JMS CIS Digest: 14-Sep-99 15:31 through 14-Sep-99 15:31 (4 msgs)

[John D. Hardin]

RFC 1153 Digest of messages from
J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
14-Sep-99 15:31 through 14-Sep-99 15:31 (4 messages)

WARNING: This digest may contain information about shows
         you haven't seen yet ("spoilers"). Proceed with caution.

Subjects in digest:
        Excalibur's fighters
        transitions

Administrivia:
  South Park fans may wish to visit:
    http://www.infinicorp.com/babylonpark/

  With the end of Crusade and the great reduction in the volume of
  posts by JMS, I have decided the time has come to discontinue
  production of the Digest. I will continue to collect and repost any
  JMS traffic through at least the end of September, but unless SciFi
  (or somebody) picks up Crusade and the message volume increases the
  Digest will end no later than the end of this year. What a ride it
  has been!

  The administrivia for this digest may be read at
  http://www.wolfenet.com/~jhardin/JMS-Digest-Administrivia.txt
  It was last updated Sat Feb 13 10:21:30 1999

  Replies to this digest go to John Hardin.

obSpoiler-space...
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Date: 13 Sep 1999 22:25:11 -0700
From: Bruce Scandariato <72571.1722 at compuserve.com>
To: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Excalibur's fighters
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.71318 at compuserve.com>

I've been meaning to ask this question.

whats the name of those space/atmospheric star fury type fighters?

------------------------------

Date: 14 Sep 1999 15:31:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
To: Bruce Scandariato <72571.1722 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Excalibur's fighters
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.71338 at compuserve.com>
References: <forum.babylon5.71318 at compuserve.com>

      Thunderbolts.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 14 Sep 1999 11:10:00 -0700
From: Richard M Perry <76461.2737 at compuserve.com>
To: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
Subject: transitions
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.71332 at compuserve.com>

