Jenni
Co-founder, Head Writer, and Web-Mistress for JABB
History/Administration 
Newsletter Delivery Web Site YahooGroup
History/Administration
JABB was founded on July 19th,
1998 by Touched by an Angel
fans Audrey, Barbara, Jarrod, and
myself. TBAA had aired earlier that evening and, as was
customary, we gathered in the TBAA AOL chat to discuss the show.
As the hours dragged on our fellow chatters left until there were only
the four of us. Unfortunately, my memory of that night is all
ready a little foggy. What I do know is that by the time we
parted for the night we had written the 12 Steps
for the John/Andrew Bucket Brigade. We emailed that out to
interested parties with in a couple of days. People seemed to
enjoy
it and so we continued with biweekly "newsletters." Of course,
these newsletters weren't so much about news as a chance to show off
our
fannish creativity. However, newsletter was the word we used then
and still do to this day.
Regretfully, Barbara was only with us for a short time but JABB continued on with Audrey and myself as the co-presidents and Jarrod assisting. In June of 2004, Audrey stepped down as JABB co-president and was replaced by Doc. Doc had a brief tenure as co-president with myself that extended from JABB 140 to JABB 143. Longtime JABBer, Karen then stepped in as co-president starting in August of that year. In July 2006, however, the entire co-president system was abolished and JABB was run by a group called the JABB Sisterhood. The members were:
Jenni (Me)- Co-Founder, Head Writer, and Web Mistress of the John/Andrew Bucket Brigade
Newsletter Delivery Web Site YahooGroupHistory/Administration
JABB was founded on July 19th,
1998 by Touched by an Angel
fans Audrey, Barbara, Jarrod, and
myself. TBAA had aired earlier that evening and, as was
customary, we gathered in the TBAA AOL chat to discuss the show.
As the hours dragged on our fellow chatters left until there were only
the four of us. Unfortunately, my memory of that night is all
ready a little foggy. What I do know is that by the time we
parted for the night we had written the 12 Steps
for the John/Andrew Bucket Brigade. We emailed that out to
interested parties with in a couple of days. People seemed to
enjoy
it and so we continued with biweekly "newsletters." Of course,
these newsletters weren't so much about news as a chance to show off
our
fannish creativity. However, newsletter was the word we used then
and still do to this day. Regretfully, Barbara was only with us for a short time but JABB continued on with Audrey and myself as the co-presidents and Jarrod assisting. In June of 2004, Audrey stepped down as JABB co-president and was replaced by Doc. Doc had a brief tenure as co-president with myself that extended from JABB 140 to JABB 143. Longtime JABBer, Karen then stepped in as co-president starting in August of that year. In July 2006, however, the entire co-president system was abolished and JABB was run by a group called the JABB Sisterhood. The members were:
Jenni (Me)- Co-Founder, Head Writer, and Web Mistress of the John/Andrew Bucket Brigade
Jess- Homeworld Security, Director of Photography, and
Creative Collaborator for JABB
Liz- Editor-in-Chief and Head Solutions Master for JABB
Karen- Consultant for JABB
However, in January 2007, it was decided the JABB Sisterhood should be abolished and the way made for a more inclusive way of running JABB. So now I welcome help and support with JABB from whomever is willing to give it. :-) I'll even give ya a cute title and business e-card if ya want! Thankfully, I am assisted by several JABB members at various times. It's my hope that this current setup will allow JABB to continue to grow!
Newsletter Delivery
However, in January 2007, it was decided the JABB Sisterhood should be abolished and the way made for a more inclusive way of running JABB. So now I welcome help and support with JABB from whomever is willing to give it. :-) I'll even give ya a cute title and business e-card if ya want! Thankfully, I am assisted by several JABB members at various times. It's my hope that this current setup will allow JABB to continue to grow!
Newsletter Delivery
Though JABB has changed in
some ways over the years, we still send our biweekly (or nearly so)
newsletters. As stated above, these often contain little actual
news. This is in part due to an extreme lack of news involving
John Dye or Touched by an Angel.
Were any actual news to become
available, I would first post it on the JABB News and
Reminders page. So if the newsletter isn't news, what is it?
A JABB newsletter can contain any number of things
ranging from top
tens, short jokes, poems, and stories about our favorite angels.
