When we arrived in France I had the idea of a way of letting English people know what was happening and started to produce TAG, Tarn ,Aveyron and Garonne in a paper edition which we left in shops and handed out in the Sunday market. We had our own superb printer so it seemed a shame not to use a facility in our hands. After 3 years the costs of printing and paper became a bit expensive as we wound down our own business. So I left it for a few years till the idea came to me, I could do the same thing on line.
Nothing comes easy and I can tell you if I was not a person who perseveres I would have stopped many times. My first big disaster was sending round TAG before we sent blind copies, so that anyone who replied to the address replied to everyone on the mailing list. So ''round robins'' went around time after time , with people emailing me saying I have had 6 emails for you which then went to everyone else. So then everyone else sent me an email, you can see how it went. At least three people asked to be removed from my mailing list, all of which were sent to everyone, but I am pleased to say two of them are now avid readers.
That hurdle over, there have been many others along the way but overall lots of joys, meeting many new people, finding out about events, and lastly being able to do some good for charities close to my heart.
When I started I had if I was lucky 50 people a week looking now I am disappointed if I only get 300 a day and more normally it is between 350 and 600.
The strength of TAG depends on you the reader and of course my editorial skill as a diffuser of information. I need your posts, I need you to tell me what is happening and where and I would like to keep your support on TAG fund raising efforts.
My philosophy behind TAG, is it is for everyone, totally inclusive, so if an event is promoted any reader would be able to go. If it is just for a clique group it will not be reported [are there such groups here!]
The recent letter from Ann hurt because there was the slightest possibility that someone had picked up on a slant that was never meant to be there .I will certainly be more assiduous in future.
I need also to thank Martin Mackenzie for taking on the DVD scheme and Doreen Porter for her Face to Face articles, have you read this months? and Charles and Anna for the Folk /Jazz club. The Book swap has a bi-monthly life of its own and I think that morning of the swap is just the best thing.
Wish me well over the next year, and let us make TAG a really useful tool for living in our beautiful part of France.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com
