Jekyll2024-02-09T21:30:06-05:00https://openmikes.org/blog/feed.xmlopenmikes.org blogUpdates about the site, open mike-related discussions, etc.
Marking Old Listings as Inactive2022-10-30T14:43:00-04:002022-10-30T14:43:00-04:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2022/10/marking_old_listings_as_inactiveA couple of years ago, when many (most) events listed here went dormant,
I marked _all_ of the listings on the site as "presumed inactive due to COVID".
Many of those listings have since been updated (thanks!) and many new listings added (thanks again!).
But we still have a good number of theoretically-outdated listings, where the original
poster, or host, or guests haven't come around to say "This one's back!"
I'm going to go ahead and flag those listings as inactive.
If you have an old listing that should come back to life, log in to
[your profile][profile] and scroll down to the listings marked
"inactive". From there, you can choose any of your open mike listings
and mark it as "Active" again. Be sure to double-check the times, dates,
hosts, etc. while you're at it.
Any questions? Email me at [admin@openmikes.org][admin].
[profile]: https://openmikes.org/profile/
[admin]: mailto:admin@openmikes.orgA couple of years ago, when many (most) events listed here went dormant, I marked all of the listings on the site as “presumed inactive due to COVID”.Adding virtual open mikes, suspending non-virtual ones (for now)2020-04-10T10:19:00-04:002020-04-10T10:19:00-04:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2020/04/virtual_open_mikesFor a couple of reasons, all non-virtual open mikes listed on this site are essentially "suspended". That is, they're still listed, but with no scheduled dates.
Hopefully those reasons are obvious, but to be clear:
1. Given the shelter-in-place restrictions in much of the country, the vast majority of these events really aren't taking place.
2. Most people have more pressing concerns right now than "tell that open mikes site that my event is suspended".
3. I don't want to encourage people to head out when and where they shouldn't, *especially* to an event that isn't even happening.
Meanwhile, I'm adding support for virtual / on-line open mikes. It's a work in progress, but if you *do* want to submit one, please do. Make sure you include a web address for participants (either an actual Zoom/etc. meeting link, or a page explaining how to connect and perform).For a couple of reasons, all non-virtual open mikes listed on this site are essentially “suspended”. That is, they’re still listed, but with no scheduled dates.No, we’re not calling and asking for donations2019-12-31T15:52:00-05:002019-12-31T15:52:00-05:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2019/12/not_calling_you_for_donationsI've been informed that someone has called at least one host listed on this site, and claimed to be looking for donations for openmikes.org. Is that real? Was that me?
Short answer: "No."
Long answer: "Hell, no."
I don't ask for donations to the site *at all*. To quote myself, from the [about page][about]:
> Access to the site is free, period.
>
> If you really love this and want to say "thanks" in a concrete way, add a listing. Or make me extra happy and buy my CD.
Additionally, I'm not likely to bother *anyone* about the site via the phone. It hasn't happened in 20 years, why start now?
I'll email you if I have a real question -- and that question will *not* be "can you spare a twenty?"
[about]: https://openmikes.org/about/I’ve been informed that someone has called at least one host listed on this site, and claimed to be looking for donations for openmikes.org. Is that real? Was that me?You can now skip dates in your listings2019-08-06T15:52:00-04:002019-08-06T15:52:00-04:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2019/08/you-can-now-skip-dates-in-your-listingsSometimes you need to take a night off. Maybe there's a private party going on instead of your open mike. Maybe it's a holiday. Maybe you're just on vacation.
Until recently, you couldn't do much about that directly. You _could_:
- Leave a comment explaining that the date would be skipped
- Email the admin (me) and ask for a date to be removed from the calendar
- Make crazy edits to the title ("Open Mike NOT HAPPENING ON FRIDAY", etc.)
Two of these are good ideas, but now none are necessary. When you're logged in and viewing one of your own listings, you can add and skip upcoming dates without leaving the page.
