Recently in FYI Category

Perhaps you've recently posted a comment or two -- or perhaps you've posted many over time -- that have never made it onto the listing page.

The most common reason, lately, is this:

Anonymous comments slamming hosts, open mikes, venues, other performers, etc. will not be published. *

They'll be ignored, perhaps ridiculed.

This is not to say anything at all is allowed if you're signing your name; but if you're going to be criticizing others, you'll at least need to stand by your words.

It's only fair.

And no, this does not apply to the vast majority of the site's users. So please don't worry too much about this notice. If you cared enough to read this in the first place, thanks for your contributions to and interest in openmikes.org.

* Actually, comments attacking other performers are unwelcome under any circumstances.

If you visited openmikes.org on March 18, 2012 (just barely yesterday in my time zone, as I write this), you noticed that the site was missing. Unless openmikes.org is the only site you visited that day, you are probably aware that this was not an isolated incident. Wikipedia, Boing Boing and numerous others went “dark” to protest the SOPA and PIPA bills being considered by the US Congress.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but this site reaches more people in a day than my personal blog does in a month. Far more. If I was going to make a point, this was the place.

As a musician, a songwriter, a creator of works I do want protected… SOPA isn’t the way to do it.

I heartily recommend reading this interview with publisher Tim O’Reilly for an excellent explanation of what SOPA is, and why it’s more dangerous than any problem it would allegedly solve.

There's an excellent chance that, very soon, you won't be able to comment anonymously on openmikes.org listings.

"Report a Problem" will still work, as a way to tell me, privately, that something needs to be corrected. But public comments will require you to login; probably via Facebook, to make most people's live easier.

"Comment wars" on a few listings (almost always anonymous), filled with personal attacks, are a prime example of what happens when people don't have to take responsibility for their words. That, and one particular commenter who uses an endless succession of false names (I delete most of that before you folks need to bother with it), are motivating me to eliminate that option.

If you want to speak up against this change, now's the time.

You may have noticed the "donate" buttons in a few places on the site. They'll probably come down soon, largely because people seem to think they get special privileges, faster posting, etc. if they donate. Nope. Lame. openmikes.org is free, it stays free, all the features, for everybody.

And getting something for nothing seems wrong. OK, not nothing, running the site isn't free. Takes time. Takes Money.

Still, I think a version where:

1. You get something.
2. You know what the benefits are.
3. You still get to use the whole site whether you give or not.

works best. So. You know those ads? From nice people like TheStage and so on? They're here because, frankly, they help keep the lights on. They're not going anywhere, I'll take them as long as they'll let me.

But maybe you've seen them enough. OK, you can help defray the costs another way. But not for nothing -- this is even better, because you're helping out a fellow musician.

Me.

If you either purchase my CD "Acrophobe" ($6), or purchase the instant-download version (for at least $4), and email me to let me know you did so, I'll set your account to the magical "no more ads" status. Forever.

For this to work, you need an account. You may or may not have one yet (see the FAQ). And you'll need to be logged in. The site is not psychic (yet).

You do have the option to download the CD for free; go right ahead, please -- but that won't spare you the ads, sorry.

Let's just see how this goes...

p.s.: if you've donated in the past and want in on the ad-free list, drop me an email

I gave $7 lunch money to Champaign County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) by visiting Blind Post and clicking two or three buttons.

What is CASA?

What does having a CASA volunteer mean to a child? Imagine what it would be like to lose your parents, not because of something you did, but because they can't - or won't - take care of you. Now, into your life come dozens of strangers: police, foster parents, social workers, judges, lawyers, and more. Having a CASA volunteer means having a trained and committed adult, by your side, who has been appointed by a judge to watch over you and advocate for your best interests. That volunteer will make sure you don't get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in an inappropriate group or foster home. They will be there for you until your case is closed. It can make the difference between homelessness and a safe home, between dropping out and completing school, between unemployment and success, between jail and becoming a productive member of society.

Champaign County CASA currently serves nearly 600 children, thanks to our volunteer advocates. The children we serve range in age from newborn to 18 years of age. Last year over 35% were under age 6.

Seven bucks. Two minutes. Go.

I licensed the cover art for my CD-in-progress.

Found the perfect shot at iStockphoto, purchased same. Saved me from having to step in front of a camera myself. Thanks!

Still working on the rest of the CD process — recording is scheduled for later this month. Pre-orders, and bonus reward options, are available at the project's Kickstarter page. For everyone who ever said "I can't thank you enough for openmikes.org", I'd say a $10 CD order is more than sufficient :-)

You may notice a new menu item at the top of the page - "mobile". If you access openmikes.org via your cell phone, you've probably noticed it's not terribly well-designed for that.

The mobile site, m.openmikes.org is designed to be small, fast, and simple. It does one thing - shows you listings within 10 miles of a zip code, city, or address, on any given day.

Click on a club in the resulting list to see the time, address, phone number, web site, and any comments on the night.

That's it. Just what you want, 90% of the time. Let me know what else you'd really like it to do.