[NormanB]

As a relatively long term reader of the Forum but an infrequent poster, it has struck me for a while how things change or perhaps don't change on the Forum over the years.

What we see is the repetition of similar posts over the years or even shorter periods eg long tones, Bb fingerings etc. I am not saying this is wrong but what we see is a new group of people replying and some of the "older " members not posting as frequently as they did.

It got me to thinking whether there was in effect some natural law operating here - something along the lines of there is finite number of sax related topics that people can discuss before we are into repeat mode.

There may be something similar with our regular or perhaps not so regular forum contributors who drop out over the years leaving the newer members to contribute to the "repeat topics" which are perhaps new to them. This in effect contributes to the regeneration and continued success of the forum.


Do others share this view or am I reading too much into this.

 

[milandro]

on fora structure, bad or good habits and so on

I think that, generally speaking, lots of people ask a question without ever checking if anything has been written previously within this forum on the topic they intend to discuss, so, they start a new thread (even though this forum has one of the best and more refined search engines I've ever seen...).
Similarly, more often that not, many question on many topics could just be answered (and I often have done....) by a simple Google search like (no offence intended) it happened some time ago when somebody asked something about the Orsi company (if they were still in business and if they produced quality horns) which took just seconds to be found on the internet....

There's nothing wrong with that really other than it makes the forum discuss the same things over and over again with perhaps introducing the slightest difference from and angle which isn't necessarily new but just reflects the personal wish to out one's opinion and find an audience for it.

This is what fora are made of.

In the past (almost a previous life really...) I've been writing for a Photographic Magazine. It was disconcerting how things kept repeating cyclically , so any magazine must have had a routine of publishing updated versions (if at all) of the article someone wrote about the use of filters, how to build the Ideal darkroom, macro photography...... and so on.

Repetition applies to things like music (and musical instruments) or photography or gardening because whether you like it or not we all face still the same problems and situations. On top of this Internat gave the possibility to reach a large audience worldwide at the push of a button.....we all like to gather some attention I guess!

 

[Rick Adams]

I love the word "fora" that's a great plural

I am sure you're both right, but I'd like to think that with many repeated threads it's more of a spiral than a circle in that the same point is discussed but one or two new ideas or experiences get built on top of the previous time it was discussed. As a newer member that's what I'd like to think anyway...

I also think that there is a social side to SOTW. Yes you could do a search of previous threads or yes you could search elsewhere but actually sometimes it's quite nice to actually talk about these things and contribute to that conversation.

Finally perhaps there is the "please explain..." thing. Maybe the conversation has been had before but you still don't completely get it, so questions need to be asked in one's own words in order to get that comprehension. If you ask it in your own words then the answer might be a lot clearer than if you read the answer to someone else's question 6 months ago.

 

[Harri Rautiainen]

Thank you Norman and Milandro for your opinions and looking for the best oif SOTW.

Forum's seach facility has been the on-going topic. While we were performance-limited I did very little for oi (except put some limitations there.)
Now it is an opportune time to revisit it.

Apropos Google,
Google is spidering the forum on regular basis. The SOTW site can be searched before going to the WWW.

The serach box is also found on the DOTW front page.

 

[juan47]

I see the same thing on a film photography forum I'm on. The same questions pop up from different folks every year or so.
juan

 

[milandro]

thanks about mentioning your appreciation for the use of the correct Latin plural it shows the money spent for my studies by my father wasn't entirely wasted as he probably always thought.....

Yes, all fora (I do it again...no expenses spared) cover a great deal of social needs, we are here to talk after all, and exactly like in a solo, one does take it even if another player has done similarly or even better because the fun is in the participating, right?

May I use this chance to express Mr.Harri Rautiainen my sincere thanks for this forum? I believe this is one of the best meeting places on the internet and I am very thankful for that.

 

[Isle of Jazz]

Like juan47, I noticed this phenomenon on a firearms forum I used to visit and is probably common to most message boards and fora; the exception would be on political sites or in rooms like the SOTW Lounge which feature free flowing discussion rather than technical advice.

And I second the expression of gratitude. I've played on and off for nearly a half century - almost embarrassed to admit how much I've learned at this site in the past few months! It's really improved my focus and commitment.