Occasionally, a newsletter may even feature a more lengthy, serious
story about Andrew and Co. Essentially, it's a very mixed
bag. We hope in this way to reach as wide an audience as
possible. If you don't like the current newsletter perhaps the
next will be just what you're hoping for!
The newsletter is sent from the address newsletter @ onthisside.net by Jenni. In the event I am unable to send JABB, another member (designated by myself) will send it from jabucketbrigade @ yahoo.com or it will be postponed. Only a very limited number of people have access to the membership lists. They are always sent blind copied so the other members will NOT see your address. We try to shoot for sending one every 14 days by sometimes as few as 10 days pass between newsletters or as many as 20. Basically we try our best to get them out but we do have other commitments to maintain.
Just a brief note: As of October 2009, I am no longer sending the newsletters in text-only emails. Instead, you'll be sent a link to a web-based (and decorated!) version. Should you ever require a text only version, please ask.
I serve as head writer of the newsletters but if you'd like to see about submitting something you wrote, please contact me. We do have a few stipulations relating to content and may not be able to accept all submissions but it never hurts to ask! If you should need to leave JABB or need your email address changed, just send an email to the first email address listed here.
A JABB newsletter can contain any number of things
ranging from top
tens, short jokes, poems, and stories about our favorite angels.
Occasionally, a newsletter may even feature a more lengthy, serious
story about Andrew and Co. Essentially, it's a very mixed
bag. We hope in this way to reach as wide an audience as
possible. If you don't like the current newsletter perhaps the
next will be just what you're hoping for!The newsletter is sent from the address newsletter @ onthisside.net by Jenni. In the event I am unable to send JABB, another member (designated by myself) will send it from jabucketbrigade @ yahoo.com or it will be postponed. Only a very limited number of people have access to the membership lists. They are always sent blind copied so the other members will NOT see your address. We try to shoot for sending one every 14 days by sometimes as few as 10 days pass between newsletters or as many as 20. Basically we try our best to get them out but we do have other commitments to maintain.
Just a brief note: As of October 2009, I am no longer sending the newsletters in text-only emails. Instead, you'll be sent a link to a web-based (and decorated!) version. Should you ever require a text only version, please ask.
I serve as head writer of the newsletters but if you'd like to see about submitting something you wrote, please contact me. We do have a few stipulations relating to content and may not be able to accept all submissions but it never hurts to ask! If you should need to leave JABB or need your email address changed, just send an email to the first email address listed here.
Web Site
After a few years of putting up with various free
web hosting services,
I finally moved JABB to its own domain name and its own web
space in 2004.
So now every newsletter we ever sent (barring the most recent which
take
some time to add) and lots more are available at www.onthisside.net. The
domain name was suggested by a longtime former member, Sara. It
comes from my favorite TBAA quote: "I just want you to know
there's nothing to be afraid of. On
one side, there is life. And on the other...there is life, too."
That was spoken by Andrew in the episode "Random Acts." I like to
think of it as our way of saying that while we're living our lives *on
this side* of the Great Divide, Andrew has increased our hope for what
is to come on the Other Side.
So what's on the web site? Lots and lots of stuff! The best way to get acquainted with it is to start with our Main TOC. The top half of that page will lead you to our original 12 Steps, our guestbook, and all of our newsletters. Please note the link above that which begins "First time visitor?" If you read nothing else, please read that. That tells you, briefly, what we can and cannot do for you or tell you. Below the newsletter section, please note the flying dove. Click on that and you'll be taken to the Contact Info page. I keep that up-to-date with JABB's various email addresses. Before we move on from this section I'd like to draw your attention to the rainbow logo on the upper left corner. Click on that to reveal JABB's hate-free mission statement. We feel it's very important.
We then move into the "Our Other Stuff" half of the page. The first link will lead you to JABB's CafePress store. There you can order T-shirts, mugs, pins, and more with various JABB, TBAA, and John Dye related designs on them. Proceeds from the store go either to keeping the JABB site running or, on occasion, supporting various charities.
Below the store is a box that enables you to join our YahooGroup. I
will discuss that in greater detail in the final section of this
page. Click on the graphic below that and you'll go to our Photo
Gallery. I add snapshots from various John Dye projects as
the DVDs become available to me.
