Sparky

I still think adding extensions and superflous accessories to the website has nothing to do with strengthening the content or discussion.

I think the multitude of sub categories, specifically the extension of the lounge area (adding the philisophical, media, and all that other BS) is what has effectively drew attention away from music discussion.

midnight rain

^ This is true. Old mods each had different and pretty well defined music interests, like boo boo, Urban, sleepy jack, Seltzer, etc. Maybe I haven't been paying as much attention anymore, but I have little idea what most of the current mods listen to.

Guybrush

It's about changing MB into an environment that rewards productivity. That's harder to do when the site is basically static and run as-is by someone who doesn't show any care about our community. Or do you disagree?

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Sparky

Well i guess it depends on if the argument is that the site has declined

If so, I would argue that the inclusion of these all sub categories, and a larger focus on shallow social media applications (the friends business, journals, photo albums etc) is a large contributor in the decline

If not, I would be more likely to agree with you. Other strong community sites like sputnik, undergroundhiphop bring in most of their traffic via reviews and other blocks of text.

I don't think thats the case here. It's the community that makes it what it is. If you notice a commonality with the posters mentioned by tuna it's that they're engagement and contributions to the website weren't full length text reviews, or well constructed analysis of anything, it was simply by contributing and being willing to participate in eclectic ranges of music.

I post in the music forums quite a bit, and I have never seen you, or most of the mods for that matter. I doubt thats just because my taste is obscure, but because we don't have people who feel like listening to new music, they'd rather shell out their recycled opinions about stuff they're familiar with.

Guybrush

I used to post more on music related topics a while back. I used to run the members compilations, had the prog & fusion album club, had my journal and so on and made a few elaborate official band threads.

Since then, I stepped down as a mod, tried to get my own Canterbury themed site going which has sort of worked (although I never managed to get a proper community going) and instead of doing an album club on these forums, I started one on a mailing list I had with my friends. So most of my music related writings now take place off-site in places where it's generally more rewarding.

For me, it was a conscious decision as MB wasn't able to satisfy my want for writing about music in a way which felt rewarding. That sounds quite bitter, but I'm actually more happy with music writing and the way I use this site these days. F.ex the album club on the mailing list is more fun than trying to do the prog & fusion album club here. I guess all this means that I'm part of the MB decline. But before it came to that, I tried my best and kept going long after it became a chore.

edit :

If my absence from music related going-ons on this site is a slight reduction in the quality of MB, then that itself is an example of the MB environment reducing the quality of the site. I doubt I am the only example of this.

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