About members reluctant to contribute

[venkatakailasam]

There are 5570 members in our forum.
How many active members are there ? 50 / 60/ 70 ....seems to be on the higher side.
There must be a huge number of them who have not contributed even a single post!
Why other members are not sharing and contributing their experiences and knowledge
about CM or anything else of interest ?
Have they become members only to view the threads… which can be done even without becoming
Members. What is holding them up ? Are there any bottle neck in our system?
Can we examine ?

venkatakailasam

[vasanthakokilam]

Interesting question. There are certain statistics that apply to forums of this type which I consider to be 'medium' active and 'low' noise. Let us consider active visitors. The general thumb rule is 20/3 for such sites. That is, 20% of membership visit the site at least once in a three month period. i have not looked at our site stats yet, but I would be surprised if it is anything beyond the range of 15-20%. So re-framing the question, how come only 50/60/70 of the 1000 active visitors care to post? Not that I know the answer, but I thought I will provide the revised context.

[mri_fan]

For a long time, I couldn't remember my password after the site change. Then I did and here I am!

[venkatakailasam]

mri_fan

With 342 posts , 50/ 60/ 70....includes !!!

venkatakailasam

[hamsadhwani]

Personally, I find the level of knowledge among rasikas of this forum so great that it is almost intimidating that I find what I can contribute very insignificant in comparison. But as a student of music, I find the site a very good resource and hence a regular lurker

[suma]

this site is very intimidating and people fight a lot. so the safer strategy would be to just voice opinion on non confrontational topics. there were many times i saw reviews and topics and stuff, but refrained from posting anything because of the possible ugly confrontations.

i guess that's why many use this site for time pass and keeping in touch with the CM world rather than contributing.

[cmlover]

It is difficult to psychoanalyze the minds of CM Rasikas since most of them are generally introspective. Even while listenng to a concert they are mind-isolates than communication prone. So there is no wonder they just visit this Forum and don't talk about it. At times they just need some information to enhance their enjoyment of CM when they will just ask for help. Primarily this happens in regard to seeking help from Lakshman or Shankar (for translation) or asking for a link to vkailasam. I repeat, enjoyment of CM is intensely personal. Most of them do not care for technicalities. Those are elite groups where only fools (like myself) rush in just out of (?intellectual) curiosity. Then there are chatter-boxes who just want to say something relevant or irrelevant whose comments are insipid and get ignored. These are just handfuls like those who just visit to post at the Lounge only, who at times do it to ward off their boredom. In fact it is possible to construct a psychological profile of the prolific posters based on their participation here. I bet those who hang on are just the seniors who do it mostly to ward off the 'Alzheimer attacks' by clinging on to their old memories. Those minorities who come here with their fans just to show off make a rapid exit since their interest is not primarily CM. These are those with an Ego problem who vanish once ther ego is hurt. Overall this Forum caters to all tastes and is indeed a fun place to belong to and one can never get bored because of the variety available in this microcosm..

Men (and of course women (in disguise)) may come and go but the Forum will go on for ever

[tyagarajadasa]

I voice the same opinion as suma!

Gokul

[rajeshnat]

# Lot of folks who were into writing posts are somewhat less inclined or totally not inclined to write. Reading thru various topics and threads that too with most of them away from CM itself takes a long time , hence folks dont have time to write. For me, few months back I think the mother of all this problem is lounge .Srkris gave a short rope of lounge ,that lounge is now a big tail that is cannibalizing the CM related contribution. I vented this before , perhaps time to revisit again. Lounge should have a humour thread and Veeyens sir's personal anecdote that's it. Prolific vidwan posters like erode and mannArkoil Balaji have gone out of radar(would be nice if they say something on that) . THIS SITE IS NOT A SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE AND CERTAINLY NOT A CURRENT AFFAIRS BULLETIN BOARD. As of now eventhough the posts in lounge are bit less, but still many feel this site need not discuss that (not talking about the minority who visit often , but the majority who write very well in CM but just getting the reluctant factor of not writing , which they used to have it before)

Check my vent before in this thread.
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=14527

# The other thing is we are hardly talking about vidwans/vidushis, vageyyakkaras and kutcheri reviews have also considerably come down etc. Bharath is not writing much and I am also away from madras. One suggestion is let us also discuss a lot of present vidwans/ vidushis possibly we have exhausted many of them other than MMI

# Also where is Srkris ,is he really tightening on what topics should not be discussed? . Overall Srkris has to delegate to more people and take bit of tough decisions.

