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Webmaster For A New Concertina Journal


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The four of us are planning an on-line website to publish academic articles on issues related to the concertina. We are looking for a fifth colleague to take on the role of Webmaster. If this might be of interest to you please send a pm to Dan Worrall (danworrall"AT"msn.com, or via this Forum's pm facility).

 

Allan Atlas

Roger Digby

Randall Merris

Dan Worrall

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The four of us are planning an on-line website to publish academic articles on issues related to the concertina. We are looking for a fifth colleague to take on the role of Webmaster. If this might be of interest to you please send a pm to Dan Worrall (danworrall"AT"msn.com, or via this Forum's pm facility).

 

Allan Atlas

Roger Digby

Randall Merris

Dan Worrall

Hi, Dan--

 

It would be helpful if you could give us more of a sense of how this site would be set up (is there an existing site, concertina-related or not, that's set up along the lines that you want?) and what you're looking for in a "webmaster". These days, sites are often built using platforms like WordPress where content can be posted, added to and edited by people who aren't web professionals after the site is built. I might be interested in helping out with your project, but there may also be others here who might step forward if you could be more specific about what you have in mind.

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Isn't Bob Gaskins' site the Concertina Library still active? Another possibility might be to approach the ICA and see if they would set up a section within their website for new research. This could tie in quite well with PICA.

 

Chris

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Isn't Bob Gaskins' site the Concertina Library still active? Another possibility might be to approach the ICA and see if they would set up a section within their website for new research. This could tie in quite well with PICA.

 

Chris

 

I think Bob Gaskins's site is static, with no new content added since 2007. I think that was Bob's decision.

 

Several of the people behind this project have had relationships with ICA, so I would guess that they considered working with ICA.

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...This could tie in quite well with PICA.

 

I'm all for more stuff about concertinas, but speaking as a relative novice/newcomer to concertinaworld, my first thought

was: "Will this new site compete with or complement the material on the PICA pages (which I find fascinating)?".

 

Roger

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Folks,

Please realize that PICA has died--RIP--prompting us to attempt to create a new place for concertina research. Yes, of course, we tried to engage the ICA group, without success.

Edited by Dowright
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I should have noticed that I wasn't getting PICA any more, and I'm a bit disappointed that the ICA haven't been otherwise supportive. Can't offer to help at present as I am somewhat caught up with supporting Anne through the final stages of her Masters degree but if you're still needing someone by, say, October then give me a shout.

 

Chris

Edited by Chris Timson
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I think it is appropriate to make known the circumstances surrounding the decision to launch a new online website for academic research and the issues with the ICA that have lead to us proceeding without ICA involvement. I should make it clear at the outset that I have been a life member of the ICA for over 30 years and support its aims; I was also on the editorial board of PICA and its predecessor ‘The Free Reed Journal’.

PICA 10 was the last. The editor, Allan Atlas, who had been tireless and rigorous in his editorial role, was retiring from his academic post and thought that this was the time to stand down. There were other issues as well; it was proving increasingly difficult to find articles (and people willing and able to write them) which satisfied the research standards and methodology which were required by a major university. Annual publication was increasingly difficult. Furthermore, PICA 10 was submitted for publication nearly 2 years before it was finally printed; the online versions were also slow to reach the ICA website.

At the 2014 AGM, I spoke to the tiny gathering about the plans that Allan, Dan and Randy had for an online ‘Son of PICA’ and asked the ICA if they would like this to continue under their imprimatur and on the ICA website. The committee were interested and said they would get back to us with a decision. For a year nothing happened. The draft minutes were not published so the membership was unaware of our plans. Eventually I wrote to the committee asking for an update and received a reply stating that nothing had been done. Months later I wrote again and got a similar reply. By this time it was over three years since PICA 10 was ready for publication and some good articles had been waiting in the wings. It is not fair on those who have worked hard and written a good article to sit on it for any length of time; we had to make a decision and we decided that the ICA had been given more than enough time to express its opinion on whether or not to host us on their site and under their banner. We were asking for no more than that.

Incidentally, Dan did approach Bob Gaskins but his website is currently resting as has been said in an earlier post.

Sorry this has been dry and dusty, but there was clearly interest in this background.

 

Best wishes,

Roger

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...Sorry this has been dry and dusty, but there was clearly interest in this background.

 

Thank you for that comprehensive explanation - what a pity. I have downloaded the

PICA papers and read them with great interest - was looking forward to more...

 

More strength to your arm in anything you now try to introduce - I will certainly 'support'

it to the best of my (limited) ability.

 

Another Roger...

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Likewise thanks. That is a disappointing story. As I say, I am committed for the next few months and have no issue if you find someone else in the meantime, but if you're still looking in October then I'll be happy to help.

 

Chris

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Replying here as editor of Concertina World but also very much personally.

In Concertina World 465 of the ICA I have published an article by Allan Atlas on fingering for the English Concertina. This is the sort of article that very likely previously would have been published in PICA.

As editor I am welcoming any article of that kind for publication in the magazine in the future. Within the committee we have discussed publication of PICA type articles on the ICA website and any pdf of that kind is welcome and will be added by the webmaster to the present pdfs on the PICA page on the ICA website. I am not certain if this message has come over but that is how it is as far as I am concerned.

