What is the Smashing Pumpkins Gathering?
One fine day, the topic of a massive Smashing Pumpkins fan get-together was brought up on the official message board (O-board). The idea caught on, but it was decided that one single gathering would be too hard for people to get to, so it has been broken down into 14 regions. We in FL, GA, SC, and NC are region 3. The exact time, date, location, activities, and specifics of these events has yet to be decided. Right now we're just working on gathering support and volunteers to help organize. Here is the FAQ from the SP Gathering Main website:
On Our goal and Purpose:
A Smashing Pumpkin fan is a very unique person, and although
there are a variety of personalities (as seen through the three major
boards O-board, netphoria, and siva) we all are very enthusiastic and
rabid fans who share an odd symbiotic bond of sorts. It is for this
reason that we always enjoy an excuse to get together for whatever
reason. The problem with this generally comes with the fact that we are
divided often by hundreds of miles, and only those lucky enough can get
to the site of the gathering. For this reason, we are working on a
multi-region gathering extravaganza to get as many fans together as
possible. For a list of regions, please refer to the appropriate link
from our site.
Divide and Conquer
This is a big task, and not one us four people can handle by
ourselves. We have decided that it is a necessity to recruit organizers
from each region to take care of issues for their respective regions. To
become an organizer please see the section below entitled "We Want YOU".
An organizer will need to be able to do one or more of the following:
work on website construction and maintenance, get in touch with possible
venues, stay in touch and keep communication between o-board mainfour
and members of their region, take care of any need as it arises. We will
probably always need that extra person, so if interested and willing, do
not be afraid to ask to join.
Where will these things happen?
We are going to try and have gatherings in the most centralized
and convenient location in each region, so that there will be at least
14 different gatherings. Should there be enough regional organizers in
different areas of a region, the organizers can talk to the main four
and Request to split up the region. This would be ideal in some of the
bigger regions, or places like California where there are two subregions
both with dense populations. Again, for information on the region
divisions, see the region link.
When will this happen?
This will be a process which will span over as much of the
length of the summer as need be. We hope to have it so that no two
regions hold theirs on the same day, so that if people were so inclined,
they could visit multiple regions. We mean to hold it in the summer,
hopefully this next summer of 01. It will be sortof like a summer tour,
moving from region to region each week on the same day, perhaps
Saturday afternoon-night. Dates will be determined based upon majority
convenience. Unfortunately we can not work it so that everyone is
satisfied.
What will be happening at these gatherings?
Although nothing is definite, some ideas have been trading,
buying, and selling (only in legal ways please), cover bands, perhaps
contests and such, general SP related things, and just having a hell of
a good time with really great people. All other ideas should be sent to
the main four via email to our official address.
We Want YOU
Joining the ranks of the other regional organizers is something
which before our reorganization was getting out of hand. For this reason
we are having a set method. If you are a part of regions 1-4 LiveSP+STP
will be your contact person, regions 5,6,12, and 13 will be dealt with
by Jack in the boot, and regions 7,8,9,10,11,14 will be in contact with
April Christina. Sign up on the sign-up link by saying your name,
o-board name, email address, region number, and any other alias which
we may need to know, as well as which one you prefer to be called by.
The person in charge of recruitment in your region will send you a
contract, and an invitation to our listserve. By accepting invitation to
the listserve, you are put on our mailing list and are now an official
organizer. We ask all returning organizers to do this as well so that we
might convert all of you from our old lists to the listserve community.
Leadership
For organizational reasons we are asking all members of regions
to determine one spokesperson for their region. This will help us so
that instead of talking to everyone from a region, we are only talking
to one person as to progress. This leader so to speak is not better or
more powerful, but should have leadership qualities so that they can
sortof guide their region in the right direction. Please determine this
in a democratic way.
Working as an organizer
Every week, a project email will be sent to all members of a
region, with clear details as to what they should be working on that
week within their region. These will generally be sent out Fridays or
within one day before or after. We ask regional Leaders to respond on or
before Mon, a week and two days after they receive their missions. Since
we are allowing ourselves a day leeway on getting them out, we are
understanding of a day or two cushion, however the longer it takes you
to respond, the less idea we have of where you are in progress, and what
your next assignments shall be. These are designed to keep people
involved, and interested. As long as we keep moving, we will get things
done.
ListServe and you.Some General Rules.
The listserve is moderated by LiveSP+STP so that all mail coming
from other members must be viewed by him before they are sent to all
other members. This is not an attempt at sensorship, but rather a means
to cut down on other members receiving an excess of junk mail. Otherwise
when a response to the main four is accidently sent to the listserve,
all members would get the message and mail would accumulate rather
quickly. Also, in respect to junk mail, if you have a response to the
main organizers, please send it to the address mainfour@myrealbox.com
not to the listserve. The more irrelevant mail sent to the listserve,
the longer it takes for the relevant mail to be sent out. If you want
something sent out to the entire group, please state at the top of the
email "To all organizers" so that we know to send it out.
Posting on board
The o-board admins have been more than reasonable thus far with
us working there. As to not be pests, we will be limiting threads to one
post and one poll. If you see some drastic need for another post,
contact us first and we will let you know. We will condemn all illegal
threads. Don't make us do this.
This faq focuses on those issues which we have found important thus far.
As more issues arise, they will be added, with a date of addition so
that those who have already read the faq can see those sections recently
added. We will try and inform organizers when new and important changes
have been made. Thanks for reading, Lets make this work!
-LiveSP+STP, Nick Conner
