Tell me what you think of my recent letter

5/1/2019

Dear Friends,

On April 29th I sent a letter to all of the EC Community members via Blind Carbon Email. Everybody who is a Contributor received the identical, same letter. I have received an emotional outpouring from the members as a result of that letter. I apologize that it hurt your feelings or upset you. I do NOT apologize for what I wrote because I think that it needed to be said. Community-building is hard work. It's tough. It's not easy to do. Let's find solutions together. I am going to paste the text of my letter below and I will give you an opportunity to comment freely. Just keep it as civil as possible, and keep it constructive! tell me what you think and let's work it out. Okay?

Hello EC Community Contributors and Participants,

I will not accept any new contributors to the EC Community unless I am convinced that the prospective contributor will actually participate in the Community beyond just submitting articles.

Participation by the current group of EC Contributors is poor and inconsistent. By participation I mean taking an interest in the articles by the other contributors. For EC to survive it is necessary for you to read the articles by your fellow EC members and provide feedback in the form of Comments on the articles.

- It is my feeling that EC is redundant. 43 of 55 EC Contributors are active in social media on Facebook. These people (including myself) continue to use Facebook, in spite of its obvious drawbacks and negatives, because it is more immediate and easier to use than EC.
- Many of you have written to me saying that you are too busy with other things to be able to participate actively at EC. Believe me when I say that I have more than enough to keep me busy with my own creative projects!

If you as a group are not able to participate more actively and consistently I will not be sufficiently motivated to continue the Electronic Cottage website.

It could very well be possible that EC is not necessary, and I am willing to accept that. I am going to give this matter consideration until September, and I will then make a decision about whether to continue.

Do not flood me with a bunch of new articles!
Take the time to read what is already at EC, and make Comments.

75 Comments

Electronic Cottage
Editor
Hal McGee

I have been making my own homemade experimental music since 1981.

I was an active participant in the 1980s Cassette Culture scene, and I operated the Cause And Effect Cassette Distribution Service and label, and recorded solo as Dog As Master, and in a duo as Viscera.

From 1989 to 1991 I published six issues of the original Electronic Cottage print magazine.

In the last 40 years I have recorded, produced and released more than 300 solo audio works, collaborations and compilations.

email
website

Rafael González

5/1/2019 05:52:06

Good morning!
Honestly, I think EC is wonderful. It is full of great articles and great information. Some of us make a great effort and labor doing this. I have discovered many new things for me, and this is the most important thing, from my point of view. I see EC as a precious online magazine ... maybe we should make a greater effort to create more community among us but I believe, sincerely, that some of us do it: creating joint projects, collaborating with each other, etc.

Leslie Singer

5/1/2019 13:03:15

Rafael, I agree with all your points. Thank you for putting it so articulately and succinctly.

5/1/2019 13:30:08

Leslie, I've been in a magnificent investigation and this has cleared my mind of superfluous things. Now I'm a real analyst (I'm joking!!!!)

Tom Furgas

5/1/2019 06:26:23

I agree with you, Hal. We should be more involved with EC and not just send submissions. Although EC is certainly a labor of love for you, it is also a labor, period. Hard work! We should all be more involved. I will myself try to be more a part of it. As you know, as we all know, there are so many things going on in all kinds of media, and in life itself. Hard to keep up with it all sometimes. But I am sure most everyone who is involved with EC wants it to continue and be the vital resource it is for new music and the free exchange of ideas.

Jay Peele link

5/1/2019 06:31:39

Just seeing this. I'm glad I don't have social media on my phone (or internet). Perhaps why I have not taken the time to open the e-mail. When it rains it pours. Starring down the barrel of an intense work week. I hope you'll decide to keep E.C. going. I'm not much of a reader (or writer) and perhaps have succumbed to getting my fast food social media communication through something like facebook which is certainly no substitute for real human interaction. E.C. is great. I'll attempt to pay closer attention and comment. Sadly I barely read anything which is perhaps why I can get my quick fix on fakebook in regards to keeping up with the world. Party on weirdos...!!!!! :)

Chris Phinney

5/1/2019 06:56:51

I think it was is spot on. More involvement in reading the material, commenting, submitting material of importance, one can juggle social & EC if choose to my opinion. Hell I am guilty of not responding to all articles but who is going to. No problems do I have with others using social media thats their buisness, but my feelings is participation at EC as well, make sense or not? I hope no one takes offense here.

