Musicbanter Improvement Thread (album, members, title, reviews, quote)

[Rainard Jalen]

How about a dedicated New Members forum where all new members' posts have to go (as in they cannot post elsewhere); all would have a designated probationary period (a couple months?), and then if a special panel decides they are indeed serious posters, they are gradually integrated into the main forums.

[Piss Me Off]

Originally Posted by Sasquatch

Suggestion #1- Move the New Members Intro to the very top of the opening page, and have all of the Moderator's introduce themselves with a quick summary and a very basic outline of forum policy/requirements.(I know I started posting before I even stumbled across the cool intro thread in the lounge...this site is so large that it's easy to get distracted and miss something as basic and necessary as this thread.)

Suggestion #2- A Banter Octagon,,,a sub forum where members can meet to really take the gloves off so to speak,,,if you are going to allow Pish etc...then why not a proper sub forum where almost anything goes, except very demeaning personal attacks, I don't think they have any place in a public forum.

Suggestion #3- Bumping old posts...the scale of history in your forum is astonishing to a new member,,,I have gotten lost more than once just looking over some of the ancient posts scattered throughout the popular threads. Maybe the Moderators could pick a few of the really good ones that are still relevant and resurrect them for new discussion. You know Urban picks 2 or more this week, Right Track next week etc....and then eventually they can be archived or locked.

1. I agree that the section should be somewhere a bit more visible, i think most people tend to miss it. If you have Mods barking the rules at them straight away though i think they'd probably get scared off. The best users always get posting straight away and latch on quick anyway.

2. I think it's been mentioned before. I don't like the idea of it, if you're going to let people flame each other somewhere then it'll inevitable end up leaking into into other areas as well.

3. This goes on a lot of the time anyway, i'm not sure if there needs to be a rota as such but i would definitely encourage it. Feel free to bump anything good yourself of course!

Originally Posted by Rainard Jalen

How about a dedicated New Members forum where all new members' posts have to go (as in they cannot post elsewhere); all would have a designated probationary period (a couple months?), and then if a special panel decides they are indeed serious posters, they are gradually integrated into the main forums.

Dude hassle!

[right-track]

Originally Posted by Sasquatch

it's just that you have all been "Bantering" for so long you're like a family at the dinner table, you say and do things with each other that you don't even think about anymore and yet to a new visitor it's hard to know when you say something how it will be received or dismissed out of hand, so many just say little or nothing at all.

Suggestion #1- Move the New Members Intro to the very top of the opening page, and have all of the Moderator's introduce themselves with a quick summary and a very basic outline of forum policy/requirements.(I know I started posting before I even stumbled across the cool intro thread in the lounge...this site is so large that it's easy to get distracted and miss something as basic and necessary as this thread.)

Suggestion #2- A Banter Octagon,,,a sub forum where members can meet to really take the gloves off so to speak,,,if you are going to allow Pish etc...then why not a proper sub forum where almost anything goes, except very demeaning personal attacks, I don't think they have any place in a public forum.

Suggestion #3- Bumping old posts...the scale of history in your forum is astonishing to a new member,,,I have gotten lost more than once just looking over some of the ancient posts scattered throughout the popular threads. Maybe the Moderators could pick a few of the really good ones that are still relevant and resurrect them for new discussion. You know Urban picks 2 or more this week, Right Track next week etc....and then eventually they can be archived or locked.

First off...welcome to the forums Sasquatch.

For years I've wanted MusicBanter to develop into more than just a message board and I hope that's how others see it.
The members here are from all corners of the world and come from very different backgrounds and the idea of MB being a friendly place to visit and chat about music (predominantly) and just about anything else in 'The Lounge' can only be good for the boards.
However, your point about the "Bantering...like a family at the dinner table" is valid, although I personally think it's a good thing. I recognise that it may make some new members feel a little left out.
So, I'd like to see more current (longer standing) members make the effort to welcome the newbs and join the rest of us "at the dinner table" so to speak.
In short, MusicBanter, like music, is for everybody...with the exception of low life, scum of the earth, time wasting trolling/spamming bastards.

