Monday, February 19, 2007 Eight months ago, on 18th April 2006, the first ever Daily Sheet was launched. It was a short, text-only edition with the following introductory post:
 | What The Heck Is This? Welcome to the very first issue of The Daily Sheet here at the Ultimate Brokeback Forum. This great idea came from Cactusgal, the Team Leader for the DVD Campaign. It is our daily news page for the forum. Here you can get updated on all the goings on: campaign news, new threads, new members, birthdays, featured threads, post of the day, new pics, member spotlights, and more. | |
Wanna read the whole thing?
Click here A month later, in May, the Sheet started featuring the occasional photograph, the news items were getting a little longer, member profiles were a regular feature and lots of people were contributing. The Daily Sheet team also ran a profile on Focus Features CEO, James Schamus. In July, TDS spiked an all time high of 6243 page hits, when the team featured an interview with Annie Proulx. Her reply included a personal note:
| "Sorry to be slow in responding to your Qs. Busy days here. I admire and appreciate your work on Brokeback's behalf, especially the placement of DVD's in rural libraries, places where the sentiment and bias of isolated people replicates its narrow-minded view." | |
Anyone who missed this interview should
click here TDS is a fluid, dynamic publication and once again, change is in the air. Kathy and Elle are stepping down with immediate effect. Marcia, who posts the Monday editions, is staying on. So far, there has been only one response to the Valentine's Day advert for new assistant editors. So, the question facing us all is ...
...Where To From Here?
For the rest of this week,
TDS will be on hiatus. During this time, this thread will be an
Open Discussion Thread and everyone is invited to join in the conversation right here. We'd like to know what you think! Should we make TDS a weekly publication, put it out every two or three days, or even discontinue it? What do you like/dislike about TDS? Should we make it longer/shorter/funnier/more serious, focus more on bbm/films/gay issues/human rights issues ... etc etc etc.
But most important of all, without volunteer staff members, TDS cannot survive. If you would like this aspect of the forum life to continue, please think carefully about getting involved. Tell us what you think, ask questions, make suggestions - in short, let's dialogue.
Last Words From The Outgoing Editors Although we have enjoyed our tenure on TDS, for various reasons the time has come for us to step down. So first of all, a heartfelt round of thanks from both of us.
Marcia joined us a couple months later and saved our sanity. We were both often a little jealous of the amazing articles she found for TDS. She is a tireless researcher and an utterly and completely dependable addition to our little editorial team. Thanks, and good luck!!
Huge thanks to all our formatters.
Mobody and
whiplash, who joined us just a few weeks ago, got up to speed lickety split, and just fit right in. They have been incredible, whiplash in particular going above and beyond the call of duty in supplying interesting leads as well.
| Kathy: Gonzo was 'my' formatter for many months. He was so sweet and supportive to me when I didn't have the foggiest idea what I was doing. I was so sad to see him go.
Elle: And thanks to 'my' formatter, gnash--I don't think there's a funnier, more accommodating and creative formatter anywhere on the planet!! | |
Our undying gratitude to our columnists,
cynical21 and
michaelflanagansf, and to our artists
Janie_G and
PatSinnott. They added so much richness to TDS. And to
Lyle (Mooska) and
BayCityJohn, who frequently sent in suggestions for stories. You guys have no idea how many times you saved the day. We'd be faced with a complete lack of story ideas, only to find a PM with a suggestion that kickstarted an article. A really big 'thank you' to those of you who sent in suggestions and leads to stories--whether they ended up being used or not, they were always appreciated. And finally, thanks to our TDS readership, especially those of you who regularly posted comments to the response thread. Many times, that's what kept us going. Knowing that people read and appreciated what we were doing made it feel worthwhile.
Kathy (kmich): This was not a decision made without a great deal of soul-searching as I've met so many wonderful people and learned so many important things while doing this job. I loved how connected it allowed me to feel to the forum. However, the demands on my time are simply too much and other related issues compel me to move on to the next stage in my life.
Having offered thanks to a multitude of people, I cannot forget
Elle. We started TDS at the same time and, if not for her, I would have resigned from TDS long ago. A better, more supportive partner in this venture one could not ask for. We often joked that even though we live half a world away from each other, we share a brain. We were so consistently in sync on so many issues that it was a little scary. Hugs to a great friend.
Elle (elle_ann) As I said on the occasion of my 1000th post, I had no idea when I made my first tentative ‘Hello, I’m new!’ post, that I was opening the window into a whole new world. Life in the threads, the Book Project,The Daily Sheet. TDS has been a blast as well as a ton of hard work. But the TDS team was always there, and in particular,
Kathy. Yes, we do share a brain, lol! I'm so grateful to her for her love, support, encouragement and caring. The best co-editor I could have wished for. Hugs back to you, my friend!
Right now, though, things have changed for me and for several reasons, I can no longer continue representing this forum as editor of The Daily Sheet. I wish you all luck in the future - walk wisely, dream big and love well.
Calendar
Forum Events
[li]If you have ideas about initiating a gathering go to
Start Your Own Threads and get the ball rolling
to plan a get-together near you.[/li][/size]
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[td]
Other Events
[li]Feb. 21-22, '07 - Boulder, CO -
Stephen Gyllenhaal, film clips & poetry reading[/li]
[li]Feb 25, '07 - Bay City, MI - Oscar Night
Screening of Brokeback Mountain[/li]
[li]May 26 - 29, '07 - Estes Park, CO -
2007 Brokeback Barbeque[/li]
[li]Let us know of any events you'd like listed here.
[/li]
[/list][/td][/tr][/table]
The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum
Editor: Marcia (Marge_Innavera)
Columnists: cynical21, Connie Bailey, Jim Bond, michaelflanagansf, sparky
Proofreader/Researchers: gnash, mobody, whiplash
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Previous issues of The Daily Sheet here.
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