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This thread is for discussion of Issue #20 of Suspense & Decision magazine.
The Submission Deadline for articles, news, events, etc. for Issue #20 is: 10 October, 2019
The scheduled Publication Deadline for Issue #20 is: 30 October, 2019
Edited Sep 20, 2019 01:51 UTC
I will have an article for you by then.
UPDATE: Work has begun on Issue #20.
UPDATE: I've had one article sent to me for Issue #20, thus far.
UPDATE: It appears that no one is interested in submitting anything for Issue #20, at the current rate of submissions. If Issue #20 ends up being on the thin size, this will be why. At least it makes my job easier, though.
[quote='GrimFinger' pid='136964' dateline='1570110018']
UPDATE: It appears that no one is interested in submitting anything for Issue #20, at the current rate of submissions. If Issue #20 ends up being on the thin size, this will be why. At least it makes my job easier, though.
[/quote]
I will have something for you before the deadline.
[quote='Rinzai' pid='136965' dateline='1570121089']
I will have something for you before the deadline.
[/quote]
Oh, I know that YOU will, Raven. Maybe others will, yet. they still have a week.
Sorry ... there have been personal upheavals in the local ether which may contribute to distractions in the time-space continuum. Life will return to some semblance of normal as the ripples settle down.
[quote='Davin' pid='136968' dateline='1570247874']
Sorry ... there have been personal upheavals in the local ether which may contribute to distractions in the time-space continuum. Life will return to some semblance of normal as the ripples settle down.
[/quote]
I know that feeling, especially after this morning.
It will all work out.
UPDATE: I'm running just a tad behind, but I should make more progress on issue #20 over the upcoming weekend.
It will be a thin issue, but that should just make it quicker and easier for me to compile. It won't be an obstacle to the following issue, Issue #21.
There will be at least three articles in every issue - even if I have to write all three of them, myself. A few people have sent me articles, already, for Issue #20. It would be nice to have more, to begin to amass a backlog of articles. Maybe things will improve, as we finish out this year and head into the next.
Never enough time to do everything. Regularity of publishing is the priority, right now. Got to keep the issues coming, no matter what.
UPDATE: I had hoped to work on issue #20, today, but my wife is making meatloaf, so no promises.
Sorry, people, but it's meatloaf.
UPDATE: Raven Zachary sent in a second article for Issue #20, last night.
How goes the process of compiling S&D #20, Charles?
[quote='Rinzai' pid='136974' dateline='1571786252']
How goes the process of compiling S&D #20, Charles?
[/quote]
Not very well. BUT...I am off work, today, and after tomorrow, I'll be off for seven more days (burning some vacation time), so I think that we'll be fine. I received an e-mail, this morning, that I shared over on the PlayByMail.Net Facebook page that you might be interested in.
What do you count as an article?
Looking forward to Issue 20. Just downloaded the previous two issues ! Been away for a while but always happy to contribute where I can.
Sent you a private email with article idea
Colin
[quote='Kain' pid='137851' dateline='1583272399']
Sent you a private email with article idea
[/quote]
I haven't heard of Grim turning down ANYTHING that he could publish.
Hoping...taking to Charles about it.
Issue 20!
I
Summon
Thee!
Beware what you ask for!
Grim,
It is a good thing when your readers crave the new issue!
Thank you for your hard work promoting this wonderful hobby!
I sure hope that you'll be able to keep S&D going - we need this sort of focal point!
It is my #1 priority in PBM gaming right now. I will continue to help Charles in any way I can to see this issue published.
any news on the publication of this issue? We love what you guys are doing.
I tried to summon it in early May, but I think I need to sacrifice a goat instead of a guinea pig... :blush:
Edited Sep 29, 2020 09:50 UTC
Do we have to bury him in articles that he'll have to publish just to get out from under them?
Can I help with issue 20? Need an article? Want editing? Want me to take whatever you have and put the rest together for your review?
All - I contacted Grim, and I will be putting the next few issues together - we'll see how it goes. I'll try on the editor's hat, and we'll see how S&D works with a little dash of ixnay.
My goals:
- stay true to Grim's vision
- boost our hobby
- find a way to make new issues sustainably, now and on into the future
To that end, please send me anything you sent Grim for Issue 20 - suspense.decision "at" gmail dotcom. Send me ANYTHING. I have ideas, but I want this to be a community effort.
- articles
- requests for articles
- ads
- news items that ought to be mentioned
- zine publishing hints
- thoughts on how to best serve our community
Thank you, ixnay! I look forward to seeing new issues!
I agree! I'm glad someone can get us back up and running again.
Working on this issue today. So far, I have:
- episode 9 of the Ridin' Out the Storm chronicles
- a stack of nifty advertising assets for Galac-tac
- ??
I have the following in mind:
- editorial from our editor emeritus (Grim!), if he's up for it
- editorial content from moi
- a new Tribal Starfleet Trade Report (also moi)
- some content I had written many many months ago
- layout done in MS Publisher
- a rough survey of the PBM landscape
- calls to action (for players, moderators, contributors, advertisers, and forum posters)
What I would welcome from any contributors:
- any PBM-related stories, articles, or even just news blurbs
- commentary on past issues
- live updates on any games you're currently playing
- art, ads, promos, filler, comix, etc
- advice!
quick update: I spent the bulk of this holiday week on family stuff, and a set of interesting gaming activities, but did not work on S&D 20. This is disquieting to me. I want to get this rolling, but there is significant inertia to overcome, momentum to start building, time to dedicate, thoughts to unpack, contacts to form, and perhaps trepidation at the thought of trying to fill Grim's shoes, knowing it will be nearly impossible to come close to his achievements.
More than anything else, there is my notion of moving into a writing career. I don't mean that I'd be looking to S&D as a full-time job, but rather that editing a magazine like this would be a positive and healthy step toward that dream. I'd learn lots, fail some, and learn again. I have multiple other writing concepts in the works, and would like to press ahead on multiple avenues. S&D can help me get this engine cranking. Just need to apply the elbow grease.
I have a pile of articles and enthusiasm in my inbox from a few fellow members of the "inspired by Charles" club. Tonight I will try to start this by applying daily effort - by acting like this is my job - by writing and organizing every day. I'm not setting a target date yet, but I will keep you all posted. Just wanted you all to know that the wheel is going to start turning tonight...
