Is the HH discussion board almost extinct?

[Fat Freddy]

Sorry Keef, perhaps a mental picture you do need will help:

 

The forum, it's barren

The girl in my office once sexed a man called Aaron

Lucky mofo, I'd like to take his place and possession of his penis

Use it as my own to enjoy her sweetness

I like vaginas and pizza

When I flex, my large biceps are a recognisable feature

I eat seaweed and juice

Once I'm done the women I bed are loose

My apologies I'm getting too vile

Zip my rhymes, compress them and keep them on file

Let's un-desolate this forum

I was once in a band with Matt Sorum

I played drums and he served me nachos

It was good, he was a top mofo

G-Scribbler winding up this wikkid-ass tale for now

Peace out, make love and deep fry a cow

 

WOOOORRRRRD UP HOMEY GEE!!!

[phaffas]

blew me off both times.

 

that Pete boy does have a big mouth!

[Blue Charvel]

One final point...not that this is a bad thing, per se...but it is rather cliqu-ey here. Tough for new people to get into discussions...been here for 6 years. I don't think anyone's ever taken interest in striking up a conversation....met Charvel TWICE. Once at FarCry/D2 show in Chicopee, Ma. and at MR Fest 2...blew me off both times.

Shit man, I'm sorry about that! I know a lot of people from message boards, but unfortunately I usually don't know their names or faces.

 

If I did blow you off it was unintentional for sure bro, gigs are kind of a whirlwind experience for me and I try to be as accessible as possible but I'm far from perfect. If I see you again, hit me up with your screen name and I'll DEFINITELY know who you are. Again, very sorry man I'm about the last musician on earth to get sucked into that rock star ego bullshit, but I am a little overwhelmed sometimes in addition to being distracted by shiny objects and stuff...

 

In other news, although I agree with you about people digging a lot of stuff I don't, I think the genre is not dying, especially compared to the early 2000's when I started getting into it... changing maybe, but not dying... at least not for me!

[JamesEagle]

Some positivity now, rock n roll!

 

The board plays a big part in getting me through quiet days at work and evenings when the wife is in a bad mood ... long may it continue!

[Rockposer]

As has already been said, all forums take a dip or go quite, reasons....plenty!

 

No, I don't post thirty times a day, but that's not the point. I've learned a lot from the guys here on HH and can count some of them as friends.

[eaglesfan3000]

I don't have my cushy desk job anymore and I can only post in the evening and on the weekends. I agree the board isn't nearly as active as it was a couple of years ago.

[Jacob M.]

Until I find gainful employment I can't do much of anything. It's been a hellacious nightmare. No music or anything else until then.

[RichieZ]

I'm still here and will continue to stop by even if it's for just a few minutes. Better and more fun than melodicrock.com IMO

[Nick C]

I'm just running out of things to say at the minute! Even stupid stuff, which if you ask my wife is pretty amazing for me!

 

I think a real drop in my buying habits has contributed a bit.

Over the last few months or so I've bought a total of 3 CDs and one of those was a CD single, and the other two from charity shops and none of them current releases. So I can't really comment on new releases when I haven't heard them, and many I have no desire to hear which may be more to do with my malaise at the moment than the music. There's plenty of folks here who have their fingers on the pulse with regards new releases ... not me though. Then with Christmas and holidays abroad and birthdays coming up I can't see me having much spare cash until next year.

It's funny though, usually I'm chomping at the bit to buy stuff but since I've had to cut back I've not really been too bothered about picking anything up really. Although I'll be grabbing the new UChild and Nelson (at some point), and the Tribunal Records version of Casanova's One Night Stands to complete my little collection.

But on the other hand, because I've not bought so much I'm actually going back and listening to stuff I haven't heard in ages or that I didn't properly listen to when I first got it and I'm enjoying it immensely in that respect. I think sometimes buying too much can often lead to a kind of numbness where you buy something just for the sake of having it and after playing it once gets put away and forgotten, want it, get it, forget it...haha!

 

Plus this last 12 months or so has been a bit of a whirlwind family wise and house wise...just busy busy, worry worry and I honestly feel like I need a decent break, even my time off work in Summer found me going back feeling like I'd had no time off.

