In a previous post, we told of the formation of a new newsgroup, moderated.alt.comedy.standup, which was recently started to serve as an online discussion group for professional standup comics. We mentioned, in passing, that several regional or local newsgroups have also been formed to cater to the more specialized needs of comics withing a specific city or metro area. Some of the more successful ones are linked below.

We would consider a newsgroup a success if it has 1) a healthy number of members who 2) post regularly with useful information or commentary. A search of Yahoo!’s newsgroups reveals a lot of “husks,” ng’s that were started, maybe burned brightly for a while, gathered some interested posters, then, for one reason or another, withered into irrelevance. A good indicator of a healthy ng is the “Activity within 7 days” listing at the top which says how many posts, how many new members, etc. (There are no sadder words than “No Activity!”) Starting and maintaining a healhty group is not an easy thing. It seems that the more robust ones got that way through the tireless promotional efforts of one person or a small group of persons who saw the value of the group and figured out ways to drive comics to it (and drive destructive comics away!) and keep it focused.

Some groups are “Membership Required,” others are “Public.” Some are moderated, others aren’t. Some have rules and a sharp focus and are useful to members for such purposes as hipping members to open mikes or casting calls or standup seminars. Note: These are just Yahoo! groups. There’s a whole boatload of groups on Usenet, but these are more user-friendly.

Philly Comics
SC(Southern California) Comedy
SF(San Francisco) Comedy
Pittsburgh Comedy
Gay Comedy
Atlanta Comedy
Nashville Standup
Detroit Comedy
Cleveland Yucks

One need not be a resident of a city or region to join, post or “lurk.” If you’re contemplating a visit or a move to Philly or Detroit or SoCal, visiting that city’s group is a must.

We also notice that some were started by comics to promote themselves and their personal appearances. Not as vain as it sounds, really! It’s an easy, inexpensive way to coordinate fans, publicize gigs, etc.

We here at SHECKYmagazine.com started one dedicated to the Las Vegas comedy scene, Las Vegas Comedy, which we haven’t really promoted until now. We started it mainly to coordinate any communication among Las Vegans (and anyone else!) considering entering the upcoming Poker Tournament on November 17! (Of course, it can be used by and for the many comedians who have set up shop in Las Vegas. On our last few visits to the desert, we’ve noticed some momentum in the Vegas scene.) So, hop on, join and start posting!

Addendum: Just what we had hoped might happened, has happened– comics’ groups that we weren’t aware of are checking in!

My name is Nate Smith. I am a professional comic from Portland, Oregon. We have a pretty good sized yet tight knit group of comics (pro and open mic) that use the yahoo group listed below to keep informed. You can add http://groups.yahoo.com/group/portlandcomics/ to your list.

Consider it added, Nate!

And, we managed to recall a couple others on our own. The comics who inhabit Nashville have a website, Nashville Standup, that has a unmoderated forum that allows them to communicate with each other. And the funny folks in Ottawa have the Ottawa Comedy Resource, which offers a “Green Room” for that city’s comedians. And, finally (although we don’t believe that we’ve heard the last of this!), the Comedy Studio’s website has a well-attended Kvetch Board that gives voice to all the humorous types that live and work in the Boston area.

And (probably not finally), we have a New York City area group called the Standup Asylum.