Thank you for volunteering for this huge, but very important task. Sadly, PBeM is on the brink of going extinct IMHO. S&D has helped rekindle interest in a gaming format that has been passed up by the largely ignorant masses in favor of the far more shallow glitter-coated gameplay found on mobile devices. By producing an S&D issue, you are helping those of us who prefer the deeper gameplay found in PBem. It is a good and noble fight to wage!
[quote="ixnay" pid="138068" dateline="1606534294"]
My goals:
- stay true to Grim's vision
[/quote]
And what was that vision? That's a fool's errand. To one's own heart be true. Therefore, stay true to your vision, not mine.
I think it is time to try something different. Collecting articles in a single massive PDF issue is, IMO, a failed experiment. Someone needs to pronounce this single big issue patient "dead" instead of endlessly pounding upon the chest of the dearly departed.
The net result of holding up all articles until one massive issue is ready is NOTHING gets published in a timely matter because it is such a monumental task. Kudos to Grim and Ixnay for trying to breathe life into this corpse of single issue delivery.
In my opinion, if the goal is to save PBM, then the articles that have been written and collected need to be published far more frequently in a medium that is digestible to younger people...
For example, a Facebook page. Surely it is better to release articles every few days than every few YEARS?
Apologies for any ruffled feathers. But someone needs to say, "He's dead, Jim. You grab his wallet. I will grab the tricorder."
The only problem I have with Facebook is how hard it is to find things. You don't get timely notices. You don't get articles by date, etc. Plus getting Zucked for random things or by malicious actors.
One of the things that Grim tried once might an in-between option - publishing on a regular basis whether there are articles or not. Grim, bless his attempts, tried to then fill out issues with his own articles, but I think that was even more difficult. Perhaps only the title page and table of contents should be required, plus anything else that's available at publication time? Having to keep up a regular feature that has to appear in each issue sounds counter-productive unless someone has lots and lots of free time (which none of us do).
FYI - I refuse to participate in Facebook, so I wouldn't be able to see things that only appeared there. Other folks may have similar opinions. If it was on this forum instead, I could go with that, but I don't see much activity going on here directly, the Facebook area being much more popular. So a PDF would not require participation by either group of folks and still be available to anyone that was interested. If someone could spend some time writing a little automation software, a PDF could be generated more-or-less automatically, given a source of text to publish (in a form that wouldn't require more than automated formatting). Optimally, article & ad submissions could be done on-line (subject to human approval to avoid garbage). It doesn't have to be beautiful if it's steady and relevant.
RktSci and Davin both raise good points about the drawbacks of using Facebook. However, simply putting out smaller PDFs on a niche forum seen by very few people will not bring in any new blood in my opinion.
But both Facebook and PlayByMail.net (and anywhere else we can think of) can advertise the availability of an issue through a single download link. It's not actually ON the forum, so doesn't require any sort of participation there.
[quote="Davin" pid='138223' dateline='1614185537']
But both Facebook and PlayByMail.net (and anywhere else we can think of) can advertise the availability of an issue through a single download link. It's not actually ON the forum, so doesn't require any sort of participation there.
[/quote]
Good point!
Every single website has someone who hates/refuses to use it. If we allow a single user to veto a website or idea then nothing will ever get accomplished. I do think it is a good idea to host the PDFs away from Facebook's control, but I firmly believe that we need a frequently updated Facebook page to reach the maximum number of potential PBM recruits. I am sure something can be worked out so Davin can get the PDFs without having to visit Facebook.
Edited Feb 26, 2021 11:40 UTC
Put the PDFs anywhere public on the web (as they are now and have always been) and just keep a Facebook page (such as the PBM one that's there) updated with what's available with links to it. The PBM forum already has a topic where new issue announcements with links are posted and that can continue to be updated. Anywhere else we want to talk about it is likewise a good place to keep references, but they can all point to the same PDF files on the same non-social, public website. And people could always go directly there to check for the latest releases as soon as they learn where it is - I've done that fairly often myself.
I'm not talking about anyone vetoing where notices are posted. I'm suggesting we post everywhere at once, but just keep a single download copy in a publicly (and anonymously) available location.
Perhaps I'm missing something, but what's wrong with that?
[quote="Davin" pid="138227" dateline="1614347988"]
Put the PDFs anywhere public on the web (as they are now and have always been) and just keep a Facebook page (such as the PBM one that's there)...
[/quote]
IMO, the one that is there is driving younger people away talking about receiving snail mail turns by posting pictures of envelopes... I think we need a more modern approach when we promote Play-By-EMAIL on websites. Emphasize the deep gameplay and use examples of your own Galac-Tac as a PBeM that utilizes technology to enhance the experience.
[quote="Davin" pid="138227" dateline="1614347988"]
The PBM forum already has a topic where new issue announcements with links are posted and that can continue to be updated. Anywhere else we want to talk about it is likewise a good place to keep references, but they can all point to the same PDF files on the same non-social, public website. And people could always go directly there to check for the latest releases as soon as they learn where it is - I've done that fairly often myself.
I'm not talking about anyone vetoing where notices are posted. I'm suggesting we post everywhere at once, but just keep a single download copy in a publicly (and anonymously) available location.
Perhaps I'm missing something, but what's wrong with that?
[/quote]
I apologize, Davin. I do not intend to put words in your mouth. Your "I refuse to use Facebook" (paraphrased) sounded like a veto to me at the time. Now I better understand your meaning. I have no objection to what you said in this paragraph. The more important issue (which I helped derail us from) is abandoning the single massive issue that comes out every 2 years in favor of lots of smaller PDFs that come out every few weeks...
[quote="Lugh" pid="138228" dateline="1614355300"]
IMO, the one that is there is driving younger people away talking about receiving snail mail turns by posting pictures of envelopes... I think we need a more modern approach when we promote Play-By-EMAIL on websites. Emphasize the deep gameplay and use examples of your own Galac-Tac as a PBeM that utilizes technology to enhance the experience.
[/quote]
Fine, but that's no reason to dispose of the delivery method (which is what I thought we were talking about). If we need to change the appearance, then just do that. Work on different cover art and add commentary around the releases as seems appropriate -- perhaps mention the melding of both old and new technologies and let that lead them into the magazine where they can find more details. We could even start off the S&D web page with an overall description of the industry and the possibilities available therein, just to give them an idea of what they're getting into.
[quote="Lugh" pid="138228" dateline="1614355300"]
I apologize, Davin. I do not intend to put words in your mouth. Your "I refuse to use Facebook" (paraphrased) sounded like a veto to me at the time. Now I better understand your meaning. I have no objection to what you said in this paragraph.