Just feel like I need to sloooowwwww down a little and just relax.

 

But I'll always be here, just short of a little inspiration at the moment.

[heavyharmonies]

I think that a lot of people are moving on to other things. The economy sucking certainly doesn't help.

 

I know that I personally don't have anywhere near as much time to work on the site as I used to.

 

Interestingly enough, the traffic to the main site hasn't gone down; just the board itself.

 

So how do we spruce things up? What changes (that wouldn't require a boatload of man hours) do you think would improve the place and/or possibly draw people in?

 

I don't go onto other forums and promote the board here, as that's considered poor etiquette, tantamount to spamming.

 

-Dan

[Fat Freddy]

 

So how do we spruce things up?

 

 

Four words: Barnyard amputee snuff porn.

[Jeff]

I have only been a member for a year or two(?) but I have noticed the change as well. I still stop out here but not as often. I also dont look as forward to it like I used to. I can only speak for myself as to why:

1. Most of the topics at the top of the list are those "Name Game" topics. I used to try those but overall they consume and fill the list with useless stuff. I'm not ripping on those that like to post in those topics. There is just too many of them and they are always at the top of the New Content. Sifting passed them is tedious.

2. The search feature sort of sucks. I need to find something it is really hit and miss.

3. I am a sleaze/glam fan first, 80's hard rock / melodic rock second. A lot of the topics are not about sleaze. They do seem more AOR and light rock oriented. This is fine, there are a few folks on here that are sleaze fans first and I am able to get good info.

4. Some of the topics do not get a lot of replies, so I don't bother

 

That said, I have met some great people on this board and made some new friends. Many of you have knowledge and facts about bands that I could never imagine being able to remember. I have learned a lot and don't plan on going anywhere.

 

Now, fire up that Random Sleaze Glam Bands thread Lindsay!

[heaven&hell]

That said, I have met some great people on this board and made some new friends.

 

You rock Jeff.

[heaven&hell]

 

So how do we spruce things up?

 

 

Four words: Barnyard amputee snuff porn.

 

That would really help bring in traffic.

[heaven&hell]

I think that a lot of people are moving on to other things. The economy sucking certainly doesn't help.

 

I know that I personally don't have anywhere near as much time to work on the site as I used to.

 

Interestingly enough, the traffic to the main site hasn't gone down; just the board itself.

 

So how do we spruce things up? What changes (that wouldn't require a boatload of man hours) do you think would improve the place and/or possibly draw people in?

 

I don't go onto other forums and promote the board here, as that's considered poor etiquette, tantamount to spamming.

 

-Dan

 

We need some controversy that always helps.

 

Someone should probably start a fake record company and reissue some rare hard to find cds only to rip the entire board off. That brought everyone closer last time. (Hopefully everyone knows I'm joking).

 

Also you need to some more people since that's always fun.

 

 

Seriously though I agree with what you're saying Dan some people just have less time and less money and aren't buying the cds they once were so don't have as much to talk about. Plus as we all get older or priorties just change. For myself I just haven't had as much time lately plus my computer has been acting shitty as well so that never helps.

 

Maybe off topic but I did prefer the old forum format before the last change as it seemed to be much easier to post and find older posts through the search function. I doubt that has anything to do with the board being busy or not but just two cents.

[66 mustang]

I love the new search feature. much better than the old. just go into the advanced search and check mark the "search titles only" feature and cuts out all the junk searches that you get if you only do a regular search. you looking fora topic on Halo or Plasma TV's, if it was in the title boom, you are there without it pulling everything that has the word Halo or Plasma or TV in the thread.

[Blue Charvel]

That said, I have met some great people on this board and made some new friends.

 

You rock Jeff.

Backed.

[Evil Rick]

That said, I have met some great people on this board and made some new friends.

 

You rock Jeff.

Backed.

True dat!

[Blue Charvel]

As far as sprucing it up goes, ever think about having interviews, reviews, that sort of thing on a more formalized basis? There is no debate that the main site is THE king of research destinations for our genre. Other sites (that shall remain nameless of course) have traded in some of their objectivity to align themselves with different labels, or even starting their own labels, but HH has always been straight up, and has that reputation in spades.