### Skip a Night
Let's say your night has dates coming up on the 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. Now you want to cancel the 10th.
![The upcoming dates list showing August 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th][list-before]
Click the red __[X]__ next to the date in question...
![Choosing to skip August 10th][choose-skip]
Confirm that yes, you really mean that...
![Confirming the skip of August 10th][confirm-skip]
And it's gone. (If you refresh the page, that date will disappear completely)
![The upcoming dates list with August 10th skipped and grayed out][skipped]
### Add a night
But what if you want to *add* a date? Click that __X__ next to "Upcoming Dates"...
![Choosing to add a date to the upcoming-dates list][choose-add]
Pick a date...
![Choosing a date to add][date-picker]
And there it is in the list.
![Upcoming-dates list after adding August 7th][after-add]
As ever, please <a href="mailto:admin@openmikes.org">let me know</a> if you spot any problems, or have further requests or suggestions.
[after-add]: /blog/i/after-add.png
[choose-add]: /blog/i/choose-add.png
[choose-skip]: /blog/i/choose-skip.png
[confirm-skip]: /blog/i/confirm-skip.png
[date-picker]: /blog/i/date-picker.png
[list-before]: /blog/i/list-before.png
[skipped]: /blog/i/skipped.pngSometimes you need to take a night off. Maybe there’s a private party going on instead of your open mike. Maybe it’s a holiday. Maybe you’re just on vacation.Mary Spender: The Importance of Open Mic Nights2017-09-06T07:08:00-04:002017-09-06T07:08:00-04:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2017/09/mary_spender_the_importance_of_open_mic_nights[Mary Spender][mary] has a terrific [video][vid] extolling the importance of open mikes to performers, and includes some excellent tips on getting the most out of your open mike experience.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-lsUlKIKAyA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
[mary]: https://maryspender.com/ "British Singer and Guitarist"
[vid]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lsUlKIKAyA "The Importance of Open Mic Nights [Tuesday Talks]"Mary Spender has a terrific video extolling the importance of open mikes to performers, and includes some excellent tips on getting the most out of your open mike experience.Open Mike’s Coffee2016-08-27T12:56:14-04:002016-08-27T12:56:14-04:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2016/08/open_mikes_coffee**Disclaimer 1**
I don't roast or sell coffee.
**Disclaimer 2**
But my friends sure do. Organic and fair-trade coffees, roasted in small batches and shipped fresh to you.
These guys run my favorite local music establishment (performance space, coffee bar, food -- and it's *in a music store*). They also roast their own coffees, and are now selling them online.
I've been lucky enough to "beta test" most of these, and their dedication to finding the perfect roast for each bean has been fun (and delicious) to watch. Check 'em out, won't you?
[![][logo]][om]
[Open Mike's Coffee / Lounge / Music][om]
[logo]: http://openmikes.com/images/logoblack.png
[om]: http://openmikes.com/Disclaimer 1New Feature: Subscribe to Local Listings2012-11-18T15:41:36-05:002012-11-18T15:41:36-05:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2012/11/new_feature_subscribe_to_local[openmikes.org][omo] lets you find open mikes in a variety of ways, but it's always been up to you to drop by and search. As of today, there's something new.
When you search for open mikes near you (via the "**Search Near Me**" section of the [front page][omo]), you now have the option to **subscribe** to that search.
So you're searching for open mikes near Miami, and you choose to be emailed on Mondays:
![Email me weekly][emailme]
Each Monday, you'll receive an email like this:
![][email]
What's new and updated around you, and what's happening in the week to come. Just what you were looking for, nothing else.
You can remove or update your subscriptions from your profile page:
![Manage subscriptions][managesub]
You'll need to register and [log in][omologin] for all of this to work, but you should do that anyway to add photos, receive notifications of comments on nights you submitted, etc.
