"Mighty" Mike McGee's Electronic Place of Himself.
Typings of a well-traveled, talky, funny, hobo-poet.
Live from Minneapolis, MN…
For about the last two years, I’ve fantasized about putting together a truly comprehensive, non-Poetry Slam, Inc. website or wiki on the topic of poetry slam. My biggest drawback has been time and motivation. It is amazingly difficult to get amped-up about a community that only gets amped-up between April and August[!] (as they field teams to compete at the National Poetry Slam.)
I had found a dead wiki on poetry slam and wanted to revive it, but I gave up realizing it would become a time suck and would only fulfill this very personal need to have complete access to the history, lists, who’s-who bios, and stats of the poetry slam world.
Granted, there are so many poetry slams throughout the world. Some are reliably consistent, like the one run by Ko and Rayl at Substanz in Munich, and some exist for one night only. But because there are so many events and no real online source to discover all of them, to keep that information organized and accessible, I feel there is a need for some sort of slam database.
Then I noticed a Facebook wall post by poet and web-head Lindsay Stone for her brand-spanking new site SlamProfile.com So I checked it out and realized that this may be just what the poetry slam world needs.
It is without a doubt a Myspace/Facebook for performance poetry and I believe, if it catches on, it could be the source for poetry slam information, poet profiles and networking. There is no reason for people and poets not to check it out. You can post your audio and videos there, and one does not have to be logged-in to access those files either. That alone should be enough to get poets off of Myspace…
SlamProfile.com has a lot to offer poets, even right now in its earliest stage. I was the 41st poet to join, the water is warm and there is plenty of room. If it catches on, it should feel like a viable, valuable social networking tool for poets in no time.
Go check out SlamProfile.com and add “McGee” as a friend. Tell them I sent you.
And thank you, Lindsay Stone. You’re doing awesome things with it.
———
Word to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 9 July, 2010 at 3:50 PM, filed under Uncategorized and tagged facebook, myspace, Performance Poetry and Spoken Word, slamprofile.com, social networking, twitter. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
This entry was written by , posted on 14 April, 2008 at 4:06 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged facebook, internetting, internetworking, livejournal, myspace, network sites, streamlining web use. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Over the last year, I’ve become very disgruntled with the amount people using useless and/or unnecessary social networking sites on the web. In November, I deleted my Myspace page, and other than the ability to message 4,000 people all at once, I have not missed much of it. I still run the T.O.F.U. (myspace.com/tonsoffununiversity) profile there, which I am trying to keep very simple.
Instead of hoarding people and sites, we should be evolving with the web. For example, the first social profile I created was at Friendster. It sucked over time, so I moved to Myspace in 2003, and now I’m at Facebook, which has learned a lot from the “growing suckage” of it’s predecessors. These predecessors are now learning from the new kids on the internet block; keeping up with the trend of quality usefulness and user-friendliness. Smart, that is.
However, I feel that when one does add themselves to a new community, they should pick one or two and stick with it. Each online community is very much like a house or a city, very few people live in more than one. It doesn’t seem logical.
By this, I figure I will leave Facebook once a better, more efficient networking portal comes along. It may exist already, but I would probably have to utilize my web-addiction a lot more to find it and develop yet another group of people I will always hardly know personally.
A good friend of mine has accounts and profiles registered on dozens of various social networking websites. I also know that this friend is annoyed with the amount maintenance needed to keep them updated, and eventually forgets about them, only to re-register as a new user. With me trying to be creative and maintain my touring schedule, I was falling behind on my Facebook and Myspace maintenance, so one of them had to go and I went with the lesser of two suckas.
My LiveJournal account has much more value to me than my Myspace profile ever did, which is why I’m keeping it. But now that I’ve “WordPress-ed” my site toward blog-friendliness, I am now reconsidering how I will use my LJ blog. I have considered using it as a Neat Links page, or as my gig listings. Not sure what I will do with it just yet.
I dig the web big time, but I certainly see the lack of much actual art/action stemming from being a member of any website or social network. I think there are a handful of people who have made their careers through web affiliation or promotion on some of these, but it seems to be a small handful of barely-skilled entertainers, and I believe it is a fleeting fame they are falling into. Over time, it’s a very small percentage of the world that actually cares about people who are famous for being famous. Fame in art is nice, but not necessary or primary. Art in fame would be nice to see.
