THE
PAST (1996-2000):
Performers.net was conceived by Jim (a Boston based entertainer, The
Jim Show) in the summer of 1996. The original vision was to create a web
hosting service for variety acts, as well as a bulletin board system and 'community/hang
out/green room' area accessible by any performer in the world. Jim thought
it would be cool to meet and communicate with other performers using the web,
so...
In December 1996, he posted the original "Busker Bulletin Board"
on his personal web site, smirk.com.
Within two months, people from all across the world were posting busking-related
messages, festival reports, gigs, rants, and stuff for sale. Since it was the
only bulletin board of its kind on the web, it soon grew out of control. At
the end of 1997, Jim decided to move the bulletin board and all his busking-related
stuff over to a neutral domain. The name 'performers.net' was registered and
a new server was set up.
In January
of 1998, Jim traveled to Victoria, BC to enlist the design help of Brian Jorgensen
in creating a newer, cleaner site. After nearly 72 hours of straight HTML programming,
the (then) new performers.net was born... with a total of 6 topical bulletin
boards and a small library of articles. The bulletin boards became very popular,
but the overall design remained virtually unchanged for three years with Jim
being quite busy and Brian moving on to other adventures.
THE PRESENT (2000-2002):
The current incarnation of performers.net was designed, built and is maintained
solely by Jim (the 'we' and 'us' of performers.net.) The current bulletin board
system was purchased and installed in the fall of 2000 (and upgraded in 2002.)
The entire site was then moved to a new server with more space and capabilities
and every file was rebuilt from scratch. In one year's time (December 2000
- December 2001) over 450 people registered to use the forums and site traffic
increased dramatically. The front page of performers.net regularly receives
over 500 downloads per day and the site as a whole has several thousand page
views in any given 24 hour period.
THE FUTURE:
The bulletin board system has limitless potential. The new server allows for
much more storage space. The site is intended to be a place for variety performers
to meet, network and share ideas. As traveling entertainers, the Web is the
one place we can actually build a semblance of communityno matter where
we are on the planet.
Performers.net will always remain free to use. And it will grow and evolve
as more people use it. But don't just USE it... PLEASE contribute! We need
your help. The library needs more articles and the forums can always use fresh
opinions. Share your knowledge with the world. It doesn't take much to write
down some words of wisdom for budding performers, your thoughts about a particular
festival, or your notes on a city's busking scene. Any knowledge you'd like
to share with us would be appreciated by countless performers around the world.
And it will enhance the site for everybody.
THE GOALS:
- Expanded library
section
- Photo gallery
of pitches around the world
- Busking LEGAL
information, ongoing legal battles, court cases which were won in the past,
etc. (I have this info, I just need time to get it up here.)
- A master list
of busking-friendly cities and towns and all the necessary permits/auditions
needed to work them.
- An "In
Memorium" section paying tribute to street artists who have passed away
(Marcus Marconi, Wayne Condo, Igor Fokin, David Woolf, etc.)
If
anybody wants to contribute/help with any of the above ideas, please contact
me.
Thanks for using performers.net.
Now please go tell your friends about us.
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