Facebook and Face-Lifts

[Richard Coombs]

Hello to all , but to both Chris' in particular.

To Chris Richards in the USA , a reply from a different forum ...he like myself and many others tune in both here and to the Punch and Judy Facebook page.
Chris voiced a request on there for those that know me to urge me to join Facebook .
Someone that knows me very well replied "Not a chance !"

This is indeed so, I would rather chew off my right arm than join Facebook.
Nothing to do with its recent scandal with Cambridge Analytica ( altho I confess that only strengthened my resolve )
Its just that life is too short to be connected up to such a time-wasting energy vampire ( in my opinion )

True I do enjoy looking at the P&J Facebook page - which you can do even as a non FB member.
But I certainly don't wish to be 'plugged into' Facebook in order to post comments there.
I guess I am happy to be just a 'Voyeur'.

Chris also suggested that they try using Chat based segments on that page as its easier to follow than the usual FB 'endless thread' ( something like that I think ?)

Well for me , that is exactly what THIS board does so well.

True , most of the time this board is down to a handful of people who actually write posts.
But there is a second layer of people who can and do post when the particular topic is of an interest close to their own hearts.
On top of that sits a third layer of people who choose to only read ...Chat room Voyeurs and Lurkers
All good , there is room for everyone.

The two platforms seem to fulfil very different niche needs I think.

The P&J FB page seems to be for more instant gratification ..quick posts of who's done what in the last day or so.
Lots of pictures , a sort of 'quick fix' for your daily Punch curiosity habit.

This board tends to delve deeper , with people taking the time to cover things in more detail .
Either their thoughts on why and how they chose Punch as a Hobby or Profession , or practical issues on how things are built or designed .
Hence the convenient Chat / Workshop split ( although some topics straddle across the divide)

It has grown over many years to become a huge source of tips and experience based knowledge.
Always worth a trawl through its vast back catalogue.

There used to be more people posting on here , and yes the other board and places like it can be said to have taken away some of the 'instant thrill' seekers.
But everything goes through cycles , and I think this boards popularity will be on the up again soon enough,

There used to be more photos uploaded here too and its fair to say the other board has taken away most of that particular traffic and footfall.
But not always.
Particularly on the Workshop side a photo can convey more than words ever can.

I myself post less pictures than I did say four or five years ago, because I am a confessed 'Camera Compulsive' documenting everything I make.
And I realised a few years back I was rather overloading this site with my blow by blow photos.

About that same time I discovered Flickr Pro .
The original reason for using Flickr was having a secure off computer storage for my photos in case I am ever burgled and my computer gets stolen. Something more easily catalogued and edited than 'the Cloud'
It was just a tool for me , for my own use.
But then I realised I could share links to some of the public galleries , so there was no need to swamp this site with images.

I can just put one or two on here with a link to a gallery of the rest.

But I am confident there is a place in the world for This Board and the Facebook Page to go on servicing two slightly different needs.

I just don't feel the need to join Facebook myself to do it.


...... And to the other Chris goes the "Facelift' part of this pun.
No , I am not suggesting he needs one
Having seen the videos of me looking VERY tired at the Mayfayre my need is certainly greater in that department !
It is a Booth 'facelift' I am speaking of.
One that I know is close to the heart of Chris S.

Not following the heard -Using something other than Red and White Stripes.

My new booth was always intended to be a Chameleon ...The main framework and the Golden Prosc Arch being the only constant and regular fixture.
In the near future a variety of booth covers and pelmets and stage curtains are planned.
And over a longer period of time so too is a variety of prosceniums of different shapes styles and colours ( but all fitting around and latching to the Golden Arch )

That is why it is called my 'Golden Booth" ...not because its current Proscenium is mostly Yellow and Gold.

Future booth covers may not always be Striped.
Some nice Furnishing fabrics are catching my eye at the moment and yelling to be made into Punch Theatres.

But the first non red and white variant IS still stripey.
Here is a first look as of tea time yesterday:


More will follow in this Flickr Gallery:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rkcpuppet ... 1246176080

Best to all named Chris , and all the lovely Lurkers and Voyeurs too !
Richard

[Chris]

My feelings about Facebook are very similar to Richard's, and I have a similar aversion to Twitter. I think that both platforms encourage too rapid response which can lead to easy misunderstanding, to unwise revelations or hurtful off the cuff replies, and the far too rapid spread of misinformation. These platforms offer an easy route to creating a lynch mob.

But I am sure that my fears are mostly groundless since the most powerful politician in the world conducts most of his policy making and dissemination via Twitter and nobody would surely accuse him of impetuosity or shallow thinking.

[Nick Jackson]

And, were this on Facebook, I could immediately post a in response to Chris's last sentence!

[Chris Richard]

Richard, my comments on Facebook about wishing you posted there were just half of my thought.

The other half is that I wish more of them posted here.

I first signed up here years ago when my interest in Punch and Judy was new. I devoured the whole website.

At that time this forum was fairly well populated. A question posted here would get comments from Chris, and Nick, and Richard, but also Chris Van Der Craats, Miraiker, Les Clarke, John Stoate, Trevor Hill, Tony James, Eek, Harvey Wood, etc. etc. Some folks left here for one reason or another. Some are no longer with us. There was just more going on here before Facebook drew people away.

On Facebook I follow a number of Punch performers and I am a member of the Punch and Judy Community Group. There just isn't as much actual discussion over there. Not much teaching. learning, opinion. As Richard said, lots of recent photos and news about what everyone had for lunch yesterday. And no Chris Somerville or Richard Coombs over there.

So I bounce back and forth between the two and I feel somewhat dissatisfied with both.

Most likely I won't meet any of you in person, so the internet is my connection with the world of Punch and Judy. Sometimes it's lacking.

[Chris]

Sorry you are feeling somewhat dissatisfied Chris. I don't think you'll ever get "the old days back" - even if you wanted to. I don't. While it is true that before Facebook and Twitter there was much more traffic on this Message Board, but there was also more controversy. Nowadays anyone who posts on here generally has a genuine desire to express an opinion, or discover something, or spread some news etc. In the past there was quite a bit of mischief making and quite a lot of posting remarks just for the sake of saying something. Much of that kind of triviality has probably moved to Twitter and Facebook.
But the fact is that nowadays most people now prefer to live on their phones, all the time, and that is not the best medium for communications of any length or depth.
Also this website was started in the early days of the internet when you needed to be able to write html to have your own website, and to also know your way around Java or Perl to build anything interactive like a forum. The internet was new and exciting and people were beginning to spend their evenings on the computer. This website, now tired and dated, was exciting. For example when I judged most people in the UK had moved from dial-up to broadband and therefore could view videos I started the Punch Video Theatre, and that was very exciting, crude as it was. Now we can all take good quality video on our phones and upload it easily to YouTube and view them in high quality. There's a wealth of stuff on the web, but it has become commonplace and hasn't the same excitement.
If your flitting between the Punch & Judy Facebook page and this forum does not satisfy your needs, what additionally would you like? Any suggestions welcome. But like Richard, I am most unlikely to start posting on Facebook. Why would I when I have this platform?
Don't forget you can also still communicate via email, or even some people still write letters. And there's quite a strong puppetry community in the States (PofA) where you could possibly meet up others sharing your interests.

[Chris]

As an addendum to the above, I forgot to mention my approval of Richard's beautifully succinct description of Facebook as "a time-wasting energy vampire". Actually in my case that criticism could be applied to the whole of the internet. Before the internet we used to make puppets, not buy them. Remember? And we had the time.