Maestronet Has More Charm After Soapbox Gone

[Ken Nielsen]

Just thought we should have both sides of the story represented. I think it's charming to have those who are intensely interested in strings posting without disruption, without unnecessary distraction, and with well thought out answers and exchanges.Charming.

[Carlo_jsb]

It's a shame that the frequency and diversity of replies to posts has nose-dived though.

Carlo.

[Marie Brown]

*@. ^$!*. %^>*. How's that for diversity?

[Carlo_jsb]

You don't have to mock me. I didn't mean diversity in the respect that some people are ruder than others, I meant there was more diversity of ideas to a technical problem (for example) and you could get far more replies and answers. Oh well, "when the lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window."

Carlo.

[Desert Rat]

I agree, Ken.

Who wants lots of trafic if all it leads to is drive-by shootings?

I'm confident that things will pick up here soon. (I've been away for a while, but will once again do my best to ask weird questions.)

Rat

[sunnybear]

I like M-Net right now, and do not lack for answers to some of my posts and questions. I do not think that the forums lack diversity, either. Seems like a good mix of Makers, Players, and Wannabees (like me)

[technique_doc]

I'm not sad it's gone - 'drive-by shootings?!"£@ indeed!

I do think it has become quieter of late and certainly some feisty technical discussion has died out.

I don't want to change anything BUT, if folks want to keep up the 'new' postings, don't be embarrassed - we're all friends now, and you don't have to fear for a 'hit' on your person

[staylor]

Quote:

---

- we're all friends now, and you don't have to fear for a 'hit' on your person

---

Quiet neighbours!

[MrDublin]

To tell you the truth, I find all of the forums to be rather boring these days now that everything has split off. I do agree that things used to get very out of hand, but I find that I don't spend much time at any of them anymore. I used to come here every day because I found it very informative and entertaining. I will admit that a few people did go too far and managed to do more harm than good. All I am saying is that there are things I would like to have back, but equally there are things I wont miss. I do hope that more people are attracted to MNet and it becomes the great place it once was with or without the soapbox.

[staylor]

Ditto

[Ann]

Consider, though, that you may be attributing the boredom to the absence of Soapbox departees, when in fact there was always an ebb and flow of topics, high points and low points. As I noted in a prior post, I cannot establish a causal relationship between the departure of people who could not do without The Soapbox, or considered themselves personally wronged when it was removed, and the continuing presence of people who are mad rabid string instrument wackies (like myself) who feel that the needs of one do not obligate the needs of the other. We never needed a place to explore non-string topics, we had one for the convenience of those who felt it was necessary, it was abused, it was closed, there are still outlets here for string nuts (like me ) and PLENTY of sites elsewhere for non-string topics to be explored in minute detail. We may be boring, but we do have our flashes of passion, hopefully not at the expense of others, and a place to explore them.

[Michael Darnton]

Ebb and flow. The top thread this week on my favorite guitar site (which dwarfs this site, by the way--usually there are more than 60 people signed on at any moment) has been how there haven't been any new threads, and how dead it is. No one there, however, is thinking it's because they don't have the Soapbox. :-)

[Beaven]

I only looked at this websites from 99. I never found the soapbox "charming". For a period it was stimulating, but it degenerated into people pontificating about things they new not, attacks on people not their ideas, and zero illumination about aspects of violin, viola, cello, and double bass.

[Mark_W]

The response to these two threads seems to indicate we need a nonstring outlet of some kind. Still, I'd rather cut my throat than have it be what the Soapbox became.

[Michael Darnton]

Here you go, Mark:

Non-strings discussion

:-)

[Ann]

I'm a little curious as to what indicated in these two threads that we need a non-string outlet. We have non-string outlets. Among them are Xerxes' Garden of Revels, The Old Ladies' Democrat Tea Room, Lose Weight While Reviling Your Boss's Chow Chow, etc., ad nauseum. The point isn't whether we need another outlet or not. The point is whether a website devoted to string instruments needs to address non-string subjects from the point of view of string afficianados. Why is it that anyone feels that a STRING website should have a non-string outlet. I don't get it. I just don't get it. If I want to discuss bass clarinet I go to the bass clarinet website. If I want to discuss politics I go to any of a million or so politics websites. Should I discuss bass clarinet on a website devoted to recipes from fine old Missouri homes? Should I discuss my antipathy for animal abuse on a website devoted to Depression Glass? Now I'm gettin' mad myself! Note: I never objected to The Soapbox. Because I thought it had no value to the Maestronet site, I ignored it. It was like little boys using dirty words. Usually if you ignore it, it goes away. SOMETIMES, it is necessary to punish said naughty boys (or girls, if such has occurred) to make the point. In this case, the punishment apparently fit the crime. I don't know, or care. I was reading everything about strings.

[Mark_W]

I think I will just shut up for now. Otherwise someone might find out that I like a lot of people here and wouldn't mind discussing nonstring topics with them now and then.

Mark

[Michael Darnton]

I liked a lot of them more before they aired their opinions of religion and politics, and I'm sure many of them feel the same about me. I like your theory, but we already have the evidence of how this experiment plays out, and it wasn't nice.

[Ann]

Wow, call me embarrassed! Just look what dynamic develops when I get involved in a non-string discussion taking place on a string site!

[SteveLaBonne]

What I find curious is that so many of those vehemently opposed to non-string discussions can't seem to restrain themselves from participating, often with multiple posts, in off-topic threads like this one.

[Michael Darnton]

Because we strongly feel we don't want to see it happen again.

[SteveLaBonne]

Nice try, but that could better be accomplished with PMs to the moderators.

[Michael Darnton]

That was accomplished a long time ago, but apparently some people are still curious. That can't be satisfied by private messages to the moderators. Nice try, though, Steve.

[Ken Nielsen]

Here's how simple it is to me:

Strings = Refinement

String players = Friends

That's the way I see it and that's the way I would like to keep it.

Ken

[Ann]

Once again, amazing to me that someone as obviously bright as you are would misinterpret my post(s) as opposition. I am not in the slightest, tiniest, most minute way opposed to a Soapbox. I am not opposed to Esperanto. I am not opposed to terrible sitcom writing. I am not opposed to underwater childbirth. I am not opposed to EasyPass. I simply fail to understand why people who are obviously bright, cultured, string activist, talented individuals would be likely to leave or not leave a website devoted to strings based on whether or not they were provided with a forum which by its definition was for non-string subjects. You are absolutely right. My present string interest is the relationship of rib height to string length to interior air volume in small violas. It is a subject which intensely interests me and impacts directly on how I play. Therefore I will persue it and leave this topic, I suspect, unresolved.