Noise & the sd-callers Mailing list

[bjarvis]

A couple of months ago, I wrote here about my dismay with the content of the sd-callers mailing list. It's an e-mail list for square dance callers to discuss their trade so I thought it might be enlightening and educational to hear from folks who are long-time callers about how they conduct their business, market their skills, perform on stage, etc.. I was disappointed to see that it was more a venue for a handful of very loud & abrasive personalities to expound their One True Way of teaching & calling. Much smoke, little light.

Just after my initial comments in LJ on the topic, suddenly the signal to noise ratio rose dramatically. There were actually a couple of threads which were relevant to square dancing and were being conducted in a civilized fashion, so I opted to hang on, believing the more bitter ones had burnt themselves out.

The past week's traffic has definitely demonstrated I was very wrong. The level of bitterness, sarcasm and willful misinterpretation has grown to new heights so I've quietly unsubscribed. Actually, it feels more like I've escaped a dysfunctionally negative political campaign more than unsubscribed from a mailing list. I'm suddenly able to breathe after crawling out from an acrid smoke-filled room.

Dayle has been pushing Kent & me to attend the Callerlab convention next spring but I'm more afraid than ever it will be a waste of time & money. I can only imagine how loud & spiteful these people could be in person, and I really don't want to be a witness to it more than I already have.

Comments

[fuzzygruf.livejournal.com]

I have the sd-callers emails filtered to go to a specific folder. I scan the topics listed at the top, but I can just tell lately from the sheer volume that I'd get pissed off if I were to read them. I haven't read any of them in weeks. I'm saving them for "later."

One good thing that I've gleaned from that list is making a note of which callers NOT to book.

[otterpop58.livejournal.com]

sd-callers is not representative of those who attend Callerlab conventions, nor of the tone or content of the discourse and networking to be had there.

I've attended 14 Callerlab conventions, so obviously I think there's something of value to be had from attending and participating. I plan on attending the 2006 convention in Charlotte. I think most "GCA" people of have attended over the years were reasonably happy with the experience. Kris and I and Rich R seem to be the "junkies" of this particular activity. Contact me privately if you have questions about it.

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Going to CALLERLAB in Reno was NOT a waste of time for me. Andy Shore had suggested for many years that attending CALLERLAB was worthwhile. The year I attended, there were about a half-dozen or so GCA callers. I thought I wouldn't know anyone there except Andy & Kris & Rich Reel, but I ended up spending most of the banquets at tables with Bill Eyler, Vic & Debbie Ceder, Barry & Pam Clasper, Ken Sale, and many other callers who are familiar and comfortable with the LGBT dance community. I had a great time!

I wrote up the experience in an article for the GCA newsletter. The article can be found at:

http://www.danceinfo.org/articles/firstcl.html

Some of the information I gleaned from that CALLERLAB was priceless, and couldn't have been found anywhere else. For example ... Wade Driver did an incredibly good session on singing calls, with information I've never heard anywhere else (and should have).

One thing to be aware of: You & Kent will need to get used to being called "youngsters". ;) But I do encourage you to attend CALLERLAB at least once.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

Although not a Callerlab "junkie" as Andy put it, I've been a fairly active Callerlab member since 1985, and helped initiate Andy into his first Callerlab (a very young pre-retirement, pre-HWCBN Andy). I tend to go about every three years, when it's on this side of the continent.

I'm going to unsubscribe from sd-callers, too. It's just too much yuck, and you're right, there's a huge amount of verbal garbage on there. I will stay on sd-abc though, although there's a lot of carryover on that. However, over the years, I learned who to delete and who to read...you probably don't have that knowledge or history. I'll be my delete key gets hit on 90% of the messages.

Callerlab is NOT a waste of time by any means. Trust us on this one. For the newer callers, the HUGE amount of included seminars and panels you can go to is reason enough, not to mention being able to talk 1:1 with anyone there. And anyone can be part of the Birds of a Feather sessions of which several of us, including Andy, Kris and I have been active in.

Yes, there's a bit of fluff and pageantry that goes on with most any professional organization. But don't let that caller list scare you off, please! Please!

You mercifully weren't around in the late 80s when the whole licensing issue, and the dialogs that came about from that created an off-shot American Callers Association, which doesn't do much as far as I can tell, other than license, if that's all you want, and don't want to belong to a professional organization.

Most of us have some conflicting ideas of calling, but Callerlab really is an equalizing organization in many ways, and overall you'll find the egos put aside.