EDITOR'S COMMENT—July 2001
About five years ago, I was dragged, kicking and screaming into the computer revolution. Being an old cut-and-paster from a time when editing meant frantically whiting-out mistakes and retyping documents five and six times, now I can polish 3,000 words without even mussing my hair. Sure, I still keep a daily calendar made of paper and buy my clothes at a department store, but when it comes to balancing my checkbook or typing a manuscript, give me computer technology every time.
That's why I want to tell you about our Tuesday Night Chat Room at www.skinandink.com. What a great way for us to talk! Unless you bump into me at conventions, your opinions usually go unheard. And surface mail can be frustratingly slow, especially when you need an answer—or steam's coming out of your ears and you want to vent. No need to sit and stew. Just click onto the Tuesday Night Chat Room and start complaining!
Want to talk about your favorite artist? Try the Tuesday Night Chat Room.
Looking for suggestions on someone to do your backpiece? Log onto the Tuesday Night Chat Room.
Another good way to use the Tuesday Night Chat Room is to ask about getting published in the magazine. What are the requirements for photos? How do you get your shop featured? How do you land on the cover? When we did a live Skin & Ink seminar at Meeting of the Marked in Pittsburgh, most of the questions were about getting artists free publicity. There promises to be a lot more of that on the Chat Room.
Since you, our readers, both artists and collectors, are key to making the Tuesday Night Chat Room a success, let us know what you think. Who do you want to talk to? What would you like to talk about? With your participation, we can chat about tattoo history, controversial opinions, your reactions to specific articles—whatever. The Tuesday Night Chat Room is a place to be heard—or, if you prefer, just sit back and watch.
If you would like to be involved, please log onto skinandink.com at 6PM to 8PM (California time) on Tuesday Night. We look forward to hearing from you.
—Bob Baxter, Editor in Chief