Instrument Forums and Collective Personalities

[40Hz]

Man,that sounds EXACTLY like my recollection of the early days I spent with rec.audio.pro in the usenet era. Filled mostly with seriously knowledgeable cats more than willing to share their expertise, and the odd knucklehead who got shut down instantly. I made the mistake of revisiting the place fairly recently. Really sad. A perfect mirror for where we've degenerated to as a society.

SciFi writer Spider Robinson said it best when he coined Callahan’s Rule which says “Nothing truly good ever survives being discovered.” Happens to cool hangouts, activities, and online spaces like IRC. Once the general population piles in on it the quality gets diluted the and thing rapidly loses its focus. My SO Alex, with her backgound in cognitive experimental psychology, maintains there’s a tendency for any group to gradually sink to the level of the lowest common denominator allowed to remain in that group. And nothing in my experience leads me to think she’s wrong about that.

When it comes to online communities (I’ve founded a few and run several) I was constantly torn between the desire to welcome everyone into the fold to share the experience; and the equally strong desire to not let idiots spoil it for everyone who’s already part of it. It’s a real tightrope walk sometimes. You hate to be the one to put out those brass queue poles with the velvet rope and have an usher standing next to them. Because the minute you do that you discover the entire vibe of the place has changed. But sometimes you have to.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

TalkBass is one of the best, because there's a lot less egotism among bassists than among guitarists.

I play both - that explains a lot doesn’t it

 

[E2942]

TGP is its own worst enemy, but then, guitarists are their own worst enemies, as well.

Succinct!
Even some of the pro luthiers on there are less than respectful to other members.

it’s a lot of pretty old guys

They might be old, but at least they're still pretty.

I used to be on guitar forums for years, but left before losing interest in the instrument itself, mainly because I had negative feelings on their community as a whole. There was too many people advocating "the one and only correct way to play guitar", too much patronising in general and constant attempt at making people feel inadequate, plug a good share of racism and misogyny on top of everything.

Indeed, it's enough to make someone want to just put that away or sell up.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Ding Dongs gonna gather anywhere there is a group.

How loud they are will either drive out everyone else leaving mostly Ding Dongs around or they will be driven out, leaving only few, quieter Dig Dongs to mingle about.

Some topics/instruments have less a Ding Dong attraction.
The ratio of Ding Dongs is key to everyone's experience.

 

[MuseChaser]

It was called « Slidemeister ».

Yep... that's the one. Thanks for the recollection!

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Does anyone here remember the " Dudepit"?
Bass player forum masquerading as a cage fight?
Talkbass is a love-in by comparison.
Unmoderated, bass players can get just as goofy and snarky as anybody else.

Yup, I was there: same handle

Stephen G. Barr - SGB Media Group™ | LinkedIn

 

[MynameisMe]

I've joined a few bass related forums on FB, only to leave the group soon after. If you think some of the questions on TB are redundant are ridiculous you should look at some of those forums.
Very little moderation. Too much stupidity.
When one of the threads here starts getting out of hand I start waiting for the mods to shut it down. Mods do an excellent job on TB.

 

[bassballs27]

I used to be on guitar forums for years, but left before losing interest in the instrument itself, mainly because I had negative feelings on their community as a whole. There was too many people advocating "the one and only correct way to play guitar", too much patronising in general and constant attempt at making people feel inadequate, plug a good share of racism and misogyny on top of everything.

The tone and feel on bass forums (both that I know at least) is way more friendly. The only downside for me here is the obsession over buying things, but I think this is more of an american/western thing common to all sorts of forums anyway.

Things are definitely an interesting subject. And the internet gives everyone a voice, but doesn’t necessarily means everyone reads or acknowledges it.

I have to say an old phrase I’ve heard so many times…
Boys and their toys…

 

[amper]

There was too many people advocating "the one and only correct way to play guitar", too much patronising in general and constant attempt at making people feel inadequate, plug a good share of racism and misogyny on top of everything.

As a queer woman of color who often finds herself in online enthusiast forums for fields that are overwhelmingly male-dominated (music, computers, bicycles, backcountry tools and travel, photography, etc), the level of misogyny and racism in these places can be overwhelming. I hesitate to say even this much for fear of being banned for being "political".

 

[amper]

I play both - that explains a lot doesn’t it

same, also keys (my first instrument), and a little bit of drums.

In the context of a band, I'm torn being playing rhythm guitar and playing bass, because I generally tend to feel that on rhythm guitar, I have more control over the musical direction of the band, but on bass I feel like I have more control over whether the band moves or not, at all.

On rhythm, I leave the lead guitar to do whatever they like, and I play everything they are not playing/failing to play, which depending on the lead player, can be quite a lot.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

People are people and internet anonymity sometimes brings out the worst in forum members.

TB has been overwhelmingly supportive. I've learned a lot from some folks on here, made some good "internet" friends, but also been slapped down on here with some attitudes. Kind of like real life and the negatives are far outweighed by the positives.

