People, try and resist starting threads that pit songs against each other or albums or artists...

A man who knows his Marvel history!

 

But, the ones that were locked were silly, or negative in nature. Somewhere in that locked thread, or on this one, one of the mods stated that were discouraged, but if we did start one, to make sure that they made sense, like making sure the artists/music matched. In other words, no Don Ho vs. Megadeath, or hip-hop vs. classic rock. The one about the most annoying singer was locked because it became a bash-fest. Steve may get an opportunity to master someone's work, but would get rejected because of the stuff they read on this forum. They would hold him responsible for what is written on this forum. Unfair, but that's the way people operate. he might be in the running to do some Rush one day. Geddy Lee would look at this forum and see stuff written about him, and move on.

 

I still don't consider it a directive, more a recommendation. However, @noname74 as you mentioned there was no debate on it tmk.

And @Grant, I assume you meant that this thread is open and we can debate his recommendation? If so, then obviously that's a given and I agree -- but again that's all after-the-fact. EDIT: Trying to keep mindful that this is in the Music section so post slightly edited.

 

You call it a recommendation, I call it a request.

 

I may be late to this thread and I could not agree with Steve H more. On the other hand I don't read those threads anyway, they are kinda pointless.

 

If you don't read them, how would you know they are "pointless"?

 

You can tell by the subject line. Asinine, immature, ridiculous...such things are obvious, and a waste of time, in a life that's already too short.

 

How about this, just ban polls altogether.
You could set strict, specific guidelines etc., but trust me it wouldn't stop.

 

Read enough of these threads,and you will get the idea.

Generally,I would think that was a great idea,but the more outrageous and wackier polls make for some very entertaining threads!

 

I think that "pointless" is a subjective determination. NASCAR is pointless to me, but some people think that it is amazing.

 

Life is too short?

Better stop reading threads all together. The internet in general is a time suck.

 

I like NASCAR. I just don't like the type of people who go to those races because they like to pit groups of people against other groups of people.

 

...said the guy who just generalized about an entire "type of people."

 

It takes all kinds of personalities to fill out a forum and while most threads and posts are innocuous and sometimes quite interesting, it only takes a teaspoon of ignorance to spoil a gallon of truth. Most folks add insight and valuable information to the conversations but some people simply aren't happy unless they can control the dialogue and let's not forget the old farts that come to a thread with a chip on their shoulder, looking for a fight.

Over time, my experience on Steve's forums has allowed me to avoid those threads that are destined for controversy and spite-filled posts. Call me a cynic but my only real lament is that now I have to scan 3 or 4 pages of thread titles to find the few good topics that interest me whereas I used to be able to accomplish that in the first page. I follow a strategy of tolerance and simply ignore posts (and members) that are overtly confrontational or dismissive of others' opinions. I don't think its my responsibility to correct anyone or police the threads - that's the moderators' job but if I were to suggest an action to take against offending posts, I'd first issue a warning and then lock out repeat offenders and send them to an etiquette primer page that emphasizes courtesy, tolerance and good forum manners.

The fact that we're essentially anonymous here allows us to act in ways that simply wouldn't fly in real world face-to-face interactions but if we acted as if we were, I believe there would be much less dissension, sniping and bitterness in our posts. The occasional argument would still get heated but I'd hope that it'd convey more respect and tolerance and then the mean-spirited posts would have no traction.

 

Personally, I'd rather read threads that pit songs against each other than to read endless threads about how poorly re-mastered, over-compressed, brick walled and "unlistenable" music is today.

The "pit" threads are usually entertaining to me. I find the threads that complain about quality are repetitive, redundant and pointless.

Fortunately, I have the option to read just the threads I enjoy.

 

True, some of the wholesale, generalized grumpy griping about how everything's gone to the dogs has a repetitive, knee-jerk, and toxic quality.

But this forum is by far the most important resource on the internet for researching and discussing the relative sound quality of various releases, reissues, and pressings. Some of those discussions can become heated debates but by and large it's possible to glean essential information to guide buying and listening choices.

Which has nothing to do with "Brahms vs. Sonny Bono" type polls, however entertaining such ridiculousness can be.

 

I haven't seen any of these lately, thank goodness. Even that hip-hop masterpiece thread was, AFAIK, free of any threadcraps.

If those usual posters who rant about modern music are finally using some self-control I want you to know that it's appreciated.

 

You caught on!

 

These guys are responsible for the vast number of thread closures, I think.

Well, as you know, they now use a point system (I prefer to call them demerits). They sometimes issue warnings, depending on the severity of the offense. If it's a thread with a whole lot of violations, it keeps them busy. The mods assign a (secret) certain number of points to each offense, depending on the severity. Once you've gained enough points, they may suspend you. This usually happens on a monthly basis. From what I see, this works well. Also, ignoring members helps. And, some people don't like it, but the mods want us to report posts.

Problem is, few people would want their real name on this kind of forum. And, having to use one's name would discourage people from signing up, even if it were useful. Most people would just create a phony identity anyway.

 

You didn't see them because they were quickly removed by the gorts.

 

That's the reason I joined up here just over seven (!) years ago, to get that sort of info after wondering why so many CDs I'd bought recently sounded so crappy and why smaller-label/indie stuff tended to sound better. One eventually learns to ID and tune out those sorts of folks who, like, complain about how the Beatles mono remasters were a brickwalled mess and whatnot.

 

frankly, if i may speak, the OP is totally in the right. song vs song threads, whats the point?

 

Yeah, that's entirely possible.

If so, then kudos to the Gorts for swooping in as I never even saw one single threadcrap.

 

bttt

 

If we start eliminating threads because they are pointless, we wouldn't have much left. Nearly all of them are pointless, but that doesn't mean we don't enjoy reading them and participating in the conversations.

The description of this discussion forum is "The place to discuss music! Be it your favorite recordings, the mastering work of SH, or anything else related to music, this is the place to be." Maybe "unless it's pointless" should be added to the description.