Friends.

This tread is to help Moderators and Nigel (Admin) have a 'general/global' feel for what should/can be done to make the Synthzone forum better (why not the best?)?

We'll need to know what should be:-

* allowed / dis allowed
* edited
* in / out
* modified / left alone
* left alone / continued ... etc

Let us know what you like/would like to see changed about the synthzone forum to help us help you make this a better medium for most.

Thanks,

AJ

PS: Please keep to the topic at hand!!

AJ,
In my view there is NOTHING wrong with this SZ forum environment. Nigel does a great job.

What IS wrong :
Some members being unpolite, keep slamming, have no respect towards other people, think themselves to be superiour because their PRO-status.
Just like Scott, I used to be a long time member and liked this board very much because of all the nice members, always willing to help eachother.

Now I'm leaving forgood and it's not because of the forum or it's moderator !!

All Forums not just Synthzone should be informative to enable one to gain knowledge and feedback about different products that we don't already own.
Feedback and product reviews like George Kaye have been great. We learn so much from each other...so lets keep it that way.

Well done to Nigel for the up-keep of the Forum.

I love the insight and expertise on this board. The wealth of knowledge and wisdom here is like a musical think tank.

On the other hand, I cannot stand the antagonism and it's usually by the same people all the time.

Check out the absolute latest as of yesterday, even with all the antagonism leveled at Scott, we have Fran goading Scott into another volley:
http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum35/HTML/000878.html

This is a classic example of passive aggressive behavior which many people on this board use. A very subtle seemingly innocent playful reference, but taken in context I could see Scott getting upset at this. Am I wrong?


What I don't understand is why people abuse this board, when it is our ONLY haven away from the toils of work, family, life, etc. It's a place where we can come and share our passion, yet we can't even be civil to each other. What a joke. It really disgusts me.

AJ-

This is one of the very best message boards that I'm aware of. I enjoy the vast knowledge that the community is willing to share. The new product reviews are always pretty popular. The global diversity that exists here is also a huge plus. That provides some really fresh musical ideas to be shared that we might not have if the board didn't reach out to all corners of the earth the way it seems to.

I think that it would be nice if we could lose some of the drama. The two traits we should make clear to all members are:

1) All members are free to participate in the forum with candid thoughts which have been tempered with appropriate tone and general politeness

2) Likewise, all members who participate should also understand that this is a public web forum and that people are basically free to respond in any fashion they chose.

Our community really doesn't cater to the totally abusive, crude and foul mouth type crowd...combine basic manners and a receptiveness to comments of various ilks...we should be fine.

Bill in Dayton

There are people on this forum who are not crude but who are louts. These individuals have been much in discussion the last few days. These people's behavior would not be egregious enough to get kicked out of a bar or restaurant, they would just ruin the atmosphere.

If Scott keeps his vow to not return to this forum, it will be a great loss for many, especially us Yamaha players. Scott really knows his keyboard, so much that Yamaha itself has sought out his suggestions.

Besides he's a great guy.

Beakybird

2nd thread today i have to say BRAVO to Bill in Dayton.
my sentiments exactly
Miami MO

I personally think the SZ forum is dialed in perfectly. To much fiddling with it can ruin much of the fun and friendly banter that goes on here. The wealth of information here is staggering.

Nigel has done a superb job and obviously uses his head and great discretion with his decisions. If one is not carefull and to many rules are laid down the fun also flys out the window. Enough of my 2 cents worth. Keep up the great work Nigel

Jerry

I like the fact that I can get an answer to almost any arranger-related question within minutes, or hours at most. There is a vast well of knowledge here on a very specialized area.
I dislike the fact that some people find it hard to communicate without being hurtful.
DonM

I like the fact that there is a lot of music and life related information to be had from this forum.

I dislike the thin skin attitudes of some people who don’t seem to realize that communication is a two way street and unpredictable.

I dislike the arrogance, egoistical, I have been here longer than you – I am better than you – my keyboard is better than you posts.

I dislike the illogical posts that say if you haven’t posted your work, you don’t have any right to critique me.

