April, 2008 — I know this is public but it’s not launched yet. Feel free to giggle along as we get our feet under us, and feel very free to contribute both questions and answers!

This will be the text for the history page. here’s the raw version:

I’ll be starting a section for recording a bit of our varied dang local leather history.

I’ll need volunteers for being editors, writers, and interviewers. And publicity! We’ll need lots of that.

I’d love to see an ever-expandable(!) core group of editors to do the main postings, plus have transparency via the commenting system… where each post on organization, venue and people can be commented upon publicly by the leatherfolk of Vancouver, who may add details, reminisce, and correct.

Here’s a sample:

http://www.vancouverleather.com/category/history

like so:
http://www.vancouverleather.com/tag/sample

Here’s a task list:

1. invite editors from folks we know (who have been part of making that history), and create a process by which new editors can be found and made welcome. (from all leather communities)
2. create a press release detailing what we’re up to, and spread it far and wide around Vancouver
3. Find the elders, have a chat.
4. Find volunteers who are willing to transcribe memories from folks who were there, but who don’t enjoy the internet or the writing process.
5. Make sure we have representation as widely as possible! leather men, leatherwomen, pan organizations, and other groups that were marginalized out of the main leather scene. Find ‘em!
6. Find volunteers who are willing to scan old flyers and handbills for events, and upload them to a gallery for x-refing
7. create some means of media storage? images? pdfs?
8. create an accessible way for people to ask for things to be removed that violate privacy or copyright.
9. http://www.vancouverleather.com/history/histmisc/history-postings-wed-like-to-see

What else?

If you want in on the action, register yourself and drop me a line. At this point in the project, I have to know you personally before I’ll bump you up to “editor” status.

http://www.vancouverleather.com/wp/wp-login.php?action=register