Say hello, wave goodbye

10 posts / 0 new

Fri, 2024-04-19 11:51

audra

I'm sure most people currently on these boards this have no idea who I am, and that's absolutely fine. But I actually envisioned, seeded, animated, and moderated the first iteration of babble, nearly 25 years ago. A few folks (our dear oldgoat, and rabble's Editor Emeritus Jude MacDonald) flagged for me that the boards were being shut down, so I wanted to pop in.

In 1997 -- using Dreamweaver and dial-up internet -- I built a very third wave feminist website called Marigold. When Judy Rebick filmed an episode of Straight From The Hip in Halifax, her producer Kam Rao invited me on to talk about that site. I called in sick from my day job and went on live TV, starstruck.

If that booking hadn't happened, I probably would never had ended up working at rabble. And if I hadn't ended up working at rabble, I sincerely have no idea where I would be now. It was my work at rabble that got me my job at CUPE, which got me my job writing speeches and then being a Media Analyst for Jack Layton, which was the foundation of the rest of my career.

This website broke my heart in a few ways, but I can't imagine my life without rabble. I'm so thankful for so many of the connections I made here. I will forever be thankful for our inital crew of Judy Rebick and Jude MacDonald and John Hall for all the love and encouragement they showered on my undiagnosed ADHD self during my time at rabble. I know I did amazing work. I also know I was unmanagable.

When I first came to work at rabble, I was living in small town Nova Scotia. As babble closes (and after ten years living elsewhere) I am now in an even smaller town in Nova Scotia. Along with a lot of other things (once again working at a public sector union, once again freelancing on the side), this is what I am doing now. My husband Haritha and I bought and renovated and re-opened a supernaturally delightful general store and cafe in a little village called Port Medway. (We have a charming online store! We sell Tommy Douglas teatowels!)

Please anyone who'd like to get / stay in touch, feel free to add me on Facebook or follow me on Instagram or Twitter. Oh I also have a newsletter / blog, if you are missing reading about all of my feelings!

Thanks for reading all of this. I'm sending lots of love. <3

Fri, 2024-04-19 12:08

writer

Love you, Audra. And I am so, so proud of you and your adventures.

Fri, 2024-04-19 12:55

oldgoat

OMG OMG OMG!! Audra and Jude are here!!! I may faint. All the best that babble was are thanks to these people. Audra is babbler # 2. She'd be babbler #1, but I think she lost an arm wrestling contest or something to Jesse Wente. Number 1 in our hearts though.

I'm now reminiscing about things like the first banning. The first flounce. (that was epic Socrataire, you set the standard) meades and Samir, the two smartest 14 yr olds on the planet. And the Free Dominion wars of course. And so much more!!

Fri, 2024-04-19 12:58

audra

Hahaha it was Jesse Hirsch actually, he installed the software our first message boards were built on. I chose the software, he registered first. A fair trade, I guess. (He wanted to use Slashdot, I wanted to use Ultimate Bulletin Board.)

Fri, 2024-04-19 13:20

oldgoat

Oh right, got the wrong Jesse

Fri, 2024-04-19 13:40

epaulo13

..pleased to meet you both. :) and thank all 3 of you for pioneering babble.

Fri, 2024-04-19 14:10

epaulo13

..love the tea towels.

Fri, 2024-04-19 18:11

john

Well hello, Audra, Jude and all you lovely people.

20+ years ago? Man. It does feel like a generation ago.

For years, even as an increasingly casual lurker, this space you seeded mattered a lot to me. A place to find validation for ideas and gut feelings. Sometimes to feel shaken, alienated or briefly infuriated. This was social media before social media, but with a sense of community I’ll always remember.

Remember that time we went to Brazil to talk to activists about this wild idea of creating “engagement” online? Our assigned seminar spot turned out to be a patch of grass in a Porto Alegre park that somehow dropped out of the printed program. So it never happened, though I lot of other great stuff did.

Like Jude, I’m proud of you and your adventures, Audra. And mostly of the faith that you still model — that trusting yourself and your dreams is a fine idea.

Sun, 2024-04-21 16:18

audra

Oh John <3 thank you so much. I think about that trip to Brazil often! It seems unreal that we were that fortunate, even with the misadventures related to our seminar. We had an amazing train trip! Was this it? I took so many pictures and fed so many coldcuts to so many street dogs haha.

Thanks for saying that about me following my dreams. <3 I've really tried, and it has mostly worked out great! If you and Jude are proud of me after everything, I find that very reassuring. I hope you can both come see me one day in Port Medway!

Sun, 2024-04-21 18:37

#10

Jaydub

Hey, audra. I remember you. It's nice to see you again.

Very cool shop. I will be sure to check it out if I find myself in Port Medway.