[/quote]
What I was trying to "veto" was making it ONLY available on Facebook, with no other recourse to getting it. Too many people would not have access to it like that. I have no problem with promoting it on Facebook as well as other social media and just linking people to a common distribution point that everyone has access to.
[quote="Lugh" pid="138228" dateline="1614355300"]
The more important issue (which I helped derail us from) is abandoning the single massive issue that comes out every 2 years in favor of lots of smaller PDFs that come out every few weeks...
[/quote]
I agree that one issue every few years is bad, and we should do something to correct that. It seems to me that the biggest problem there is the construction and publishing of the PDF, and from the sounds of things, caused by the manual labor time it requires. If we can improve that substantially (perhaps with some automation assistance) then I think that can get us around a major hurdle. The second most important problem I'm seeing is the contribution of articles. I see no easy fix for that, but increasing frequency and readership sounds like a good first step to encouraging more participation.
As for size, I wouldn't want to see it degenerate into single, independent articles. I'd at least want a real e-zine with stuff collected together and a standard format (including the title page) in a publicly downloadable (probably PDF) file. I agree that it should come out as frequently as is reasonable given what content can be acquired. A fixed schedule may or may not be possible, though.
[quote="Davin" pid='138230' dateline='1614359133']
[quote="Lugh" pid="138228" dateline="1614355300"]
I apologize, Davin. I do not intend to put words in your mouth. Your "I refuse to use Facebook" (paraphrased) sounded like a veto to me at the time. Now I better understand your meaning. I have no objection to what you said in this paragraph.
[/quote]
What I was trying to "veto" was making it ONLY available on Facebook, with no other recourse to getting it. Too many people would not have access to it like that. I have no problem with promoting it on Facebook as well as other social media and just linking people to a common distribution point that everyone has access to.
[/quote]
I do not believe that I said ONLY available on Facebook...
Edited Feb 26, 2021 18:12 UTC
[quote="Lugh" pid="138232" dateline="1614363071"]
I do not believe that I said ONLY available on Facebook...
[/quote]
My apologies - from my interpretation I thought that...
[quote="Lugh" pid="138219" dateline="1614164932"]
For example, a Facebook page.
[/quote]
...meant that you intended to publish articles directly on Facebook, rather than a public e-zine, thus making the articles unavailable to anyone not present there.
What, instead, was your meaning?
[quote="Davin" pid="138233" dateline="1614365437"]
[quote="Lugh" pid="138232" dateline="1614363071"]
I do not believe that I said ONLY available on Facebook...
[/quote]
My apologies - from my interpretation I thought that...
[quote="Lugh" pid="138219" dateline="1614164932"]
For example, a Facebook page.
[/quote]
...meant that you intended to publish articles directly on Facebook, rather than a public e-zine, thus making the articles unavailable to anyone not present there.
What, instead, was your meaning?
[/quote]
I am advocating that we publish individual articles directly on sites (Facebook was the example, but never intended to be the only website) without putting them into the PDF format. Publishing the PDF is the major pain in the hindquarters that keeps the articles from seeing the light of day! Just post the text on the sites (including S&D) with a relevant image or two. Add a hyperlink back to the game's forum on S&D... Lather, rinse, repeat.
I am not saying that someone should not make the PDFs. If someone with the time to spend wants to gather up the articles and do the work to publish the 50 page PDF...go for it! Some will find that quite useful and appreciate that format. I am saying that we should not hold up the articles waiting for the 50 page PDF that may never be completed...
Edited Feb 26, 2021 20:24 UTC
My recommendation to Charles was to make Issue #20 the final PDF edition of the magazine and then switch Suspense & Decision over to a WordPress blog site where articles could be posted individually as they are ready by authors. This is so much more sustainable than designing, laying out, and producing a PDF magazine.
Even with Issue #20, which was handed over to Bernd to produce several months ago, we're in limbo again where one person is the bottleneck. I'm not mad at Charles or Bernd, I just want to get us all out from under this collective rock. Producing a PDF-based PBM magazine is clearly not working. Let's switch to something that will work so we can keep the content flowing.
I don't envision anyone making a PDF from posts on Facebook. Nor do I envision anyone making the same posts in more than one place, so if it's on FB then it isn't likely to be anywhere else. That gets back to the restricted audience that I was worried about. Thus, if all you've got is FB posts then that's all I ever see happening, and we've basically got that now, and it won't be any kind of a 'zine. I'd rather see something more structured, like the PDF is, even if it's only a dozen pages.
Perhaps a better solution would be to improve that "major pain in the hindquarters" directly, somehow, and avoid just random scattered posts that few will bother tracking down to read even if they are resident there?
[quote="Rinzai" pid="138235" dateline="1614371516"]
My recommendation to Charles was to make Issue #20 the final PDF edition of the magazine and then switch Suspense & Decision over to a WordPress blog site where articles could be posted individually as they are ready by authors. This is so much more sustainable than designing, laying out, and producing a PDF magazine.
[/quote]
I agree that producing a PDF by hand is too much work for any one person, though they've both tried hard. But I'm not as fond of a piecemeal approach to it, either.
For one thing, a publication deadline (whether it be soft or hard) encourages me to write something on a timely basis. With an open-ended input area (blog, posts, etc.) then I wouldn't have anything pushing me to write and it'd just get put off and put off and I'd never get anything done. That sounds like a recipe for stagnation, and I'd rather not encourage that.
For another thing, one thing I like about S&D (from both a reader and game-runner point of view) is the advertising. Individual posts won't have any place for advertisements to go that talk about what's available and why anyone would want to play them.
If there was a way to help automate production of a PDF (or similar compiled 'zine format), with a way to submit articles directly to it, wouldn't that help a lot of the concerns that are being bandied about?
[quote="Davin" pid="138236" dateline="1614371802"]
I don't envision anyone making a PDF from posts on Facebook.
[/quote]
You got the order wrong. Someone has the articles, we put them on Facebook and S&D and anywhere else we think can reach potential converts. The articles could be put into a PDF by someone if they have the desire...
[quote="Davin" pid="138236" dateline="1614371802"]
Nor do I envision anyone making the same posts in more than one place, so if it's on FB then it isn't likely to be anywhere else.
[/quote]
With respect, now you are just being obstinate. Someone who has a reddit account (for example) could post the articles there... Your obsession with Facebook is affecting your logic my friend.
