the wiki, and will email to everyone when I email the actual Dance Card off. I don't have time right now to email the Dance Card, but I will do it by Monday.

The next one will get emailed out on October 1st, not October 8th or something, I promise! This is the first one, so there's bound to be teething difficulties, right? But I'm sorry if anyone is waiting and cursing me for not delivering. Hopefully it will be worth the wait! :]
 
 
Triplets
16:36 / 05.08.05
Hi Anna, I PM'd you my details on the 8th after you nudged me into action - am I on the list or has that ship soiled?
 
 
mondo a-go-go
15:44 / 08.08.05
I've posted the FAQ here.

Am in process of mailing copies of it and list to everyone right now. Hope my battery lasts long enough!
 
  

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