Come on good people !!!

[Geir]

I know I know I know !!!

I am sticking my head out again !!!

But .... in order for this community to thrive and continue in the good spirit it has been the last years we need to comment more !!!!! I know we all want a gazillion comments on our own song posts, but in order to get that, we ALL need to comment more. I AM A NERD !!! I admit it. And being more than averagely obsessed with statistics I have observed that the ratio of comments vs posts has deteriorated lately. I hope we all can take the time to leave a little friendly comment on our friends musical efforts and by that keeping up the good spirit of this site. I must emphasize that I'm not speaking for myself here.
I have gotten more than my share of comments (for which I am truly grateful). I am however concerned for the community. The soul of this community is based on the fact that we ALL take time to listen to, AND to comment on each other's music. I've had my share of roubles the last years and I know quite a few of you have your own challenges. But just try to remember .... if you want 10 comments on your song ... well, ... then give at LEAST 10 comments on other peoples music !!!!! If not,  .... it doesn't add up !!!! It's as simple as that !!!!


OK ... rant finished !! I'm speaking as much to myself as to anyone else !!!!

Keep on posting!!! Keep on listening !!! AND Keep on rocking in the free world !!!!!!

Love you all !!!

G.

[bruno]

Couldn't agree more Geir - listening and commenting is difficult and takes time but this is a community and it will only survive if people participate and that is posting your creations and then commenting on others. Things have appeared slow to me too, thats not via stats, but but observing the boards moving slowly.

My journey in Songcrafters has been an interesting one to date. I starting here musically drifting and not really progressing. I set a goal to record 10 tracks in a year, I ended up with well over a 100 tracks. Its cost me a small fortune, cos as you progress, you need more stuff - but I don't regret one penny. I have made some great friends through collaborations, the highlight meeting with Hook and his family in Tampa, and playing a gig in the states - it was a fabulous experience, and something I treasure. Am looking forward to meeting and playing again next year. I listen to my older recordings, and can say hand on heart that I have progressed, and that is through all the help and encouragement from this site, through comments. Lets us all help keep this site too what it is - comments are its lifeblood.

B

[alfstone]

My opinion is that even if today there are 1319 active () members, those who really participate in Songcrafters posting music and commenting are less than 100, maybe 60-70 or so. This makes harder and harder a growth of the site.

I add that comments are most of times very encouraging. It's nice, since this makes SC a sort of a family, where everybody supports the other members. But for tireness, or when a member doesn't appreciate a particular post, or even when we think that we are commenting (more or less) in the same way always the same members, well, it may happen that the number of comments is going down. But I repeat, the real problem, for me, is that the site doesn't grow: most members are here a couple of weeks, or months, post something, sometimes comment...

...and then disappear.

Alfredo

[IanR]

I really value this site and have not posted a lot over the past.  I do it in spurts when time and other distractions allow.

I agree with the comments above and I'll try to do better.

I also agree that we need to concentrate on the new names that come on to the site and not just on our old familiar friends.

I'd also like to discuss how we might be able to provide legitimate criticism of peoples' work.  I find that the commentary is mostly positive and where someone needs some direction or advice, we tend not to comment for fear of insulting them.  I think that may be a retrograde approach because unless you get feedback, there is no point participating.  Some newer people may be missing out on learning opportunities because we "ignore" them.

Ian

[64Guitars]

There seems to be an increasing number of people who only comment on other people's songs when they have something new of their own which they hope to get comments on. If everyone had that attitude, the community wouldn't survive. I wish those members would try to visit the site more regularly and comment on a few songs whether they have something new or not.

I'd also like to discuss how we might be able to provide legitimate criticism of peoples' work.  I find that the commentary is mostly positive and where someone needs some direction or advice, we tend not to comment for fear of insulting them.  I think that may be a retrograde approach because unless you get feedback, there is no point participating.  Some newer people may be missing out on learning opportunities because we "ignore" them.