[quote="Davin" pid="138236" dateline="1614371802"]
Thus, if all you've got is FB posts then that's all I ever see happening, and we've basically got that now, and it won't be any kind of a 'zine.
[/quote]
You are the only one saying it will only appear in the bogeyman Facebook and no where else!!!
[quote="Davin" pid="138236" dateline="1614371802"]
I'd rather see something more structured, like the PDF is, even if it's only a dozen pages.
[/quote]
Fine. Whoever has the articles, please give a copy to Davin so he can create his Holy PDFs before his head explodes!
:D
Edited Feb 26, 2021 21:32 UTC
[quote="Davin" pid='138237' dateline='1614372338']
For another thing, one thing I like about S&D (from both a reader and game-runner point of view) is the advertising. Individual posts won't have any place for advertisements to go that talk about what's available and why anyone would want to play them.
[/quote]
Posts could have a hyperlink to the game company...
[quote="Rinzai" pid='138235' dateline='1614371516']
My recommendation to Charles was to make Issue #20 the final PDF edition of the magazine and then switch Suspense & Decision over to a WordPress blog site where articles could be posted individually as they are ready by authors. This is so much more sustainable than designing, laying out, and producing a PDF magazine.
Even with Issue #20, which was handed over to Bernd to produce several months ago, we're in limbo again where one person is the bottleneck. I'm not mad at Charles or Bernd, I just want to get us all out from under this collective rock. Producing a PDF-based PBM magazine is clearly not working. Let's switch to something that will work so we can keep the content flowing.
[/quote]
Hallefreakingluyah!!!
[quote="Lugh" pid="138238" dateline="1614375053"]
You got the order wrong. Someone has the articles, we put them on Facebook and S&D and anywhere else we think can reach potential converts. The articles could be put into a PDF by someone if they have the desire...
[/quote]
I do? If someone comes up with something to say, I'd expect them to just want to post it on their favorite area (FB or elsewhere). Then they're done. They have no incentive to do anything else, to copy it anywhere, to give it to anyone else, or even to make it "pretty". It sounds like it simply stops there from lack of interest.
And that just sounds like everyday posting, not a 'zine. How's that different from not having anything special at all?
Who will be this "someone" you keep referring to? Are you talking about some centralized point of control that "has the articles" and handles everything for us? At best, who has time?
[quote="Lugh" pid="138238" dateline="1614375053"]
With respect, now you are just being obstinate. Someone who has a reddit account (for example) could post the articles there... Your obsession with Facebook is affecting your logic my friend.
[/quote]
And if someone decides to say something on Reddit (or anywhere else that I don't have an account), how am I supposed to see it?
[quote="Lugh" pid="138238" dateline="1614375053"]
[quote="Davin" pid="138236" dateline="1614371802"]
Thus, if all you've got is FB posts then that's all I ever see happening, and we've basically got that now, and it won't be any kind of a 'zine.
[/quote]
You are the only one saying it will only appear in the bogeyman Facebook and no where else!!!
[/quote]
Not at all! All I'm trying to say is that something to be said will only appear once, in one place (whether it's FB or not), and then vanish into the posts of history. Nobody will be able to go find it, or even know where to look for news.
Social media is fine for chatting, but I think an organized publication of some sort is what we need to be rallying around.
[quote="Lugh" pid="138238" dateline="1614375053"]
You are the only one saying it will only appear in the bogeyman Facebook and no where else!!!
[/quote]
BTW, you see me picking on FB but it's not because it's a favorite target. It's simply because you mentioned it first and I used it for a generic example. I think that any sort of posting-based social media is equally poor at the kind of stuff I think we should be trying to do.
[quote="Lugh" pid="138238" dateline="1614375053"]
[quote="Davin" pid="138236" dateline="1614371802"]
I'd rather see something more structured, like the PDF is, even if it's only a dozen pages.
[/quote]
Fine. Whoever has the articles, please give a copy to Davin so he can create his Holy PDFs before his head explodes!
:D
[/quote]
Goodness, no! I don't even have the time available that Grim and Ixnay have had.
[quote="Lugh" pid="138239" dateline="1614375313"]
[quote="Davin" pid="138237" dateline="1614372338"]
For another thing, one thing I like about S&D (from both a reader and game-runner point of view) is the advertising. Individual posts won't have any place for advertisements to go that talk about what's available and why anyone would want to play them.
[/quote]
Posts could have a hyperlink to the game company...
[/quote]
A hyperlink is not an advertisement. I think perhaps you missed my point here. Oh, you could post images with advertising information in them, but then readers would need a reason to pay attention to them. Advertising also has the "deadline" aspect to consider, for anyone that wants to put our new ads from time to time. And if they want to keep the same ad, why would they want to post the same thing over and over? At the very least, wouldn't readers get tired of it? And does social media complain about businesses advertising in their posts all the time?
[quote="Davin" pid="138241" dateline="1614376527"]
I do? If someone comes up with something to say, I'd expect them to just want to post it on their favorite area (FB or elsewhere). Then they're done. They have no incentive to do anything else, to copy it anywhere, to give it to anyone else, or even to make it "pretty". It sounds like it simply stops there from lack of interest.
[/quote]
Someone has a conversation on a website which you refuse to visit and it bothers you that you cannot participate? I do not understand this point...
[quote="Davin" pid="138241" dateline="1614376527"]
And that just sounds like everyday posting, not a 'zine. How's that different from not having anything special at all?
[/quote]
As I understand 'zines they are a one way communication format. Where is all the 'give and take' happening when the infrequent S&D issue goes out?
[quote="Davin" pid="138241" dateline="1614376527"]
Who will be this "someone" you keep referring to?
[/quote]
Right now, Rinzai/Grim/Bernd have the articles. When they decide who shall receive and re-distribute the articles then we will know.
[quote="Davin" pid="138241" dateline="1614376527"]
Are you talking about some centralized point of control that "has the articles" and handles everything for us? At best, who has time?
[/quote]
Davin, I am just spit-balling ideas here. I am trying to get agreement on how to move past the gigantic PDF issues that rarely materialize because of the stupendous amount of work they require. I do not possess a 10 point plan. Sorry to disappoint you!
Davin, I personally hate ads that I am forced to watch/see. I rather see a hyperlink that gives me a choice on whether or not I click it.