John M. Bennett link

5/1/2019 08:49:35

John Bennett

to Hal
well you're right, FB is fast and easy and EC takes more time and effort both to post and to comment, but it has it's value - in that one can post more involved/longer/detailed/thoughtful things, which is a value FB lacks.

Am I right in noticing that when you post links to EC posts in FB that people will comment on FB, rather than on EC? If so, i don;t know how to fix that...

hmmmm

john
--
John M. Bennett
LUNA BISONTE PRODS

Lord Litter link

5/1/2019 11:38:31

... PLEASE don't get me wrong .... it is V E R Y OBVIOUS how to fix that ... DON'T post on FB ...

.. this was a fast and easy post ...

Penny

5/1/2019 18:25:23

In my opinion: FB is not evil. It can be addicting but so can anything you give the permission to in addiction. I for one have met in real time so many of you first, because of an invite to a show or through a suggested friend. FB and other forms of social media can be used as good tools with the correct intent. When i directed a small theatre company we used it to advertise shows, did contests with fans, had private groups where we could communicate cast business..etc.
Yes there is a bunch of negativity. But i also see a greater positivity. I do appreciate your points. I do use other means of social media to attempt to get people to read what we write on and maybe they will be inspired enough to take a chance and post what moves them. I feel both EC and Social Media are good tools, but different tools to be used to share What we do and a bit of who we are and who we are becoming.

5/1/2019 19:48:31

Right on. Things are what you make of them. Facebook is ok for certain things. E.C. is an epic community. I just worked 10 hours in the sun, going to work at 10pm then back at 8am for another 10 or 11 hour day. Giant Rock festival in Jax... Rockville.... Gonna go lay down 'yall............ :)

penelope rebecca kingsord

5/1/2019 23:02:51

hi, i just got home from my job, and i trying to take in Each persons comments. i was able to read through a little bit on my break and dinner..

after reading this one..
for those of us that use fb and other forms of soical media. some of our followers, friends etc; may eventually show up and read our submissions. but, some will not.
i think posting on fb/insta etc on the teasers that Hal places up can be good, if done right.
it can be good because people who are not apart of EC can read a lil on what is going on. then maybe they might go...oooh this seams really cool, i want to learn more.

Mike Nobody link

5/1/2019 10:15:51

Hi everyone,

Like all of you, I received Hal's email a few days ago and....I was puzzled.
He appears to feel taken for granted and getting burnt out, that we are not involved enough.
I wasn't really sure what more he expected, besides collaborations, submitting articles, and commenting on each other's articles.
Electronic Cottage's website is not made to be as interactive as social media sites like Facebook, which the majority of the people here have accounts at.

It is operated top-down, like a traditional newspaper, with an editor (Hal McGee).
That may be an inherent flaw in how this is set up, because everything must go through him.
He acknowledges the possible redundancy of EC, since everyone communicates more freely elsewhere.
But, I pointed out to him, that other sites do not publish detailed articles.
They only link to to sites like EC, who do.
Is it possible to add a forum to the site or other interactive pages?
What are other options on this platform?

Hal, if you're getting burnt-out, get an assistant... or two... or three... or a full staff of people, if need be.
Distributing the workload is the only way around that.
You shouldn't feel taken for granted, because I think everyone here loves what you've done and is grateful for it.
You state that you will not be sufficiently motivated to continue the Electronic Cottage website unless some changes are made.
Well, what vision do you have for the site?
What motivates you?
Why did you set it up in the first place?
What is your intended goal?
If you have certain expectations, then say so.
We aren't mind readers.
Maybe establishing some guidelines on what you want from us would help.

Jim Barker

5/1/2019 10:32:35

I think these are really good points, followed by a lot of good questions. The thing that strikes me most is that Hal is the pinch point which everything has to go through. That does seem guaranteed to create burnout in an individual. Either there's too much to do, although Hal does seem to revel in having a lot to do, and this is admirable, or there is too little to do, which is demoralising, as the individual is all too aware that nothing to do may mean that no one cares. On the other hand allowing content to be created without oversight could allow abuse of the site, spamming and inappropriate or offensive articles/images whatever. It's a tough quandry, but I think that the idea of an editorial staff may be the way forward.

Hal

5/3/2019 07:57:38

Jim, I want to say that you hit all of the nails squarely on their heads.

