harry horsman's Blog

Hi Harry, How alert you are! :) Maybe there's some whose brains are tired and just can't produce as before. There comes a point when I feel I've said all there is to say and then I run out of steam except those odd moments when I am struck down with a stroke of brilliance which is almost overwhelming. The other thing is there are so many awful things happening in our world and I need to know which takes time. I wonder if you made a mistake leaving NZ; I never hear of anything disturbing the peace there. Hope you are well dear one and safe. Love, Lizzie P S I have to get my membership looked after which won't be till next month.

Hi harry,I was looking at he list last night and you are correct there are so many none pms posting which is fine but the annoying thing is that amount that a single poet posts (old chestnut I know) one posted over 30 yesterday and pushed some off the list so quick we don't get chance to see them, I know what Andy does but if it is pushed off the list it doesn't show in New By Poet list either. Maybe members are just busy at the moment and will be back posting soon, we can hope ...Is that lovely little boy you harry?xx

Andrea Dietrich Date: 2/28/2013 3:09:00 PM mandy, I don't understand what you are saying about being pushed off the other list as well. Everyone is totally equal on that other list and your name will scroll off more slowly. whether you post one poem or twenty, only ONE poem for each member will be shown on the list. But yes, it scrolls down fast!!!

harry horsman Date: 2/28/2013 3:06:00 PM Hi Mandy, thanks for comment, left an answer on Pd's below, would be the same answer..

harry horsman Date: 2/28/2013 2:43:00 PM Hi Mandy, no it is my eldest son Stephen..

Nice to see your smiling voice again Harry, I'm busy elswhere at the moment, working on some other things, that the world is not ready for yet. ' smile' "The best to you dear friend. Agape, Moses

Ruben O. Date: 2/28/2013 12:10:00 PM Hey! How are you, John? Nice to see you here!

Hey, Harry! It's nice to see you! Regarding PMs and no PMs posting (writing) I think nearly everything has already been said about extensively. I understand why you're surprised ...usually, PMs are more involved (that's why they pay a membership). Remember that it's cold...and it's a great time to be around friends talking or watching a movie. Have a great day.

Ruben O. Date: 2/28/2013 3:19:00 PM Waaaahhahhahaaa! Whatever!

SCRIBE ML Date: 2/28/2013 1:33:00 PM I'll be stupid, only of you be the indirect coward!

SCRIBE ML Date: 2/28/2013 1:30:00 PM I'm never mad....maybe I'm the hacker; who knows? I wouldn't waste my time looking into peoples accounts. Just here to post! You stereotyped my comment; gossiping doesn't have to be bad! Maybe your perception was negative!

Ruben O. Date: 2/28/2013 12:15:00 PM What information do you have about PMs' Soup Mails? Are you reading their Soup Mails? Do you have a crystal ball? Are you the one who's hacking our accounts? Have a great day, Marlon.

Ruben O. Date: 2/28/2013 12:11:00 PM At first, I thought it was a joke; your comment provoked a contemptuous laughter. But now, you seem serious...and Im still laughing. All generalizations are conclusions ... You should know this. How can you generalize PMs as a compact audience without stereotyping? Stereotyping is just plain prejudice, and you did it without knowledge, thought, or reason.

Ruben O. Date: 2/28/2013 12:10:00 PM I agree with you: all my comments are stupid. That's why I can easily noticed them when I find one. Well, I think I should apologize for using the "stupid" adjective...but, you have to understand: I couldnt find another word.

SCRIBE ML Date: 2/28/2013 10:25:00 AM I always heard people know their own kind : )

Ruben O. Date: 2/28/2013 7:58:00 AM Oh-oh!... I tawt I taw a stupid comment!... I did!! I did taw a stupid comment! : )

I totally agree with Chris, PD, Sara and others that just because one is Premium makes no difference in one's writing abilities. that goes without saying!! I really admire you guys that comment a lot to the non premium members. I used to do it, but I am very sociable and it is no fun for me if I cannot get to know the people I am commenting to. If I wanted to just read poems, I can do that anywhere online. I love this place for the social aspect and generally speaking, the premium members are more sociable. Of course, there are always exceptions. I know Soup has links to poetry forms we enjoy here so I will try to see more non premium members by using links to the forms I prefer!

