In his "Input" thread Richard Farber challenges us, the "owner-managers" of Turkotek to "...induce people with knowledge and method to write regularly on the site."

This, I think, is perhaps the most useful change we could make among those currently available to us and I would like to ask folks to use this thread to give us ideas about how we might accomplish this.

Note that the challenge has two parts.

First, is how to get more folks simply to join in our conversations by making posts.

Second, how to increase the number of folks willing to serve as salon host?

As Steve points out in the other thread, there are only four of us: Steve, Daniel, Jerry and I, who have committed to the regular salon host cycle.

That's too few from a number of standpoints. Not only is it likely that Turkotek users can get a little tired of the preoccupations and stylistic "ticks" of the four of us, the cycle moves awfully quickly for us, too.

It is not easy to come up regularly with a good new salon idea, compose it, collect the needed images, etc. and get them to Steve in time so that his own life as administrator is not made absolutely intolerable by last-minute demands.

We do recruit (I did so yesterday) but we are not successful as often as we need to be.

So what are your ideas for what we could to do to: 1) encourage more people simply to post on Turkotek and, 2) to obtain a greater number and variety of salon hosts?

Regards,

R. John Howe

One reason many do not post may be the reasonable requirement that they use their own name and e-mail address for all to see. This is not an onerous requirement, but one which counters many of the warnings one sees and hears about the dangers of cyberspace. It would probably be too much to ask for an "anonymous" section for posts from those who simply do not wish to be known for this reason, or because some people may feel embarrassed about their level of knowledge (The Reverse Pinner Phenomenon).

As far as I know, there is no established procedure for suggesting new Salon topics or for volunteering to host a Salon. Perhaps a section similar to the (little used) area of Idea Exchange For Rug Clubs could be used for suggesting upcoming topics. I have a couple of Salon ideas burbling away in the dark recesses even now!
Your wish for a greater variety of Salon hosts brings to mind Soupy Sales, Homer Simpson and I hear Mr Rogers is not busy right now......

Patrick Weiler

The anonymity issue is one we've wrestled with from time to time. We think it's just plain good manners to tell your name to the people you're talking to. More important, though, we notice that websites that permit anonymous or pseudonymous posts get all sorts of trash messages. We get very few (I delete them pronto when they occur), probably because people are more civilized when their identity isn't concealed.

There isn't much danger to giving your name and e-mail here. We don't encourage people to become registered users (I've done everything I know how to do to hide the registration prompts), and unregistered people are not in a central database of e-mail addresses that some spammer can use to flood the readers' inboxes. We don't allow massive e-mail contact through the boards (some discussion boards give you the option of receiving all messages by e-mail); except for images, we don't allow files to be uploaded - this is to prevent malicious files like viruses from awaiting you on our pages. And, on a few occasions, I've posted messages sent to me by people who asked that their identity be left off the messages.

We ought to be more public in our requests for Salon authors. Just let me know any time you feel able to do another (and another, and another), and we'll put it into the queue. That applies to other folks, too, of course. For those to whom English isn't a native language (and, come to think of it, for those to whom it is), I edit all the Salon essays before they go public. The author always has the final decision on the wording, of course.

Regards,

Steve Price

Regards, Yon

You're right about how easy it would be for someone to use a pseudonym, although I think the people who post on our boards are too honorable to do so. And anyone who used this ploy and went on to post commercial or abusive messages would discover that the messages were gone very fast (I delete them as soon as I see them, which is usually no more than a few hours), so he would accomplish nothing at all by using the pseudonym.

Your other point about people posting topics on which they'd like to see someone else host a Salon is well taken. There's nothing to prevent anyone from doing so now, although we have nothing in place to actively encourage it. Perhaps a board called "Potential Salon Topics" or something like that would be useful. It's no trouble to create one if others would use it. Opinions?

Regards,

Steve Price

This post goes back to the beginning of this thread and its call for ways of getting more participation.

My intent in this particular post is to make public something I often find myself wishing about the posts of two of my "co-manager/owners" here on Turkotek.

My colleagues Marvin Amstey and Jerry Silverman are both experienced collectors with a substantial knowledge of collectible rugs. They both post with fair frequency, but I often find myself wishing that they had said a little more when they do.

So, guys, not quite so pithy. A little more fulsome. Share with us more of what you think and know.

Regards,

R. John Howe

Agent provocateur is more what I have in mind with most of my Salons. Whether others rise to the bait is up to them.

And for what it's worth, I'd dearly love to see wider participation in Salon hosting. Knowing it will be only two months between my turns in the barrel is sort of stressful.

Maybe we should take a page from "Tom Sawyer" and charge people for the opportunity of painting some of their whitewash on our virtual fence. Worked for Tom.

Which I guess is what I meant by <agent provocateur>.

Cordially,

-Jerry-

I think I may not have been clear.

It may well be that your "salons" are perfectly well-developed, what I was actually referring to was the posts that you and Marvin make.

I know you guys know some things about rugs and I can sometimes "smell it cooking in the kitchen," so to speak, but the brevity keeps me (and lots of others) from savoring its fullest flavors.

Regards,

R. John Howe

We need more time and more contributors. I propose to reserve some topics which are presented on the “Show and Tell” forum for next Salons. I am thinking to “Mega show and tell Salon”. It’s not difficult to feel which “show and tell” topic will raise a large participation. Assembling 3 or 4 of this topic in one Salon should be actually one potential solution.

Thanks,
Daniel

Your suggestion about holding some Show and Tell topics for use as Salons is something that's been a routine practice for some time. As you know, nearly every Show and Tell image that gets posted comes to me before the message goes up. Sometimes, when the topic looks "meaty", I suggest that it be used for a Salon instead. That places the ball in the author's court - he/she sometimes agrees to prepare a Salon essay, sometimes doesn't have time to do more than post the photo on Show and Tell with a few comments.

We could easily reduce the burden on hosts by going to a three week or even a monthly cycle, instead of every two weeks. I like the two week cycle because it seems as though that's about the normal limit of discussion on a topic anyway. Another thing worth noting is that the participation of "outsiders" as hosts seems to come in clusters, and at the moment we are in a period between clusters. If you look at the list of past Salons and note the authors on each, you'll see that the four of "us" don't usually come up every fourth topic, although recently we have done so.

Regards,

Steve Price

Regards, Yon

One of the funniest things I ever heard from you was some outrageous claim about something called an "internal elem," and it went on nearly forever.

More seriously, there are many ways to participate here and I'm sure most of us will do what we can do in ways that seem severally most comfortable to us.

I was being both a bit selfish and I hope generous in my request that Marvin and Jerry share a bit more of what I'm sure they know in their posts.

Yes, life is full of competing interests and Turkotek likely should not compete with many of them. But Marvin has already assembled and donated a major rug collection or two, and Jerry not only knows and owns some good rugs, but is likely one of the most informed rug book people around.

Can you blame me for trying to draw them out a bit?

Regards,

R. John Howe

Regards, Yon