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Author Topic: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)  (Read 12355 times)

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petefoth

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #20 on: May 25, 2009, 08:51:19 AM »

Sorry to hear that none of the points I made in earlier posts hold any validity ;) Please allow me to try again. I will try to look at this from the perspective of software development since
a: Melnet is a collection of software and
b: software development has been my career for the last twenty years or so.

In my experience there are only a small number of good reasons to make changes to software that is already working:
1: To fix existing functionality which either doesn't work, or which works but in a way that is not easy or intuitive for users. This has happened on Melnet a number of times that I am aware of since I joined a year or so ago.

2: To add new functionality which gives significant benefit to users or the providers of the software. The Melnet examples that I know of include the Instrument Database and Melodeon videos areas which provided new functionality for users, and the move from the old to the new forums which (I guess) made life easier for Theo and the others who work to keep Melnet going.

3: To make work for developers who would otherwise have nothing to do or who need practice or training. (This doesn't often happen in the commercial world, but it's not unknown. It happens much more in the Free and Open Source Software world where people work for free. In either case, changes are generally only accepted into the main product if they fall into either 1 or 2 above.) Anyway, I'm not aware of this happening much on Melnet since most of the people who work on it seem to have enough things to keep them busy.  (:)

So, does the proposed 'blogspot' add-on fix anything that is broken, or improve something that already works but not very well? In my opinion, the answer is 'No'. It provides a different structure (compared to the forums) for organising user-generated information - blogs are organised by Blog author/owner, then by date: the Melnet forums are organised by broad subject areas (the different forums) then by subject (the topics/threads within each forum). However, for me the organisation into subject areas works better than organising it by author. So for me, there's nothing to fix.

Then, does the the proposed 'blogspot' add-on add new functionality or features which gives significant benefit to users or the providers of Melnet? As I pointed out in an earlier post, Users can already create, respond to, and track discussions in the existing forums. If they want to write about what is going on in their world, there's nothing whatever to stop them. By convention we usually confine ourselves to stuff that is melodeon-related, but that is not enforced by the software.

Al makes a number of points about how he or others might use the blog software:
Quote
I might want to put the topic I started about the restoration of my Heligonka Box onto my blog instead of putting it into the instrument repair section.
If I were interested in finding* information about repairing/restoring a Heligonika box and came looking on Melnet, then the instrument repair section is an obvious place to start looking. I wouldn't know to go hunting around in people's blogs. Sure I could use the 'Search' box, but having the information in the appropriate forum makes more sense to me.
(*Actually I will read it anyway - and be intetrested - using the 'Show unread posts functionality' but if I were looking for it specifically I would look in the 'Instrument repair' section)

Quote
I might prefer to put it up as part of my ongoing weblog, keeping everything is one place rather than having bits of conversations going on all over the place.
It's easier for the writer to have everything they write about in one place, but for anyone interested in a particular subject it's easier (in my humble opinion  ;) ) if the information is in the appropriate forum with a suitable informative title.

Quote
A blog would also give one the freedom to go into much more detail about anything at all. Generally I'm sure it would all be essentially melodeon related as we are, to one degree or another, all melodeon players of a sort.
For example, performers / touring box players would be able to share, through the blog space, what was going on their world. Restorers and specialists may wish to blog their stuff. Idiots like me who get to play in an extremely wide variety of weird and wonderful places and situations on a very regular basis would have somewhere to legitimately share all that stuff with people who may actually be interested in the melodeon.
There's nothing stopping users from doing any of these things in the existing forums. Anyone can start a discussion on any topic, and go into as much detail as they wish. Most of them are already done, and if someone starts a thread in the 'wrong' forum a friendly moderator will be along shortly to put them right. In short, if it is going to be of interest to the other users of the site, then there is already a place for it in the existing forums.

Quote
But why not have it as a section - an extra space in which members can choose whether to participate or not?
Because it makes the information harder to find.
 