Then we get into the various sub-categories!
The next section, I think, is potentially the best for new members. The links listed in "Stuff that's Useful..." will hopefully give you a better sense of JABB's history and development. Updates lists all the changes that have been made to JABB's web pages since March of 2000. The JABB Self-Help Pages are largely about technical aspects of JABB. The JABB Encyclopedia is a very lengthy page that lists all (or at least the majority of) references to various characters, themes, and objects in the newsletters. It's also pretty well packed with graphics. So if you're reading a newsletter and wondering who the heck Chiwawa is just check out his entry on the Encyclo. Useful Links gives various online sources related to John Dye and TBAA. Next, you'll find another link to our Contact Info page. The JABB Calendar lists important dates: real and Dyeland. Dictionary of JABBerisms teaches you our lingo. Things You Should Know... tells you a bit about the widespread beliefs and sentiments of our membership.
Next comes "Stuff We Wrote or Made." The Easter Egg Cheat Sheet can help you get the most out of the web-version newsletters. Poems and Stories gives you access to works created by your fellow JABBers. Some of the other poems and stories are pre-existing ones that were submitted by JABBers because they reminded them of John, Andrew, TBAA, or the JABB group. The "Author's Cut" is my answer to the director's commentaries and cut scenes available on DVDs. There we give our thoughts on various issues and post the occasional cut or alternate scenes from stories. Or just stories that aren't really newsletter appropriate. JABB Member Links is your source for web pages created and maintained by members of JABB. If you have your own web site you'd like added, just lemme know! JABBers' Fiction Page is home to fiction written by JABB members which reflect some aspect of John Dye's filmography, generally TBAA. Dyelander Info Database will help clue you in on our creations and also tell how TBAA and other existing characters fit in. Finally, we come to JABB's TBAA Episode Guide where we give our views on the episodes.
"Stuff About Stuff We've Done" is mostly informative. The Green Pages are a sort of short resume for the group. They're also the only professional looking pages on JABB! Our FAQ answers some more common questions we get about our group. JABB News and Reminders is a good page to keep on hand. If we hear any news regarding John Dye or TBAA or related subjects (that we have good reason to believe), I will add it to that page just as soon as I can. Disclaimers and Credits is where we stress (yet again) that we are not affiliated with Mr. Dye and also thank those who have helped us along the way. That section finishes with the About Us pages where you can learn about various JABBers and some of the fictional characters that figure into JABB's Dyeland stories.
"Stuff You Can Do" is for those JABBers who wish to be more involved. Contribute to JABB lists specific ways you can join in on the fun of writing newsletters. Contest Rules and Information is a must-read page for anyone intending to participate in the JABB contests that occasionally occur. The JABB Scoreboard makes all former contests available to you. While they are out-of-date and prizes are no longer awarded for completing them, they do make for some fun on a rainy day! The Dye Scouts are JABBers who wish to make their love of Andrew/John even more blatant. You can earn virtual badges and a spot on JABB's web site by completing various tasks. Finally, JABB's To-Do List contains time-sensitive deadlines for submissions requested for particular, imminent JABB newsletters along with general ideas. Please note the deadlines as I cannot accept submissions past the dates listed. Again, this page is for members only. You must be a member of JABB to make a submission to these newsletters.
And now for our final section... "Stuff We'll
Probly Get
Committed For." Here are what I think are JABB's craziest
offerings. The Dyeland Map and
Info
page hosts an ever-growing map of the world we wished we lived in as
well as info about it.
Dyeland is populated by the fictional counterparts of many JABB
members. It's also a sort of second residence for some very
special angels. Dyeland is the setting for many
newsletters. There's also our Graffiti Wall.
There you can tag a brick wall with your most deeply felt
Andrew-related sentiments! Finally, you can get inside Andrew's
head at AndrewBlog.
And that's it for our site! If you're ever perusing the site and notice dead links or broken graphics please contact me, Jenni, so I can fix the problem. Thanks!!!
After a few years of putting up with various free
web hosting services,
I finally moved JABB to its own domain name and its own web
space in 2004.
