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Posted: |
May 29, 2013 - 9:05 PM
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By: |
joan hue
(Member)
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So much to learn and so little time. So I’m curious. How do you members decide which
FSM topics to read? What are your criteria for investing your time into certain topics?
Some criteria are:
1. Titles of the topics. Do titles pull you in? It is a yes for me. If I don’t know the composer
or soundtrack listed in the title, I’ll spend some time viewing that topic to see if it
cultivates a new interest in me. It is a “no” for me if I’m familiar with the music and that
film score doesn’t appeal to my aural palette.
2. Are you attracted by certain composers' names? It is always a yes for me if the topic
is about some of my favorites, and I tend to only scan a topic about a composer that
doesn’t really attract me.
3. Does the length of a new topic attract or repel you? Some don’t seem to want to read
a lengthy post and only will be involved if the poster writes no more than a paragraph. Others
seem to want to invest their time reading more than a paragraph. I’m good to go with a
lengthy read if I find points are salient and interesting and if examples are provided. (LOL,
after number 2, I’m sure I lost a bunch of readers. )
4. Do certain members attract your interest? They do for me. I find some posters so interesting
and learned that even if I’m not into the particular topic, I will read their posts if I notice they
have commented.
5. Do certain time periods attract you and others alienate you? I.E. If the topic is about old, dead
codgers like Rozsa, Alfred Newman, Waxman, etc. will you avoid them or devour them? Same
goes for certain alive and well current composers. (I’m pretty well attracted to all time periods
if I like the music. Ambient noise topics are avoided by me.)
6. Do you like it when certain topics go on and on and on, or over time do your interests
diminish? My interest tends to shrink over time. Reading the pros and cons of Skyfall or
the current Star Trek roped me in for a while, and then I eventually felt nothing new was being
said and quit reading new posts. I think the same will happen to me when the new Superman
and Star Wars emerge.
7. Do you enjoy topics that seem rather abstract and philosophical or do you avoid them preferring
concrete, specific topics. (I.E. List your 5 favorite Goldsmith scores or 5 favorite westerns.) I’m
kind of bored with lists and like some abstract discussions if they don’t require a Ph.D. in music.
I’m finding more and more that I tend to cherry-pick what I read. So little time.
Other criteria I've not mentioned???
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I cherry pick at every board I've ever gone to. Even popular threads with over a hundred replies, never get a click from me. Until a few monthys ago, there were entire subforms at another score board I post at, that I had never even visited.
Who in the world clicks on and reads ever post at a board?
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I run to any thread where I might revel in things I love, like grails I've had for years and still want to celebrate, and get with kindred spirits out there who feel the same. That's where the excitement is now, because I'm essentially out of unreleased grails. I have so much music I've always wanted, it's like a new stage of life for me.
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Posted: |
May 30, 2013 - 3:33 AM
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By: |
Thor
(Member)
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There was a time -- probably from the late 90's to the early 2000's -- that I clicked on and read every single thread. Not so much anymore. At any given time, there is usually only about 5-6 threads on the first page that interest me enough to click on them (like this one). Why the change?
Well, part of it has to do with personal evolution, of course (the hunger for basic film music information was bigger then than it is now). But I also think the discourse itself has changed since then. There are so many threads posted about things that don't interest me -- either because it's been discussed endlessly before (a natural consequence of having been on the board so long and seen every conceivable topic come and go), but also because it's not something I am particularly drawn to (album announcement, speculation, various superficial details related to the product instead of the art, topics that are too wide to really have any meaningful discussion, call for expansions, industry "shop talk", composers and scores I don't connect to -- like Giacchino, Desplat, STAR TREK, James Bond and so forth). Yet most of these are incredibly popular.
Once in a while, there's an intriguing topic popping up that is more to my taste -- "meta-topics" (like this) or threads about the aesthetics of film music -- be it a film, a composer or general trends/aspects. These are rare and not often popular. In recent years, I've tried to start some myself, but they've quickly dwindled away. For example, the last 5-6 threads I've started have pretty much been met with an indifferent shrug. I was, for example, almost shocked that such a topic as "film music gatherings around the world" proved to be so unpopular. It's a bit discouraging, but that's how it is.
So there is now a big gap between what most people seem to be interested in and what I, personally, seem to be interested in. Hence I cherry-pick far more than I used to, and there are hardly enough cherries to make jam. 
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Posted: |
May 30, 2013 - 4:50 AM
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By: |
Francis
(Member)
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1. Titles of the topics. Do titles pull you in?
Definitely, just like I'd glance over a list of headlines, topic must be interesting. Though sometimes the titles can be misleading (on purpose).
2. Are you attracted by certain composers' names?
Yes.
3. Does the length of a new topic attract or repel you?
As long as the text is spaced out plenty and not one long paragraph, I don't care how long it is. However, it stands to reason that if it's a subject I'm not that interested in, I won't sit through a whole text. A forum to me still has to be compact in getting the message across.
4. Do certain members attract your interest?
Yes, mostly because I respect their opinion and have discovered/learned about things I wouldn't have otherwise.
5. Do certain time periods attract you and others alienate you?
Yes, but I try to avoid threads that deal with eras, movies, composers I'm not familiar with and don't feel connected to as I feel I have little to add to the discussion anyway. It's like those people who join the book club but don't read the book.
