New MB Community Site

[Guybrush]

If I write something like a review and post it here, it's largely because I want to stir some curiosity in those who read it or introduce them to something new which they'll hopefully like and perhaps even want to discuss. If I only did it for me, then I might as well just create a new text document on my desktop and write in that.

[djchameleon]

Originally Posted by tore

If I write something like a review and post it here, it's largely because I want to stir some curiosity in those who read it or introduce them to something new which they'll hopefully like and perhaps even want to discuss. If I only did it for me, then I might as well just create a new text document on my desktop and write in that.

The point I was trying to make though is that even though you post the review doesn't mean it doesn't go unread just because people don't post in it.

It probably has stirred the curiosity of others and they have gone on to download the album or other works from the artist you review.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by djchameleon

The point I was trying to make though is that even though you post the review doesn't mean it doesn't go unread just because people don't post in it.

It probably has stirred the curiosity of others and they have gone on to download the album or other works from the artist you review.

I don't think it matters much if people read them without commenting. I believe writers generally feel rewarded when they get some recognition, some response, some kind of confirmation that someone's read what they've written.

I'm not saying that people should be forced or feel obligated to read and respond to stuff they have no interest in. All I'm saying is that a thread like Dotoar's Caravan discography thread would probably generate more interest and more participation from a larger part of the community had he posted it in the Prog Archives forums than here. I thought a front page showcasing such threads might change that, but now I'm less positive. One reason I thought it would help is that newcomers to the site who like Caravan would see that they're being written about and so would sign up (right now those threads are kinda hidden). But musicbanter.com won't get a front page anyway (admin has said no) and so it would have to happen on a new site and I don't think a new site would have high enough google rankings to get new members, at least not for quite a while. It would be us writing for eachother.

edit :

I'm of course not saying there's not plenty of other reasons why one might want a new site.

[djchameleon]

Originally Posted by tore

I don't think it matters much if people read them without commenting. I believe writers generally feel rewarded when they get some recognition, some response, some kind of confirmation that someone's read what they've written.

I'm not saying that people should be forced or feel obligated to read and respond to stuff they have no interest in. All I'm saying is that a thread like Dotoar's Caravan discography thread would probably generate more interest and more participation from a larger part of the community had he posted it in the Prog Archives forums than here. I thought a front page might change that, but now I'm less positive. One reason I thought it would help is that newcomers to the site who like Caravan would see that they're being written about and so would sign up. But musicbanter.com won't get a front page anyway (admin has said no) and so it would have to happen on a new site and I don't think a new site would have high enough google rankings to get new members. It would be us writing for eachother.

edit :

I'm of course not saying there's not plenty of other reasons why one might want a new site.

What's wrong with us writing for each other? There is loads of bands out there that I'm sure some of us haven't heard of and we love to read up on it. If you go into a new site worrying about new members right off the bat then I think it's going to fail. Those new members will come in time. At first it will start out with just a core group and then it will slowly grow in time.

Of course, writers feel rewarded when people comment and create a discussion off of what they have written but I feel like that's the wrong reason to be writing about it in the first place if you JUST want attention and not to write about it because you are passionate about the band/artist itself that you want to personally analyze it.

The format would work if there was a blog style front page and the reviews may get a few more readers but that doesn't mean that people will comment/discuss everything they read. I have listened to some awesome bands/artists based off of what I have read in the journals but I am guilty of not posting to tell the writer that what they are writing is being read and to keep up the good work.

I should probably do it more often to stroke their ego a bit and make them feel like they aren't just writing and it's going unnoticed but me personally. When I do a write up in my journal, I don't mind if I have readers or not. I write it up to keep track of whatever project i'm working on and maybe in the future sometime. A new member will stumble across it and find some great finds.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by djchameleon

What's wrong with us writing for each other?

Let's say you're interested in a group of musicians, but you're just about the only person on musicbanter who is. If you write a discussion thread because you want to discuss them, noone will participate. If you write a review on MB, noone will comment. However, you could post that same stuff in a different community which focuses more on that kind of music. What is more rewarding, posting here or in that other community?

All I'm saying is that for a lot of writers (note: not all, but a lot), MB is probably not the most rewarding environment to write in and I doubt a new site with a front page would change that. That's all.

[djchameleon]

Originally Posted by tore

Let's say you're interested in a group of musicians, but you're just about the only person on musicbanter who is. If you write a discussion thread because you want to discuss them, noone will participate. If you write a review on MB, noone will comment. However, you could post that same stuff in a different community which focuses more on that kind of music. What is more rewarding, posting here or in that other community?

All I'm saying is that for a lot of writers (note: not all, but a lot), MB is probably not the most rewarding environment to write in and I doubt a new site with a front page would change that. That's all.

I agree and I get what you are saying.

[Scarlett O'Hara]

Mojo and I are sending each other albums to review for each other. That's making it fun because we get to see an opinion of a album we like and not just a comment like "that album sucks" or "omg it's soooo cool".

[TockTockTock]

Tore, if you don't mind me asking, but why aren't a mod anymore? What happened?

[Bloozcrooz]

I was wondering the same thing^^

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by Jack Pat

Tore, if you don't mind me asking, but why aren't a mod anymore? What happened?

Originally Posted by Boozinbloozin

I was wondering the same thing^^

I posted a longer post in the mods forum, but I can't fetch it since I don't have access there anymore, but .. long story short, moderating musicbanter stopped feeling rewarding and became more like a chore quite a while ago for me. I want to take some of the time and energy I'd normally spend on MB to do stuff elsewhere