Folks:

A brief note about this blog — the merest epistolary splinter. Think of this as Miss Manners meets the Blogosphere.

This blog is a very public space. You should approach it accordingly. The idea is to provide a place for lively, convivial community discussion of the extraordinary performances we’re all enjoying.

We’d like to remind you of just a few things:

1. The lead postings are written by:

• Mike Hawley, Cliburn IPCOA laureate and prizewinner in 2000 & 2002
• Ken Iisaka, Cliburn IPCOA finalist in 2007
• James McQuillen, critic and program annotator
• Mike Winter, professor of music, Boise State University

We do not moderate the blog unless absolutely necessary. Our role is simply to be catalytic in these discussions, and we hope they will add a unique dimension of enjoyment to the great music we’re all so privileged to share. We are all volunteers juggling busy lives, and we know we are scrambling to do a somewhat scrappy job. Be sympathetic.

2. You’re free to comment at the bottom of any blog entry. It should be easy to figure out how: it’s a simple, bare-bones interface. There’s almost no administrative support to help you with technical nits, so we hope things are reasonably self-explanatory.

3. After each performance, and especially after each round, there tends to be a flood of opinions, often sharply divided. Please be aware that if you vent a strong opinion, others may weigh in with sharply opposing views. As noted, we do not moderate or edit discussions. (The exception is decency: kindly keep your comments at a PG-13 level; crude or obscene remarks will be removed).  And remember, once you post your remarks, they can echo in cyberspace forever. A good rule of thumb is not to post things you wouldn’t say in public when addressing another person. As with most blogs, these discussions tend to evolve organically.

4. It can help to let folks know who you are, and we know there are some remarkable people writing. Blogs do make it easy to be anonymous, but this really is a community. Don’t hesitate to include your own email address and web links or references as you feel may be appropriate. Even knowing the country you’re from can be interesting.

Signed,

— Your lead posters.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 30th, 2009 at 10:21 pm and is filed under Screening Recitals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.