When we launched ASM we had a vision of a community that would consist of a wide range of people, interested in a wide range of topics, sharing one base commonality, we were all fed up with the internet, it’s endless horribly demographed advertising, it’s self centeredness, it’s empty trends, and all around increasing uselessness. People who wanted to feel seen and heard again, not just be passive observers in their own lives. We felt that, more than ever, during a pandemic, the anxiety of a potential war brewing, the political unrest, that people yearned to embrace and be embraced by a community again.
We failed initially to create the space for that to grow and self nurture. Not so much that we didn’t try, we certainly did, within our means. But we lacked the tech awareness and know how to set up the community in a way that it could evolve beyond what we, team ASM, contributed and put in. We became an echo chamber, which is the exact opposite of what we sought. And don’t get us wrong, that may be what we needed for that first year, to find our voices and set a stride. But now it is time to get back to the roots we envisioned. And we found a way. We think.
This new Community area is an attempt to bring us back on track, within our means. We will be working to develop this to fit the needs of those who have supported us and those who wanted to but didn’t know how, within their means. From event listings, to marketplace, to mental health and social awareness, to books and general chat, we want to make sure your needs are being met.
In the meantime, ASM will continue on as per usual. The ezine site will remain, and we hope to continue to bring you the same quality content we have for the past year, and to begin to produce even more of the things we had dreamt of when we started. Some very big things still to come!
It has been, overall, a great first year here and we are excited to grow and evolve into something better with each day. We hope you continue to join us on this journey, and we hope that it becomes your journey as well.