I have been a Synthzone member for years, although mostly on the Technics Forum for obvious reasons.

I have,however,posted on this forum quite a few times, and read it daily. I have always gotten help from Gary,Esh,Scott,dnj,Fran, and others.

I think that the offenders seem to like to put down one another, but not necessarily members out of their circle.

I say if I am not affected, who cares.

While there are several very good forums around that attract musicians, none give me the same feeling as this one. To me, it is like sitting in a coffee shop that caters to people who share a common interest in arrangers and entertaining. I like that.

We have an administrator who keeps an eye on things and is (as Fox News would say) fair and balanced.

It is a place where we can, if we are so inclined, get to know some of these people on a personal level, through phone calls, or meeting in person. I like that.

It is a place where all of us get the benefit of learning the tips and tricks of our keyboards from one another...pros and hobbyists alike. I like that

Here, we share our experiences in the music/entertainment business and have a few laughs. I like that.

I really prefer this kind of forum to other more advanced, technical types of communication such as Skype or CamFrog.

This is a place where we don't have disruptive kids popping in and cluttering up the board with garbage. I like that.

I'm not opposed to egos, but I have always felt entertainers who are always "thumping their own chests" generally come off as wind bags.

I have sought and received help on a number of arranger related issues that I wouldn't know where else to go for such information. I really like that.

I have tried to reciprocate and help others who could benefit from my knowledge. I like that.

While I have many local musician friends in my market area, we tend not to be as open with one another..or as helpful..as the many I have met on the Zone. SynthZoners generally don't compete with one another and that creates a very comfortable atmosphere. I like that.

There are members here who I have come to admire greatly...and others whose posts I just elect not to read anymore.

Any other things that bother me or those I don't care for have already been covered.

Eddie

I like SZ for the upbeat exchange of information and opinions and the sincere give and take among pros and hobbyists all over the planet who are all real enthusiasts at heart and want to share that enthusiasm. It's special!

As far as the needling and sensitivity, etc..I couldn't care less except it takes away others' time and energy and good people leave or get barred from the site because of it, and others leave in disgust, and more important topics are left to flounder because of the controversy. I have been needled myself and I either ignore or needle back,
however the mood strikes me. To openly complain about how somebody treated me would never occur to me. I think if I were the moderator I would just remove all the replies that had the needler/complainee going at it, and tell them to take it up privately, not on the forum. seems like an easy solution to me, don't understand why you see
it as having to bar people or let stupid arguments flower,
and then everyone else gets involved one way or another.

Here are some things that bug me and waste my time:
-clueless subject lines. should be barred by moderator.
rule should be to have subject line that is specific or else!

- I became a grandpa, it was nice meeting you and Ethel, go Patriots, how about da Bears? hey good for you pal, go to the bar, let someone buy you a drink. i'm here to talk arrangers, music, sound, performers..send a personal email, ok, keep it out of the forum.

-guys looking for love in all the wrong places: there are
millions of selections i could listen to if i had the time, why should i spend one minute listening to your recording
(the truth is that a compliment is what you are after, aren't you?) and then if i do comment, i have
to be diplomatic and not hurt your feelings? Phooey! we are not your music teacher, we don't have to be nice. If we
wasted our time listening and didn't like it we are pissed off, because we all are passionate about music and have strong opinions,that's what keeps us going. you wanna post clips? if you are sincerely looking for feedback to learn from, then absorb it all, constructive or not. the constructive critic can be dead wrong and the rude one right..you have to have a personal compass to go beyond.

Of course, we should all strive to be gentlemen.
the classic definition of which is:

" a person who can play the accordian but does not"


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Miami Mo

As an accordion player, I find that comment offensive ... ....

And the correct spelling is 'accordion ....
thnx,
t.

For the newcomers: a little off topic among friends is always going to sneak into the discussions. We find ourselves drawn to a certain section of teh zone, and that's where we choose to post. The idea is that we CHOOSE to post, the same way as you may CHOOSE to read.

We all have knowledge to share, and occasionally, a little personal chit-chat will sneak into our postings. Just like in EVERY other conversation in every other walk of life.