So now every newsletter we ever sent (barring the most recent which
take
some time to add) and lots more are available at www.onthisside.net. The
domain name was suggested by a longtime former member, Sara. It
comes from my favorite TBAA quote: "I just want you to know
there's nothing to be afraid of. On
one side, there is life. And on the other...there is life, too."
That was spoken by Andrew in the episode "Random Acts." I like to
think of it as our way of saying that while we're living our lives *on
this side* of the Great Divide, Andrew has increased our hope for what
is to come on the Other Side.So what's on the web site? Lots and lots of stuff! The best way to get acquainted with it is to start with our Main TOC. The top half of that page will lead you to our original 12 Steps, our guestbook, and all of our newsletters. Please note the link above that which begins "First time visitor?" If you read nothing else, please read that. That tells you, briefly, what we can and cannot do for you or tell you. Below the newsletter section, please note the flying dove. Click on that and you'll be taken to the Contact Info page. I keep that up-to-date with JABB's various email addresses. Before we move on from this section I'd like to draw your attention to the rainbow logo on the upper left corner. Click on that to reveal JABB's hate-free mission statement. We feel it's very important.
We then move into the "Our Other Stuff" half of the page. The first link will lead you to JABB's CafePress store. There you can order T-shirts, mugs, pins, and more with various JABB, TBAA, and John Dye related designs on them. Proceeds from the store go either to keeping the JABB site running or, on occasion, supporting various charities.
Below the store is a box that enables you to join our YahooGroup. I
will discuss that in greater detail in the final section of this
page. Click on the graphic below that and you'll go to our Photo
Gallery. I add snapshots from various John Dye projects as
the DVDs become available to me. Then we get into the various sub-categories!
The next section, I think, is potentially the best for new members. The links listed in "Stuff that's Useful..." will hopefully give you a better sense of JABB's history and development. Updates lists all the changes that have been made to JABB's web pages since March of 2000. The JABB Self-Help Pages are largely about technical aspects of JABB. The JABB Encyclopedia is a very lengthy page that lists all (or at least the majority of) references to various characters, themes, and objects in the newsletters. It's also pretty well packed with graphics. So if you're reading a newsletter and wondering who the heck Chiwawa is just check out his entry on the Encyclo. Useful Links gives various online sources related to John Dye and TBAA. Next, you'll find another link to our Contact Info page. The JABB Calendar lists important dates: real and Dyeland. Dictionary of JABBerisms teaches you our lingo. Things You Should Know... tells you a bit about the widespread beliefs and sentiments of our membership.
Next comes "Stuff We Wrote or Made." The Easter Egg Cheat Sheet can help you get the most out of the web-version newsletters. Poems and Stories gives you access to works created by your fellow JABBers. Some of the other poems and stories are pre-existing ones that were submitted by JABBers because they reminded them of John, Andrew, TBAA, or the JABB group. The "Author's Cut" is my answer to the director's commentaries and cut scenes available on DVDs. There we give our thoughts on various issues and post the occasional cut or alternate scenes from stories. Or just stories that aren't really newsletter appropriate. JABB Member Links is your source for web pages created and maintained by members of JABB. If you have your own web site you'd like added, just lemme know! JABBers' Fiction Page is home to fiction written by JABB members which reflect some aspect of John Dye's filmography, generally TBAA. Dyelander Info Database will help clue you in on our creations and also tell how TBAA and other existing characters fit in. Finally, we come to JABB's TBAA Episode Guide where we give our views on the episodes.
"Stuff About Stuff We've Done" is mostly informative. The Green Pages are a sort of short resume for the group. They're also the only professional looking pages on JABB! Our FAQ answers some more common questions we get about our group. JABB News and Reminders is a good page to keep on hand. If we hear any news regarding John Dye or TBAA or related subjects (that we have good reason to believe), I will add it to that page just as soon as I can. Disclaimers and Credits is where we stress (yet again) that we are not affiliated with Mr. Dye and also thank those who have helped us along the way. That section finishes with the About Us pages where you can learn about various JABBers and some of the fictional characters that figure into JABB's Dyeland stories.