5/3/2019 08:10:55

This is especially on the mark: "Either there's too much to do, although Hal does seem to revel in having a lot to do, and this is admirable, or there is too little to do, which is demoralising, as the individual is all too aware that nothing to do may mean that no one cares."

5/1/2019 12:46:23

One last comment for today..:

"..If you have certain expectations, then say so."

Maybe Hal wanted some confident, autonomous freethinkers, who as a *lets do it together* community creates something together, something that is related to the presence.

The way it happened when I entered the *underground* - nobody needed to tell us what to do, everybody took a *task* that was available in relation to ones capabilities .. and it worked just fine.

And I really mean it - probably this no longer works in the spoon fed update reality....

5/1/2019 13:19:51

I believe, sincerely, that it has worked and works perfectly in EC, in that aspect. Except in some cases, all EC members have made some great article or publication. I repeat, EC and FB (or other social media) are not similar or have the same function, from my point of view.

5/1/2019 14:49:48

Lord Litter,

If you are psychic and know everything going through Hal's head, then by all means, go do what needs to be done.

Freethinking doesn't make me omniscient.

I don't like it when a girlfriend is mad at something I did or didn't do, but won't say what it is.

5/1/2019 18:29:44

Wow!! Thank you for all those good points and questions.

...Hal....
U don't have to bear the loads all by your self....

I will agree a multiple of times, that i see EC as a necessary vehicle, a good tool and a community in the building. I for one hope it goes forward and even stronger.

Hal McGee

5/3/2019 08:22:15

Mike, thanks for these thoughts. You are right in much of what you say. There is an inherent flaw in the way things are set up. Ideally EC would NOT be a topdown situation. Ideally it would be more democratic and de-centralized. When I created EC about 13 months ago I chose Weebly because they offered highly simplified drag and drop webpage-building tools. I don't know html or any of that kind of stuff, and I have no interest in learning. I wanted to create a site where we could all meet and exchange our art and music and ideas AND talk and think about those things together -- all without the obvious bullshit addictiveness of FB. None of the flashing lights, little red flags, Likes, and emojis. That is all fine and good on Facebook, and as far as I am concerned people should continue to use FB who want to use it -- It's everyone's choice to do what suits them best. To the best of my knowledge a separate Forum function is not available at Weebly. For now the blog-style posts will need to serve that function. If somebody who knows more about websites than I do wants to investigate other possibilities and come up with a more automated and therefore de-centralized structure for EC, I am all ears and eyes. I was just looking at some info about Mastodon, and it seems legit, but would be totally beyond my abilities, knowledge and desires in able to get EC started there and up and running and working properly.

5/1/2019 10:25:00

It's good that you're passionate about EC, Hal. It's exactly what I'd expect from you, and is one of the many reasons why you are such a lightning rod for a strong creative community. But, FB is not as evil as it's painted, in my opinion. Certainly there are all the things that you talk about, no doubt of it, but at the same time FB is home to most of my real world friends, family and other acquaintences. Many of these people would find little or nothing to relate to on EC. Their interests just don't run in that direction. I don't know any of the EC members in real life, I have never met a single one of them, and I can't conjure up the same kind of friendship I have with my real world friends, no matter how well-intentioned I am. EC simply cannot replace FB, mainly because EC revolves around a minority interest, and FB accommodates all the interests. If EC was for everyone it would be FB, so this focus is its strength. Also, EC does have a real-world community of people who know each other IRL, through things like Racket Fest and Apartment Music. To those of us outside the Florida area and the US, the community is never going to be as close. I know it sounds like I'm putting down EC, but all I'm trying to do is point out a) why EC cannot take the place of FB for me, and b) that EC cannot take the place of FB, because it doesn't have mass appeal, and that is its strength. Ramble ramble.

5/1/2019 10:26:48

Realised that I didn't really answer the point, which is that EC people should interact on EC more. I agree with this, and I will try to do more in future. Like now! ;)

5/1/2019 13:23:38

Jim, this is my vision too. Completely agree with everything you say. EC is not FB, FB is not EC.

5/1/2019 10:46:42

My thanks to all of you who have commented so far and thanks in advance to those people who have yet to comment. I won't say much more right now, because I want everybody to say what is on their mind(s). I will wait until Thursday or Friday to make replies. In the meanwhile I will read every comment!

5/1/2019 12:26:01

... good move! .. I'll try 'n do the same ...