But i am still optimistic that this site is the best and definitely the most comprehensive site for CM .Hoping this focus issue comes back

As such we are not communicating much on what WE SHOULD NOT HAVE IN THIS FORUM.Even if done , it is not acted upon.

[rajeshnat]

Suma and thyagarajadasa
You should not give up your writing contribution because of too much of heat. Write a solid post if you think you can counter well and just dont reply any more . If everyone thinks like you it is a problem of not generating enough content.

[smala]

I disagree. While it may not be a "bulletin board" for whatever, one would be heartless not express things - like what is happening in Japan right now!

[vasanthakokilam]

Rajesh: btw, we can not restrict a group of people to be not social, that is against basic human nature, any action against that natural grain can only be enforced through strict policing which we can not afford, even if we want to. I am just stating this as a general observation.

To the topic at hand, we all have our own pet peeves but they need not be the reason why members do not post. They have their own reasons, as Suma and thyagarajadasa expressed. Let us hear from members who would like to post but do not. May be we can create a 'honeymoon / trainer wheel' forum where CM topics can be posted, there is no such thing as a dumb question/observation, and where there are strictly no squabbles, ridicule, put downs. Just a loud thought.

In the mean time, here are a few things we have heard from members about our "behavior" in the forum. Please do not interpret this as targeted against any one individual, it is about the general culture of this site, as perceived by others.

From least severe to most severe...

- We do not react kindly to people who post stuff in the wrong forum, in the wrong topic, start a topic when one already exists etc. We are not too bad on this count, but I thought I will just put this in.

- The topics are not organized well. There are a lot of great stuff buried in unrelated topics... The implication is, we are quite free to go off topic in a thread.. There is some truth to it.. Again, that is the nature of our discussions.. but occasionally we slam people for going off topic.

- "We are preachy". One commonly quoted example is this, though a helpful one.. Our standard responses to common questions that have been asked a lot of times is 'Idiot, search the forum first'. People find that quite offensive and preachy. We do not say idiot, but that is how they perceive it. Simple solution: If the topic is already discussed and if you can find the link easily, just post the link, do not preach to them about searching the forum, though that is our instinct To be fair, we all know how difficult it is to search the forum given the different ways spelling CM terms and lyrics, even when the search is functioning correctly ( which has its own problems ). Also, do not even 'remind/indicate' to them to search first Believe me, if you post a forum link, most people know they should have searched first.

- This is the second most heard complaint. We are intolerant of minor mistakes and we come off as arrogant and elitist, even when we are polite. Most commonly quoted example is with respect to 'lyrics policing' but there are others. Whether it is with respect to lyrics/transliteration of words, stating wrong ragas of songs, attributing wrong composers etc. I think we do this all with good intentions but people perceive us to be the 'lyrics and taste police'. Not sure what we can do about this except may be reduce our own emotional reaction to other people's mistakes with respect to language..

- Number 1. We are confrontational to an extreme, some times obnoxiously so and this frustrates a lot of people. The often quoted threads are the relatively recent 'Spiritual Quest' and the vociferously negative response to positive reviews of some of the veteran artists ( e.g. TNS ). I agree the 'Spiritual Quest' is one of the most frustrating topic.. There is so much great information shared there but they are in the midst of the most acrimonious battle...

My own advice: This is just a forum, do not carry personal grudges, do not carry the history of any past debate and arguments to future topics and treat these debates as learning opportunities and not necessarily to win any battle.. There is really no prize for victory here.

I will stop here.. I am sure there are a lots of other reasons why people do not post. I thought I will post the above when I saw Suma and thyagarajadasa's posts.

BTW, if you see yourself as the target of these complaints, don't despair, a lot of times, we get complaints about the most praised posters .. And even when people complain, they also add how great this forum is!! ( most of the times ). So take this all in stride.

[rajeshnat]

Rajesh: btw, we can not restrict a group of people to be not social, that is against basic human nature, any action against that natural grain can only be enforced through strict policing which we can not afford, even if we want to. I am just stating this as a general observation.

- Number 1. We are confrontational to an extreme, some times obnoxiously so and this frustrates a lot of people. The often quoted threads are the relatively recent 'Spiritual Quest' and the vociferously negative response to positive reviews of some of the veteran artists ( e.g. TNS ). I agree the 'Spiritual Quest' is one of the most frustrating topic.. There is so much great information shared there but they are in the midst of the most acrimonious battle...

