GMC in Europe 2008

We’re counting down the days, and soon the hours. On Thursday, most of us will start our journey to Vienna.

A word is in order about what to expect from the GMC in Europe 2008 blog while we are traveling. My past experience is that people expect too much—and sometimes too little—from this form of communication. An advance word might help with that.

• Our overall goal as members of the Greater Middletown Chorale is to experience and enjoy the tour. This blog in some ways goes along with that goal, but it’s not the reason we’re going. No one is getting paid to write it, and it’s strictly a volunteer activity.
• Updates will happen when and where they can. We expect to have good Internet connections at our hotels, or alternatively at Internet cafes, but sometimes those connections (or our schedules) just don’t work out.
• This blog is not a place to relay messages to travelers. Most of the GMC and friends won’t even see it while we’re in Europe. I’d suggest, as one alternative, looking at the itinerary and sending messages to the hotels.

Did I leave something out? Add a comment to this post!

Thanks all for taking cards last evening! I see several sign-ups already, so the ball is rolling.It might not be obvious how to post here. I’ve added a “Welcome” message at the top of the page, and will add these points:

•  A blog works well when several (even many) people contribute. I am hosting the blog, but I don’t expect to be writing all the posts.
• When you log in to this blog, you will see something called the Dashboard. This area shows general information about the blog. Clicking on the various links under the dark blue bar will take you to the screen where you can write your own posts.
• The user profile is important. If I know who you are (not always obvious from your email address), I’ll give your account writing privileges more quickly. (People who register on the blog start out with the privilege to read what’s there–essentially the same as not registering. I add writing privileges for GMC family.
• Someone asked me last evening if family and friends could also register on the blog. Of course!

Remember that you can always ask me questions if you’re having trouble with getting the blog working for yourself. Send me an email.

This is the tour Weblog (”blog”) for the Greater Middletown Chorale’s 2008 concert tour of Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague. Oh, my!

I’m your host, Matt McCaffrey. Most of you will recognize me as that quiet guy who sits in the back of the tenor section along with Steve, Rich, Colin, Jim, Margie, the two Johns, and other fine singers.

Okay, I’m not quiet. But I do like to sing, and I’m very excited about our upcoming tour.

This blog is for all of us—not just the people on tour, but the whole Chorale. As friends and fellow singers, the touring group very much wants to share the experience with the rest of us. We hope for a lot of comments and posts from both sides of the Atlantic over the life of the tour.

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