You are invited to “Talk To Me…” on Zoom this coming Wednesday, September 21, at 10 A.M. We had our first one-hour meeting last Wednesday, and I thought it was perfect.
I realize this meeting must be small and feel safe and intimate to work, so I’m limiting the meetings to six or seven people.
I was impressed with the first group’s thoughtfulness, honesty, and curiosity; we talked about photography, relationships, and how people talk online. It was absolutely everything I hoped for and more.
Please consider signing up for the meeting here if you are interested. I’ll admit the first six or seven people starting at 9:50. Once again, the hyperlink is here.
This is part of what I see as a radical experiment to figure out how to keep humanity in online communications. We see how easy it is to be hateful, angry, and argumentative when speaking to blog posts, texts, and e-mails.
When we are talking to people, the conversation on Wednesday showed me that people have not forgotten to be warm, open, and honest. Selfishly I want and need to keep this going; I learned a lot. The people who came online – one living in Jack London’s houseboat in California, one working in IT, and one a new artist – were excited and had great questions for me and ideas of their own.
We overcame our shyness in seconds, and they were patient as I encountered a few technical problems. We got them all worked out. Maria will be joining me regularly. She’s a natural on TV.
Obviously, this can’t work if I’m alone, so think about signing up. I believe you can sign up anytime (I’m not sure), but I’ll admit people 10 minutes before the meeting starts. Think about it, and thanks. The first was a grand slam for me.
This is one of those ideas that can make the world better. I am learning how to communicate better, and my faith in the decency and humanity of people has been restored. The cruel and nasty people online are the exception, not the rule. I need to be better also, and I will.
Sign up here: Wednesday, the 21st, 10 a.m. Be there by 9:50. Right here.
Why are you doing this during working hours? It automatically excludes anyone who has a regular job. Also, 7 AM is pretty early for the west coast. Early afternoon EDT on a weekend would be a more viable time slot for many more people.
I’m not sure what the hours will be, Roan; as I wrote, this is the beginning of an experiment.
It might be any time, really, although the response to this one was perfect and I’m sorry to say Maria and I have a lot of work to do and this may be the best time for us. I would say we’ll have no problem drawing people at that time from the responses so far.
Our work with the Mansion and the refugees makes early afternoon impossible any time; we are often on the road or teaching. I’ve had no other complaints, and I know I can’t make everyone happy.
As it is, we both work well into the night. Our schedule is very full. I appreciate your frustration. P.S. Half of the people on the Zoom live in L.A.
You’re not on the road teaching on weekends. I agree that weekend afternoons would be best if you can do it. You’re excluding a lot of people who need to earn a living and don’t have the financial luxury of free weekday mornings.
June, thanks for your input. I think you’ve overstepped your bounds.
I think it’s up to me to decide the best time for this issue, not you. You are not here and do not know all of the details of our life or what we do on weekends. No time is good for everyone in the world, and we will do the best we can and make the best decisions we can. I am sorry you disapprove, but it’s not really up to you. A lot of people are happy about this opportunity and are signing up. I’m sorry if it doesn’t work for you, but life doesn’t always give us what we want.