 

Just a thought. Being as this was my first home, and what got me back into the music scene... you owe me BIG TIME! Seriously, this is what got me back in the game, and I'll do whatever I can to keep HH not just in existence, but thriving. Yeah, this coming from the guy who's attendance is all but regular... nonetheless I'm in!

[heavyharmonies]

As far as sprucing it up goes, ever think about having interviews, reviews, that sort of thing on a more formalized basis? There is no debate that the main site is THE king of research destinations for our genre. Other sites (that shall remain nameless of course) have traded in some of their objectivity to align themselves with different labels, or even starting their own labels, but HH has always been straight up, and has that reputation in spades.

 

Just a thought. Being as this was my first home, and what got me back into the music scene... you owe me BIG TIME! Seriously, this is what got me back in the game, and I'll do whatever I can to keep HH not just in existence, but thriving. Yeah, this coming from the guy who's attendance is all but regular... nonetheless I'm in!

 

1. I suck at doing interviews and I hate it. I'm an introvert at heart and the less I have to deal with those icky people thingies, the better.
    
   
2. I did formal reviews early on and found it to be a thankless task that had no upside. If you gush then people think you're in bed with labels/bands. If you're overly critical then the labels/bands take you to task or threaten to not send you any more material. You're continuously trying to walk a fine line trying to make everyone happy, and it simply can't be done effectively.
    
   More importantly, I've always been of the opinion that so-called "expert reviews" are useless. What makes person A's opinion of a CD any more or less valid than person B's opinion? What is more useful is to gain a wide variety of opinions about a CD from different sources, and thus be able to glean some sort of consensus of opinion. That's why the comment section on the main site is so useful.
    
   
3. Both of the above endeavors take a lot of time on an ongoing basis to do well, a commodity I simply don't have a lot of these days. If it's a feature/addition that I can program that in effect runs itself, that I can do, but anything that's high-maintenance or that requires a regular ongoing commitment in order to work is going to be a problem.
   

 

I don't mean to be critical, and they're good ideas, but I have to work within the realistic constraints that I have.

 

I appreciate the effort that you and Ty and especially Mike make to the site and board, but even those tasks are such that, if you needed to a month or two away, the site wouldn't come to a screeching halt. It's somewhat self-perpetuating, with much of the content user-generated, which was a deliberate choice.

 

Sites like melodicrock, et al., that are structured around daily or weekly news, rumor, releases, etc., require a certain sense of immediacy to be effective. If a few weeks go by without CDs being added here at HH, it's not going to kill the site... the site is based on a wealth of data, not the time sensitivity of that data.

 

Don't have that luxury with a news- or interview-based site.

 

Good thoughts though.

 

-Dan

[phaffas]

Just an idea to keep people motivated to come back ~ try using the "Watch this topic" tool and subscribe to a thread so you get reminders to come back and talk...

[Blue Charvel]

Just an idea to keep people motivated to come back ~ try using the "Watch this topic" tool and subscribe to a thread so you get reminders to come back and talk...

Seconded, I just started using that myself, and that is a great tool... in fact it's exactly what notified me of Crocodile Dundee's post up there. ^^^^

[Jeff]

Just an idea to keep people motivated to come back ~ try using the "Watch this topic" tool and subscribe to a thread so you get reminders to come back and talk...

Seconded, I just started using that myself, and that is a great tool... in fact it's exactly what notified me of Crocodile Dundee's post up there. ^^^^

 

Thirded (is that a word?)...I just started using Watch this topic as well, it has helped since I struggle with the Search feature

[heavyharmonies]

Actually, to save time, or to avoid accidentally forgetting to watch a thread, you can change your settings to automatically watch any thread that you reply to.

 

Go to Your Control Panel > Forums > View/Posting/Email Prefs

 

Check the box for "Watch every topic I reply to."

 

You can also choose whether or not the board includes a copy of the posted message in the email (I find it handy to determine whether or not I need to jump to the board right away when reading email), and whether you get notification immediately, daily, weekly, or not at all.

 

-Dan

 

P.S. Maybe this should be a stickey?

[JamesEagle]

I may have said this before, but I just want to say it again - the site f**kin' rocks! Gets me through some really dull lunch times at work and gives a much better alternative to being nagged by the wife in the evening. Good work!