online sites and hangouts
Nov 24, 1998 08:14 AM
by Eldon B Tucker
Christine:
>Gosh, I'll just throw this brainstorm out for consideration. Why
>not form the "Theosophical Society Online" (TSO) or some such
>thing, as a real organization, not just an ad hoc mailing list
>community?? Lots of these folks seem to belong to several of the
>online TS e-mailing lists, and probably have something in common.
>I'm thinking: membership, mailing list, website,
>clearinghouse, related links, online posting of
>source/reference/bibliographic
>material, annual conferences even.
It already exists -- http://www.blavatsky.net
Reed Carson has built up a large website with a substantial
archive of theosophical materials, has an online membership
with the user able to make selections and setup a profile.
His site is focused on the pivotal character in theosophical
groups, the one person they all have in common -- HPB.
Not being an "society," but just a website, there's not
the same feeling to joining it as there's to joining a T.S.,
so people feeling a bit too independent to join a group can
join it.
I understand that his site has more people having joined
it than the combined total of subscribers to the different
theosophical mailing lists. And he's just starting to
get going a mailing list for studying THE SECRET DOCTRINE,
with perhaps an initial subscriber list as large as 500.
Reed's site is just what you're asking for, and he's
been putting lots of time and energy into in for years.
I support in and refer people to it regularly. I'd expect
it to receive wide support from everyone except, perhaps,
the few that dislike the idea that there is a definite
and valuable philosophy to be found with Theosophy, and
would be repelled at the thought of participating in a
site dedicated to it. Given the level of antagonism that
I've seen at times, I'd expect to see *two* sites in
the future. One group/site/emphasis holds special the
theosophical Dharma, the philosophical treasury; the other
has no special interest in it, and promotes equally any
and all books and ideas that make their way across the
Internet.
... So while I'd consider Reed's site to be a great place,
since it actively promotes the theosophical philosophy,
there may be a place for an alternate site as well, a site
that is a generic hangout without any special interest in
Theosophy itself.
-- Eldon
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