Adam J Naworal

5/1/2019 10:59:38

I think I said what I had to on the other site, but I'll expand on that here: Some of us have anxiety etc. and can be severely affected by the tone of a message. What is meant to be informative can be interpreted as cold or bossy or even mean by someone in that position. I speak from experience here. I was just acting out of frustration at the possibility of my work here going off into the ether, along with other fine works by other fine folks. I think we all give what we can to EC on our own terms, and I enjoy being a part of this community. We may not always have the time to comment or simply just might not have anything to say, but I'd like to think everyone does check in on the regular to see what's new. Mike Nobody brought up some good points as well; if the workload of running this site is too stressful, you can always ask some of us to help with the load. I hope the site continues and you find a way to lighten the workload.

Aimee Naworal link

5/1/2019 11:12:06

Couldn't have worded that better, I am seeing a lot of what I was already thinking expressed.
I will say this though:

Communication via text is such a tricky and cold thing there is so much that can get misunderstood. Like I typed via fb and email: People with Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, PTSD, ...and various other forms of circumstantial and or chronic mental illnesses need a softer approach when someone is requesting something, expressing frustration or a need, otherwise we can feel nagged and that sucks the joy out of any creative thing we are trying so hard to make ourselves do. (This is also why we have to be careful with our use of and fend off addiction to social media)

However, Real friends are not yes people and they should let you know when they feel hurt in some way in order to not foster resentment. So I am glad this has become a forum for voicing concern and or coming up with solutions. I say every comment here shows we care about what you are passionate about. We just need to do the best we can.

5/1/2019 13:10:34

Aimee, I think that you have made some very good points here and something that I've been thinking about as well. Communication via text or email can be a tricky thing as one doesn't get all the mammalian messages that we humans still rely on such as tone of voice or body language. But like you said "We just need to do the best we can." Thank you for your comment-- it really resonated with me and I couldn't have said it better.

5/1/2019 11:48:19

There is a lively parallel discussion going on here, with numerous varying viewpoints:
https://www.electroniccottage.org/lord-litter/social-media-death-destruction-hate-lies-racism-fascism-homophobia
-- Remember folks, say what you have to say. This is all about give and take an educating ourselves about how our EC people think. There is no one "right" opinion.

5/1/2019 13:16:37

Hal, I want to compliment you on the photo that you chose to illustrate this posting. I recognize the background as being from the wonderful Mexican restaurant there in Gainesville. With the illustration of the sun seeming to burst forth from your head representing all your ambitious and cool ideas that you are putting out in the world such as your assemblages, slide shows, the EC site and this posting. Thank you.

Jeremiah Paddock

5/1/2019 12:41:18

I really hope the site keeps going and I’m going to try and comment more on articles instead of just reading and thinking.

5/1/2019 13:09:06

Reading and thinking are two very good things! I also like to read what others offer me here. I am not interested in publishing just for the fact of publishing.

Eduardo GOZNE

5/1/2019 12:51:00

The only good thing about social networks is the fast communication and that is also a problem because of the quick and wrong interpretations. EC allows to be more accurate in the approaches and maybe give more time to think what you write. For my part many times I help me the Google translator, even so, I read, comment and participate in a community with interesting articles and creative people, something that you will hardly find in social networks.
I understand that the biggest job is taken by Hal, also his direct collaborators. Facebook or Instagram provides us with the first information, the link to get to EC and read the articles, photos and publications, I think that is the best way to use social networks, inform them that something new has been published in EC and Comment to read and review.

5/3/2019 14:37:50

Eduardo, please use Spanish language in your comments if it will help you. It is no problem for me to use a language translator service.

5/1/2019 13:04:13

In a similar way to Mike Nobody, I think that EC and FB (or other social media) are different things, they are not comparable. I always thought of a great and often deep online magazine where we could read interesting articles and listen to new music etc. The things you can find in EC can not be found in social media. It is not the same function or utility. I believe that it is not incompatible either. Some of the articles or interviews that are in EC are impossible to find in FB ... but if I want to establish contact with a person living in China, I must use FB, for example ... it is different and it is not incompatible.