 

[dalkowski]

If TB was a poop-flingin' food fight, I wouldn't be here.

 

[MrVentures]

I hesitate to say even this much for fear of being banned for being "political".

I’m not sure if this is referring to what I posted earlier, but I wouldn’t consider sharing your personal experiences on a thread comparing different forum communities to be “political”.

 

[dougjwray]

There was a fairly recent TB thread asking for everyone's Myers-Briggs personality type.
The overwhelming majority of the respondents were introverts, and the top type (while I was viewing it) was INTP. That happens to be my type, too.
Assuming that this data was accurate, it might be that TB -- and bassists in general -- are less interested in drama, competition and "Me, me, ME!!!" than other musicians or the general public.

 

[amper]

There was a fairly recent TB thread asking for everyone's Myers-Briggs personality type.
The overwhelming majority of the respondents were introverts, and the top type (while I was viewing it) was INTP. That happens to be my type, too.
Assuming that this data was accurate, it might be that TB -- and bassists in general -- are less interested in drama, competition and "Me, me, ME!!!" than other musicians or the general public.

I'm between INTP and INFP, depending on how I answer certain questions for which I am legitimately conflicted. I like to think of myself as having INFP ideals and INTP methods.

 

[jTrolt]

constantly torn between the desire to welcome everyone into the fold to share the experience; and the equally strong desire to not let idiots spoil it for everyone who’s already part of it. It’s a real tightrope walk sometimes. You hate to be the one to put out those brass queue poles with the velvet rope and have an usher standing next to them. Because the minute you do that you discover the entire vibe of the place has changed. But sometimes you have to.

^Read this again^
Excellent paragraph that could just as easily be explaining what it's like governing a nation.

 

[Groove Doctor]

TB moderators do an excellent job and have my utmost respect.

The core bunch of members are great people. I enjoy hearing of others experiences & opinions.

The Ignore feature is essential. It’s a reminder of (the very few) whom not to interact with, and it has eliminated unpleasant interactions. Great addition.

 

[40Hz]

^Read this again^
Excellent paragraph that could just as easily be explaining what it's like governing a nation.

However, one big difference is that governing a voluntary association of like minded or similarly interested individuals is a lot easier than attempting to govern a group of individuals thrown together out of necessity or because they share the same living space. National governance is far more complicated. Especially if you’re living in a multicultural nation like the USA where there’s numerous demographical interests you need to accommodate.

Most of us find ourselves born under a government or system which we are required to learn how to best function within and hopefully learn to accept. So there’s endless compromises and negotiations involved in its - and our -success.

With a voluntary association you’ve already weeded out the significant differences between the members who basically are all starting out on the same page. Which leaves mostly minor details to be resolved as time goes on. And as a voluntary association evolves it will usually lose some members while at the same time gain new members who are better aligned with the current incarnation of the group. And if push comes to shove, truly dissident voices can very easily be moderated, suspended, or expelled if it’s deemed necessary.

With nations it’s neither easy to bail out nor easy to gain admission to an alternate even if your outlook and life goals better align with those of your new choice.

tl:dr It’s always gets complicated whenever you’re dealing with people.

 

[MrVentures]

However, one big difference is that governing a voluntary association of like minded or similarly interested individuals is a lot easier than attempting to govern a group of individuals thrown together out of necessity or because they share the same living space. National governance is far more complicated. Especially if you’re living in a multicultural nation like the USA where there’s numerous demographical interests you need to accommodate.

Most of us find ourselves born under a government or system which we are required to learn how to best function within and hopefully learn to accept. So there’s endless compromises and negotiations involved in its - and our -success.

With a voluntary association you’ve already weeded out the significant differences between the members who basically are all starting out on the same page. Which leaves mostly minor details to be resolved as time goes on. And as a voluntary association evolves it will usually lose some members while at the same time gain new members who are better aligned with the current incarnation of the group. And if push comes to shove, truly dissident voices can very easily be moderated, suspended, or expelled if it’s deemed necessary.

With nations it’s neither easy to bail out nor easy to gain admission to an alternate even if your outlook and life goals better align with those of your new choice.

tl:dr It’s always gets complicated whenever you’re dealing with people.

So much for not talking politics…

 

[40Hz]

So much for not talking politics…

My post was talking about the mechanics of group dynamics. Governance and government were only mentioned as an example of a type of group dynamic affecting individuals. I think the TB rule on avoiding political discussion is about not advocating for a particular opinion, party, or agenda -or criticizing any of that - rather than speaking about the practical psychological and social aspects of governance that need (or at least should) be considered when dealing with groups and individuals.

So I seriously doubt anything in my previous post could be considered remotely crossing the line as far as the rules here are concerned. No nation, political position, or party agenda was advanced or criticized. If I thought my earlier comment or this one did, I wouldn’t have posted it.