Suggestion 1 is a good idea and I'll see what can be done.
Maybe a section of it's own above 'The Lounge'...I'll bring it up in 'Mods'.

Number 3 would be worth doing for some of the better, older threads. It's why we created the Editors Choice forum and maybe we should move some more in there too.

[Urban Hatemonger]

Originally Posted by Rainard Jalen

How about a dedicated New Members forum where all new members' posts have to go (as in they cannot post elsewhere); all would have a designated probationary period (a couple months?), and then if a special panel decides they are indeed serious posters, they are gradually integrated into the main forums.

Only 2 sticking points with this.

1. Would you really join a forum where you had to wait 2 months to be included in the discussion.

2. Who's going to move all those posts to the main forums? The Mods? Sorry but i'd like some time to actually post here rather than just spend hours moving or deleting stuff.

[Rainard Jalen]

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

Only 2 sticking points with this.

1. Would you really join a forum where you had to wait 2 months to be included in the discussion.

2. Who's going to move all those posts to the main forums? The Mods? Sorry but i'd like some time to actually post here rather than just spend hours moving or deleting stuff.

1: Call it a week, then, just to ascertain if it's a serious poster.

2: No need to move the posts, they can stay where they are.

[Urban Hatemonger]

I'm still not sure what your asking for here?

So we start a separate forum where new people are only allowed to post in for a week , which presumably will be full of duplicate threads of ones that are already here because of course the new people won't be able to post in the existing ones in the main forums. Only for a week later they're able to discuss these things in the main forums so the other threads in the noob forum become useless.
I don't really see what the benefit is here.

[Sasquatch]

Originally Posted by Rainard Jalen

How about a dedicated New Members forum where all new members' posts have to go (as in they cannot post elsewhere); all would have a designated probationary period (a couple months?), and then if a special panel decides they are indeed serious posters, they are gradually integrated into the main forums.

That's a good concept Rainard but implementing it as Urban/PMO both pointed out would be a nightmare for the Mods, and they do so much already that it wouldn't be fair. I was thinking more along the lines of you know 25 posts where new members are given some leeway, instead of stomping on them,,,just post a helpful hint, you know what I mean,,,"That's a decent answer Sasquatch, but how about some more detail, you know the best song off the album why you like it,,,why they lost their focus and fell apart", that kind of helpful criticism. When a new member reaches 50 post let's say, the expectations are higher too,,,then the veterans can start engaging in more detail and intense discussions, "You know Sasquatch, that album sucked I can't believe you like it so much, I thought it was trash compared to the previous one". If this approach was used for a long enough period, the new members will automatically treat rookies the same way,,,which inevitably will be beneficial to the Mods and Veterans as well, by establishing a protocol that trains new members without embarrassing/intimidating them and hopefully frees up everyone else to post more fun/entertaining material.

[Sasquatch]

Originally Posted by Piss Me Off

1. I agree that the section should be somewhere a bit more visible, i think most people tend to miss it. If you have Mods barking the rules at them straight away though i think they'd probably get scared off. The best users always get posting straight away and latch on quick anyway.

2. I think it's been mentioned before. I don't like the idea of it, if you're going to let people flame each other somewhere then it'll inevitable end up leaking into into other areas as well.

3. This goes on a lot of the time anyway, i'm not sure if there needs to be a rota as such but i would definitely encourage it. Feel free to bump anything good yourself of course!

1. I don't agree with you about "The best users post right away and latch on quick anyway", have you noticed PMO that you have hardly any women members in your forum,,,they don't have the same attitude that the majority of members in Banter share. If you want to retain and invite new blood in here which is what Jackhammer started this thread with, then a few very small subtle changes might help accomplish that. Women pick up on things that sometimes slip past guys like us,,,a little tweak here and there and who knows what might happen. Can't hurt to try anyway.