What I like about this site is the way it is run. Nigel is a top notch moderator and a fair seargent at arms, when he needs to be. The discussions get heated up from time to time, but so do Mackie 450s, and many people still love them! Go figure.

Don't change a hair for me, Nigel ... I love this place !
( and a special "hey" to you too, AJ ! )

I apologize for the misspelling of accordion, but not for
my use of humor. There are jokes galore re trombonists, drummers, girl singers, etc..don't take it personally. I know there are a lot of accordionists on SZ,
and thought they might get a chuckle out of that line.
can't remember who first wrote it..some famous musician.

i'm glad you opened the subject of spelling, because I was reprimanded early on by a moderator for correcting someone's spelling on SZ, so I haven't touched that since.
I have no problem being corrected, in fact I appreciate it.
I don't want to continue to misspell accordion with "an."
So here's a couple for some who make these common errors, and might appreciate the correction. For those that don't, please don't start crying about that English is not your first language or what's the difference if people know what you mean. Nobody's criticizing you, just making a correction so you can do it correctly next time if you so choose. Learn the difference between to and too. It's really whack to see all the "to much", 'to big" etc. When something is too tight, you make it loose . when you can't find something, you didn't "loose it", and don't call someone a "looser' or say you can't "loose" with x keyboard. And above all, there is no such thing as a "Congo" drum unless you are talking about a drum you got in the Congo region.
It's a conga, pronounced "cone'-gah"


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Miami Mo

I apologize for the misspelling of accordion, but not for
my use of humor. There are jokes galore re trombonists, drummers, girl singers, etc..don't take it personally. I know there are a lot of accordionists on SZ,
and thought they might get a chuckle out of that line.
can't remember who first wrote it..some famous musician.

i'm glad you opened the subject of spelling, because I was reprimanded early on by a moderator for correcting someone's spelling on SZ, so I haven't touched that since.
I have no problem being corrected, in fact I appreciate it.
I don't want to continue to misspell accordion with "an."
So here's a couple for some who make these common errors, and might appreciate the correction. For those that don't, please don't start crying about that English is not your first language or what's the difference if people know what you mean. Nobody's criticizing you, just making a correction so you can do it correctly next time if you so choose. Learn the difference between to and too. It's really whack to see all the "to much", 'to big" etc. When something is too tight, you make it loose . when you can't find something, you didn't "loose it", and don't call someone a "looser' or say you can't "loose" with x keyboard. And above all, there is no such thing as a "Congo" drum unless you are talking about a drum you got in the Congo region.
It's a conga, pronounced "cone'-gah"


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Miami Mo

I agree with Uncle Dave and for the most part I make the choice not to read overly disparaging, derisive posts. I have gotten some helpful tips from this site and I also enjoy some of the banter unrelated to technical issues.
I make my living playing music, mostly playing the accordion. I’ve heard all the accordion jokes, I’m not offended, just bored with them. If I heard a new, FUNNY accordion joke, I would probably laugh and use it, or change it and retell it as a clarinet or banjo gag.
Ciao,
Jerry

I agree with genesys and once again I find myself agreeing with Uncle Dave


[This message has been edited by mikeathome1 (edited 12-04-2006).]

t.

I like the fact that as late comer to playing gigs 2 years ago at 52 years of age I have learned more here in that time than I probably could have in 5 years by myself. I've a friend of 30 plus years who is a one man band. We've done everything from work for the same company, run road races, played racquet ball, travelled with our families. Despite that long term friendship he has not been willing to give me many of tips about the music business and equipment as I have got here from members.


I've met some good people that I've have had personal contact with as well. Tony Mads being one of them, he lives just down the road about 10 miles from where I live, it's unlikely I would have met him otherwise

Scott Yee who has been of great help with his tips and file sharing for my music pad pro. Gary Diamond for a couple of phone calls for his input on products I was interested in and Donny Pesce for some valuable tips.

I like the fact that very successful pros are very willing to share what they know.

