this is brian writing. it’s the vernal equinox. we’ve been struggling to figure out how to “properly launch” a new idea in this saturated digital universe. instead of our typical hyper-minimalist handful of undecipherable words, here is a stream of consciousness, with the help of whiskey.
we’ve been fostering what could be called a healthy online community for just about ten years now. the monome community has generated an admirable amount of open-source code and patches, collaborative music releases, and engaging discussion.
the monome community has brought together mostly people enthusiastic about grids. yet much of the content generated has had a valuable, much broader appeal, and we would like to invite a greater audience beyond the (lovingly) grid-minded.
we’re seeking a meeting place for a community interested in sharing meaningful content and discussion. we value the decentralized emergence of information, not simply reacting to a single voice. we appreciate an environment that does not encourage hyper-consumption. we have no intention of being product-focused.
we are confident in this new forum software: discourse. it contains modern facilities for community building and information sorting. it’s fast, it’s mobile, and it has excellent searchability. well-designed community self-moderation is key. category muting allows you to ignore topics you’re not interested in (ie, trade, or monome).
in the end, this place will be determined by those who choose to use it. in these early days, we hope you might help us shape it, setting it on a path to even greater heights.
update: years on now, check out the best threads list: http://llllllll.co/tags/llllllll