Some friendships are digital only, never to exist in our
everyday physical world.
So are places.
One such place is the SCBWI Blue Boards, established
by Verla Kay and later taken over by the Society of Children Book
Writers and Illustrators.
It is a safe place to get educated, informed, and make
friends with others who write or illustrate for children. Safe, because it was
always moderated to quell flare-ups, keep out partisan politics or religious
and anti-religious preaching and rants.
But it never lacked in real content and support, and let me tell
you— if you embark on a writing journey you will need support.
A few days ago, a public announcement told the virtual
water-cooler will be shut with two weeks’ notice. No explanation given.
Maybe the SCBWI headquarters have felt the boards have
outlived their usefulness, (they were wrong on that count) or the digital space
was too expensive for the organization to support (I wouldn’t know, they never
said, and the membership was never asked to contribute more toward that end) ~~~
Whatever the reason, I was in mourning. The Blue Boards are
where I learned from others more than any how-to books or internet posts ever
could teach, and where I made friends. It was a digital space where I got and
gave support.
While I also felt grateful for the years I got to have
this hangout space, and I knew I was fortunate in that, I was sorry for those coming in now who
would not be.
Yesterday, after a lot of heartfelt cries from many (many) members, the SCBWI reversed course and the chat boards are safe, at least for now. It goes to show that protest can and does work when a body is truly made of its parts. It's a reminder that so-called final decisions don't have to be. When the parts cry out, the head listens.
The experience of mourning yet another digital death has transformed into experiencing a resurrection.
Call it a Hanukkah miracle, or a Christmas present.
👍^Resurrected^☝
7 comments:
I'm glad that worked out for you, Mirka. That kind of support is so important.
Love,
Janie
I'm so relieved that the leadership reversed their decision, but still feel ill at ease about how abruptly they thought to end a long standing, valuable community. I noticed in their note to us they said "For now," and then sort of pitched the new ways we will get to connect in the future. New ways are great but they don't automatically replace everything that has come before! I have lost trust in the leadership of SCBWI -- not to belabor this but it was pretty traumatic to have someone in power just swoop in to end an entire community of well connected people, not to mention the new writers who need a safe place to find answers and support. I hope those in power will work harder to serve their members in the future.
My thoughts exactly, Mirka and Sarah. For now, all is well.
Yes, I used to be on the Blue Boards constantly, until they cut me off because I've never been a member of SCBWI:) Like so many other virtual friendships, we connected on the Boards, and I learned so much over my years of involvement. Glad the voices of the people who protested were heard!
My heart was definitely heavy at the thought of losing the Blueboard. It's been, and still is, such a valuable resource. I echo what Mirka and Sarah said.
I'm so glad that they listened to the Blueboard's members and resurrected it, at least for now.
I knew about the blue boards but never used them. Sounds like they're useful to a lot of people, so I'm glad that the decision was reversed about deleting them.
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