Looking at the nature of shitty things on the net versus actual shitty things in the world and can I see that the web is a moving, growing tabloid of low-quality public interest and a broken amplifier of what the world really is and could become. The truest aspects of what counts in life can a should be found offline, on one’s own, then maybe one can research it online.
The internet is amazing. I certainly get most of my information from it, and have made more of a career through it, but I also tour a lot and perform many, many times a year in front of hundreds of thousands of people. That helps too. No matter how many people know you on the internet, one can never truly understand their own impact until they personally meet and greet the people they have or are impacting.
I feel like there needs to be better contact and context from artists online. If you have a growing fan base, stay in touch with them. Take the time to reach out and know your audience. I can learn from this philosophy too. I have really slipped in the last year with regard to keeping in touch with friends, fans and users. I am going to make a difference this year.
This entry was written by , posted on 27 January, 2008 at 4:59 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged facebook, Internet-Stuff, myspace, online, social networking, websites. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Over the last year, I’ve become very disgruntled with the amount people using useless and/or unnecessary social networking sites on the web. In November, I deleted my Myspace page, and other than the ability to message 4,000 people all at once, I have not missed much of it. I still run the T.O.F.U. (myspace.com/tonsoffununiversity) profile there, which I am trying to keep very simple.
Instead of hoarding people and sites, we should be evolving with the web. For example, the first social profile I created was at Friendster. It sucked over time, so I moved to Myspace in 2003, and now I’m at Facebook, which has learned a lot from the “growing suckage” of it’s predecessors. These predecessors are now learning from the new kids on the internet block; keeping up with the trend of quality usefulness and user-friendliness. Smart, that is.
However, I feel that when one does add themselves to a new community, they should pick one or two and stick with it. Each online community is very much like a house or a city, very few people live in more than one. It doesn’t seem logical.
By this, I figure I will leave Facebook once a better, more efficient networking portal comes along. It may exist already, but I would probably have to utilize my web-addiction a lot more to find it and develop yet another group of people I will always hardly know personally.
A good friend of mine has accounts and profiles registered on dozens of various social networking websites. I also know that this friend is annoyed with the amount maintenance needed to keep them updated, and eventually forgets about them, only to re-register as a new user. With me trying to be creative and maintain my touring schedule, I was falling behind on my Facebook and Myspace maintenance, so one of them had to go and I went with the lesser of two suckas.
My LiveJournal account has much more value to me than my Myspace profile ever did, which is why I’m keeping it. But now that I’ve “WordPress-ed” my site toward blog-friendliness, I am now reconsidering how I will use my LJ blog. I have considered using it as a Neat Links page, or as my gig listings. Not sure what I will do with it just yet.
I dig the web big time, but I certainly see the lack of much actual art/action stemming from being a member of any website or social network. I think there are a handful of people who have made their careers through web affiliation or promotion on some of these, but it seems to be a small handful of barely-skilled entertainers, and I believe it is a fleeting fame they are falling into. Over time, it’s a very small percentage of the world that actually cares about people who are famous for being famous. Fame in art is nice, but not necessary or primary. Art in fame would be nice to see.
Looking at the nature of shitty things on the net versus actual shitty things in the world and can I see that the web is a moving, growing tabloid of low-quality public interest and a broken amplifier of what the world really is and could become. The truest aspects of what counts in life can a should be found offline, on one’s own, then maybe one can research it online.
The internet is amazing. I certainly get most of my information from it, and have made more of a career through it, but I also tour a lot and perform many, many times a year in front of hundreds of thousands of people. That helps too. No matter how many people know you on the internet, one can never truly understand their own impact until they personally meet and greet the people they have or are impacting.
I feel like there needs to be better contact and context from artists online. If you have a growing fan base, stay in touch with them. Take the time to reach out and know your audience. I can learn from this philosophy too. I have really slipped in the last year with regard to keeping in touch with friends, fans and users. I am going to make a difference this year.
Originally published at Posted on MikeMcGee.net. You can comment here or there.
This entry was written by , posted on at 4:59 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged facebook, internet, myspace, online, personal updates, social networking, websites. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
There is a band from Silicon Valley called Strata (formerly Downside), and they’ve been friends of mine since well before they were ever a band. They are awesome. Awestastic, really. The guitarist went to my high school and was in my last band. The vocalist inspired some of my earliest poems and can make me laugh like no one’s monkey business.
They have a new single called “Cocaine” up on their Myspace page. Do them a favor and go listen to it, as it is the only one on their player.