"Stuff You Can Do" is for those JABBers who wish to be more involved. Contribute to JABB lists specific ways you can join in on the fun of writing newsletters. Contest Rules and Information is a must-read page for anyone intending to participate in the JABB contests that occasionally occur. The JABB Scoreboard makes all former contests available to you. While they are out-of-date and prizes are no longer awarded for completing them, they do make for some fun on a rainy day! The Dye Scouts are JABBers who wish to make their love of Andrew/John even more blatant. You can earn virtual badges and a spot on JABB's web site by completing various tasks. Finally, JABB's To-Do List contains time-sensitive deadlines for submissions requested for particular, imminent JABB newsletters along with general ideas. Please note the deadlines as I cannot accept submissions past the dates listed. Again, this page is for members only. You must be a member of JABB to make a submission to these newsletters.
And now for our final section... "Stuff We'll
Probly Get
Committed For." Here are what I think are JABB's craziest
offerings. The Dyeland Map and
Info
page hosts an ever-growing map of the world we wished we lived in as
well as info about it.
Dyeland is populated by the fictional counterparts of many JABB
members. It's also a sort of second residence for some very
special angels. Dyeland is the setting for many
newsletters. There's also our Graffiti Wall.
There you can tag a brick wall with your most deeply felt
Andrew-related sentiments! Finally, you can get inside Andrew's
head at AndrewBlog.And that's it for our site! If you're ever perusing the site and notice dead links or broken graphics please contact me, Jenni, so I can fix the problem. Thanks!!!
YahooGroup
The YahooGroup is by far the
most interactive part of JABB. The JABB YahooGroup is an email
list that our members can join to get to know each other. It's
here that JABB members can talk to each other about a myriad of
subjects. While threads related to Andrew, John Dye, and TBAA are
very common, the list is open topic. We've talked about
everything from our pets, favorite foods, childhood treasures, and much
more. Pretty much the only rules on the list involve showing
respect for your fellow list members. The YahooGroup is also
often where I bounce ideas for future newsletters around. Content
of posts to the list should never go above a PG-13 level unless you
have at first cleared it with me.
While we discuss every day matters on list, it's also a
place for
imagination and storytelling. So it's not entirely uncommon for
Andrew, Adam, other angels, and various of the Dyelanders to post to
the list in character and chat about goings on in Dyeland. It's
our way of keeping the characters we love alive. Some members
choose to ignore these posts and focus only on real-life threads.
That's definitely okay but we feel it's important to allow for this
more playful aspect, as well. If you do join the YahooGroup and
wish to participate in this aspect please check with me to see which
angel characters are taken. Or you can always feel free to make
up your own!
If you'd like to join our email list please just click the box below. Myself or another moderator will answer your subscription request as soon as possible!
Click to join JABB
I hope this has helped to answer questions or concerns you may have. If not, feel free to email me!
JABB TOC
(Photo Credits: The photograph of John Dye in a black shirt is from "Journey to a Hate Free Millennium" photos and property of New Light Media. The one where he has facial hair is from "Best of the Best" and property of Best of the Best Films, Kuys Entertainment, SVS Films, and The Movie Group Inc. The second, fourth, and fifth photographs are from "Touched by an Angel" and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions. They are not being used to seek profit.)
While we discuss every day matters on list, it's also a
place for
imagination and storytelling. So it's not entirely uncommon for
Andrew, Adam, other angels, and various of the Dyelanders to post to
the list in character and chat about goings on in Dyeland. It's
our way of keeping the characters we love alive. Some members
choose to ignore these posts and focus only on real-life threads.
That's definitely okay but we feel it's important to allow for this
more playful aspect, as well. If you do join the YahooGroup and
wish to participate in this aspect please check with me to see which
angel characters are taken. Or you can always feel free to make
up your own!If you'd like to join our email list please just click the box below. Myself or another moderator will answer your subscription request as soon as possible!
Click to join JABB
I hope this has helped to answer questions or concerns you may have. If not, feel free to email me!
JABB TOC
(Photo Credits: The photograph of John Dye in a black shirt is from "Journey to a Hate Free Millennium" photos and property of New Light Media. The one where he has facial hair is from "Best of the Best" and property of Best of the Best Films, Kuys Entertainment, SVS Films, and The Movie Group Inc. The second, fourth, and fifth photographs are from "Touched by an Angel" and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions. They are not being used to seek profit.)