Ditlev Buster link

5/1/2019 14:00:08

I felt a bit worried for EC when i saw that email. I did’nt respond to it because i feel that Hal started EC and its his descision if it should be kept online. But i sincerely hope that he does keep it online. It did gave me a bit of purpose in life to write for EC abd i wear the pin proudly on my boonie hat I don’t have the attentionspan to contribute as much as i would like ( i have the attentionspan of a goldfish due to mental issues, wich is why i also can’t get a job or do much of anything really, unless it’s music or soundart, wich calms me down to do, then i will do it alot) But i will do my absolute best to read every article on here in the future, and even if i don’t comment on all of them i do read most of them or at list skim them( is that a word? To skim?) And i think most of us are reading alot of it even if we don’t comment on every post

5/1/2019 14:08:40

I read all the articles, all. But I do not comment much because my words are limited: Great, awesome, amazing ... I want to say that maybe I have nothing to say, but if I show my admiration for an article with the previous words this would be a bit like a social media and EC is not a social media !!!!

5/1/2019 14:16:25

Exactly, Rafa! I think most of us unamericans or non-native english speakers have that problem to varying degrees!

5/1/2019 14:28:49

Mine in superlative degree ... so, do not get mad at me if I just tell you: You're cool !!!!!

5/1/2019 18:11:22

I go through the same thing and i was born in US. You both communicate well. I do enjoy what u both convey. Sometimes i get writer's block when i want to respond, some times i honestly do not know what to say, because the subject is very new to me.

5/2/2019 15:11:46

Thanks Penny, but believe me, my tongue does not work well ... I want to say that ... damn ... that ... aggggggg

5/2/2019 00:10:29

I re-read the letter Hal sent a few times over since last night and also today.

I am going to try to be naked, honest and vulnerable in my response.

My first reaction was wow! i must of messed up again. i did feel i was being scolded. i was like, i know i try to comment, i know i try to send good submissions, what else does he want from me.. ..

now context.. context is a good word..

when i read it, i was already feeling way down, depressed, full of anxiety and wrestling the voices of my family in me head saying all kinds of not kind things.. i was in a head space that i am in every Monday night before one of my surgeries. Every 8 weeks for almost the last year i go in for Laser Surgery to remove facial hair..and yes it is painful..
i am dealing with some family issues on this, because my family does not respect the fact or embrace me as their daughter or sister. they refuse that fact i am in transition, and this is not going away or a faze.
so when i saw Hal's letter.. i was like cool Hal wrote something.. i was looking for encouragement.
sooo, when i read the letter, i was great!!! i failed him and the EC community as well and as well as my family... My personal emotions started to spiral down more. mind u this was the last thing i read before bed.

My take away..
Tone of letter and tone of text. sometimes we do not know the tone someone is writing in a letter or text. as most humans, most of us go the negative when there is a hint of a not pleasurable tone being shared in type. i am a pick up the phone and try to communicate in that fashion, it does not matter if it is EC or Social Media or Texting.. Sometimes the Tone is hard to get..

The next take away for me. When are you reading a letter, text, messenger, post. etc.. I was up late as normal, I normally go to bed between 3am and 4am daily, I get out of work and i am home by 10pm, so i try to work as much as i can on my creative projects soon as i get home to the point of i can not stay awake any longer. When i read his letter i was exhausted. and after i read his letter my own brain went on an adventure not fun. As I said, I already was not in a good head space, so when i read those words i reacted, instead of my normal response of being pro-active. I eventually collapse, and woke up with all these emotions, just waiting for me.. and no coffee..
like i said i have gone back and re-read the letter a few times now.

I am never a Yes-girl, i love y'all to be honest and share how my heart and mind are seeing things, i am never an arse kisser as well, like wise, i respect to much to do that. and i try my best to live drama free. if i think i have offended i will ask, if i feel i have hurt you i will ask. i try each day to live in a kind and respectful way.

Next Take Away, Assumption. Since I was already in a bad head space it was easier to react in I messed, I failed, I .. I ,, I this or that.. Assumptions are not good.
Normally I would of been in a better frame of mind and the letter would of not reacted the way I did internally.

What did I do next? I thought on this. I stewed.. I fought in my own head and emotions and I wrote Hal a letter. I did wait a few days before i wrote the letter, I wanted to get my head and emotions in check. Hal is a friend, I look up to him as a Tribal Leader, I did not want to loose a friend. So I wrote a letter, Hal wrote back a very caring letter, I could tell the tone, I could read his heart, i could understand him completely. it was a good letter. at this time i have not responded back because i have meditating on what to write tonight.

As I said I am being very naked, open and honest on how i took it all in..