Quote
I know that we do agree that really is one hell of a good forum!
Hear hear!

As far as I can tell, the only new functionality that the blogspot add-on would give would be to allow users to say "I have a blog" or more precisely "I have a blog hosted on Melnet". I've never wanted or needed a blog (and I tend to share the opinions of the honourable member for Welshpool and Cajun-upon-Wye - see his blog on http://www.myspace.com/reeswesson - about their usefulness) but if enough users of Melnet want this functionality then we should go ahead and ask Theo to implement it.

So a couple of questions to finish:
1: How many members of Melnet feel the need to have the new functionality of having a blog hosted here?
2: Are there any bugs in Melnet that I have missed that would be fixed by the blogspot add-on?
3: Are there any new features or functionality that I have missed the the blogspot add-on would provide? If so, how many users feel the need to have that new functionality here on Melnet?

Regards

Pete
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Steve_freereeder

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #21 on: May 25, 2009, 09:06:41 AM »

I have just come to this thread after being away from this forum for a few days.
I agree wholeheartedly with just about all the points made on here, especially from Pete, Rees and Pauline.
This is one of the best specialist interest forums I have ever come across, and works perfectly well as it is. It don't need fixin'. In any case, Theo is busy enough as it is without something else to weigh him down. 

No blogs please, for all the reasons against that have been given.  Sorry, Al.

Steve
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Theo

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #22 on: May 25, 2009, 09:28:17 AM »

Rees... we do need a 'chuckle' button as a matter of urgency ;D ;D

Theo: check out the 'moticons on (if it works)
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/misc.php?do=getsmilies&editorid=vB_Editor_001


I should be able to add at least some of these to the standard set, as I worked out how to do that for  >:E and  :||: and  :|||:

I'm off visiting family for a couple of days, so don't expect to see anything till later this week.
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ladydetemps

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #23 on: May 25, 2009, 10:18:02 AM »

If you want to blog get your own and just put a link in your signiture....see easy. :)
My shamless promotion thread is effectively a blog. ;)


Theo: check out the 'moticons on (if it works)
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/misc.php?do=getsmilies&editorid=vB_Editor_001


Wow, good moticons! I can't work out how to use them.... erm,  Lady de temps, help!
Well, she has been a bit quiet lately.
oy....I've been enjoying the bank holiday.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2009, 10:43:20 AM by ladydetemps »
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HallelujahAl

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #24 on: May 25, 2009, 03:39:35 PM »

Quote
Sorry to hear that none of the points I made in earlier posts hold any validity  Please allow me to try again. I will try to look at this from the perspective of software development since
a: Melnet is a collection of software and
b: software development has been my career for the last twenty years or so.

In my experience there are only a small number of good reasons to make changes to software that is already working:
1: To fix existing functionality which either doesn't work, or which works but in a way that is not easy or intuitive for users. This has happened on Melnet a number of times that I am aware of since I joined a year or so ago.

2: To add new functionality which gives significant benefit to users or the providers of the software. The Melnet examples that I know of include the Instrument Database and Melodeon videos areas which provided new functionality for users, and the move from the old to the new forums which (I guess) made life easier for Theo and the others who work to keep Melnet going.

3: To make work for developers who would otherwise have nothing to do or who need practice or training. (This doesn't often happen in the commercial world, but it's not unknown. It happens much more in the Free and Open Source Software world where people work for free. In either case, changes are generally only accepted into the main product if they fall into either 1 or 2 above.) Anyway, I'm not aware of this happening much on Melnet since most of the people who work on it seem to have enough things to keep them busy. 

So, does the proposed 'blogspot' add-on fix anything that is broken, or improve something that already works but not very well? In my opinion, the answer is 'No'. It provides a different structure (compared to the forums) for organising user-generated information - blogs are organised by Blog author/owner, then by date: the Melnet forums are organised by broad subject areas (the different forums) then by subject (the topics/threads within each forum). However, for me the organisation into subject areas works better than organising it by author. So for me, there's nothing to fix.