6. Do you like it when certain topics go on and on and on, or over time do your interests
diminish?
It depends. Long threads have their ups and downs and can go very off topic. I personally don't have the stamina to revisit 300 posts in a big thread. I will for instance check the last two or three pages of the movie review thread on the other side of the board, to get suggestions of things to watch.
7. Do you enjoy topics that seem rather abstract and philosophical or do you avoid them preferring
concrete, specific topics. (I.E. List your 5 favorite Goldsmith scores or 5 favorite westerns.)
It depends, sometimes those "list your favorite" threads feel like homework, though other times it helps me to rediscover a score/movie/... I might not have thought about recently. As for abstract and philosophical, not the biggest fan of those discussions in a censored environment like this one and with anyone basically chiming in it's hard to do such a discussion.
So yes, I definitely cherry-pick.
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Great topic Joan! I definitely cherry-pick what threads I read. Part of that is defined by the amount of time I have to read the board. If I only have a few minutes I will focus on threads related to favorite composers or scores, especially if it is an announcement for a an upcoming release. If I have more time, I like to read threads where people discuss their favorite scores and/or composers. I have discovered a lot of great scores and/or composers thanks to the enthusiasm displayed by members of this board. If a thread generates a lot of interest over a short period of time, I will usually check it out to see what the fuss is all about. The person posting also plays into what I decide to read. There are plenty of members here whose opinion I respect, and I am genuinely curious as to what he or she has to say about the topic.
The length of a specific thread doesn't bother me. In that case, I go to the last post, and I work my way back. This is especially true with open ended topics, such as "what are you reading?" or "now playing", etc. However, if it is a topic where everyone is more or less recycling the various pro and con arguments I will often give up on the thread relatively quickly.
Lastly, which I am a bit embarrassed to admit, but where there are threads that I know are controversial I will often check them out to see what people are fighting about. Sometimes it provides a great laugh, and other times it is incredibly frustrating.
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Whoops! Double post! Sorry about that.
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Since the basic subject of these boards is (or should be) music, and tastes differ, I can't see how you'd avoid some selectivity.
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I absolutely cherry-pick what I read.
1. Titles of the topics. Do titles pull you in?
Of course! I scan down the list of topics and click on those that pique my interest.
2. Are you attracted by certain composers' names?
Again, yes. Mostly "golden" or "silver" age composers. Names like Michael Giacchino or Hans Zimmer are a near guarantee to avoid.
3. Does the length of a new topic attract or repel you?
Well, really lengthy posts have me either skimming them or giving up after the first paragraph. I'm not here to read term papers or a thesis on a film composer.
4. Do certain members attract your interest?
I'm an infrequent visitor and contributor so (apologies) I don't know any of the people or their histories here. Clearly though for the regulars there is a "communal" feeling which is nice.
5. Do certain time periods attract you and others alienate you?
Again, I'm most interest in composers from the golden and silver ages. I lost interest around the 80s with those awful synth scores.
6. Do you like it when certain topics go on and on and on, or over time do your interests
diminish?
After awhile, opinions and statements tend to repeat themselves and if I come to a thread late in the game, I just don't have the time to read 20 pages of posts.
7. Do you enjoy topics that seem rather abstract and philosophical or do you avoid them preferring concrete, specific topics.
The more specific the better.
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I typically read only what interests me (obviously), but if I see that SchiffyM or Jeff Bond was the last commenter on a thread, I'll go to it no matter what it is.
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Posted: |
May 30, 2013 - 2:57 PM
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By: |
Dana Wilcox
(Member)
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Interesting idea for a thread, Joan. I've never actually sat down and thought about what specific thread content attracts or repels my interest, but these are some things that come to mind for me.
Like most, I suspect, I tend to read threads started by, or whose most recent postings are by, posters whose comments I have found to be interesting and insightful in the past. I do pay attention to thread titles and participate most often on threads about scores/composers which I really like.
I also read threads about scores or composers I don't know well, but about which or whom I am interested in finding out more. I appreciate diverse or contrary opinions, and often read Thor's comments just to knock me out of my rut.
I tend to avoid long ongoing threads (the ones that drag on for hundreds or even thousands of posts.) Life is too short to read through everything to get oriented to the flow of conversation in these threads.
I avoid threads posted by certain people (very very few actually) because I don't like them, and don't care what they think about anything.
I tend to avoid threads which seem to be just conversations between 2 or 3 members and which include a lot of "inside" humor.
I don't much care for "game" threads where people have to add things on to what the last guy posted. Maybe I'm not clever enough for these.
I tend to avoid "list" threads -- nobody but me really cares what my 5 favorite Goldsmith scores are, and I have no opinion about which scores Tadlow should immediately re-record just for my own private enjoyment.
I tend to avoid threads which pose questions to which my answer would be "Never!" or "None!" or "I hate them all!" People don't want to hear about you not liking things (though this does not keep some of us from forging ahead anyway, just to get in their two cents). Occasionally, if the thread is actually soliciting varied points of view (and not just looking for everyone to agree with the viewpoint of the thread's author) I may contribute something even if it is a "no" type of comment.
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