2.I'm so glad you, Right Track, Urban and Rainard don't like the "Octagon" suggestion, I don't much care for flaming/swearing etc., but I wanted you all to know that I'm not a religious fanatic or anything, I work in construction and believe me I hear enough crap every day to fill a full page of your forum.

3. I suggested that one of the experienced Moderators think about this because they Know most of the really good stuff already stored in the old threads, I read a comment the other day by Urban complaining about someone resurrecting an old thread so that's why I suggested that you guys think about it. If it doesn't pan out then simply stop reviving old threads and carry on as usual.

[Sasquatch]

Originally Posted by right-track

First off...welcome to the forums Sasquatch.

For years I've wanted MusicBanter to develop into more than just a message board and I hope that's how others see it.
The members here are from all corners of the world and come from very different backgrounds and the idea of MB being a friendly place to visit and chat about music (predominantly) and just about anything else in 'The Lounge' can only be good for the boards.
However, your point about the "Bantering...like a family at the dinner table" is valid, although I personally think it's a good thing. I recognise that it may make some new members feel a little left out.
So, I'd like to see more current (longer standing) members make the effort to welcome the newbs and join the rest of us "at the dinner table" so to speak.
In short, MusicBanter, like music, is for everybody...with the exception of low life, scum of the earth, time wasting trolling/spamming bastards.

Suggestion 1 is a good idea and I'll see what can be done.
Maybe a section of it's own above 'The Lounge'...I'll bring it up in 'Mods'.

Number 3 would be worth doing for some of the better, older threads. It's why we created the Editors Choice forum and maybe we should move some more in there too.

Thank you Right Track for the welcome, the content you have in this forum is what convinced me to join 2 weeks ago. The repartee you enjoy with your Banter friends is a natural evolution when you spend so much time with people who enjoy the same passions as you. In my other forum it's exactly the same, 4 of us act the same as the veterans and Moderators do in Banter, because we almost know what our friends are thinking before they even post it, and have varying opinions about numerous issues too, but after the dust settles we are all still friends. Thanks for considering some of my suggestions.

Oh,,,I have to ask, if I show up at the dinner table wearing my Manchester United jersey, would I still get a pint from the keg?...

[Urban Hatemonger]

Originally Posted by Sasquatch

1. I don't agree with you about "The best users post right away and latch on quick anyway", have you noticed PMO that you have hardly any women members in your forum,,,they don't have the same attitude that the majority of members in Banter share. If you want to retain and invite new blood in here which is what Jackhammer started this thread with, then a few very small subtle changes might help accomplish that. Women pick up on things that sometimes slip past guys like us,,,a little tweak here and there and who knows what might happen. Can't hurt to try anyway.

Oh i don't know about that , There are plenty of female posters here. You might have to look out for them though not all of them have girlie type user names. Not saying there couldn't be more but i've seen much more male dominated forums than this.

2.I'm so glad you, Right Track, Urban and Rainard don't like the "Octagon" suggestion, I don't much care for flaming/swearing etc., but I wanted you all to know that I'm not a religious fanatic or anything, I work in construction and believe me I hear enough crap every day to fill a full page of your forum.

Don't know where you got the idea that I was against it , I didn't even comment on it. As it happens something like that has been discussed in the past. In fact I raised the idea before I was modded also. I think the consensus was that this forum was pretty laid back as it is & it wasn't really needed.

3. I suggested that one of the experienced Moderators think about this because they Know most of the really good stuff already stored in the old threads, I read a comment the other day by Urban complaining about someone resurrecting an old thread so that's why I suggested that you guys think about it. If it doesn't pan out then simply stop reviving old threads and carry on as usual.

I don't have a problem with old posts being bumped. I have a problem with people bumping loads of old polls without bothering to post. Or people bumping silly lounge discussions quoting members who left this place years ago. It's common sense really , if you want to bump an old thread then do so to create fresh discussion. I don't think it should be down to mods as any member can do this.

There's been a lot of discussion of mods this & mods that , but there are only a handful of us. A lot of the things being discussed can be taken up by the members on this forum. You don't need your name to be bolded to self moderate yourselves.