VK,
There are quite a lot of points where you are indicating about the difficulty of moderating . I am so happy with each of you , that too you 10 out of 10 nadia comaneci(honestly I am not kidding).

# Just few clarifications on the social angle , thru forum we meet and we also know each other . Each of us come for CM in this forum and possibly some peripheral areas like say spiritual quest , talking about other forms of music ranging from Md Rafi etc , that is all fine here, even though few of us donot indulge in those , every body needs a little more space .

But We cannot talk about lungis ,Commonwealth games ,corruption and those are the things that take a significant take away from the soul of this forum . You stay in the US , and possibly I have this first hand information since I reside in chennai where there are significant contributors who are finding it difficult to organize their thoughts to write after crossing a Great wall of distractive posts(I will call you to indicate significant contributors who have lost bit of interest in this forum, now that we are there in the same geography).

As you said sometime before, each of us have numerous things that we like , if it is not CM , we should take a deep breadth and really think whether we should bring that post here in the forum. But that is just wish, many will not follow it inclusive of even me , that is where Srkris has to bring a guideline and politely discourage those posts . And if Srkris is unable to do it because of his busy work (that is fair), may be his immediate Generals like you, CML have to bring that , else better yet he has to delegate and bring more folks and bring that unfortunate and necessary policing.

# In general with respect to acrimonious debates , I still feel no one should feel that he/she should not write more . Even though Suma and ThyagarAja dAsa have said their exact reasons , I am sure they can put it aside and write more .That is kind of applicable to everyone who has another new private reason .

# Musicians like MannArkoil balAji and Erode Nagaraj , can you please share the reasons of why you are not writing any more? Honestly this forum is more for you , after all without musicians participating , plain rasikas like me are also running out of content . Express please on this.

[venkatakailasam]

Shri rajeshnat

"One suggestion is let us also discuss a lot of present vidwans/ vidushis."
" possibly we have exhausted many of them other than MMI " -----This portion doesn't fit in . Perhaps what you wanted to suggest is that we have have exhausted all olden days vidwans./vidushis ??

I totally endorse this.

Have you not come across that when postings were made of young artists and not so popular Artists, there are no takers including from senior contributors.?

The posts remain dormant for most of the time and goes in to oblivion.
In one case after getting exasperated , I commented that I am going to write obituary to the thread, one or two posts were made. But still no one commented
about her performance.!!

As suma has said, it is better to post non controversial matters of general nature.

venkatakailasam

[vasanthakokilam]

There are quite a lot of points where you are indicating about the difficulty of moderating .

Not a lot, only about policing the NOT allowed topics. ( btw, to set the history straight, srkris was not 100% in favor of the Lounge, it was requested and he reluctantly obliged. My take at that time was, people were opening non cm threads in the General Discussion any way. So let us have a legitimate place for it ).

Rajesh, you make a passionate case of ruling with a heavy hand in the Lounge. One thing I relate to is, the Lounge, being open for a wide variety of topics, had caused a couple of major flare ups. For such incidents, my blunt advice is, if one can not take the heat, do not get in the kitchen, while also requesting people not to unnecessarily fan the flames on controversial topics. I just do not see the Lounge as the reason why the quality of posts have come down. As we all know, If you open the door to get some fresh air, some dust also gets in. That is par for the course. If others see the Lounge to be THE problem, let us discuss that. We need to look at both sides, benefits and annoyances.

If a few members have walked away because of the lounge posts, that is really their problem. If people complain that not any interesting topics are discussed and that is why they do not post, that is a again their issue to reconcile. That point never made much sense to me since it is a self fulfilling prophecy. If one wants to discuss interesting topics, just start some interesting topics. It is as simple as that. We do not have to wait for someone to start it. If there is no interest, well, you have to take that in stride too. But blaming the lounge for that seems like a scapegoat to me.

I know venkatakailasam has bemoaned the fact several of the threads he had created had not seen any discussion. The view counts are high but people do not drop a line or two to engage in a discussion. I encourage those who have something to say, even if it is not anything profound, to state it in a reply to such threads.

There is one thing I wish we could do something about. This is in the domain of conflicts with other members and people walking off in a huff. I am not the one to beg people to come back, but I want to be given a chance to make a case. In many cases, by the time I see the explosion it is too late. Even in those cases it is not really about the Lounge.