P.S. I wish that Facebook had never been invented. I am no Zuckerberg fanboy. But Facebook is very good at connecting people with similar interests.
[quote="Lugh" pid="138247" dateline="1614379395"]
[quote="Davin" pid="138241" dateline="1614376527"]
I do? If someone comes up with something to say, I'd expect them to just want to post it on their favorite area (FB or elsewhere). Then they're done. They have no incentive to do anything else, to copy it anywhere, to give it to anyone else, or even to make it "pretty". It sounds like it simply stops there from lack of interest.
[/quote]
Someone has a conversation on a website which you refuse to visit and it bothers you that you cannot participate? I do not understand this point...
[/quote]
That's not what I was trying to get at here - I was just mentioning that people that make posts seem unlikely to want to cross-post it to many other places.
As for your question, it's not a matter of a conversation nor is it a matter of participating myself. I'm just saying that the world is not all in one place, reading everything that's written there, so people with interest are still going to miss getting the news. I'd rather have a better way to spread information to everyone that wants to hear about it so we catch everyone we can.
[quote="Lugh" pid="138247" dateline="1614379395"]
[quote="Davin" pid="138241" dateline="1614376527"]
And that just sounds like everyday posting, not a 'zine. How's that different from not having anything special at all?
[/quote]
As I understand 'zines they are a one way communication format. Where is all the 'give and take' happening when the infrequent S&D issue goes out?
[/quote]
Yes, 'zines are basically one-way. But they're a collection of everything that can be had at the time about a particular subject of interest. If people want to talk back and forth, that's what social media and forums are for. Each mechanism has it's own strengths and purposes. There is no single way to handle everything the same.
[quote="Lugh" pid="138247" dateline="1614379395"]
Davin, I am just spit-balling ideas here. I am trying to get agreement on how to move past the gigantic PDF issues that rarely materialize because of the stupendous amount of work they require. I do not possess a 10 point plan. Sorry to disappoint you!
[/quote]
Me, too. I'm trying to come up with some way to make things faster and easier (and probably smaller), and all these discussions help point out difficulties to overcome.
[quote="Lugh" pid="138248" dateline="1614379823"]
Davin, I personally hate ads that I am forced to watch/see. I rather see a hyperlink that gives me a choice on whether or not I click it.
P.S. I wish that Facebook had never been invented. I am no Zuckerberg fanboy. But Facebook is very good at connecting people with similar interests.
[/quote]
Yep, but the traditional print-style advertising lets you turn the page on anything you're not interested in and keep reading.
FB is very good at what it does. My personal feeling is that I don't have time to participate on such things - they take too much personal time and attention away from living my life.
Facebook is an ok secondary publishing location, but ideally anything posted there should link back to a site that is on the open web without a requirement for a Facebook account. Anyone with a browser should be able to read PBM articles without any account. We want all articles to be indexed by Google and other search engine for findability. Putting them on Facebook as the primary location goes against all of these goals. A good portion of society has abandoned Facebook due to the toxicity of posters there, and others for privacy concerns. Personally, I dislike Facebook.
Edited Feb 27, 2021 00:52 UTC
[quote="Rinzai" pid='138253' dateline='1614386787']
Facebook is an ok secondary publishing location, but ideally anything posted there should link back to a site that is on the open web without a requirement for a Facebook account. Anyone with a browser should be able to read PBM articles without any account. We want all articles to be indexed by Google and other search engine for findability. Putting them on Facebook as the primary location goes against all of these goals. A good portion of society has abandoned Facebook due to the toxicity of posters there, and others for privacy concerns. Personally, I dislike Facebook.
[/quote]
I absolutely agree with using Facebook (and other social media sites) as secondary publishing locations.
[quote="Davin" pid='138241' dateline='1614376527']
Are you talking about some centralized point of control that "has the articles" and handles everything for us? At best, who has time?
[/quote]
I was thinking of decentralizing the control of the articles to manage the workload. For example, I have a Facebook account but I do not have an Instagram account. Maybe another active poster on S&D would volunteer to handle the posting of articles on Instagram while I handled posting of articles on Facebook? Maybe an active S&D poster on Reddit could post there...? You see where I am going with this pattern?
Perhaps, but I'm thinking along a slightly different line... What about if we put a page on the S&D website where people could submit their articles directly to a common area? There they would basically be appended to a collective document that would end up being the released issue as soon as a few were contributed. All the social media sites could have links to the site (posted by whomever has accounts there) announcing when a new issue is available and asking for more articles to be submitted there.
[quote="Davin" pid='138256' dateline='1614432650']
Perhaps, but I'm thinking along a slightly different line... What about if we put a page on the S&D website where people could submit their articles directly to a common area? There they would basically be appended to a collective document that would end up being the released issue as soon as a few were contributed. All the social media sites could have links to the site (posted by whomever has accounts there) announcing when a new issue is available and asking for more articles to be submitted there.
[/quote]
That could work... Good idea!
[quote="Lugh" pid="138247" dateline="1614379395"]
If you want to build a vibrant community, having it fragmented over Instagram, FB, Reddit, and more won't provoke much discussion. I've seen this in other communities. Having a blog as the article repository is a good strategy. Use the other social media sites as pointers to the discussion there.
[/quote]
[quote="RktSci" pid="138258" dateline="1614442476"]
[quote="Lugh" pid="138247" dateline="1614379395"]
If you want to build a vibrant community, having it fragmented over Instagram, FB, Reddit, and more won't provoke much discussion. I've seen this in other communities. Having a blog as the article repository is a good strategy. Use the other social media sites as pointers to the discussion there.
[/quote]
[/quote]
I did not write that quote! :huh: Pretty sure that misquoting me was an accident, but that is literally putting words in my mouth...
Edited Feb 27, 2021 19:28 UTC
[quote="Lugh" pid="138259" dateline="1614453871"]
I did not write that quote! :huh: Pretty sure that misquoting me was an accident, but that is literally putting words in my mouth...
[/quote]
Well, you needed something to munch on anyway. :D
[quote="Lugh" pid="138259" dateline="1614453871"]
I did not write that quote! :huh: Pretty sure that misquoting me was an accident, but that is literally putting words in my mouth...
[/quote]
Sorry. Mea culpa.
I hope my point did get across to those in the discussion.
[quote="RktSci" pid="138261" dateline="1614525471"]
I hope my point did get across to those in the discussion.