I think criticism of people's songs is seldom helpful, however well-intentioned it might be. It only leads to hurt feelings and discouragement. What makes Songcrafters different from other sites is that we only support and encourage one another by offering positive comments. That makes people feel good about their songs so they want to record more songs. The more they record, the better they get. Criticism has the opposite effect. It discourages people so they become less enthusiastic about recording more songs and may even give up. Nobody gets better that way.

Music is very subjective. We all have different likes and dislikes. I believe it's wrong to criticise someone's work because our tastes are not the same as theirs. Music is art, not science. There's no right or wrong.

So I hope everyone will continue to offer only positive comments. If you're tempted to tell someone what's wrong with their song, please don't. It's only your opinion based on your own taste. If you can't think of anything positive to say about a song, then skip it and listen to another song instead. There are plenty to choose from and it's easy to find one you like.

[SharksDontSleep]

I really value this site and have not posted a lot over the past.  I do it in spurts when time and other distractions allow.

There seems to be an increasing number of people who only comment on other people's songs when they have something new of their own which they hope to get comments on. If everyone had that attitude, the community wouldn't survive. I wish those members would try to visit the site more regularly and comment on a few songs whether they have something new or not.

Quote 1: I fully agree. I myself, am one of the above. I comment & attend the forum when the time/mood takes me. This often coincides with when I have something myself to show. Is this wrong? I don't think so. If more lurking members did this, then you'd still have a thriving community & one which would show even greater diversity.
Quote 2: As I said above, surely the real problem is members not commenting at all, not those who only comment when they have something themselves to show. Isn't this just a natural by-product of time vs inclination?

I don't mean to offend anyone & I certainly don't begrudge anyone who wishes to leave lots of comments. I just think this forum has room for all creeds, the dedicated & the not so.

[Hilary]

But just try to remember .... if you want 10 comments on your song ... well, ... then give at LEAST 10 comments on other peoples music !!!!! If not,  .... it doesn't add up !!!! It's as simple as that !!!!

I would prefer it if people commented on my songs because they enjoyed them and wanted to say something about them to me not because they felt that had some sort of comment quota to fill.

So I hope everyone will continue to offer only positive comments.

If by posting songs on here I only get positive comments then I'm only posting them to massage my own ego and missing out on some valuable learning opportunities.

[Oldrottenhead]

i don't get near the site as often as i like these days and that's not likely to change anytime soon. so as a result my commenting and posting are both greatly reduced.

as with regards to the nature of comments. older members here will have been down that road many times and know how extremely ugly that can get.

there are plenty of music forums that do offer constructive criticism and they are not for the faint hearted.

we have always been a supportive community and positive supportive comments are at the core of our values here.

[Mike_S]

Hi,

I think I may well be one of those who tends to increase comments on other folks songs when I myself have something new out there. I know this then might appear self serving but it is not intended in that way. I similar to most folks have a busy enough life and my natural interest in music and Songcrafters increases as I myself feel the inclination to make music. As we know when our passion is aroused for music it kind of takes over and we somehow find time.

I agree that members need to participate and comment on other peoples songs. Personally i try to leave positive comments, but only if it is genuinely felt. If something leaves me feeling cold i will not comment as this would not be not really honest. I intend to comment more often if possible regardless of how often i post myself and hope that i can as there is always some really good music on here.

[bruno]

There are a very wide range of people on this site, from all walks of life. James is right, we have been down this path before, normally resulting in someone throwing a hissy-fit and walking. Not the intention of this thread.

All I will say is people have agendas - if you try and work it all out, it all becomes way too complicated and will tie you in knots. So now I listen regularly given free time, when I listen I tend to post, sometimes later. I will offer gentile technical constructive criticism if I think it is required, and always presented clearly as my opinion.  Technical criticism is not the art, but the mechanics of recording and producing, like vocals being too quiet. I post my stuff when produced - and hope other members treat me in the same way.

I do love the ethos on this site, I love the way that it has helped me, and I love most of the tracks I have produced on this journey, long may it continue.

B