Mandy Tams The Golden Girl Date: 2/28/2013 12:35:00 PM hey i'll talk to you lol xx

You know pm are just soupmailing gossip, while the non pm's focus on burning! : ) I rarely receive mail, so I attempt to burn!

SCRIBE ML Date: 2/28/2013 10:51:00 AM Thanks Harry! I'm into the magic that you pen. You've always amazed me Harry!

harry horsman Date: 2/28/2013 10:33:00 AM and you are the world's best Marlon...at burning

Harry, hear I am to vent with you. Sometimes I view what poems or poets are out and about before I post A poem. If for some reason I notice a poet going POSTING CRAZY. I will not post my poem that day or moment. however last night one poet posting many many poems came in after my poem was posted. This certain poet posted over 20 poems another poet post over 10 poems this morning pushing my poem off the new poem list in less than a day. Anyways, I think I will try out Andrea, new technique. This happen to be an everyday problem, well it does come with a bright side. LOL, the brighter side of poets posting over 10 poems at once makes it easier to find poems to read. I read all poems, pm or non pm-er's. I mostly read non-pm-er's poems, I have a thing when it comes to sticking with my own. And somehow I consider myself a little poet still on the grow, SO somehow I fell extremely connected with the non-pm-er's than the PM' poets. Don't worry I have many PM poet friends, i follow dearly. I think this is something the soup will not remove. hey! they have a page encouraging the poets who post the most poems. and some of the greatest poets are on the very top of the list. good blog Harry, always ~ PD

harry horsman Date: 2/28/2013 3:05:00 PM We do have poets posting crazily, but is it encouraged by the powers to be, future premium members? as chris says, and i entirely agree,site expansion, seems to be the primary driving force behind what we have today, P.D:: so is it a moral dilemma, i think it is, but then i was raise in a totally different environment.

There must be a great many of new people on who need to be encouraged and shown the fine art of poetic expression..Sara

Harry, I think that I understand your angle; where you are personally coming from(you are referring to PM's vs non-PM's?). I am not a PM right now, and admittedly, on a certain level, I am very pleased to not be a PM at the moment. There are the usual suspects who write strong poetry no matter how many contests they enter, but I find there is a higher concentration of PM's who try entering as many contests as humanly possible, thus watering-down their portfolio with slapped-together pieces. I completely understand how many people find the contests to be a fun recreational activity akin to doing puzzles and crosswords, so all the power to them. I can't seem to read the poetry of the "watered-down-contest-hacks" anymore(the ones who really aren't attempting to produce even an iota of artistic content), just as I realize that people don't have to enjoy my poetry. But yes, there are a lot of uber-posters drowning out the newly posted page. Overall, I have been finding just as many striking gems being written by non-PM's. Actually, to be honest, of the last 25 poems that have really moved me over the last 2 months, at least 15 of those poems were written by non-PM's. I am certain there are even other PMers who are finding the same thing....they simply might not openly admit it though. Also, there is a handful of PMers who act as if being a PM automatically makes them a better writer. This makes me chuckle every time. It is this very type of PM-Elitism which makes me happy to be coming from the other side. It would be so much better if some of the new(and old lol)non-PM's wouldn't post 50 bloody poems in one day. But then again, that is wot the "New Poems By Poet" section is for. Besides, TPS is on an obvious drive to gain new membership. There are sometimes 10 new members joining per day, so wot do people expect? Even though there is an evident shift from quality towards quantity, there are still shining examples of quality to be read....one simply needs to step away from the shallow "patting-bums-for-comments-scene", and into deeper waters(a flotation device can still be helpful). Just my 51 cent's worth.

Chris D. Aechtner Date: 2/28/2013 11:10:00 AM Suzette, a "vote-up" feature could end-up being quite interesting actually. If such a feature was added, I doubt non-PM's would be in on the voting, as it would be made a PM-only-feature....even something as simple as the expansion of the character limit was made "PM-only".

Chris D. Aechtner Date: 2/28/2013 11:05:00 AM Harry, you'll always be one of my favourite characters of PS. Truly, I understand where you might be coming from with this blog. I could be completely wrong, but I think you are sort of along the same stride as Andrea in many regards, especially pertaining to the more social aspect of this site -- and if so, you find more sociability, more "back-and-forth" with some of the longer-standing PM veterans. For me, it is becoming more and more difficult to find the decent poems that are now bunched into an ever-surging tidal wave of new posts and members(yes, people supposedly have their methods). If it is the former intimacy that you crave, well, this is being washed out to sea in the name of progress and site-expansion. As you already well know.

harry horsman Date: 2/28/2013 10:42:00 AM No Chris it is not a member vs non member blog, it was just an observation, that members, seemed to be posting less, and apart from the loyal few, less active than ever before,, 2 weeks ago, i ran through the new poem section, and only 16 out of 200 new post were members, and it was so significant, i just wondered if there is a reason, as usual your comment here make sense and i agree.....