Unfortunately there have been delays in the past with publications of PICA but Concertina World appears regular as clockwork and at this very moment I am editing next issue.

Any interesting material is most welcome.

Lots of success with a new website. It is only unfortunate that in a small Concertina World information is being spread out over many different platforms where there are indeed websites like this Concertina.net and Concertina.org plus the very informative for a long time not updated concertina.com

Pauline de Snoo, editor CW

 

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I think it is appropriate to make known the circumstances surrounding the decision to launch a new online website for academic research and the issues with the ICA that have lead to us proceeding without ICA involvement. I should make it clear at the outset that I have been a life member of the ICA for over 30 years and support its aims; I was also on the editorial board of PICA and its predecessor ‘The Free Reed Journal’.

 

PICA 10 was the last. The editor, Allan Atlas, who had been tireless and rigorous in his editorial role, was retiring from his academic post and thought that this was the time to stand down. There were other issues as well; it was proving increasingly difficult to find articles (and people willing and able to write them) which satisfied the research standards and methodology which were required by a major university. Annual publication was increasingly difficult. Furthermore, PICA 10 was submitted for publication nearly 2 years before it was finally printed; the online versions were also slow to reach the ICA website.

 

At the 2014 AGM, I spoke to the tiny gathering about the plans that Allan, Dan and Randy had for an online ‘Son of PICA’ and asked the ICA if they would like this to continue under their imprimatur and on the ICA website. The committee were interested and said they would get back to us with a decision. For a year nothing happened. The draft minutes were not published so the membership was unaware of our plans. Eventually I wrote to the committee asking for an update and received a reply stating that nothing had been done. Months later I wrote again and got a similar reply. By this time it was over three years since PICA 10 was ready for publication and some good articles had been waiting in the wings. It is not fair on those who have worked hard and written a good article to sit on it for any length of time; we had to make a decision and we decided that the ICA had been given more than enough time to express its opinion on whether or not to host us on their site and under their banner. We were asking for no more than that.

 

Incidentally, Dan did approach Bob Gaskins but his website is currently resting as has been said in an earlier post.

 

Sorry this has been dry and dusty, but there was clearly interest in this background.

 

Best wishes,

Roger

Roger, I think that you misrepresent the ICA position. There have certainly been some problems, many of them my fault, but moving forward the International Concertina Association would be happy to host "son of PICA" on its website.

 

Will send you an address to reach the committee.

 

Best wishes, Roger (until recently secretary to the ICA)

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I think it is appropriate to make known the circumstances surrounding the decision to launch a new online website for academic research and the issues with the ICA that have lead to us proceeding without ICA involvement. I should make it clear at the outset that I have been a life member of the ICA for over 30 years and support its aims; I was also on the editorial board of PICA and its predecessor ‘The Free Reed Journal’.

 

PICA 10 was the last. The editor, Allan Atlas, who had been tireless and rigorous in his editorial role, was retiring from his academic post and thought that this was the time to stand down. There were other issues as well; it was proving increasingly difficult to find articles (and people willing and able to write them) which satisfied the research standards and methodology which were required by a major university. Annual publication was increasingly difficult. Furthermore, PICA 10 was submitted for publication nearly 2 years before it was finally printed; the online versions were also slow to reach the ICA website.

 

At the 2014 AGM, I spoke to the tiny gathering about the plans that Allan, Dan and Randy had for an online ‘Son of PICA’ and asked the ICA if they would like this to continue under their imprimatur and on the ICA website. The committee were interested and said they would get back to us with a decision. For a year nothing happened. The draft minutes were not published so the membership was unaware of our plans. Eventually I wrote to the committee asking for an update and received a reply stating that nothing had been done. Months later I wrote again and got a similar reply. By this time it was over three years since PICA 10 was ready for publication and some good articles had been waiting in the wings. It is not fair on those who have worked hard and written a good article to sit on it for any length of time; we had to make a decision and we decided that the ICA had been given more than enough time to express its opinion on whether or not to host us on their site and under their banner. We were asking for no more than that.

 

Incidentally, Dan did approach Bob Gaskins but his website is currently resting as has been said in an earlier post.

 

Sorry this has been dry and dusty, but there was clearly interest in this background.

 

Best wishes,

Roger

Roger, I think that you misrepresent the ICA position. There have certainly been some problems, many of them my fault, but moving forward the International Concertina Association would be happy to host "son of PICA" on its website.

 

Will send you an address to reach the committee.

 

Best wishes, Roger (until recently secretary to the ICA)

 

Roger,

 

From my perspective, Roger (Digby) didn't stretch anything. He tried over a two year period to get something to happen - we were asking for almost nothing - and the lack of response from the ICA was deafening. The two or three year lapse in getting out the last completed PICA was also disheartening, especially to the authors. Thanks for the offer now to do something, but we have obtained a website and webmaster and will try our hand, with a first product in coming months. It is probably best that we are in full command of the site.

 

Like Roger D., I have nothing but the highest regard for the ICA, and especially for Pauline's great work on Concertina World.

 

To all who responded with offers to help on the new website, many, many thanks! Alex Holden is taking on that work, and we are excited to finally be off to the races.

 

Cheers,

Dan

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