[/quote]
Of course. However, I think I'd prefer to separate blogging or similar posts from the actual articles to be published. I don't think it's appropriate for chit-chat (which is bound to end up in casual conversations) to become "permanent" published articles/threads. I think a separate "publish this as an article" button would be better, and still allow general conversations/discussions on the side.
[quote="RktSci" pid="138261" dateline="1614525471"]
Sorry. Mea culpa.
I hope my point did get across to those in the discussion.
[/quote]
No worries, mate! (that was mock outrage)
You made a good point. I think it is better to use social media sites to drive traffic to both S&D and the game company presented in the article.
Edited Feb 28, 2021 19:48 UTC
https://www.facebook.com/PlayByMail/posts/4143195929024157
1. Use social media sites to drive traffic to both S&D and the game company presented in the article.
2. Separate blogging or similar posts from the actual articles to be published.
3. If you want to build a vibrant community, having it fragmented over Instagram, FB, Reddit, and more won't provoke much discussion. Having a blog as the article repository is a good strategy. Use the other social media sites as pointers.
4. Put a page on the S&D website where people could submit their articles directly to a common area? There they would basically be appended to a collective document that would end up being the released issue as soon as a few were contributed. All the social media sites could have links to the site (posted by whomever has accounts there) announcing when a new issue is available and asking for more articles to be submitted there.
5. Decentralize the control of the articles to manage the workload. On person post on Facebook, another person post on Instagram, another person post on Redit, etc..
6. Use Facebook (and other social media sites) as secondary publishing locations.
7. Anything posted should link back to a site that is on the open web without a requirement for a Facebook account. Anyone with a browser should be able to read PBM articles without any account. All articles to be indexed by Google and other search engine for findability.
8. Traditional print-style advertising lets you turn the page on anything you're not interested in and keep reading.
9. 'Zines are basically one-way. But they're a collection of everything that can be had at the time about a particular subject of interest. If people want to talk back and forth, that's what social media and forums are for. Each mechanism has it's own strengths and purposes. There is no single way to handle everything the same.
10. Social media is fine for chatting, but an organized publication of some sort is what we need to be rallying around.
11. Make Issue #20 the final PDF edition of the magazine and then switch Suspense & Decision over to a WordPress blog site where articles could be posted individually as they are ready by authors.
12. Publish individual articles directly on sites (Facebook was the example, but never intended to be the only website) without putting them into the PDF format.
13. A real e-zine with stuff collected together and a standard format (including the title page) in a publicly downloadable (probably PDF) file.
We will begin the drive to change by revamping the blog on the Suspense & Decision website:
http://suspense-and-decision.com/
The intention will be to implement an option for site users to submit PBM articles.
Shall I create user accounts on the new Suspense & Decision blog for each of you idea generators?
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138269" dateline="1614748210"]
Shall I create user accounts on the new Suspense & Decision blog for each of you idea generators?
[/quote]
That's an interesting idea, although we could use PBM.net to discuss it without recourse to a blog. And I'm not sure if we'd want to "publicize" our discussions to the world, since all downloaders know that site already. It might be better to keep that blog area for more "official" announcements and the like and keep our bantering in a less public area.
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138268" dateline="1614747287"]
We will begin the drive to change by revamping the blog on the Suspense & Decision website:
http://suspense-and-decision.com/
The intention will be to implement an option for site users to submit PBM articles.
[/quote]
I like the idea in general but there are still some questions to answer, such as...
[quote="Davin" pid="138271" dateline="1614778557"]
I like the idea in general but there are still some questions to answer, such as...
1. Well, as I understand it (assuming that I get the right plug-in added to the blog site), one should be able to submit an article that would default to a pending status, which would be unpublished but awaiting a blog site admin to hit the publish button on it. Is there something (some process) outside of that which you're after?
2. Ads where? On the blog site, itself?
3. As for keeping control of spammers, I don't see spammers over-running the place, here (though they do occasionally get through). We try different things until they cease to be a problem, is how I usually go about handling the issue of spammers. We could turn comments off on blog posts, and allow discussion of blog articles to occur elsewhere, such as on this forum, Facebook, etc..
4. I suppose that logins can be required to submit articles.
5. If an article is complete, would it need updating later?
6. As for an editorial staff, historically and traditionally, people don't like to volunteer for such duties. More than one person could be granted access to approve article submissions. Using the blog site as the upload point, FTP access would probably not be needed.
7. The articles would be "stored" on the blog site, itself. If one can access them there, why would they need to be e-mailed manually to anyone?
8. A compilation program for what? To publish a collection of the articles into magazine form?
The revision of the Suspense & Decision blog site has already begun. Intermittently check out the progress at: https://suspense-and-decision.com/
Davin, if you like, I could create a blog user account for you, in either your name/handle or in your company's name, as in a Talisman Games account, which you or others associated with your company could use and post to the blog with.
Ideally, PBM companies and PBM moderators could all have S&D blog user accounts, to post material relevant to their respective games with.
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138274" dateline="1614780034"]
Davin, if you like, I could create a blog user account for you, in either your name/handle or in your company's name, as in a Talisman Games account, which you or others associated with your company could use and post to the blog with.
Ideally, PBM companies and PBM moderators could all have S&D blog user accounts, to post material relevant to their respective games with.
[/quote]
That's an interesting idea. I'd have to think about what would be useful for companies to post on that medium.
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138272" dateline="1614779287"]
1. Well, as I understand it (assuming that I get the right plug-in added to the blog site), one should be able to submit an article that would default to a pending status, which would be unpublished but awaiting a blog site admin to hit the publish button on it. Is there something (some process) outside of that which you're after?
2. Ads where? On the blog site, itself?
3. As for keeping control of spammers, I don't see spammers over-running the place, here (though they do occasionally get through). We try different things until they cease to be a problem, is how I usually go about handling the issue of spammers. We could turn comments off on blog posts, and allow discussion of blog articles to occur elsewhere, such as on this forum, Facebook, etc..
4. I suppose that logins can be required to submit articles.
5. If an article is complete, would it need updating later?
6. As for an editorial staff, historically and traditionally, people don't like to volunteer for such duties. More than one person could be granted access to approve article submissions. Using the blog site as the upload point, FTP access would probably not be needed.
7. The articles would be "stored" on the blog site, itself. If one can access them there, why would they need to be e-mailed manually to anyone?