 

[sinkdraiN]

I see nothing wrong with new members asking the same old questions instead of using the search button.

Even though we live in this new FAST information society...there are some who still crave a little social interaction with this "fast internet" information.

 

[Sam]

I used to moderate on the double-bass board at TalkBass.com. One of the ways we got around this phenomenon was to stick "Newby Links" with links to old threads on common topics at the top of each sub-forum.

Take a look if you want to. It took some work to get going. It was fairly easy to maintain once set up. Might be worth a try here. People seemed to get a lot out of it.

 

[Grumpie]

deja-vu on;.... have I seen a discussion like this before......deja-vu off;

 

[hakukani]

...not to mention old dead horses can be beaten in new exciting ways!

 

[milandro]

...not to mention old dead horses can be beaten in new exciting ways!

You mean one can teach an old dog new tricks?:twisted:

 

[hakukani]

You mean one can teach an old dog new tricks?:twisted:

Well...not exactly. How about...New Ways to approach the same old tricks.

Educators love this stuff.

 

[Grumpie]

Well...not exactly. How about...New Ways to approach the same old tricks.

Educators love this stuff.

......and business consultants, they live on it

 

[hsitz]

It got me to thinking whether there was in effect some natural law operating here - something along the lines of there is finite number of sax related topics that people can discuss before we are into repeat mode.

As others have said, it's probably due not to something related to saxes specifically, but rather to laws governing human interaction in any sort of message board like this. I've seen and participated in similar interaction patterns on many software message boards, car message boards, photography message boards, investment message boards, etc.

Set up a board like this with any topic you choose, and if it gets and an audience and grows to critical mass you can bet it will have patterns of interaction like those on other boards.

Old-timers will know of the famous "RTFM" response that got its start many years ago on software message boards where newbies would persist in asking stupid questions that were covered in the documentation. We don't have RTFM on SoW, but there's Gary with his omnipresent "use the search function" reminder.

 

[NormanB]

Sounds as if there could well be some social interaction laws at work here as well as on other fora, but that's out of my field I was only a simple organic chemist by training. Perhaps we need someone with an "-ology " qualification that could put us on the right track. Or perhaps we have sown the seed for some budding "-ologist" to do a thesis and report back to us in due course!!

Whatever is going on I think this is a brilliant forum and source of information and advice. I particularly appreciate the way that Harri and the team have built up the forum to be one where people are respectful of each other's views while often disagreeing and people like me who are still in the "this may be a daft question but.." mode are not inhibited to ask.

I can always remember a teacher at school saying never be afraid to ask a question because it is the only way you will learn and that you can be sure someone else has a similar question but is just too afraid to ask.

I personally have often found the answers to many of my questions through the search facility. Maybe there is a case for aggregating the questions and responses into a FAQ section?

 

[Dr G]

Well...not exactly. How about...New Ways to approach the same old tricks.

Same old dog, new leash.

 

[milandro]

The " fourum" for the Romans was essentially the market square, a place where people were meeting each other, discussing things, occasionally engaging in a dispute, where buying and selling took place and where, originally at least, trials were conducted.
The analogies between the ancient forum and the modern one still stand and are self-evident with the sole exception of the trials....(perhaps not on all fora...).

I don't see any harm in the occasional repetition other that it becomes difficult to profit from past discussions if one has to re-invent the wheel each time, over and over again. Other than that there is nothing wrong with it.
I consider myself fortunate to be able to share these pages with such a group of ladies and gentlemen.

probably I'm the same old dog, maybe just had my hair trimmed

 

[Pgraves]

Think about the same problem with the Golf magazines. How many times can you tell someone how to fix their slice. At least here it is not just an excuse to serve up more ads.

 

[martysax]

I thought it remained fresh by kicking me off periodically.

That way my humor remains fresh, unlike Gary whose humor grows staler with every hundred posts. (that was sarcastic, damn it, I love you like a brother man!)


I haven't witnessed a good "Large Bore vs. Small Bore" argument in a while. I guess it was a Big Bore after all.



BTW, my Super 20 and Mark VI are just about the same size. They just feel different. Most of you guys know what I mean.