Send them a message telling them I sent you, and then, if you’ve got the dough, purchase the song through anyone of their iTunes, Yahoo!, or Napster links. At the very least, check them and their work out. Their first album is also available on iTunes, and their second album is in the works: Strata Presents The End of the World.
I would greatly appreciate this, as will they, because I believe it is a good song and they deserve to be heard.
If you like what you hear, please spread the word, as it is the finest form of spreading one can be a part of. That, and mustard.
–––––––––
Word to the nerd.
2007: Go for it!
This entry was written by , posted on 14 February, 2007 at 2:59 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged cocaine, itunes, myspace, strata, word of mouth. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
I heard about it from
when he booked me to perform last year at William & Mary College, but then it was still only accessible by students.
I’m on
’s computer, and I saw his link, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I like it’s functionality.
Now that it’s available to everyone, I figured: “What the hey?!” Now you can find me on Facebook.
It is unfortunate that Myspace is the current leader in “Hey, all! Let’s look at these advertisements and pretend this is a wonderful social networking experiment!” Admittedly, I have a hard time not logging into my account several times a day. Sometimes dozens. Because my day is not complete unless I’ve looked at 3,745 badly laid out pages, chock-full of YouTube screens and glittery images that revel in whatever holiday is near approach. That, and all of the teenagers who feel the world needs to see their cleavage and/or ass cracks.
Man, I’m really not digging Myspace. I closed my account at Friendster 4 years ago to be added to the fray at Myspace. Sometimes I think that may have been a bad idea. How is Friendster doing?
On the other hand, Facebook is sleek, friendly, and it looks as though most of the horrors of Myspace can be avoided.
———
Words to the networking nerds.
This entry was written by , posted on 20 January, 2007 at 6:05 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged facebook, friendster, myspace. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
(dual post at Myspace)
So artists get three subcategories to label themselves and/or their work.
For a while, I had A’Cappella/Comedy/Indie as my category, which is utter bullshit and very weakly describes me or what I do.
Now, most people who find me, or discover me on this site can pretty much figure out what I do. I just simply cannot understand why it’s so hard to add SPOKEN WORD and/or PERFORMANCE POETRY and/or I’d even settle for SLAM POETRY, as options on the categories menu.
Man, I am so dissappointed. I know the spoken word genre (in all its forms and subcatgories) is relatively small, but EMO, SHOEGAZE(!?), SCREAMO, and a host of other sub-sub-sub-subcategories in music are available as category options.
And why? you may ask. Spoken word (in all its forms and subcatgories) made the music industry a total of $63.87 last year, while EMO, SHOEGAZE(wtf), and SCREAMO made it $127.32. That $63.87 was for a books-on-tape-on-CD reading of the Holy Bible as read by Don Knotts. “Jack begat Janet.” I’d begat Janet…
Yeah.
I’ve queried the office full of hipsters and suits, represented by a guy named “Tom” (a guy named Tom handles all of the tech-work and email for upwards of 50,000,000 profiles, 24/7, and has time to leave the house on the weekend) to please add SPOKEN WORD and/or PERFORMANCE POETRY to their category listings. I believe there to be quite a few artists around who’d appreciate it if those of you on Myspace would send them a note asking the same thing.
Don’t email “Tom.” Fuck that guy/character/mascot/picture. Just click on the CONTACT MYSPACE link at the bottom of any of their pages.
Don’t get me wrong, Myspace is pretty handy in terms of what I get out of it for free, I just think that it’s still so limited. Obviously it must cater to the consumers who will draw in money to the advertisers, so people/poets like me are left out a bit. I am well aware of how small a slice my “genre” has compared to the rest of the pie, but damn, people…SHOEGAZE?
*********
Word to the nerd.
EDIT 2/22/06 12:30pm: Addendum.
I am Comedy/Indie/other.
That’s the saddest part. Most of us up there have to pick “other.”
Can you imagine a major label (never going to happen) going to Myspace to find an artist to add to their roster, saying, “We really need to start pushing the “Other” market.
If any one of your selected categories on Myspace is “other,” get rid of it. It’s a catch-all. It’s the corporate way of saying, “Thanks, but we’re not interested.” Fuck that.
Here’s my new category:
Mighty Mike McGee
Comedy / Death Metal / Experimental
“His experiments in humorous death metal have inspired people to live.”
Man, Other really pisses me off.
This entry was written by , posted on 23 February, 2006 at 4:36 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged artist labels, myspace, poetry, spoken word. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
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