I also learned more about my not so fun side, dark night of the soul portions of me more and how i can adjust my internal lifestyle habits and come across as a kinder woman. when one is transitioning some days it is not fun, mentally, emotionally, and physically. i want to practice my own tones in writing letter, posts etc. I want to practice when to release important info to others. I want to practice being more heart-ful in keeping in mind what may may make sense to me may not make sense to others soon as the read it. I am also going to be having some heart to heart conversations with my blood family on me being a woman, a daughter, a sister, etc..

How do i feel now? I love seeing Y 'alls responses, even i disagreed a little with some. I love seeing how we wrote we all care about this community, I love seeing the vulnerability of each of you. It is so heart-ful, not just mindful, i see a strong commonality of creative good in here. I am glad i am apart of EC.

We may have been doing what we do for a long time, some longer than others, but we are a new community with each other. A good community is not perfect, Iron sharpens Iron. In my opinion and experience a good community is good when we are honest, out front with each other and the core values. we are stronger when we some

5/3/2019 09:12:13

Penny, thank you for your eloquent and heartfelt responses and thoughts. You do not ever need to doubt your own abilities to express yourself effectively! You are great at it. Also, you do not need to ever doubt my friendship and loyalty. I admire you and think of you as a good example for all of us to follow. You are going through difficult personal daily-life struggles and yet you remain compassionate and patient even when you do not think that you have any remaining reserves of strength to do so. We can all learn from you! keep on keeping on, sister, and keep on shining your light.

Neal Retke

5/2/2019 00:12:44

My Two Cents...

Your Circus, Your Monkeys. Personally, I don't understand the value in comparing EC to FB ( or any other on-line site ) as it is very much a product of Hal's creation & as such, should be regulated ( or terminated, or whatever else may be the case ) in accordance with your own whims.

I would like to think by my comments here & the degree of effort that I put into the articles that I do post here that it is evident how I do find value within EC - IIt may be the case however that my contributions or the way in which I participate may not be enough, which is valid. However, the project is very much yours & I feel like if you want to change it in any way it's more or less your call.

While I feel ownership in a sense to anything that I contribute to especially in terms of creative output, this sense is greatly diminished in on-line efforts, as I feel less of a sense of ownership with anything on-line. ( This can be both good & bad ) - And while I would love for this to continue & grow, if you feel it needs pruning ( Or prodding, or whatever ) that is fair enough -

I also believe that most all things, perhaps especially creative endeavors, have attributes that mimic a living being's life cycle - In other words, a naive youth, a competent adult, and a wise but waning elder - It's ony natural that this should be the case. We can prod things along in one direction or another, but ultimately they will all have their own life span -

I realize that I'm sounding repetitive & unfocused, so I'll cut it off there.

I Enjoy EC very much and hope that this analysis & review you are doing stimulates further growth here or has some other positive results. Ect.

Lumen K

5/2/2019 01:02:11

This is a great website. Thanks to everyone for contributing. I am excited to see what you all do next. I discover new things here. EC broadens my world. I look forward to more of that. I look forward to sharing more thoughts and more sounds of my own. Thank you, Hal. Thank you, EC community. You rock!

5/2/2019 02:34:15

Here is a message from your resident Pot Stirrer: if it was previously a mystery what I want from EC, it is no longer a mystery. Here, right here, you all gave me what I want! Passion, conviction, expression of what our lives feel like, our struggles as people and artists, our loves, our fears, we told each other and discussed and argued a bit, and have tried to work it out. I'm not going to abandon EC any time soon. If somebody wants to help me with editing and operating the site, speak up and be prepared to learn how I expect it to done. All I ask out of all of you is commitment and joy and for you to love your EC Community. I will not do EC forever, I can assure you of that. You need to continue to build your friendships and love each other. Try stuff that challenges you. Even stuff that frightens you. Defy apathy. Dig in, give a fuck, and give a fuck with passion. This is your Community. I created it but it needs to go on living after I cease my active invlevement with it. When I do stop my work with it, your articles will be preserved, don't worry. I wont delete the site. I might just delete me eventually so that I can do other things. Now, enjoy yourselves! Have fun. And have no regrets ever!

5/2/2019 03:17:20

I have lots of free time currently. Hit me up with some of this editorial/operational instruction :D

Ricardo D’Orlando link

5/2/2019 07:23:26

I think a Facebook group for EC will solve
more problems than it will add.
I can click an icon & be right into it.
Post, comment, & submit at will.
I’d be contributing 95%
more often.
Have I said a bad word here ?

