Missing Members

[Szykneij]

Yes, it's a nice forum to get away from all that stuff.

Agreed. That's one of the main reasons I started being active here again.

[vandermolen]

I only regularly followed another forum when this one went into temporary meltdown. I realised how much I missed it. Anyway, on the other forum, despite a seemingly large membership, there seemed to be surprisingly little activity. When I posted something there would sometimes be weeks waiting for a response - I commented that it was like trying to communicate with someone on the outer fringes of the Solar System. Eventually I did get a reply (as it turned out from Christo of this forum) saying 'Black Hole Calling!' Then I returned to this forum when it was back in operation.  I don't always expect responses. I sometimes join in the political threads (or the less controversial cat threads for that matter) but they are not why I am here.

[DavidW]

I think all forums excepting reddit are on a death spiral.  Having been gone for so long I can tell you that the traffic is a shadow of what it used to be here.

[vandermolen]

I think all forums excepting reddit are on a death spiral.  Having been gone for so long I can tell you that the traffic is a shadow of what it used to be here.

Why do you think that is David?

[DavidW]

Why do you think that is David?

People moved from message boards to social media.  I don't use social media but it seems like it lacks that ability to bring different people together over a common passion the way that message boards do.

[Karl Henning]

Agreed. That's one of the main reasons I started being active here again.

And good to "see" you, Tony!

[Karl Henning]

Too bad that a respected member leaves (and deletes all his post) for that reason, if you are right.. BTW I have always thought, that political (and religious) threads should be banned in a civilized music forum like this one. If people want to discuss politics there are many alternative options.

Sadly, in Handelian's case (and I certainly agree that his musical contributions will be missed) He seemed uninterested in actual discussion in the Politics thread, but consistently trolled instead.

[MusicTurner]

People moved from message boards to social media.  I don't use social media but it seems like it lacks that ability to bring different people together over a common passion the way that message boards do.

From what I've seen, the Reddit Classical music section is of quite limited interest; now and then one can stumble upon a small thing that might be entertaining, but it's all rather incoherent, brief and short-lived. 

[prémont]

Sadly, in Handelian's case (and I certainly agree that his musical contributions will be missed) He seemed uninterested in actual discussion in the Politics thread, but consistently trolled instead.

So if political discussions had been banned in GMG, Handelian would have concentrated upon his musical post, and he probably wouldn't have left the forum.

[Gurn Blanston]

So if political discussions had been banned in GMG, Handelian would have concentrated upon his musical post, and he probably wouldn't have left the forum.

Don't know if you can make a cause and effect relationship there. I was given to understand that he was expelled from his previous forum for being a perpetual troller, and given the proportion of his political posts here (all trolls) vs. his musical ones, it may have been a pathological character defect. I don't know, I won't speak ill of the departed.

[prémont]

Don't know if you can make a cause and effect relationship there. I was given to understand that he was expelled from his previous forum for being a perpetual troller, and given the proportion of his political posts here (all trolls) vs. his musical ones, it may have been a pathological character defect. I don't know, I won't speak ill of the departed.

Well, I understand. I wasn't aware, because I didn't read more than the first few of his political posts, finding them lacking anything of interest. Calling him a respected member above I referred to his musical posts.

[Brian]

I don't understand why we need a ban of a topic for people to avoid it. I'm allowed to go to North Dakota, but I've been alive for 31 years without ever once being interested in going to North Dakota.

[bhodges]

I don't understand why we need a ban of a topic for people to avoid it. I'm allowed to go to North Dakota, but I've been alive for 31 years without ever once being interested in going to North Dakota.

Very well-expressed, thank you. (No offense to any pals in North Dakota.  )

--Bruce

[bhodges]

What hasn't been explained is why we need a political topic on a music forum?  Politics and religion are hot button issues and discussions often become confrontational. 

I really don't get the necessity of having it here at all.

It is the wish of Rob, the forum's owner/operator/funder. And most of the time, political discussion is kept under control by those engaging in it. But now and then things go awry.

My feeling is, that like many of the non-music topics here, fine to delve into politics occasionally. But if that is someone's prime reason for being here, then he or she has the wrong forum.

--Bruce

[Gurn Blanston]

What hasn't been explained is why we need a political topic on a music forum?  Politics and religion are hot button issues and discussions often become confrontational. 

I really don't get the necessity of having it here at all.

But you say that as if you believe that me and Bruce and Que & Knight sat down together one day and said "screw it, we're gonna have a politics topic, fallout be damned". The train has left the station on this, and it is what the owner of the forum says it is. We moderate the hell out of that thread, which isn't how we like to spend our precious time here. But we do it anyway in order to maintain a semblance of civility.

I don't understand why we need a ban of a topic for people to avoid it. I'm allowed to go to North Dakota, but I've been alive for 31 years without ever once being interested in going to North Dakota.

This should say everything that needs to be said. Substitute your *favorite* place for North Dakota.

[DavidW]

I feel like we've had this discussion for like twenty years.  Funny enough I think the most vitrolic fights I've seen were over PI vs MI, was Mozart a fraud, Koechlin is the greatest composer etc. all musical threads.

[Que]

Funny enough I think the most vitrolic fights I've seen were over PI vs MI, was Mozart a fraud, Koechlin is the greatest composer etc. all musical threads.

Aaaahh, fond memories.... 

I recall the HIP debate as neverending, but not as particularly vitriolic. But perhaps time has softened my memories...
Interestingly the whole thing is a non issue these days, at least for most of us.

Robert Newman's Mozart-was-a-fraud trolling was higly entertaining! 

Q

[Szykneij]

When I was a little kid and visiting my aunt, I used to look at a larger version of this figurine she had in her kitchen and wonder what it meant. Now, over 50 years later, I  get it.   

[Gurn Blanston]

Aaaahh, fond memories.... 

I recall the HIP debate as neverending, but not as particularly vitriolic. But perhaps time has softened my memories...
Interestingly the whole thing is a non issue these days, at least for most of us.

Robert Newman's Mozart-was-a-fraud trolling was higly entertaining! 

Q

As you will one day learn, young friend, lots of things soften with time, but life carries on. David is right, many of those discussions were really bitter. Somewhere I have a couple of PM's from Jens about that...

I am a member of an organization that distributes scholarly writings, the other day they sent me a blurb (knowing my interest in Haydn and Mozart) for an essay by Robert Newman. Well, that shot their credibility in the arse! 

[The new erato]

Newman.... Those were the days.