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ABBAMAIL 5 YEARS: Hi everyone, Yes it is true - ABBAMAIL is five years old today. It is not only a milestone, I think it is something akin to a miracle. At the time ABBAMAIL began, the internet ABBA fan community was piecemeal, unorganised and disparate. The two most utilised forums were an ABBA mailing list run by James Preston in the USA and the newsgroup alt.music.abba. Neither forum was particularly satisfying for long term fans of ABBA. There were a few people who used their personal websites to address the issue, but they were a bit 'all over the place'. There was no on-going, well organised personal connection between fans. ABBAMAIL changed all that. Not only directly through our internet mailing list and this website. But also through the indirect effect ABBAMAIL had on all parts of the ABBA fan community. Suddenly there was this 'thing' called ABBAMAIL and everyone was scrambling to catch up and make their own ABBA thing happen on the internet. For every fan directly affected by ABBAMAIL (through participation in our website, internet and postal mailing lists, IRC channel etc) - at least another 9 have been indirectly affected - by word of mouth, sharing of news & information and the simple fact that other fan organisations scrambled to keep up with innovations that ABBAMAIL has continually introduced. ABBA on the internet has never been the same. And now, in 2002, ABBA fans have never had it so good. Even the creators of the official ABBA website used ABBAMAIL to get inspiration and ideas for their site (not that they ever said thank you!). And if there's anyone from ABBA officialdom reading this, you might want to consider what effect ABBAMAIL has had on your companies. When you release something these days, the word is out around the globe before you know it. Fans who have never had the knowledge or opportunity to buy your CDs, videos, show tickets and so on, are suddenly 'in the know' every time, all the time. That translates directly into real money for ABBA themselves, ABBA's record companies and their related companies. ABBAMAIL's main objectives have always been as follows
To say we have achieved those objectives is an understatement. We have blown them out of the water! What other ABBA mailing list has changed people's lives in so many ways? If you know, please write to me about it. What other ABBA list has:- These are the things I can think of right off the top of my head. There are many more. As I said, if you can name even one fan organisation that has achieved the above, please write to me and let me know. Many people have passed through the doors of this on-line community called ABBAMAIL. All have benefited from the experience in one way or another. Unfortunately, only a few have had the graciousness to appreciate and recognise this. Even fewer have ever thanked the people who made it all happen for them. But such is the way of the world. You can't change all of the people all of the time. There is such a strong element of jealousy in the fan community. People's pride and personal feelings drive them to the nastiest, most vicious acts. Some would quite happily destroy all of the education, empowerment and enhancement of the ABBA fan community that ABBAMAIL has achieved. Simply because they felt slighted, or wronged, or 'left out'. I would love to meet one of these people who has personally achieved even one-twentieth of what ABBAMAIL has achieved. But they are always people who are completely focused on their own internal demons and bringing down others. They don't give or achieve for the ABBA fan community as they simply are unable to think beyond their own lives. And they never, ever apologise. They'd rather die than admit they were wrong. There are some noble creatures of the ABBA fan community that have kept me focused, alive and moving forward during the last 5 years. They know who they are and they continue to humble me with their love, warmth, support and nobility. And there are even a handful of people that remember occasionally to write and say 'wow, you changed my life, I'm not going to ever forget that, thank you so much'. Those moments are like shining beacons for me. They keep me going. I am so proud of what I, Grant and Ian have achieved since 1997. The internet can be a completely useless or an incredibly powerful tool for good. It doesn't 'happen' by itself. The internet doesn't change lives - the people who use it and contribute to it change lives. It took ABBAMAIL to take the tool, understand it and use it as a force for good for one particular part of humanity - ABBA fans. Ladies and gentleman, ABBAMAIL 5 Years: 1997 - 2002. Graeme Read |