5/2/2019 07:27:09

Ricardo, the biggest problem with your idea is that many of the already most active Electronic Cottage Community members are not on Facebook and have no intention of joining.

5/2/2019 07:53:27

... sorry I can't keep my mouth shut:

"...the already most active Electronic Cottage Community members are not on Facebook..."

That should tell us something

5/2/2019 07:58:21

MANY. Not all.

5/2/2019 07:55:40

I’d just rather see a transition to a FB group than shutting it down completely. Maybe have both & compromise.
Hal, you are unhappy with how the site is going & tell us that you find time to get things done.
We all have unique problems regarding : family, medical, work, finances, relationships, etc.
You can’t say that you find time so I should too & I know that you are not quite saying that but that vibe comes off a bit. The EC site was yet another great idea of yours & I appreciate you.
I consider you in league with Stockhausen. You have an idea, create “rules” to make it unique & than initiate it. You always welcome & include everybody.
Thanks for your effort to make things happen & bring folks together. I’ll still be around (even if I do not comment so much.)

5/2/2019 08:02:58

All I was actually saying in my letter is that I was dissatisfied with the level of commitment and depth of involvement by the EC Community members as a whole. Many of the EC members were already highly active before my letter. But more than half are still under-involved. Sure, everybody is busy with something or another. It's a simple matter of re-configuring priorities and adjusting attitudes. The ideas behind the site are the right ones.

Evan Cantor

5/2/2019 12:35:18

wow--no way I'm reading through 47 comments about commenting... the guitar is calling, the sun is shining, the day is here!

5/2/2019 23:30:21

For the win!

5/2/2019 23:39:54

Exactly why this site needs a forum.

5/3/2019 06:53:57

Evan, would you read through 47 comments on your recent article about your painting that you created while listening to Racket Fest #2? people should spend as much time outdoors, doing "real things" and away from computers as possible. I do as much of that as I can. I love taking long walks with my dog in sunny and rainy weather. But when you do sit in front of a computer for however long we appreciate your company here.

5/3/2019 14:41:04

Hello Friends! Use your primary language (French, Spanish, etc.) to make comments if it is not easy for you to comment in English. This is an international community, and we all need to be willing and ready to use language translation software if necessary. These services are readily available on the internet.

Aimee Naworal

5/4/2019 02:10:24

T̶E̶S̶T̶I̶N̶G̶ ̶1̶2̶3̶

5/4/2019 02:16:54

ç̴͕͓͉͊͗̑̓ͅḧ̵͇̞̇ṷ̸̧̒̉͂͋͌̎̈́̇͌ņ̶̢̠̪͊̈́͛̀͂̿̎̅̄̆ğ̷͍͚̙̤̙̣̝̥̟̰̅̆̀̈ǘ̷̡͉̟͉̱̭̬̤͇̈́̽́̅̓̕s̴̡̝̞̗̝͓͍͔̎̎͋͗͜

5/4/2019 03:16:13

Translation: Chungus

5/4/2019 02:19:48

yay this thing takes creative fonts!!! https://saijogeorge.com/strikethrough-text-generator/
https://lingojam.com/FancyTextGenerator

5/4/2019 02:24:55

Anhygoel Aimee!!!! 🌸🌸🌸

5/4/2019 02:25:56

omg how did you get flowers ...and in color!

5/4/2019 02:37:24

████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████
██████▀░░░░░░░░▀████████▀▀░░░░░░░▀██████
████▀░░░░░░░░░░░░▀████▀░░░░░░░░░░░░▀████
██▀░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▀▀░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▀██
██░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄▄░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░██
██░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█░█░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░██
██░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄▀░█░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░██
██░░░░░░░░░░████▄▄▄▀░░▀▀▀▀▄░░░░░░░░░░░██
██▄░░░░░░░░░████░░░░░░░░░░█░░░░░░░░░░▄██
████▄░░░░░░░████░░░░░░░░░░█░░░░░░░░▄████
██████▄░░░░░████▄▄▄░░░░░░░█░░░░░░▄██████
████████▄░░░▀▀▀▀░░░▀▀▀▀▀▀▀░░░░░▄████████
██████████▄░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄██████████
████████████▄░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄████████████
██████████████▄░░░░░░░░░░▄██████████████
████████████████▄░░░░░░▄████████████████
██████████████████▄▄▄▄██████████

