I preach the line that if something isn't working in social media you ought to be ready to bury it. And so I just buried the apr (usa) YouTube channel. I'd never really done any more on it than favorite existing videos; I hadn't done much on it for some time regardless (or even so much as looked at it); and it was tied to my personal Google+ account (which hardly makes much of a difference but I like to keep my corporate identities nice and tidy).
So I told Google to do the only seemly thing: make it go away. And it's gone.
But not forgotten. Nor do I intend to give up on YouTube; not quite yet, at least. But I'd like to make it something useful, interesting, and truly supportive of our work here, and in support of working African poets and their readers.
I do have a few ideas. The african poetry review (usa) Google+ page hasn't seen a lot of action to date but there are some intriguing possibilities through Google+'s integration with YouTube: in particular, using the Hangouts feature to offer virtual reading events for live streaming and sharing across platforms. There is, of course, the review and harvesting of existing videos -- perhaps with "value-added" commentary? -- and even the possibility of original production, though the latter is a bit beyond my capabilities at the moment (I can probably fake and/or learn the skills but I can't create the time I'd need for either).
And you? If we come storming back into YouTube what would you like to see us do there? Are there African poets whose work on YouTube you're following avidly? Are there readings or performances you think everyone must see? Let us know -- and we'll get started.
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