One thing srkris can investigate is, see if the Lounge posts do not have to show up in the unread posts, either through preferences or through separate links. One with lounge and another without lounge. That will cut down on the noise and those who do not want to open the Lounge door, can safely do so while visiting other forums.

[narayan]

rajeshnat, just to say that even when I log in, I almost never look at 'lounge'. May be I am anti-social?

hamsadhwani, feel free to 'lurk', like I do most of the time. But I do think it would be nice to have more voices once in a while. While there are a lot of knowledgeable folks here, people like you and me should also ask questions and react, so that knowledgeable folks get a chance to share their knowledge! What say?

venkatakailasam, I recall rajeshnat (?) saying that it is really the number of views that count, not necessarily the number of replies (for example there are a number of 'replies' on some items raised by single point agenda posters, which is not too indicative of their general interest).

suma and tyagarajadasa, I agree that views here are sometimes too extreme, but I think that is all the more reason for moderate voices to chip in occasionally.

shyama-priya, I too feel for every single incident around me that I become aware of, as the best philosophers have endorsed. Not sure what that has to do with anything particular.

Finally, vasanthakokilam, I do appreciate the efforts of the moderators and all those who keep the forum alive through posting their thoughts. I have learnt far more than I could contribute, so I am plus by a large amount.

[venkatakailasam]

"really the number of views that count,"
Shri narayanan:

In the context of the view expressed by Shri. rajeshnat that we "discuss a lot of present vidwans/ vidushis.", I have told that when such threads are opened,
they are not getting developed.
In my opinion threads are meant to be developed and not for viewing and grazing through. sharing is most important.

What is discussed is the reluctance on the part members to contribute.

I have not come across a thread being locked in the members Lounge, whereas locking has taken place at least thrice in General discussions causing at least one member to stay back.

It is a question of what we post and not the question where we post.

venkatakailasam

[Nick H]

I do not think that the Lounge detracts in any way from the core part of the site. There is no need to click on every new post. I skip many lounge topics, just as I skip many music topics where I know I will be out of my depth. What is the point, for instance, in visiting a thread about the lyrics of a song I would not even recognise. The forum has threads for those with deep knowledge and expertise; it has threads for the novice; it has threads where we may all come together at different levels.

The only thing I would do is cut out the acrimony. I would propose zero tolerance of the kind of stuff we have seen here within the past few months. I don't mean a bit of human imperfection, we all get heated and cross sometimes, I mean the vicious stuff and the sustained personal attacks. There should be simple rules, and there should be consequences for breaking them. There is a point at which a forum becomes big enough to make this essential. It makes moderating a tough, and sometimes unpleasant, even painful, job, but it has to be done. Not a theoretical observation: been there, done that, got the scars.

[veeyens3]

cmlover wrote
"I bet those who hang on are just the seniors who do it mostly to ward off the 'Alzheimer attacks' by clinging on to their old memories."

"Men (and of course women (in disguise)) may come and go but the Forum will go on for ever "

Just because my few postings were based on old memories and not on carnatic music in which I am in elementary school although I can differentiate between Urmica and Vijayasaraswathi,compared with most others who are all in graduate school level I may be excluded from this category.By Sri Rama's grace, I am still mentally very active with normal physical functions such as looking after myself, etc In fact my driving licence was valid till 30 june 2010 when I did not renew with deference to my children's wishes

re. the second quote, I presume such of those (microscopicnumber) members who have "bared their all" in response to another thread about a register of members, will have immunity from being categorised in this group.

May Sri Rama bless you all.

[VK RAMAN]

my driving licence was valid till 30 june 2010 - many CM drivers drive without licence as steering and break fail during their rendition. How many of rasikas are licenceless singers.

[venkatakailasam]

There was a posting in this thread posted by musicfan which I was reading has gone out of sight ??

venkatakailasam

[cmlover]

Dear veeyens
Your recollections (CM oriented or not) are exceptional which are useful for folks like me who want to reach your heights with Compos mentis. That was one of the reasons for my plying you with queries. I am sure even Rajesh wil agree that those sort of posts are needed and are educational and are not to be categorized as "social networking". Actually your posting the almost full CV is the one which enhances your narrations. If you had posted anonymously those will be just valueless.

