OFFLINE

Wow! This is the first post here at the "acoustic cafe" in over 2 months. The Myspace acoustic forum is a little busier than this but pretty bleak as well. Are we just tired of forums in general? The big complaint over at MySpace was the inability to post pics, vids and links. We have these things here but still nobody is using this space. I miss checking in to a lively music forum to see what like minded people are talking about. The normal news feed on a facebook home page just isn't the same. How I long for the good old days, sigh.

OFFLINE

I agree, Steve. I don't know what it is but the myspace thing seemed more conducive to carrying on an actual dialogue. Now there just seems to be so many places, so much 'footage' passing by, I can't seem to figure out when to check in where such that I might discover where other music folks are hanging out.

Many of the myspace refugees from the Lit Forum have found their way here, me included. We have a couple of private groups and I note that although someone tried to get a forum going here, it didn't really catch. Such seems to be the same case with this forum. I admit that even though I started it, I don't check in very often. There's nothing much new to read and no one else is ever here.

Something very workable, and good was definitely lost when myspace went nuts a few months ago. It may take years to re-discover somewhere/people with whom you can establish a similar rapport.

I don't even know how to send a bulletin to everyone who has ever checked in here...maybe I should try to figure it out and see what can be done. But honestly? FB just doesn't have whatever that ingredient is that feels right. I will ponder this further but it is what it is and many people have expressed the same sentiment.

OFFLINE

slips in

come here, instead

http://myface.invisionzone.com/

slips out  

OFFLINE

I know what you're saying Steve. I used to come here and try to keep things going, but hardly anyone else was coming here, so I faded away. I spend time on FB because I can keep tabs on lots of people I know, but it doesn't replace a music forum.

There's a group started up called Folk Music Movement. Lew and Michael Heath are in it also. It's quite lively, but something about it not being arranged in threads, means that conversations slip away and are hard to find again. Posts you've commented on send out entries to your notification list, but don't direct you to the actual post when you click them - just to the group. You spend a lot of time hunting for the post.

Another thing is it's mostly people promoting their music to the group. Once again, a munch of musicians trying to sell to each other, rather than the general public. Also, every post almost immediately gets derailed off-topic. So it's a list of random conversations.

All these things means it's not as good as a forum. So I don't know why I'm not here more often. Maybe I've run out of things to say about music?

OFFLINE

Being unemployed and homeless, I don't have the power or creativity left to contribute anymore.... I really have nothing left to lay on the line for any forum these days.  

OFFLINE

Hey David, I feel for you. The last few years have been pretty tough for us as well but so far, were hanging in there. I don't mean to just breeze by your personal situation but I wonder if the economic collapse has something to do with the death of forums. Maybe not but checking out your favourite forum doesn't seem that important or interesting when you're at risk of losing your home. Facebook in general seems to be thriving but it's quickly becoming SpamBook. I really hope things start looking up for you and everyone for that matter.

OFFLINE

Speaking for myself, it would make a big difference if FB would let me know when there is a new post in the forum. That was one thing MySpace got right.

OFFLINE

Hey Darius. It would be useful wouldn't it? You get these notifications about any posts added to regular FB threads, including if someone didn't even reply, but just 'likes' your comment.

They're half-way there, in that, if you post on a forum thread, you get the option to be told about anyone also posting on it - but my email! pfft.

OFFLINE

It would appear that at least this one is quite in a coma. I guess it's what you make it. Once it gets started, that is...and if it does not get started, then it slowly slips into forum oblivion.

Maybe the format here is just not interesting enough and there are too many better options.

OFFLINE

Originally Posted by Darius Rips:
Speaking for myself, it would make a big difference if FB would let me know when there is a new post in the forum. That was one thing MySpace got right.

Good point Darius. Also what Fhaedra mentioned about this forum not showing up in a search for "music topics" doesn't help. It would be very hard for a newcomer to stumble upon this forum by accident. Bigger than both of these things is the old "a crowd draws a bigger crowd" thing. I used to see this in my old busking days. If I could perform well enough to stop 2 or 3 people for a couple of songs, more would stop until I would have a decent size crowd listening. Same with throwing money in my guitar case. It always seemed like everyone was afraid to be first but as soon as 1 person dropped some cash, many more would follow. The whole thing also worked in reverse. After drawing a good sized crowd and having them stay for a few songs and genuinely enjoying the show, if a few people started to leave, inevitably most of the crowd would disperse. It was a fascinating study of human nature. We're a lot like sheep in that regard. It's along the lines of reaching a critical mass that Martin mentioned. Everybody just wants to be where the action is. The masses have definately moved to Facebook but I find it less than satisfying. Lots of people collecting huge numbers of so called "friends" and lots of spam but not very much intelligent conversation. Fhaedra did a great job of getting this forum started but people just don't seem all that interested. They are instead drawn to the bigger crowd on the main page even if there's not much substance to it. I'm curious if anybody has found that Facebook or any other site for that matter has actually filled the void left by the collapse of the Myspace Acoustic Forum.  

OFFLINE

Originally Posted by Fhaedra Songrider:
It would appear that at least this one is quite in a coma. I guess it's what you make it. Once it gets started, that is...and if it does not get started, then it slowly slips into forum oblivion.

Maybe the format here is just not interesting enough and there are too many better options.

This is my point really. I haven't found better options.

OFFLINE

maybe eventually everything gets said, then you need a new bunch to say it again but differently???

OFFLINE

Steve, I have found no replacement for the space that myspace used to occupy. Mostly, the commentary is inane and light, not that there's anything particularly wrong with that....but if that's the WHOLE thing? Not very satisfying, I agree.

Where have all the good people gone? Gone in every direction wandering in patches, I suppose.

I keep going back to myspace as though I'm searching for some kind of resurgence but it's just nostalgia it seems. Actually, today I'm totally locked out. Must be all my subversive, longer than one word syllabics!

Maybe the cafe needs a regular appointment to ensure that if you stop by during a certain time, you might actually find another human being in here to have a game of verbal pingpong? Dunno.

Do I have to start camping at Walmart? Really? =;-(

OFFLINE

Have you signed your Do Not Resuscitate request?