8. A compilation program for what? To publish a collection of the articles into magazine form?
[/quote]
1. Well, I was picturing using the site as a mechanism for creating an actual magazine, rather than using it as the final publication facility. I rather like having PDFs that I can download and browse through rather than having to go through pages of independent posts. Perhaps that's my old-time mentality showing, but maybe the younger generation is more accustomed to independent, unorganized posts than 'zine publications. I just find them more awkward.
2. The ads would be in the 'zine, as you've had them up to now. Ads would be much tougher to find and manage as blogs, I would think, and I think it would defeat some of the benefits of advertising (from my company's point of view). I'd rather see some sort of reminder (often different) in every "issue" rather than just having a strung-out list of posts that would need constantly refreshing to keep near the top. Or were you planning on getting rid of advertising - one of our best ways of getting the word out to players?
3. In PBM.net, spammers aren't much of a problem because the site requires registration before posting. If we don't require that for article submission, I worry that we would be overrun.
4. If we do require registration, then potential authors aren't likely to go through the trouble of registering just to be published, and we may lose some sources of articles.
5. I often find typos in my articles, even after having proofread them a dozen times (and many authors wouldn't even bother with that much review). Plus, there may be a way to preview article formatting, and if so, the author may want to change things around to fit the formatting better or ask for special handling by the editor.
6. I was thinking about submitting files rather than just blog posts. And having more than one person available to look things over could mean that progress could continue to be made without creating a bottleneck on any one reviewer getting sidetracked by real life.
7. I was just asking how you would store files (as opposed to blog entries). Some "submission" sites just cause the entered data to be emailed for manual handling rather than being handled internally by the web site. I don't see any reason to use email, which is why I asked if you were thinking about that. An actual blog entry wouldn't have that question at all, but I'm not convinced yet that that would be the best approach.
8. Yes, to continue to publish a magazine, rather than just having a common blogging area. I wouldn't be as interested in just blogging, myself. My thought is really in JUST publishing a magazine (as we do now) and not putting the articles on the blog as well. I don't foresee as much interest in people reviewing blogs directly as in reading a published format, and having both would seem to imply the disadvantages of both more than the advantages of both.
Edited Mar 3, 2021 15:42 UTC
<whispering>
I wish this forum software wouldn't corrupt long posts after previewing.
</whispering>
[quote="Davin" pid="138277" dateline="1614783065"]
<whispering>
I wish this forum software wouldn't corrupt long posts after previewing.
</whispering>
[/quote]
I wish that a lot of software wouldn't do a lot of things.
I need more specific information than that to track a problem down, though. Next time, take a screen shot, if you could.
I could always delete the forum, and start from scratch - but we will lose all old postings, here, if I do that.
Edited Mar 3, 2021 17:19 UTC
Ok, I made a series of tweaks to the new Suspense & Decision blog site. I will have more time tonight to tweak further.
I also added the new Suspense & Decision Games Index that was going to debut in Issue #20, but there is no reason to delay this appearance any further. I will keep it up-to-date as people send me submissions and edits.
http://suspense-and-decision.com
Edited Mar 3, 2021 23:57 UTC
I will plan to post the articles I wrote for Issue #20 to this blog over the coming weeks so that people have new content to read. When Issue #20 comes out, great, but it's been 18 months since I wrote some of these articles and that's much too long to wait.
Edited Mar 3, 2021 23:58 UTC
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138278" dateline="1614786348"]
I need more specific information than that to track a problem down, though. Next time, take a screen shot, if you could.
[/quote]
I doubt you could track it down yourself, anyway. It needs to come from MyBB. A screen shot won't help, since the problem looks just like the resulting posted message does.
All I've been able to tell so far is that it tends to happen on long (I don't know how long) posts that I've previewed a few to several times. Once it does that I can't seem to get it to recover.
Let me know if your problem keeps repeating, Davin.
Thanks, Grim. I don't often post such very long messages, so it may be a while.
[quote="Rinzai" pid="138280" dateline="1614814623"]
I will plan to post the articles I wrote for Issue #20 to this blog over the coming weeks so that people have new content to read. When Issue #20 comes out, great, but it's been 18 months since I wrote some of these articles and that's much too long to wait.
[/quote]
Well, the new blog is up and running. What's your excuse now, Raven?
Go ahead and start populating the blog with articles. You don't have to post them all at once. Time for you to become a cyborg of content generation. Assimilate the Internet! Convert all Internet users to PBM players.
Also, for the prison PBM population, what do you think about a simple newsletter? I know that there are limits on how many pages that some prisoners can receive in any given envelope, and a newsletter might work better for that segment of the overall PBM population than a magazine.
I have added Lugh as an author on the new Suspense & Decision blog.
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138288" dateline="1615206016"]
What's your excuse now, Raven?
[/quote]
That it’s 625am on the West Coast and I should be sleeping. There are many universal constants. One of them is that people living in the Eastern USA Timezone fail to remember that 20% of America’s population lives three hours earlier than they do.
Edited Mar 8, 2021 14:31 UTC
[quote="Rinzai" pid="138290" dateline="1615213832"]
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138288" dateline="1615206016"]
What's your excuse now, Raven?
[/quote]
That it’s 625am on the West Coast and I should be sleeping. There are many universal constants. One of them is that people living in the Eastern USA Timezone fail to remember that 20% of America’s population lives three hours earlier than they do.
[/quote]
PBM cyborgs have no time to sleep.
I knew you were going to say some variant of that!
The truth is, I had four articles written for Suspense & Decision 20. Two of them have already been posted (the PBM Index and the Research Column). I have two more written and queued up, one to be posted this week and another next week. My goal would be to post one article a week if I can keep up the pace. We shall see. I think I can?
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138288" dateline="1615206016"]
Also, for the prison PBM population, what do you think about a simple newsletter? I know that there are limits on how many pages that some prisoners can receive in any given envelope, and a newsletter might work better for that segment of the overall PBM population than a magazine.
[/quote]
Really?? What kind of page limit do they have? If I mail turns to prisons I may exceed page limits pretty quickly.
[quote="Davin" pid="138294" dateline="1615520884"]
Really?? What kind of page limit do they have? If I mail turns to prisons I may exceed page limits pretty quickly.
[/quote]
It's gonna depend on the prison, Davin.
Here's what I learned about Federal Prisons...
* Labels on envelopes must be hand-written, no sticker labels allowed.
* 16oz worth of paper per envelope is allowed before it gets rejected by federal prison mail rooms. I believe that's around 55-65 pages depending on the thickness of the paper. It may go higher than that, but the envelope itself has a weight to it.
