The Beervana Community Experiment; A Report and a Proposal
Around this time last year I launched the Beervana Community, an experiment to engage my most avid readers more deeply. We were entering the bleakest days of the pandemic, and I was trying to figure out how to fund my life as a writer without stretching myself too thinly. One way was having this site generate more revenue, since I was already devoting a lot of time to it. As you know, I added two new sponsors, and they not only supported me financially, but partnered on some pretty special projects.
The Beervana Community was the other element. I set up a way to join, and for everyone who did—just over sixty people—I promised we’d do something fun. That bit wasn’t exactly fleshed out, but by then we all knew about Zoom and it seemed like we could easily set up some events and hang out. I know I was starting to feel a little desperate in the absence of my regular pub visits with friends new and old.
A year later, it’s time to report back, re-evaluate, and think about next steps.
Things started out well. We had an initial meet-up to discuss future events and then had a few. In one, members from around the country (plus Newcastle in the UK) talked about their local beer scenes and great local breweries. We had an evening with a brewer. We had a session called “Solving Saison,” in which we attempted to get our arms around an elusive style. And then … well, then my life got extremely complicated. I reported back to the group what was going on in my life and invited them to cancel their subscriptions, though remarkably, few did. Michael Kiser at Good Beer Hunting offered to let the members here join in his group there, which goes to show you the beer world can still be a pretty lovely place.
The idea of getting together on Zoom to chat seemed like a nice way to actually interact with folks in a social space, and use a different, non-writing part of my brain. It looked like a great way to offer something more without affecting the site or adding to my writing docket. And it worked! Those events were social, fun, and informative. Zoom may not be a substitute for a pub among friends, but it’s quite a leap forward as a medium for people scattered around the country. We started to become friends.
Designed as a way of supporting content on this site, the Beervana Community came together as a social arm of the blog in 2021. Anyone can join for a commitment as small as a buck a month, and we get together to enjoy each other, enjoy a beer, and explore the beer world a bit more deeply.
The downside to the experiment for me was the time it took to manage a community and plan the events. I should have been able to anticipate this issue, but typical for me, I didn’t. Each human brain does some things well and some things poorly. I’m not where-did-I-park-my-car bad with details, but I’m pretty bad. Even relatively simple tasks like planning Zoom events is taxing for me. In the coming year, I have two book proposals planned; I need to streamline my work, so I need to step away from management of this group.
This leaves a few choices. We could just let the experiment end entirely, satisfied it was a worthwhile one. I could convert the program to a purely donor-based system, a tip jar kind of thing. Neither is very appealing, because the point of the experiment was a social one. (Politics divide, beer unites!) I think people enjoy getting together, and I think there are some possibilities for really cool events. We only began scratching the surface there. I’d like to continue the experiment at least another year and see where it takes us. So:
A Modest Proposal
So here’s what I suggest. Let’s try another year, but let’s find someone other than me to plan and schedule the events. We would need a volunteer who has 5-10 hours a month to spare, someone who is reliable and willing to commit to a full year. You would take point on deciding on he nature of the events, selecting dates, and communicating with the community. I’d be happy to advise and chat along the way, but you would be the one making things happen. I’m guessing we’d have appetites for something like one event every other month, or maybe slightly more. Figure 6-8 events over the course of the year. I would remunerate the volunteer with a portion of the membership fees and signed books—plus my deep appreciation. And obviously, free membership to the community.
If you think that sounds fun and something you could commit to, please contact me via email, social media, or, if you’re close enough, semaphore. You can use any of those media to offer feedback or shoot me questions about the group.
I have already contacted current members of the Community to let them know. If/when I find a coordinator, I’ll post again about next steps. Thanks to everyone who participated this year!