5/4/2019 03:00:28

🌸🌸🌸💝💝💝💝🌸🌸🌸
I am a smart girl...
Tonight, Aimee and myself decided to see how much fun we can have with commenting.
We are both Geeky Girls..oooh there are so many ways ( evil laughter) to bring fun.. And Aimee was really caffeinated..
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

5/4/2019 07:05:33

Penny and Aimee, I think it is quite exciting that you have discovered how to add emojis and color fonts to the Comments here at EC. Good investigative work! It will greatly enhance the enjoyment of the EC site for you and other community members. I think that a dedicated article for EC would be a good thing, with detailed instructions and examples. Please work on it together and submit an article soon. It will be quite useful. Also, in the future, please feel free to use the newly-created FORUM page as a scratch-pad or doodle-pad for the discovery and discussion of thoughts and ideas not directly related to the topics of specific posts at EC.

5/4/2019 02:38:13

^^^^^ASCII Text Art https://fsymbols.com/text-art/

5/4/2019 02:50:16

🐍💘 €𝔠 : 𝔡Ａ𝔡Δ, ғⓁ𝓾𝔁ⓤ𝐒, ρ𝔲𝓷ⓚ 𝐑𝓞𝒸𝓴, ĦⒶ𝕔Ҝι几Ꮆ, ¢𝕀я℃Ⓤ𝕀𝐓 Ⓑ𝔼𝐍∂ᶤｎ𝔤, 𝓪𝐧Ａⓡℂн𝓎, ภ𝔬𝕀ⓢᗴ, 𝔳ᵃ𝕃𝓊Ｅˢ 𝒾𝓝¢ㄥ𝕌Ｓ𝔦𝓞ᶰ, ĐᗴᗰＯᑕ𝔯ΔⒸＹ, €ⓧ𝓟Ẹя𝕀𝕄Ⓔ𝓃𝓣άт𝕀𝔬𝐍, ⓘⓃ𝔻є𝓅𝑒ᑎ𝔡𝒆ηⓒє 𝔞Ňｄ 𝐟ŘᵉєＤ𝐎𝐦 σ𝒇 t𝐡𝐨𝔲ﻮʰＴ ᗩ𝔫ⓓ ⓔx𝐩𝐑𝓔𝐬รƗόᑎ, ό𝕡ＥŇ-м𝒾ŇᗪᵉＤ έ𝕏Ⓒ𝔥ⓐηⒼє, Čό𝐌ᗰ𝕦𝓝Ɨтʸ คηⓓ Ŧⓦ𝔦ℕⓅ𝔼คｋ𝔰 🐊😾

5/4/2019 03:15:28

Translation ^^^^ : Dada, Fluxus, Punk Rock, Hacking, Circuit Bending, Anarchy, Noise, EC values inclusion, democracy, experimentation, independence and freedom of thought and expression, open-minded exchange, Community and TWINPEAKS

5/4/2019 07:06:32

Aimee and Penny, I think it is quite exciting that you have discovered how to add emojis and color fonts to the Comments here at EC. Good investigative work! It will greatly enhance the enjoyment of the EC site for you and other community members. I think that a dedicated article for EC would be a good thing, with detailed instructions and examples. Please work on it together and submit an article soon. It will be quite useful. Also, in the future, please feel free to use the newly-created FORUM page as a scratch-pad or doodle-pad for the discovery and discussion of thoughts and ideas not directly related to the topics of specific posts at EC.

5/4/2019 07:16:08

Commenting is stale chicken.
Your bubble bath is full.
Go eat a hat, now.

5/4/2019 09:46:29

Slimy stew and pussy gruel
Brash pussy black body
These are the things Hal made

Dave Fuglewicz link

5/11/2019 15:49:25

Hal. I hope you continue Electronic Cottage. I won't bullshit you or anyone else that reads this post. I may increase my participation during the rest of this year but I can't promise anything. I won't go into what time I have and so on, I have communicated that to you many times over the past year and a half. Facebook: I might login to that maybe once every two to three weeks. I'm on EC more then FB. If you're disappointed, steel yourself and keep going. If you have stipulations, trash them. If you feel you've hit a wall because of perception of participation levels, knock that wall down and keep going. It may take years to develop the community you envision or it may never happen. The thing is do you believe in Electronic Cottage, not do you believe in the members of Electronic Cottage to do as you feel they should do.
Over and out compadre.
Dave

5/11/2019 15:51:11

Thanks, Dave! That's excellent advice!