[omo]: http://openmikes.org/ "US and Canadian Open Mikes"
[omologin]: http://openmikes.org/login/
[email]: http://openmikes.org/blog/images/email.png
[emailme]: http://openmikes.org/blog/images/emailme.png
[managesub]: http://openmikes.org/blog/images/managesub.pngopenmikes.org lets you find open mikes in a variety of ways, but it’s always been up to you to drop by and search. As of today, there’s something new.Why Wasn’t My Comment Posted?2012-07-28T12:37:04-04:002012-07-28T12:37:04-04:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2012/07/why_wasnt_my_comment_postedPerhaps you've recently posted a comment or two -- or perhaps you've posted many over time -- that have never made it onto the listing page.
The most common reason, lately, is this:
__Anonymous comments slamming hosts, open mikes, venues, other performers, etc. will not be published.__ *
They'll be ignored, perhaps ridiculed.
This is not to say anything at all is allowed if you're signing your name; but if you're going to be criticizing others, you'll at *least* need to stand by your words.
It's only fair.
And no, this does not apply to the vast majority of the site's users. So please don't worry too much about this notice. If you cared enough to read this in the first place, thanks for your contributions to and interest in openmikes.org.
\* Actually, comments attacking other performers are unwelcome under any circumstances.Perhaps you’ve recently posted a comment or two – or perhaps you’ve posted many over time – that have never made it onto the listing page.Where did openmikes.org go yesterday?2012-01-18T19:35:12-05:002012-01-18T19:35:12-05:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2012/01/where_did_openmikesorg_go_yesterday<p>If you visited <a href="http://openmikes.org/">openmikes.org</a> on March 18, 2012 (just barely yesterday in my time zone, as I write this), you noticed that the site was missing. Unless <a href="http://openmikes.org/">openmikes.org</a> is the <em>only</em> site you visited that day, you are probably aware that this was not an isolated incident. <a href="http://wikipedia.org/">Wikipedia</a>, <a href="http://boingboing.net/">Boing Boing</a> and numerous others went “dark” to protest the <a href="http://boingboing.net/tag/sopa">SOPA and PIPA</a> bills being considered by the US Congress.</p>
<p>Sorry for the inconvenience, but this site reaches more people in a day than my personal blog does in a month. Far more. If I was going to make a point, this was the place.</p>
<p>As a musician, a songwriter, a creator of works I <em>do</em> want protected… <a href="http://boingboing.net/tag/sopa">SOPA</a> isn’t the way to do it.</p>
<p>I heartily recommend reading this <a href="http://gigaom.com/2012/01/13/tim-oreilly-why-im-fighting-sopa/">interview with publisher Tim O’Reilly</a> for an excellent explanation of what SOPA is, and why it’s more dangerous than any problem it would allegedly solve.</p>If you visited openmikes.org on March 18, 2012 (just barely yesterday in my time zone, as I write this), you noticed that the site was missing. Unless openmikes.org is the only site you visited that day, you are probably aware that this was not an isolated incident. Wikipedia, Boing Boing and numerous others went “dark” to protest the SOPA and PIPA bills being considered by the US Congress.Anonymous comments may be going away2011-07-05T12:26:31-04:002011-07-05T12:26:31-04:00https://openmikes.org/blog/2011/07/anonymous_comments_may_be_goinThere's an excellent chance that, very soon, you won't be able to comment anonymously on openmikes.org listings.
"Report a Problem" will still work, as a way to tell me, privately, that something needs to be corrected. But public comments will require you to login; probably via Facebook, to make most people's live easier.
"Comment wars" on a few listings (almost always anonymous), filled with personal attacks, are a prime example of what happens when people don't have to take responsibility for their words. That, and one particular commenter who uses an endless succession of false names (I delete most of that before you folks need to bother with it), are motivating me to eliminate that option.
If you want to speak up against this change, [now's the time](http://openmikes.org/blog/2011/07/anonymous-comments-may-be-goin.html#fb-root).There’s an excellent chance that, very soon, you won’t be able to comment anonymously on openmikes.org listings.