Then, does the the proposed 'blogspot' add-on add new functionality or features which gives significant benefit to users or the providers of Melnet? As I pointed out in an earlier post, Users can already create, respond to, and track discussions in the existing forums. If they want to write about what is going on in their world, there's nothing whatever to stop them. By convention we usually confine ourselves to stuff that is melodeon-related, but that is not enforced by the software.

Al makes a number of points about how he or others might use the blog software:

Quote
I might want to put the topic I started about the restoration of my Heligonka Box onto my blog instead of putting it into the instrument repair section.
If I were interested in finding* information about repairing/restoring a Heligonika box and came looking on Melnet, then the instrument repair section is an obvious place to start looking. I wouldn't know to go hunting around in people's blogs. Sure I could use the 'Search' box, but having the information in the appropriate forum makes more sense to me.
(*Actually I will read it anyway - and be intetrested - using the 'Show unread posts functionality' but if I were looking for it specifically I would look in the 'Instrument repair' section)


Quote
I might prefer to put it up as part of my ongoing weblog, keeping everything is one place rather than having bits of conversations going on all over the place.
It's easier for the writer to have everything they write about in one place, but for anyone interested in a particular subject it's easier (in my humble opinion   ) if the information is in the appropriate forum with a suitable informative title.


Quote
A blog would also give one the freedom to go into much more detail about anything at all. Generally I'm sure it would all be essentially melodeon related as we are, to one degree or another, all melodeon players of a sort.
For example, performers / touring box players would be able to share, through the blog space, what was going on their world. Restorers and specialists may wish to blog their stuff. Idiots like me who get to play in an extremely wide variety of weird and wonderful places and situations on a very regular basis would have somewhere to legitimately share all that stuff with people who may actually be interested in the melodeon.
There's nothing stopping users from doing any of these things in the existing forums. Anyone can start a discussion on any topic, and go into as much detail as they wish. Most of them are already done, and if someone starts a thread in the 'wrong' forum a friendly moderator will be along shortly to put them right. In short, if it is going to be of interest to the other users of the site, then there is already a place for it in the existing forums.


Quote
But why not have it as a section - an extra space in which members can choose whether to participate or not?
Because it makes the information harder to find.
 

Quote
I know that we do agree that really is one hell of a good forum!
Hear hear!

As far as I can tell, the only new functionality that the blogspot add-on would give would be to allow users to say "I have a blog" or more precisely "I have a blog hosted on Melnet". I've never wanted or needed a blog (and I tend to share the opinions of the honourable member for Welshpool and Cajun-upon-Wye - see his blog on http://www.myspace.com/reeswesson - about their usefulness) but if enough users of Melnet want this functionality then we should go ahead and ask Theo to implement it.

So a couple of questions to finish:
1: How many members of Melnet feel the need to have the new functionality of having a blog hosted here?
2: Are there any bugs in Melnet that I have missed that would be fixed by the blogspot add-on?
3: Are there any new features or functionality that I have missed the the blogspot add-on would provide? If so, how many users feel the need to have that new functionality here on Melnet?

Regards

Pete

So...let me see...I take it that's a no then Pete?
AL  ;D
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Andy Next Tune

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #25 on: May 25, 2009, 07:11:38 PM »

Mel.net is effectively a community of individuals with at least one common interest. The forum is very egalitarian, giving everyone an equal voice.

Blogs however tend to be individual, and centred around the views of that person. They exercise editorial control over the blog content and comments.

I'm firmly against mixing the two within melnet. I do not see how individuals adding blogs will enhance the melnet community. If you wish to actively share relevant information then the forum is the place. 

If you want a blog, there are plenty of free blogging platforms for anyone to use, with minimal technical skills (e.g. blogger.com).

