Close some forums?

[pappyj]

I'd like to get opinions from people who have been around here longer than me. Are there some forums that could be closed and not missed? I have added a couple where I saw a need due to the threads on other forums, but it seems that many forums are not used much. What's the need for the private forums? Which ones would you close and why? I'd like to try to streamline the board a little.

Regards,
John Watts
bigroadblues.com
coast2coastmusic.com
Harmonicas & Guitars

[ricochet]

I don't think the private forums would be missed. Some of us signed up for them when they were posted, I think mainly not to be left out, and after a few "Well, we're here" messages pretty much ignored them. A few folks took offense that someone might be trying to form an exclusive elite and leave them out. Seems to me that the functions of a private forum can be basically handled by private messages. I suppose there could be instances when topics would be discussed that you wouldn't want unregistered visitors privy to, but I haven't seen it here.

[srvlives]

IMO, most forums seem to have mutated into specialist areas. I think this could fix that:

Recording - into Equipment Forum
Chromatic Harmonica - into Harmonica Forum
Harmonica Tab - what next, guitar tab, piano tab, accordion tab!
In Search Of - into Talking Blues
Best Line From a Blues Song - into Talking Blues
Blues News and Gossip - into Talking Blues
This v That - gone altogether
The Best - gone
Have You Heard The One About - gone
Opinions - into Suggestion Box
Announcements - these appear at the top of the page anyway
Weird, weird, weird - gone
Private Forums - gone

well.... you asked!

'Forget all about that macho #####,
and learn how to play guitar'

[hashtaff]

What he said.

"Blues don't know where you're going,
they don't care where you been.
Looks like blues done got me again "

[bosco]

Pappy- So glad you asked...

Some pruning is necessary, but my plan isn't nearly as agressive as some previously mentioned...after all, the Chromatic Harp, Harp Tab and Recording conferences were just added. Without further a do;

Opinions and Rants & Flames combined = Rants & Opinions
Way Off Topic and Weird, Weird combined = Way Off Topic or Weird
This vs That and Best Line added into = The Best
Smoking Room and Inner Sanctum combined = Inner Sanctum

I'm sure that last suggestion will be debated, as it was when Doc installed the private forums. Private messages only address one member at a time. Blueswriter's Fall-Sell-Athon, a certain flamer's less than graceful entrance and the crisis when Doc announced the imminent closing are all recent examples of the veteran braintrust needing privacy to consort. To the best of my knowlege, no one fled the board in disgust after the private forums appeared, they only questioned their existence. I haven't seen them questioned in many months, by new members or anyone else, and it is better to have a facility like that available for when it's needed than to wish for a place to meet away from unregistered guests in a crunch.

These suggestions would eliminate 5 conferences. I feel there is still a need for a Music Joke section, Suggestions, Blues News, Reviews and basically all the other existing forums. Why Harp tab? Because it is unique and hard to come by...there is guitar tab all over the internet and piano sheet music is available by the warehouse.

Thanks for considering our input...

Bosco

[alexjay]

While I'll agree that some forums just aren't being used much, I think that SRVLIVES' proposal was a bit more draconian than is really needed.
(Still, you made for a good starting point, SRV!)

Certain areas that see little use, I feel, need to remain open so that the Forum in toto can best appeal to a wide range of blues fans and players--the best example being the Blues Piano Conference.

Others, of course, really don't have much of a raison d'etre beyond existence as a thread in one of the other forums, as in the Chromatic Harmonica Conference.

Things like The Best ... are good ideas and, I think, get enough traffic to justify their continued existence.

I DO, however, feel that the In Search Of, Wish I'd Known This, and News and Gossip conferences should remain as is. It's when these are updated that they draw people's attention, and certain important milestones might get overlooked if the News conference were folded into another--similarly, a question gnawing at a poster's brain might not get answered if it weren't in the In Search Of conference.

My nominees for conferences ripe for folding into others are as follows: Recording (folded into Equipment Blues), Chromatic Harmonica, Harmonica Tab (folded into Blues Harp), Best Line From a Blues Song, This vs. That (folded into The Best), Have You Heard the One About, Weird Weird Weird, Way Off Topic (folded into one new conference: "Weird, Wacky, Way Off Topic" ).

[badfinger]

Edited (shortened) version of an item first posted 18 August 2002)

The only real criticism I have about the site is that it has too many forums. The continuity of threads sometimes gets lost in conference-hopping. Posts about building, modifying and repairing guitars seem more to inhabit the slide forum than any equipment-related conference, rubbing shoulders with cd reviews and references to concerts and gigs, playing techniques, tab sources...

I believe that some conferences might usefully be removed, and others amalgamated; for example:
“TALKING BLUES” seems a perfectly good place to handle all the topics it does, plus those presented in “IN SEARCH OF” and “NEWS & GOSSIP”. (These three conferences carry cross-over topics already.)

