Post by Ashmadai on Feb 27, 2008 18:43:07 GMT -5
The Bulletin Board Interview of the Month
Dianne, of Books & Chat and Fat & Fabulous,
Dianne is 50 years old and retired woman from New England who operates two message boards on Proboards. The first forum is Books & chat, which is located at booksandchat.com/ , and the second is Fat & Fabulous (http://fatandsassy.proboards101.com/index.cgi).
I first met Dianne on a message board called "Admin's Retreat" in November of 2007. We began talking and when I revived The Bulletin Board, she was the first one to come over to offer assistance. She believed in the idea of a Proboards Directory and due to her efforts, she was made an admin of the board. Now-a-days she spends a lot of time fine tuning her boards and helping others..
Ash: Dianne, I hate to ask this question due to some people being sensitive over such issues… but how old are you?
Dianne: I'll be 51 this August, you can send gifts to....LOL!
Ash: Where do you live?
Dianne: I live In New England, Connecticut to be specific, as smallish community that was once both a farming and industrial community. Now we just seem to cater to yuppies (are there Yuppies anymore???)
Ash: I'm not sure. In 1991 Time magazine did a Mock Obituary called “The Death of the Yuppie”. That supposedly marked the end of the Yuppie era. So I suppose the Yuppie is dead. LoL
Ash: What do you do for a living?
Dianne: I'm retired from real work which was two-fold - I was an artist AND a personal trainer
Ash: Are you married?
Dianne: Yes, February 13th was my 26th anniversary
Ash: Do you have children?
Dianne: No children...so I dote on my niece and nephew. (and have a lot of time to myself)
Ash: How about pets? Do you have any?
Dianne: Yes, four cats, 2 rescued calicos that each are multi-dactyl and two apple-head Siamese. One seal point and one blue.
Ash: What names are you known by on Proboards?
Dianne: over there I am Cats57
Ash: What other Message Boards do you operate, or help out with?
Dianne: I help out with Mydnight, I am working for them in their books area, I operate Books & Chat and Fat & Fabulous.
Ash: Not to mention “The Bulletin Board”, where you are a valued admin! When did you first begin posting on the message boards?
Dianne: I started posting with message boards around 8 years ago and that was an Author board, it was a mess, with no moderation whatsoever.
Ash: What are your favorite types of boards or forums?
Dianne: Well I like book forums, since it's what I'm most interested in, but generally they deal with only one author so they tend to be "squee" boards and that is so annoying.
Ash: Now let's talk about your Message Boards. Why did you name the board "Books & Chat"?
Dianne: Because I wanted everyone to know that not only did we chat about books, but that we had interest in chatting about nearly anything. Plus I kind of got stuck with it, since Pro-boards sign-up area isn't too specific with letting you know about what you are filling out and what it means. LOL!!!
Ash: Is Books & Chat the first message board you started?
Dianne: Yes it is...
Ash: And what is B&C about?
Dianne: About 500 pages (sorry I couldn't resist that LOL)
Ash: LoL
Dianne: About half to 3/4 of the board is devoted to Authors/Books...we do recommendations, reviews, "slam a book", news letters and general discussions. We have a book club and a Laurel Hamilton book club, we are a member of the Laurel K Hamilton Web-ring (very unusual for my board). I do a Books to Be Released, list that follows many popular authors well into the mid to late 2008 year. We have gossip about the publishing world and authors and we talk a lot about books and ourselves! We have a large section devoted to writers and many of us are Beta Readers for authors.
We also have our own store where you find many things to keep a book lover happy, the money that is collected from the store helps keep the site ad-free and has allowed us to purchase our domain names.
Other parts of the board are devoted to jokes, complaints about our lives and mundane things that makes all of us sort of family that is always adopting new family members. We are small and on the outside we may look clique -ish, but we aren't, we adore new people, especially new people who post!
Ash: When did you decide to become start this board and why?
Dianne: I was a Moderator for the Laurell K Hamilton author web-site, a site with approx. 6,000 members and I helped organize their Other Author area . I finally figured out that instead of working for what could be considered a "squee" board,plus disliking the politics of that board, I had my own idea of the ideal board and decided to try to create it.
Ash: How do you think your members would describe you?
Dianne: Tenacious, strong, funny, willing to help, pragmatic, emotional and probably a pain in the ass. Generous?
Ash: What long range goals, and objectives, do you have for your board?
Dianne: To someday see it as one of the places a serious booklover comes to find information and friendship with like minded people. A home away from home, as it where. Another goal is for me to meet as many of my constant posters as I can...I've already met about 10 members and I have plans on meeting at least one more this April. Some day one of the conventions will be held close enough to all of us so we can all get together and have a blast!
Ash: What was the biggest disappointment you had with your Board so far?
Dianne: The lack of consistent membership. I want the board to be used for info, but I also love getting to know new people and in this day and age people come and go so fast. You just get to know them and then all of a sudden they are off and running to somewhere else.
Ash: What was the most fun time you had with your forum?
Dianne: Doing the Hot Seat this past year and also our Christmas card exchange. I got cards from different parts of the country as well as from over-seas. Actually creating this new skin we have was fun for me too. Actually building our A-Store was a real kick too! I had a blast stoking it, which reminds me it's time to update our merchandise *grin*
Ash: Let’s move on now to “Fat & Fabulous”, why did you name the board "Fat & Fabulous"?
Dianne: Because I am fat and I certainly think I am fabulous...egotistic of me? Perhaps but none of us could come up with anything better *grin*.
Ash: What is the purpose of this board?
Dianne: I think that many people with body issues need a place where they are accepted, nurtured, and know that they are loved no matter what size they are
Ash: When did you decide to start this board and why?
Dianne: This past July when I was trying to find some clothes for a cruise that didn't make me look like my own Grandmother.
Ash: How do you think most people view the name of the Board? Do you think they mostly accept it, or do they view it skeptically?
Dianne: Apparently most people are very comfortable with it, (more so than I was, I worried that it would turn people off) we are all fat to a degree (over there) and why try to use something clever to cover it up? It's like a fat person wearing all black "cause they think it's slimming - it doesn't work! We believe in calling a spade a spade!
Ash: What long range goals, and objectives, do you have for your board?
Dianne: I really don't have any for Fat & Fabulous, not the way I have for Books & Chat. If people join they are doing so because they know me or someone on the board, it's a more private place.
Ash: What was the biggest disappointment you had with your Board so far?
Dianne: Funny there is nothing I've been disappointed with over at F&F.
Ash: What was the most fun time you had with your forum?
Dianne: Naming it, you should have seen some of the suggestions people at B&C came up with...my mom and sister and niece and nephew got in the act too!
Ash: Thank you, Dianne. Good luck with the boards.
Dianne: Thank you!