Andy

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HallelujahAl

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #26 on: May 25, 2009, 08:06:01 PM »

Quote
Blogs however tend to be individual, and centred around the views of that person. They exercise editorial control over the blog content and comments.

But since every member would be able to have a blog within the site democracy and egalitarian principles would still reign.. though God knows, I'm praying for a revolution >:E

I've never blogged before, but am intrigued by the thought. And would certainly be interested in other folks blogs. But, most of the responses so far have been reactionary. Oh well - roll on! I've now gone off and set up a Blog at WordPress. And yes it was free and it feels like a million miles from here. Within this forum there's just a chance that someone else interested in Melodeons might read it (simper, simper...). But alas it appears that although we have 'Wish List' the Forum Fairy Godmother doesn't want to know. ;D

I've only made an initial start to the blog - if anyone's interested (which seems to be unlikely) you can catch up with me over at http://hallelujahal.wordpress.com/

Cheers
AL
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Alison Scott

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #27 on: May 25, 2009, 08:06:47 PM »

I would be a vote for 'don't much care whether we have blogs here or not'. And I personally wouldn't use one, because I have a blog -- at http://www.kittywompus.com/macadamia . Which occasionally mentions melodeons.

Alison (currently feeling very, very light of wallet. Assiduous readers will know why.)

HallelujahAl

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #28 on: May 25, 2009, 08:13:02 PM »

No - I'm not bothered anymore either - got one now ;D
http://hallelujahal.wordpress.com/
AL
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Stiamh

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #29 on: May 25, 2009, 09:11:19 PM »

While we're on the subject of wish lists ... I'd like a "phew!" emoticon please. It would come in handy at this point.

ganderbox

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #30 on: May 25, 2009, 09:22:40 PM »

I would be a vote for 'don't much care whether we have blogs here or not'. And I personally wouldn't use one, because I have a blog -- at http://www.kittywompus.com/macadamia . Which occasionally mentions melodeons.

Alison (currently feeling very, very light of wallet. Assiduous readers will know why.)

It wasn't you that bought the O*****d, was it?
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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #31 on: May 25, 2009, 10:48:21 PM »

Alison (currently feeling very, very light of wallet. Assiduous readers will know why.)

It wasn't you that bought the O*****d, was it?
[/quote]

Might be, might be.... You can all tell me how the price is insane now. I will report back when I have the box.

A.

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #32 on: May 26, 2009, 01:26:14 AM »

It seem that the folks here are talking in a language with which I am not familiar. Perhaps this is blogese. For the most part this is completely confusing. I'm out of here.
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HallelujahAl

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #33 on: May 26, 2009, 07:59:50 AM »

Quote
While we're on the subject of wish lists ... I'd like a "phew!" emoticon please. It would come in handy at this point.


LOL! Cheers Steve! Hopefully the subject will now go from whence it came  :D
AL
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ladydetemps

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #34 on: May 26, 2009, 11:53:14 AM »

Quote
While we're on the subject of wish lists ... I'd like a "phew!" emoticon please. It would come in handy at this point.


LOL! Cheers Steve! Hopefully the subject will now go from whence it came  :D
AL
give me 24 hours and you'll have a phew emote

ladydetemps

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #35 on: May 31, 2009, 06:08:07 PM »


Theo: check out the 'moticons on (if it works)
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/misc.php?do=getsmilies&editorid=vB_Editor_001


Wow, good moticons! I can't work out how to use them.... erm,  Lady de temps, help!
Well, she has been a bit quiet lately.
Voila! a 'Phew' emote as requested

Bill the Farmer

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Re: Blogs, (was Piano Accordions vs Melodeons)
« Reply #36 on: June 01, 2009, 08:16:04 PM »

Rees... we do need a 'chuckle' button as a matter of urgency ;D ;D

Theo: check out the 'moticons on (if it works)
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/misc.php?do=getsmilies&editorid=vB_Editor_001

Did you mean this one?
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