I don't like some of the ball busting that goes on between folks. By nature I'm not a ball buster and as a former career sales rep I always strived to get along with everyone despite the fact I'm may have different views on matters.

I love this forum...where else can you get such a wide range of views on keyboards of all brands.

What I don't like is the impoliteness of some members...being a critic doesn't give a person the right to be rude.

I think Nigel has tremendous patience, and I thank him for providing this great forum.

Ian

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Remember to leave good news alone.

I like the fact that I can hang out here with pros and amateurs alike. (I'm an amateur, by the way)

I find the constant back-biting very annoying. It's a waste of my time to even read it.

The majority of the time, I have found this forum to be fun, enjoyable and informational - a welcome and anticipated (almost addictive) part of my everyday life.

One suggestion would be to add a closed "Keyboard Reviews" section where keyboard reviews by users and professionals would be listed.

Nigel, a huge THANK YOU for all you do. We love this place and thank you for your diligent work as moderator.

Best regards,
Tim

i find a boatload of very good information on the zone..the help is quite ho hum in responding to ones questions(exception of travel'n easy,but usually found in another site anyway)..usually i can spot cyber trouble people a mile away,right away,this whole synthzone is very friendly compared to the masses of whats availably out here...If any want to witness/expeierence crappy attitudes,go to the gas station,young attitudes rampant!

[This message has been edited by mr9000 (edited 12-04-2006).]

Hi,

like any forum it's a good place to share opinions, so everytime there is something to learn, no question.
Any comment, note, whatever both from a pro, advanced, intermediate, beginner, ...deaf ...:-) it's nice to hear.

What I dislike are some too extreme positions regarding opinions, comments (see last topics around) or brands: anybody has to respect much more each other IMHO.

Just my thought.

Best regards.

As Gus Kahn wrote ".... with all your faults, I love you still ..."
I LOVE THIS PLACE !!!

t.

Hi Folks – for what my 2 cents may (or may not) be worth, here are my thoughts:

- I have frequented this board for about 5 years, during which time I have gone from a novice clavinova hobbyist to a gigging keyboard guy (via PSR-1000/3000 and now Tyros 2)
- Without the SZ, I would have made some serious mistakes, had a lot of “hard knocks” lessons, and probably would not be half as far along as I am in my “new profession”
- And yes, Scott Yee has been a very valuable resource to me. Sure, I have to smile sometimes at his posts and his (over) enthusiasm regarding his toys. But it should be obvious that he truly loves music.
- Regarding the latest contention on here, in my opinion, when someone knowingly, intentionally, and purposefully attacks and offends others on a public forum, a public apology should be in order – otherwise we are condoning bad behavior by letting it go unchecked. If an apology isn’t offered, then the offenders should be banned.
- Nigel and his team have done a super job of keeping things in check. I WILL say thanks for running a great board which has been a terrific source of information, education, and inspiration.


[This message has been edited by Rejected Idol (edited 12-05-2006).]

What I like about the forum:

-The fact that everybody (at least a while ago) like each other enough and really took it to another level by having the Synthzone jam. While I wasn't there to join you guys, judging by the picture I thought everybody had a great time. I've read a couple other posts where one member would actually stop by at another member's place and had dinner with the whole family and went to the gig together. I thought it was awesome.

-The fact that synthzone is a place filled with great arranger info...of all brands.

-The fact that synthzone is full of experts who know their arrangers of all brands.

Things that we could live without (not necessarily I dislike):

1. Just like with other forums on the Net...there will be times one or two people (I'm not talking about Scott or Fran btw) may ruin it for everybody else..remember the thing with aloneandforsaken (If I'm not mistaken), just really rude and kept pushing about the video of 11 year old organist? During those times I wished the moderators would be more stern as it was clear that he/she was creating some problems attacking others in the forum. This is not to say that the mods have not been doing a great job though, but I suspect synthzone has grown a lot from the past few years and with the extra exposure you'd have more people (good and bad)who join the forum.

-Netiquette: I was taught to think about what I type..would I be saying it to the person if he/she were in front of me? If the answer is no, then I have to re-write it.