        I was just visiting thestation.com two weeks ago and saw your
note to the fans... first let me say that no other fan club has ever
treated me in the way that this one has; heck, no other club has
treated me that well period. I am proud to say I truly belonged there.
I was there at the beginning and felt I got my money's worth with just
the welcome kit, let alone the next year free due to your feeling that
it wasn't living up to expectations. A year later I gladly handed over
the new membership fee and was pleasently suprised to find that the
welcome kit was better the second time around. Also with the renewal 
went an order for a couple hundred dollars more in merchandise from
the club and it was delivered promptly in exellent quality. All fan
clubs should be this good.
        The newsletters, Headline News and Universe Today, were very
well done and I enjoyed reading them. Their only fault was that by the
time they were delivered even the headline news was slightly outdated,
but then with such a small staff that wasn't entirely unexpected.
(especially when you consider the tremendous presence B5 news has on
the nets) Besides, every other fan club I ever paid dues to, (please
note the deliberate absence of the word "belonged") even though they
had a larger staff or mainstream availability of their publications,
has always had outdated material without the word of mouth from the
creators, writers, and producers on the nets that B5 has had since the 
beginning. What I did get though, was great behind the scenes stuff
written by people who not only have access to that area to report on
it, but by people who have the same enthusiasm for those goings on as I
do because they themselves, like the creator, came from the fans. This
aspect of the club will be sorely missed as well.
        I also wanted to voice my opinion, that though I do agree with
you that the Fan Club is trapped in a moment of transition, I can't
quite come to terms with the moment of revelation that follows it.
        On the one hand I understand that the dynamics of all things
B5 have changed in such a way that continuing to produce the
publications in their current form just wouldn't be cost effective
enough to keep everyone happy, much less get the club into the black.
        On the other hand, from the beginning B5 has been about
building communities and that is something that the fan club has done.
I take that back, it didn't build the community, the show itself and
its fans did that; but what the club did was provide a center for that
community to gather around and a means to identify eachother through
the wearing of apparrel only available through the club. The club also
provides a way to get into contact with the various people affiliated
with all things B5. For these things alone, the club should not be
allowed to go silently into that good night.
        This moment of transition, as I understand it, is largely due
monetary concerns. Concern that the club will never be in the black
while doing what it set out to do. I feel, and maybe I'm alone in this,
that the club has already done what it set out to and all that remains
is to get it out of the red.
        Obviously, as you stated, there isn't really anything going on
to sustain the club in it's current form and there is no longer a need
for the club publications. By all means, end that aspect of the club,
but don't end the club. Take my membership fee and instead of sending
me a new welcome kit, just send the renewal pin. (maybe something with
the year on it that is sent to all current members, in good standing,
at a predetermined date each year) You could still send the welcome kit
to the new members upon joining and still be cutting costs. Heck you
could even charge $25/yr for the renewal and I wouldn't care. I mean I
pay that every month to an ISP for unlimited use and I don't get
anything really tangible out of it. I also pay $10 a month to 
CompuServe to be here for 10 hours a month and use maybe 3. I wouldn't
pay either of them any amount of money to show my support or enthusiasm
for what they represent but I have done and will continue to do it for
B5 and its fan club.
        Keep the website, or maybe expand it; I'd love to have and e-
mail address at like rmperry at thestation.com, how cool would that be?
I've loved having access to the Gold Channel as a member exclusive and
I'd like that to continue and for others to have that available to them
as well. It would be nice for all those people just discovering the
show to be able to participate on this sort of level. I even remember a
point where several people offered to help finance the production of
their favorite show every year as "news" of it's impending
"cancellation" came each spring. Knowing that once the fan club goes
down the path of sorrow, it will be that much harder to get it started 
again (to say nothing of the cost) I'm sure these same people would
gladly pay to keep some sort of membership around as well as the
merchandising side of the club. As a friend once said about
merchandising, "I'll do it as long as I feel I can keep the tail from
wagging the dog." I feel that taking the membership side away from the
club, while still providing merchandise is, in some way, a step in that
direction. (of the tail wagging the dog)
        I wonder how the member discount will work if there isn't a
formal membership? I mean I see club merchandise for sale all the time
at conventions and that pretty much kills the exclusivisity of the
merchandise. I buy from the club for two major reasons, no middle-man
so all my money goes to those responsible for the merchandise; and I
get a discount through the club so I can rest assured that I'm not
getting ripped off. (not that the regular prices are high, but dealers
are buying this stuff and charging alot more at the cons for it, I like
to see that I paid $15 for a hat they want $20+ for)
        "The future is all around us, in moments of transition,
waiting to be born in moments of revelation... no one knows what shape
that future might take, all we know is that it will always be born in
pain." How much pain are we willing to suffer? B5 is done, Crusade is
in it's own moment of transition, and movies are waiting for the end of
Star Wars; are we willing to essentially end the fan club or do we try
to change it into something different. I don't know about anyone else
but I don't want the B5 fan club to turn into the B5 price club or the
B5 department store. Neither of those things provide a sense of
belonging, though they do provide a type of membership.
        I give to the CBLDF because it is something I believe in and
though I donate $20 (usually more like 40) and get an $8 shirt  I don't
mind because I also have a way to publicly show my support for them as
well as help them financially. I get comments about the shirts every
time I wear them and likewise I get comments about my B5 stuff, mostly
from people who don't know where to get the stuff for themselves. I
tell these people to join the club for the stuff and some other cool
stuff only available through them. I would like to continue with that
practice. I want to stand between the darkness and the light. Mostly I
want for others to be able to have the chance to truly belong
somewhere.
        This is our club too , Joe. You have given us a voice in
everything else thus far, so how about giving us a voice in what the
fan club should move toward in this transition. Give the people who
wanted to finance the show the opportunity to keep their club.  Give us
a chance to  give to you, in some small measure what you have given to
us. You've been more than fair to us by giving us quality over quantity
and extending memberships that didn't need extending, now it's our
turn. Let us put our money where our mouths are to keep this thing
moving forward rather than toward oblivion.

May the Light shine forever, Rich

P.S.  What, did you forget that we told you "yes" in response to your
question: "Will you follow me into fire... into darkness... into
death?"

------------------------------

Date: 14 Sep 1999 15:31:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
To: Richard M Perry <76461.2737 at compuserve.com>
Subject: transitions
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.71337 at compuserve.com>
References: <forum.babylon5.71332 at compuserve.com>

      I appreciate all of that...at the same time, however, what you
suggest would mean, in a sense, taking advantage of the fans to some
extent, charging for not getting much, and a) I can't do that, and b) I
think the majority, however attached to the show, would not want that
situation.

      In time, if we can get the thing into the black, we will
certainly revisit the structure of the thing and see what can be done
at that time.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


End of JMS CIS Digest 14-Sep-99 15:31 through 14-Sep-99 15:31
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