The Forum Re-Format Project

[kristineslipson]

Notice any changes lately?
You have? Great!
I've changed quite a bit on this site, and I'm ready to bring this forum back to life!!

Allow me to explain myself:

I’ve been singing in choirs since I was in elementary school. I spent three years with The Lounge Lizards at UC Davis, I was in the CAL group Voxel Rox, and I just started my own CAL group called Scenic Root. As a huge fan of a cappella music and the community it has created, I spend as much time as I can going to the various shows and events held in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas here in California. My passion for music has found its peak levels with this great vocal art form. What started as something fun to do between classes in college has turned into what could easily be classified as an obsession.

As I began to seek out more, I discovered that the center of this new-to-me universe is The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Naturally, the first thing I did was join as an individual member. In my excitement, I immersed myself in casa.org, making sure I didn’t miss a single page. When I found the forum, I grew even more anxious to see where the link would take me. I’ve been an avid forum user for various hobbies and career paths for many years, so I was looking forward to adding a new digital hang out to my list. I looked over the forum for what was likely only a few minutes, and then closed that browser tab to go check my email and move on with my day. But why? The next day, I began to think about that very question. What was it about this forum that didn’t grab me? I went back to that webpage to investigate. I realized that I was basically looking at a desk piled sky-high with papers- no folders, labels, or organization to speak of. It quickly became a daunting task to find what I was looking for. I knew that in that pile somewhere is a wealth of knowledge and tons useful information, but I didn’t have the patience to go find it. So, again, I clicked away from the forums and moved on. It wasn’t until right around the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival that I got inspired to do something about it.

I know I can make this forum buzz with the excitement and activity we all deserve. It’s about getting it re-organized so we can easily find a discussion to join, or quickly be able to look back in the archives to re-read topics stuffed full with helpful information. I know that many have moved on to use the various Facebook groups, but I believe that both social media and the forum can co-exist, serving two different purposes for one community. Social media is a great way to get the message out fast. But after the announcement is made, it gets bumped down the page until it eventually disappears into digital oblivion, never to be seen again. A forum is a place for detailed discussion, where topics have a specific place and can be searched for future referencing. Some of the best forums I’ve been a part of have replies posting constantly. Experts in the industry- names people recognize- join in to bring experience and knowledge to the table that would otherwise only be seen by those who were online that day or the next. To be able to have full conversations with these names, almost like they’re right there in your home with you, creates an incredible sense of community and professionalism that only a forum can provide. Social media talks TO you, not with you. My plan has begun the execution phase- I can't wait to start using this forum with you all!

So what happens now?

The first couple of weeks or even months will likely be slow and cumbersome as we all adjust to the new format. Some categories may only have a couple of topics in them at first, even if others start to get heavy traffic. The numbers will grow over time as people migrate back to the forum and start new conversations. I’m sure some categories will likely always have higher traffic than others, but that should be considered perfectly normal. It should also be considered normal to see heavy moderation during this transition period, so please don't be offended if I move your topic or even lock it. The idea is to have specifically defined categories that make it easy for someone to navigate the forum and find the topic they’re looking for.

I’m confident I can get this vital part of our community to flourish and become a great resource for everyone. Let’s get this new forum up and running!

-Kristine