-Jokes: What is funny to one person may not be funny to the other person, especially when you haven't established a good rappor(sp?) with the other person. Also continous joke or 'friendly jabbing' can get old. It's always more painful for the recipient rather than the offender.

-Personal pride: Yamaha,Korg,Technics,Roland all have weaknesses and strengths that's why most of them still have presence at the music stores in your town...a $10,000 keyboard can sound like a $150 Casio in the hands of a 'bad' musician and vice versa. I like Technics' composer feature a lot, but I wouldn't knock down somebody else's decision for owning a Yamaha.

-Comments: We need to separate between 'honesty' and 'civility'. I moderated a different forum before and there was this member who continually said rude stuff and inserting all the curse words and said "Hey, I tell it the way it is and I'm being honest". She got away with it many times until I got tired and resigned. If we have to offer a critic about a particular song, please be specific and technical..please stay away from words like "sucks" "ugly" "annoying" or similar words.

My .02 cents....nothing that hasn't been said before.

Hey thanks so much to you all. You guys and gals is what makes keeping Synth Zone going so worthwhile. I just wish everyone was as understanding.

Synth Zone isn't going anywhere. We'll get over this bump and move on the same as we always have. Let's get back to playing music cos that's what it's all about.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by kla4:
[B]AJ,
In my view there is NOTHING wrong with this SZ forum environment. Nigel does a great job.

What IS wrong :
Some members being unpolite, keep slamming, have no respect towards other people, think themselves to be superiour because their PRO-status.
Just like Scott, I used to be a long time member and liked this board very much because of all the nice members, always willing to help eachother.

Now I'm leaving forgood and it's not because of the forum or it's moderator !!

AJ, please don't leave for good, you'll just add to what to the people you are not happy with have done. Be above that kind of thing and help us make this forum better than it has ever been.

John C.

I found this place when I was contemplating a PSR2000.

I love the information exchange

I hate the flaming

I think Nigel and co have to be congratulated for doing a seriously good job in trying circumstances. With such a wide range of contributors it is impossible to please everyone all of the time.

1) All members are free to participate in the forum with candid thoughts which have been tempered with appropriate tone and general politeness

2) Likewise, all members who participate should also understand that this is a public web forum and that people are basically free to respond in any fashion they chose.

Our community really doesn't cater to the totally abusive, crude and foul mouth type crowd...combine basic manners and a receptiveness to comments of various ilks...we should be fine.

Bill in Dayton

Nigel has done a superb job and obviously uses his head and great discretion with his decisions. If one is not careful and to many rules are laid down the fun also flys out the window. Enough of my 2 cents worth. Keep up the great work Nigel

Jerry

I love both Bill’s and Jerry’s posts, they seem to say it all.

I say enough has been said about everything, it is time to talk about the positives and help makes this forum one fantastic place. If you search long enough you will always find areas you disapprove of, even in your own home. Our job is to look at the big picture,
1- It is Nigel’s forum
2-He has given us a place visits to read and learn and enjoy. Anything we add should be to build and not to destroy.

My feeling is that if I keep complaining about the few who have let their personal issues damage this forum we will be helping them and adding to the problems that we are complaining about.

It is time for rebuilding. Have you noticed that when a problem occurs, the overcoming of that problems leaves us with a better than before place. We have the opportunity to do just that, so let’s do it. End all the negative talk.

I do understand the topic is, “What do you like and dislike about the forum?” and some very good points have been made, but I could not resist.
It’s now time to build;
What knowledge, story or experience can I add to this forum that will help my friends in what they are doing. How can I help make this forum better than it was before.

Only my simple thinking, John C.

I think this is a great forum. I've been a member for almost 2 years. Even though I don't post often, it starts and ends most of my days and I've picked up a lot of great tips here. The only bad thing about it are the pissing contests and I usually try and stay out of those. Many thanks to Nigel for keeping SZ going!!

Joe

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Songman55
Joe Ayala

I LOVE THIS PLACE!





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Travlin' Easy

Ditto

and thank YOU especially for all your tips andf advice!

Happy Holidaze.

TP123