Feedback and Suggestion Box - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Child of the 7th Age · 05-14-2005, 09:12 AM

Esty -

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not but I thought I'd throw it out and see what you think.

I have been so crazy busy this year. One of the things that had to drop was the Chapter by Chapter discussions (not the reading but the posting). Would we want to designate certain times in the summer as "catch up week"......conceivably one week a month, perhaps over two months? No new chapter would go up, but folks would be encouraged to post on discussions they had missed. It's true that people can do this anytime, but you'd likely get more interaction and discussion when you have a number of posts going up at once.

I may be the only one interested in this, and it would slow you down. But I wanted to raise the suggestion.

Child

davem · 05-14-2005, 11:30 AM

I supposed if we planned to complete our read through by the end of the year then that would give us a couple of months during the summer to do that - people have vacations planned (& some of us will be away in August for a week for Tolkien 2005 - I know Esty is planning to be there so maybe she's planning to put discussion on hold for that week anyway)

In short, I wouldn't have a problem with this....

Fordim Hedgethistle · 05-14-2005, 12:12 PM

Quote:

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not but I thought I'd throw it out and see what you think.

I have been so crazy busy this year. One of the things that had to drop was the Chapter by Chapter discussions (not the reading but the posting). Would we want to designate certain times in the summer as "catch up week"......conceivably one week a month, perhaps over two months? No new chapter would go up, but folks would be encouraged to post on discussions they had missed. It's true that people can do this anytime, but you'd likely get more interaction and discussion when you have a number of posts going up at once.

I may be the only one interested in this, and it would slow you down. But I wanted to raise the suggestion.

Hear hear! Hear hear!

I have fallen so far behind

in the discussion, both with posting and (shame) reading it that I had all but given up even the pretense that I could get back to it. A chance to catch up would be very welcome indeed!!!!!

Perhaps we could aim to have the whole discussion wrapped up in time for the wedding??

davem · 05-14-2005, 12:50 PM

We could stop now for a couple of weeks - only a suggestion - as we've just hit the end of vol 2. It would seem the best place, as if we start the next book it will be hard to find a good stopping point till we get to the end of book 5.

Or is this too sudden?

Estelyn Telcontar · 05-14-2005, 03:22 PM

A break is fine with me, if that's wished by a number of active participants. I'd be happy to see more back in the discussion! I'm just not sure yet what's the best way to do it - shall we take a break of several weeks now, at a logical stopping point, as davem suggests? Problem is, I'll be away on vacation for most of June, so if we do stop for now, it would be a long break.

Slowing down to two-week-long intervals would be the alternative - starting the next chapter a week from now and each following one two weeks later for the summer months, then getting back into the one week rhythm in late August.

Please cast your votes for one or the other suggestion - thanks!

davem · 05-14-2005, 03:32 PM

Well, if we did take a long break here & start up again at the end of June we'd be kind of recreating what happened 50 years ago when LotR was published, with vols 1&2 being published in 1954 & vol 3 in 1955, so we would have a precedent!

It might be good to reassess where we've got to so far, & see if our later ideas have altered our thoughts on earlier chapters...

Having said that....

'The Missus' has just said she favours the two-weekly option so I suppose I have to go for that now...

Hilde Bracegirdle · 05-15-2005, 04:55 AM

So glad that a slow down is being considered! While I have managed to keep up with the book, for the most part, keeping up with the thread is another matter! This last one looks like it is going along rather well!

Actually, I am of the opinion that going to two week intervals through the rest of the story and not just the summer, may be something to consider. That would give one week to read the chapter and the other to read the thread (and hopefully contribute). Sorry to offer up a third option here, but I have been having trouble keeping up even in the winter!

05-14-2005, 09:12 AM	#1
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Esty - I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not but I thought I'd throw it out and see what you think. I have been so crazy busy this year. One of the things that had to drop was the Chapter by Chapter discussions (not the reading but the posting). Would we want to designate certain times in the summer as "catch up week"......conceivably one week a month, perhaps over two months? No new chapter would go up, but folks would be encouraged to post on discussions they had missed. It's true that people can do this anytime, but you'd likely get more interaction and discussion when you have a number of posts going up at once. I may be the only one interested in this, and it would slow you down. But I wanted to raise the suggestion. Child __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.

05-14-2005, 11:30 AM	#2
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	I supposed if we planned to complete our read through by the end of the year then that would give us a couple of months during the summer to do that - people have vacations planned (& some of us will be away in August for a week for Tolkien 2005 - I know Esty is planning to be there so maybe she's planning to put discussion on hold for that week anyway) In short, I wouldn't have a problem with this.... __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."

05-14-2005, 12:50 PM	#4
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	We could stop now for a couple of weeks - only a suggestion - as we've just hit the end of vol 2. It would seem the best place, as if we start the next book it will be hard to find a good stopping point till we get to the end of book 5. Or is this too sudden? __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."

05-14-2005, 03:22 PM	#5
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	A break is fine with me, if that's wished by a number of active participants. I'd be happy to see more back in the discussion! I'm just not sure yet what's the best way to do it - shall we take a break of several weeks now, at a logical stopping point, as davem suggests? Problem is, I'll be away on vacation for most of June, so if we do stop for now, it would be a long break. Slowing down to two-week-long intervals would be the alternative - starting the next chapter a week from now and each following one two weeks later for the summer months, then getting back into the one week rhythm in late August. Please cast your votes for one or the other suggestion - thanks! __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

05-14-2005, 03:32 PM	#6
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	Well, if we did take a long break here & start up again at the end of June we'd be kind of recreating what happened 50 years ago when LotR was published, with vols 1&2 being published in 1954 & vol 3 in 1955, so we would have a precedent! It might be good to reassess where we've got to so far, & see if our later ideas have altered our thoughts on earlier chapters... Having said that.... 'The Missus' has just said she favours the two-weekly option so I suppose I have to go for that now... __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."

05-15-2005, 04:55 AM	#7
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,480	So glad that a slow down is being considered! While I have managed to keep up with the book, for the most part, keeping up with the thread is another matter! This last one looks like it is going along rather well! Actually, I am of the opinion that going to two week intervals through the rest of the story and not just the summer, may be something to consider. That would give one week to read the chapter and the other to read the thread (and hopefully contribute). Sorry to offer up a third option here, but I have been having trouble keeping up even in the winter!