[rajeshnat]

Veeyens Sir
I thoroughly enjoy your narrations , infact even in my first post , I have said that Sir. I have not mentioned about your posts at all. YOur posts are most inspirational , you recollect all the way from your age of 10 to your present age thru your us travel saga . Keep them coming sir

[vasanthakokilam]

>and are not to be categorized as "social networking".

Even if it is, there is nothing wrong with that!!

[arasi]

veeyens,
I do not know of anyone of any age on the forum who does not value your posts!
While speaking of seniors, I've not been posting much of late (for someone who's ready to add her however many cents worth to topics which interest her). I was occupied with too many things while I was in India and my travels kept me busy too.
Yes, the reasons you all have mentioned are valid.
The forum has seen some changes in recent times which is not surprising--some are better, some not so.
About monitoring the not so good ones, we can talk and talk about it, but how many critics are willing to take up the responsibility, even if they're capable? If they do, for how long? Even if everything is fine and dandy, someone is bound to whimper: it's all too tame. Let's have some fighting!
There's an awful lot of very bright people on Rasikas.org. It's a boon because many of us benefit by reading what they contribute. There's no need to be intimidated by them or to be threatened. After all, being a rasikA does not warrant that your love for music has to come with an IQ to match theirs.The more the bright minds chime in, the better it is. If they argue with each other, that's fine too, so long as they keep it all civil.
There are many on the forum who are fond of me (I hope) but I've an inkling there are a few who take me for what my name stands for--regal I'm happy if people like me (we all do). Then again, we are not in a popularity contest here.
Yes, we are a family (I know, I may be told off for as a soppy for this). We do not read the posts solely for their content. We notice the names too. I cannot deny that apart from my gaining a lot from reading the posts and getting familiar with the names, I've also found many friends here at Rasikas.org.
Now, the lounge. Ah, I remember my being all for it (since the whole idea came about when digressions in threads irked folks). Digressions were innocent--humorous, mainly. Thanks to GBL, the Hilarity thread came about and so did others.Yes, skris was reluctant at first and even remarked then that I would be glad when it were started. I was, and now, I am not walking into the lounge often because some threads are beyond me (intellectually?).
Yes, personalities. We are all personalities and we come in different hues and I'd say, vive la difference!
One thing I can say with pride: we seniors are not to be taken lightly On that light vein, i end this post

[VK RAMAN]

we seniors are not to be taken lightly - better not take lightly as the number of years together will be too heavy!

[mohan]

I do not think that the Lounge detracts in any way from the core part of the site. There is no need to click on every new post.

+1

[veeyens3]

It is something like the old fashion ibm 1401 computers with tape drive and disc drive. In tape drive machines, you have only sequential access, whether you like it or not, you have to pass through all intervening files whereas in disc drive you can directly access the fie

[venkatakailasam]

Shri rajeshnat

"One suggestion is let us also discuss a lot of present vidwans/ vidushis."

Please see the links:

Kaushiki Chakrabarty She is te daughter of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=15923

v.sankaranarayanan
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=15920

Both are young and up coming Artists.

How many members are willing to to discuss about their concert?

There was another posting about confluence of Art and Music depicted by Shri S Rajam -Twelve paintings illustrating Venkatamakhi’s melakartha scheme by classifying the 72 mela ragas into 12 chakras of Music, the mind, body and soul at
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic. ... 3&start=50
When the world praises Shri Rajam' painting, our members are reluctant to appreciate -the beautiful depection !!
Any way the original posting has deviated much and now what is being discussed is the pros and cons of the members lounge.

venkatakailasam

[kalyani_ragam]

Sri kailasam
This forum is now moving towards discussions spiraling around how to make coffee and idles, spiritual quest etc etc

[Nick H]

It is because it is an impossible question, and must necessarily implode.

One or two may actually be reluctant, due to experiences, real or misunderstood (one man's witty welcome is another's sarcastic rebuff: it is almost impossible not to have one's written word misunderstood from time to time) but the vast majority partake as and when the wish and that's it!

[arasi]

Another reason which is not due to reluctance: there are so many threads on very many topics in every section of the forum and even if you're interested in most of them, it's almost impossible to post in all of the threads!
For example, I was told by many in India that I should watch the Carnatic Idol. I was otherwise engaged and couldn't catch the program. I have put the thread on it on the back burner, thinking that I'd have a leisurely look at it. So, nothing from me on that thread and many other ones which I haven't had the time to look at. I have a feeling it's so with others too.

