In our series of Chapter posts we are
joined today by Kate Johnson, helping us to dispel the myths and conquer the fear of online groups. Kate, together with Catherine Jones, is the is co-administrator of ROMNA,
the online chapter of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
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| Kate Jackson |
How long has ROMNA
been running?
Since 2000, which is well before I
joined the RNA. I believe before the Yahoo group it was a ListServ, back before
forums had really got off the ground.
Who decided there
was a need for a cyber chapter?
It was set up by Anna Jacobs and
Shirley Wells; by common consensus I think since even in those heady early days
of the Internet everyone could see its value.
What can new members expect from the
online forum?
It's a pretty lively forum for debate.
We encourage members to ask anything about writing, the industry, and the RNA,
and to respond likewise. Our members range from authors who have been
publishing longer than I've been alive, to new writers still working on their
first manuscripts, and quite literally everything in between, so it's quite a
varied forum. It can seem intimidating to begin with but if you ease yourself
in gently and read a few comment threads you'll soon get the hang of it. Don't
be shy!
What's lovely is you can get anything
from a research query to industry advice, and far beyond. For instance, I
remain very grateful to the respondents who helped me pick out a reading for my
grandmother's funeral. People are very friendly and there is a lot of support
for all levels of the industry.
How many members do you have and are
many of them active?
We have over 400 members. It's hard to
say how many are active: by my estimation about a quarter are fairly regular,
with a small core even more eager than that; probably about two thirds post
every now and then. Some are more readers than respondents, but every now and
then we hear from someone in 'deep lurk' who has something to say. Of course,
just because not everyone posts doesn't mean they're not listening, and you can
get a lot from the forum just by reading along.
Can NWS members join?
Yes, absolutely. I think ROMNA is
incredibly valuable to NWS members. I learned a huge amount from it when I was
a new member.
ROMNA is run through Yahoo. Are
there any plans to change this as we now have private Facebook groups that are
so much more user friendly?
Not so far. For one thing, not all our
members are on Facebook and migrating over could be more trouble than it's
worth. We'll keep an eye on this though as things do change.
Do you have set days/dates for
topics?
No, anybody can post any topic on any
day. The exception is promotional posts, which we only allow on Sundays.
ROMNA by its very nature is
different from other RNA Chapters. What in your opinion makes it so special?
I think it's the absolute inclusivity.
Not just in terms of experience, but in geographical diversity it's really
wonderful. Not everyone can reach a local chapter, or have the time and means
to do so, but interaction with other authors is absolutely invaluable. Plus,
it's a continuous, rolling loop, so questions get answered quite quickly and
conversations evolve all the time.
Do the administrators ever get
together like the Chapters or do you meet in cyber space?
Mostly cyber space! We email and of course
we usually see each other at RNA events.
Is ROMNA open to non-members of the
RNA?
No, just current members. We politely
request ex members to leave, and it's not open to people who have never been
members. This keeps things confidential to the membership.
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| Catherine Jones |
Are there any popular topics on
ROMNA?
We return perennially to subjects like
preparing submissions, the need for an agent, and advice on self-publishing. Of
course since the industry changes all the time, so does the advice, and so does
the membership so these things pop up quite frequently. Quite often someone
will have a research query, usually historical or geographical. We do of course
encourage people to look things up for themselves, but sometimes the easiest
route is to ask "What do 13 year old girls read these days?" for
instance, or "How much of this dialect should I use?" Usually someone
will know, or know someone who does!
Who is the contact for new members?
Many thanks,
Kate, for a very helpful and informative post
The Blogging Team
Would you like your RNA Chapter to be featured in this series? Please contact us on natalie@nataliekleinman.co.uk
2 comments:
Useful info, Kate. With various things going on, I've dipped in and out but am always pleasantly surprised by the warm reception. Thanks for sharing, Natalie. :)x
Great info, Kate, even though I've been in the RNA since 2004, it does not feel like eleven years. I rarely post on Romna, but I read the posts every day and have learned a lot from it.
Keep up the good work,
Sheila :)
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