“RECOMMENDING THE BLUES”, “WHAT I’M LISTENING TO”, and “REVIEWING THE BLUES” are obvious candidates for conjoining to one forum, so are “SUGGESTIONS” and “OPINIONS”.

“THIS vs THAT” seems a waste of space, as does “BEST LINE FROM A BLUES SONG”.

To separate ELECTRIC, ACOUSTIC, and SLIDE guitar conferences is illogical. (I guess it derives from the slideguitar.com origins.) Most people jump back and forth (not knowing – or caring) where they should post. Any differences along the way are generally hardware-related and thus could be catered for in “EQUIPMENT BLUES”, tho’ most slide-players’ guitar details (electric, reso, acoustic or otherwise) are dealt with in the slide conference!).

A case certainly exists for stand-alone HARP and PIANO forums (but again, if so, why not forums for singing, bass, brass, woodwind... )

“I WISH I’D KNOWN THIS”, and “WEIRD, WEIRD, WEIRD” seem to fulfil a need, but barely beyond what can be accomodated elsewhere.

An argument to explain the purpose, need or justification of “THE SMOKING ROOM”, and “THE INNER SANCTUM” has still to be made... I’m not holding my breath.

To summarise: I suggest the following changes to the forum structure; a leaner, easier to navigate and use (and less expensive?) site would result.

REMOVE: “In Search Of...” , and “News & Gossip”.
(“Talking Blues” seems an adequate cover.)

REMOVE: “Recommending The Blues”, and “Reviewing The Blues”.
(“What I’m Listening To” is sufficient.)

REMOVE: “This vs That”, “The Best...”, and “Best Line From A Blues Song”.
(Easily accommodated in”Talking Blues” – note how the “Trivia” quiz just slotted in.)

REMOVE: “Way Off Topic...”, “The Smoking Room...”, “The Inner Sanctum...”
(I suppose a need could be identified for a “General, Non-Blues” conference – which will be generally ignored - but not four of them, and "Talking Blues" is a very useful place for general blues-related natter!)

COMBINE: “Suggestions”, and “Opinions” to simply “Suggestions and Opinions”

COMBINE/REMOVE: “Electric...”, “Acoustic...,” and “Slide...” guitar conferences. (In their place simply “SLIDE” and “NON-SLIDE”, or “SLIDERS”, and “FRETTERS” (whatever); most acoustic players have p’ups fitted or own electrics, anyway and share common interests.


There's a start...

bf

[deltablues57]

There are some forums that have not been posted to in weeks or months. Why not remove those. Obviously they are not necessary.
Thanks for resurecting the beast. It is a nice place to visit.

[pappyj]

I'm still working on it, I moved the posts from Opinions to here so as not to lose them, and will close the Opinions forum. The posts seem to move over in non-date order though (still learning!) This should bump the current topic back to the top.

Chromatic forum is gone - obviously no interest, but I'm a harpocentric kind of guy, so bear with me.

Private forums - unless there is any real objection I'll close them. I could possibly see a need if there were a group of managers that had to discuss web site and forum management, but there aren't and I would rather discuss this type of topic with the membership at large anyway. Mostly what I saw there could be done on existing forums or the "off topic" forum.

Others will follow after some more discussion but these moves seem to be universally agreed by those who responded.


Regards,
John Watts
bigroadblues.com
coast2coastmusic.com
Harmonicas & Guitars

[ricochet]

Seems reasonable to me. Thanks for asking, John!

[houndog]

Hello Pappy J,
and welcome to the wakky world of BRB people...(you win this in a game of snake eyes or what???)

Anyhoo,
I have been conversing with my big Oz pal Blinds over 12,ooo miles and 11.5 hours time difference...
....how...
...well through Yahoo messenger..

Blinds got me into the Yahoo deal and it can accomodate us all...and we can even talk...so how about Blinds cops us a Yahoo tutorial and we drop the smoking room stuff.

How are y'Dr.M ...still kicking...I hope so ....

adios,
Lovat.

[blinds]

K. for those who hav'nt already got Y messenger there's a link

http://messenger.yahoo.com/

To access rooms just hit the chat button at the top of messenger once it's installed and u'll get a rooms list

I'll have a Big Road Blues Room there next week,

I'll post more details threw the week

blinds

[ricochet]

> and welcome to the wakky world of BRB people...(you win
>this in a game of snake eyes or what???)

What makes you think he WON, Lovat?

[houndog]

Troo Rico, troo.
Hey I waved to you when I came out of O'Hare airport...!

Now how about a blues drummer thread...there must be some out there ...or is it like a STD...we know it happens...but no one wants to talk about it....!

A 1 a 2 a 3...no it's like a 1 a 2 a 3 a...no wait this ain't a Van Halen tribute band ....it's a ONE a TWO a THREE a....

Seriously 20 years ago a Blues band I was in bought a drum machine....less hassle and drank far less.

adios,
Lovat.

[ricochet]

We've got all sorts of musicians here. There's plenty of room for some drummers, too!

(That'll smoke 'em out fer ya, Lovat.)