Ruben O. Date: 2/28/2013 7:32:00 AM I couldn't have said it better! : )

Suzette Crous Date: 2/27/2013 11:48:00 PM I like your comments, Chris. I had wondered whether PS could not give a function such as a "Vote Up" for a poem. Ie where anyone could read and recommend a poem for others to read and it will move towards the top of a, say, daily/weekly/monthly list.... This will be the opposite where PS selects poems for the week - the members (PM and non-PM) will vote up new poems posted. Just a thought.......

Hi Harry I am in mourning the fact that your not here as much, I have written a few lately, let me check if you have commented hmmmmmm. i am joking with you my friend, be good, be happy, be Harry ...Seren

Well, I can't speak for the other PM's, but I 'usually' only post my poems after 11 pm. I start writing my poem (I usually try for one a day) after I get my girl to sleep, anywhere from 8:30 -9:30 pm). I have posted as late as 1 am. It doesn't matter to me who posts and doesn't. Life intrudes. Creativity takes time. Some fab poets here only post one a month, and you can see the time and effort they put into that work, or, conversely, simply by getting out and living life, being with family, taking in culture, the time away from the craft has heightened it too art! Perhaps, they are the smarter one ;-) Me? I'm a poetry junkie. I need my daily fix. My dad did crosswords. I do ... sonnets. :D

CYNDI MACMILLAN Date: 2/27/2013 5:17:00 PM People on my side of the globe, may also be exhausted by this winter HELL. Enough already of the fricking snow. I want to waaaaaa. I know, I shouldn't complain. But walking in this crap is no fun. xox

I just read Joe's comment to you. harry, if you are trying to read new poems, NEVER. I reiterate, NEVER use the list called poems, new. Always go to Poems - NEW BY POET. That will resolve all your difficulties because the idiots who post a lot are not shown on that one. You can only be shown ONE time on that list and I love that one. (btw, CUTE bio pic)

(continued) Look how slowly some contests take to fill up. Again it's mainly the active members who are truly interested in being inspired by the judges' contests. I would comment more to the others but they don't seem to want to have anything to do with me. So I usually end up back with the people I am comfortable with , like you and my other friends. Of course, there are members here who are not premium and they are vERY active. I appreciate those poets here very much. We are small in number, Harry. I have noticed less activity here than usual. I hope more and more members will "get on board" and actively participate~it's the only real way to grow.

Harry, according to the home page, there are over 19,000 members here. I am sure a good chunk of them are inactive, but when you think of the number of premium members compared with that number, our premium number has to be very very small. I would guess for sure, we are fewer than 300 premium members. So statistically, you can expect to see a lot more of the other poets here compared with the number of premium members. I used to go to the lists of new poems and comment to EVERYbody. I did that on my first half year here at Soup. Over time I came to realize that it's mainly the premiums who make this a nice place. The premiums are the ones who comment, run contests, do blogs, etc.

Suzette Crous Date: 2/27/2013 11:39:00 PM I think that I have touched on this numbers thing once before (soup members also on PS facebook) - the active members (members actively involved) seems less than 300 at any given time, largely PM. Yes, it it the PMs that makes this place hummmmmmmm :-)

Harry, is that you? You're a cute little devil LOL--Perhaps it's quality over quantity--and although there's a couple whackos that post a hundred poems a week there are, among them some shy new or young poets that want to be in the corners--I can dig it---good to hear from you Harry---Don't worry--no do, because your attention is loved here.

I am not sure about a trend or anything, Harry - you may be right. But today's lists of poems was hijacked by a new member posting many, many, many poems. This is a topic that has been talked about before. You may have just picked the wrong day or days to take a look - or, then again - you may be onto something. Joe

harry horsman Date: 2/28/2013 2:52:00 PM Yes Joe, i do see that, and with the site being expanded constantly, one can imagine a newly posted poem going through the 200 list, in a couple of hours,,,