Edited Mar 12, 2021 20:09 UTC
Ok, I think I can live with those sorts of limitations if they're that high. Do you have any idea of how I might check the weight limit definitively (at each particular prison, if needed)?
The problem is that each prison is like a small fiefdom where the local lord is moody. Certain rules apply across all federal prisons, some are arbitrary per prison. Then, you get into state prisons and it's 50 different sets of rules with even more arbitrary feudal lords with their own special rules.
There is no source of truth, only trial and error through attempts.
The best source is intel is through the other PBM GMs who offer postal service.
Edited Mar 12, 2021 20:13 UTC
Ok, thanks Rinzai!
[quote="ravenzachary" pid="138296" dateline="1615526384"]
Here's what I learned about Federal Prisons...
* Labels on envelopes must be hand-written, no sticker labels allowed.
* 16oz worth of paper per envelope is allowed before it gets rejected by federal prison mail rooms. I believe that's around 55-65 pages depending on the thickness of the paper. It may go higher than that, but the envelope itself has a weight to it.
[/quote]
I don't use labels. I print directly onto the envelope, itself.
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138370" dateline="1619823185"]
[quote="ravenzachary" pid="138296" dateline="1615526384"]
Here's what I learned about Federal Prisons...
* Labels on envelopes must be hand-written, no sticker labels allowed.
* 16oz worth of paper per envelope is allowed before it gets rejected by federal prison mail rooms. I believe that's around 55-65 pages depending on the thickness of the paper. It may go higher than that, but the envelope itself has a weight to it.
[/quote]
I don't use labels. I print directly onto the envelope, itself.
[/quote]
This is what I think the PBM companies are doing. I know that Rolling Thunder Game made a stamp for their return address.
[quote="GrimFinger" pid="138370" dateline="1619823185"]
[quote="ravenzachary" pid="138296" dateline="1615526384"]
Here's what I learned about Federal Prisons...
* Labels on envelopes must be hand-written, no sticker labels allowed.
* 16oz worth of paper per envelope is allowed before it gets rejected by federal prison mail rooms. I believe that's around 55-65 pages depending on the thickness of the paper. It may go higher than that, but the envelope itself has a weight to it.
[/quote]
I don't use labels. I print directly onto the envelope, itself.
[/quote]
If printing directly on the envelopes is allowed, and sticker labels are not allowed, to what then does the "hand-written" restriction apply?
I was expecting to hand-write addresses if necessary, but printed envelopes are easier. I may end up hand-writing them all just in case local rules are different.
My understanding is that the ban was on labels, as drugs were being smuggled in on the backside.
Printed on the envelope would get around that. But, you can always use cocaine-paper and cocaine-envelopes, right?! Not to forget, there's cocaine-ink!
Edited May 1, 2021 00:08 UTC
LOL!!
Catching up from several months ago. Rotten vegetables may be thrown at me starting... now.
Quick comments on this thread:
- I support the idea of resuming a standard PDF/print-capable magazine, because it mirrors PBM origins and aesthetic, it provides a tremendous packet of entertainment, it offers writers/editors to curate the best stuff, and it creates a permanent snapshot of PBM in the moment.
- I just discovered WordPress, and it allows for "contributor" accounts to submit articles that don't actually get published until an editor says go. This would be a manageable way of posting "a simple text article" with "a single image". If rich text is needed for these unpublished submissions, or more than one image, there might be a way to make WP do it, but it would be just as simple to have people send in Word docs as before.
- Don't discount other media channels - I was summoned back (like a demon) by the activity on FB. It's smart to spread content or teasers across this forum, the blog, FB, and email, even if the best stuff gets saved for the zine.
And as to Issue 20, I do indeed still have a pile of stuff that was written and contributed in good faith. I would be happy to dig into a zine-publishing role, but don't want to step on anyone else's toes given my execrable flakiness/distraction/real-world-pressures. I haven't read any other threads here yet - this is my first stop. If someone else is oiling up the presses, I will gladly hand over my stash and pen an article or two on top. If there is a collaborative effort underway, I am happy to pitch in. If there are no pending volunteers to jump into the breech, I'm ready to deploy my nascent MS Publisher skill level 1 and frame up a printable draft.
And of course, if I can best serve the community by receiving trebuchet-loads of overripe produce, please commence a fair and well-deserved bombardment!
[quote="ixnay" pid="138594" dateline="1629167327"]
Catching up from several months ago. Rotten vegetables may be thrown at me starting... now.
Quick comments on this thread:
- I support the idea of resuming a standard PDF/print-capable magazine, because it mirrors PBM origins and aesthetic, it provides a tremendous packet of entertainment, it offers writers/editors to curate the best stuff, and it creates a permanent snapshot of PBM in the moment.
- I just discovered WordPress, and it allows for "contributor" accounts to submit articles that don't actually get published until an editor says go. This would be a manageable way of posting "a simple text article" with "a single image". If rich text is needed for these unpublished submissions, or more than one image, there might be a way to make WP do it, but it would be just as simple to have people send in Word docs as before.
- Don't discount other media channels - I was summoned back (like a demon) by the activity on FB. It's smart to spread content or teasers across this forum, the blog, FB, and email, even if the best stuff gets saved for the zine.
And as to Issue 20, I do indeed still have a pile of stuff that was written and contributed in good faith. I would be happy to dig into a zine-publishing role, but don't want to step on anyone else's toes given my execrable flakiness/distraction/real-world-pressures. I haven't read any other threads here yet - this is my first stop. If someone else is oiling up the presses, I will gladly hand over my stash and pen an article or two on top. If there is a collaborative effort underway, I am happy to pitch in. If there are no pending volunteers to jump into the breech, I'm ready to deploy my nascent MS Publisher skill level 1 and frame up a printable draft.
And of course, if I can best serve the community by receiving trebuchet-loads of overripe produce, please commence a fair and well-deserved bombardment!
[/quote]
Go for it!
Welcome back, Bernd. Great to see you, once again!
I'd love to see the PDF version back again, if you can get it rolling!
ditto. it brought me back into PBM after 20 years.
Back from family beach trip - I had intended to get everything done during this vacation, but ended up focusing mainly on family, fresh air, and recovery from stress.
Now, not only am I rested and fresh, but the kids are finally back in school. I’ll still working from home, and I’ll miss them of course, but maybe I can get my ducks in a row again. I’ll keep you all posted on progress this week…