When FOH first started publishing three years ago (yes, this issue marks the end of our third year), we had already talked about the electronic components of the magazine. The Web site has been there for a while, and the electronic version has grown rapidly and has extended our reach to areas of the globe that were impractical when it came to mailing printed copies of the magazine. But on the question of peer-to- peer, electronic communication online, it might have seemed that we were slacking. Not the case. Electronic forums were among the first things discussed when I came aboard, and the plan was to partner with an existing pro audio online entity as a "channel"–a move that would give us instant reader-to-reader communication without having to rebuild the electronic wheel. But the best laid plans and all that… an ownership change at the operation of our intended partner made the whole idea impossible to a degree of silliness. So the much talked-about FOH Forums got pushed back and back and back.
Speaking of "back," let's take a little trip in the wayback machine, shall we? It is said that the problem with being a pioneer is you get a lot of arrows in the back. I am what the technology mags call an "early adopter." In their parlance, that means the guy who starts using new technology without waiting to let others find out how well it works. In plain English, it translates as "idiot." As such (an early adopter or an idiot?), I am something of an online guy.
Back in late '80s, I worked for the first iteration of a magazine for musicians called GIG. Although a small, indie operation, we were written up in the biggest publishing trade journal because our early adoption of desktop publishing cut our preproduction expenses by 70%. When that mag went under, I went to work for a weekly newspaper, and we were one of the first papers in Southern California to have an electronic presence via something called L.A. Online. At the same time, the other GIG folks and I started experimenting, and started an electronic version of the magazine .That effort was called Level: 11 Magazine (as in the Nigel Tufnel "this one goes to 11" gem). Level: 11 led directly to the rebirth of GIG for five years. Jim Love, the original art director for the magazine and a bonafide rocket scientist/artist/digital shaman, helped us create self-generating pages and track how many times a reader visited an advertiser's Web site. Those things sound like nothing now, but they were not close to common in the mid-'90s.
I tell you all of this not to blow my own horn–which I have an unfortunate tendency to do–but as background for what follows.
When we recently got the FOH Forums up and running, it was assumed by all that I would be the head cheerleader and a constant online presence. And I think they were all a bit surprised when I was very resistant to get started. And as it turns out, my initial instinct was correct. Much as I like the idea and the reality of direct, multiway communication with FOH readers, I knew in my gut that the "15 minutes a day" I was being told it would take would grow quickly. I finally broke down and started reading and posting. That first time, I was at it for two hours, and last night, I was posting until well after midnight.
Sucks to be me, but the good news is that the FOH Forums are really taking off. Unlike similar electronic outlets, we have opted–for now–to do away with sub forums based on topic and the resulting free-for-all has been very cool indeed, with newbies asking for and getting advice from seasoned pros, those pros swapping tips and horror stories and even gear manufacturers asking for real advice from real users before finalizing the design on certain products. And it gives us an early read on what is going on out there. A few days before I wrote this, I was talking with someone at JBL, who told me that their VRX series of line array on-a-stick speakers was selling at many times their pre-release estimates. No surprise here, because I knew from reading the FOH Forums that there is an intense interest among smaller soundcos for an affordable and stackable line array.
This way of doing forums is not common anymore and we hope it will be an asset for some time. So far, the communication I have monitored and gotten involved in seems to say we are on the right path–even if I spend too much damn time trodding down this particular road. Check it out while you can still say you were there at the beginning, at www.fohonline.com/forums. You can participate as a guest, but signing up has benefits that are pretty cool as well. C-ya in cyberspace…