[venkatakailasam]

If you are convinced, I am happy as I am coming round similar view that Shri. rajeshnat suggestion that "let us also discuss a lot of present vidwans/ vidushis."

is not the one that can work.

venkatakailasam

[arasi]

Rajesh's plea has been heard by many, I hope.

Another way to look at it:
Many thousands of people read a newspaper.
Several thousands of them read it diligently, not missing a single news item.
Thousands of them respond to them with their views every day.
Yet, only a handful of them go about sharing their views by sending a letter to the editor.
This may not mean the rest are indifferent. They may be happy that others have expressed their very own views and concerns in these letters. Passive though they are, they are participators too. On the forum, a few among the members remain silent but are not passive or constructive in their responses--this could be a good thing perhaps, don't you think? Digression of a derailing kind is something which the majority of us do not entertain, for very good reasons

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Folks: As a relatively new comer to the forum(only 15 months) I have to admit I am awed and intimidated by the depth and ferocity of opinions expressed in this forum on many topics--many a time I have shied away from commenting on a topic that has been occupying my mind over the Six-plus decades of listening to CM. simply because the comments ---both from the youngsters and the Seniors--were so well-informed that there was no angle or perspective that had not been explored. Now if I feel --- with my experience and contacts over the years,"awed" enough to hold my tongue(Fools rush in where angels fear to tread!!) I can very well empathise with a Johnny or Jill come-lately to the forum being reluctant to offer any comment for fear that
it may be dismissed as being uninformed. Over the years CM has struggled to get away from the elitist impulses of the followers (I wrote an article in the SHANMUKHA magazine(Mumbai) in 1974where I had addressed the issue of elitism --which was rampant at that time--so atleast it seemed to me judging from the icy looks I used to get when I innocently enquired of the big wig sitting next to me as to what was the raga(Enna unakku Kokiladwani kooda theriyadha!!!. I will try to fish that article out and publish some extracts.

Ofcourse I do not mean to imply that the forum audience is elitist but to an uninitiated person(into CM) and just "treading" water it can be truly intimidating.

I would suggest that when we welcome new members to the forum we should encourage them to come out with their preferences re artists or songs and "draw" them into the forum and encourage them to be bold however ill-informed it may appear to be.

More importantly,we the rasikas should think of ways to "draw" more people into listening to CM--especially outside India-- where institutions ----arranging concert tours and struggling to draw audiences other than the die-hard-perennials---could benefit from a wider circle of patronage. Perhaps it is not a bad idea to "enlist" some of the attendees to these concerts to become a "member" of the forum !!!

[vasanthakokilam]

>we the rasikas should think of ways to "draw" more people into listening to CM

Just a quick anecdote. After Trichur Ramachandran's Music Academy morning concert during the season last year, I turned back and saw two white females sitting in the row behind me. I engaged them in a conversation, curious to know what interested them in Trichur. It turns out they just wandered in. They are mother and daughter and they had a free day in Chennai after a long trip to other places in India before departing the next day. They did not have any clue about the music. The daughter is a Jazz vocal music student and had heard of sitar and tabla. They were interested in learning and listening more and that is all the little crack in the door I needed After everything was said and done, with my "help", they bought quite a few CDs in the Academy music stalls and the ticket to the Sowmya concert that afternoon.

I did not get their email address.. Nudging them to buy CDs and Concert tickets is one thing, asking for email address would have been a bit much I should have, I could have found out how it went for them and if they like the music enough to attend CM concerts in their hometown or even wander by here. The only long shot possibility is if they were curious enough to search for CM and find our forum.

[srikant1987]

Nudging them to buy CDs and Concert tickets is one thing, asking for email address would have been a bit much

Oh! But you could have given your email address, and asked them to please tell how they found the CD and the concert.

But I must congratulate you on your successful nudgings.

[vasanthakokilam]

Yes, that would have been better Or even simpler 'hit me up on facebook and post on my walll'. ( not that I am active on Facebook )

Same season, another place, another time, another woman. She saw me acquiring contraband during the MA Dundubhi nAtyam lec dem. She wanted to partake in the transaction. We agreed I will leave the goods on youtube lane and tag it such and such so she can find it and that she will pass on a comment that she got it. I fulfilled my end, but I have not seen the comment from her yet.