Forum Suggestion

[Thorn]

How about scrapping the  'Now Playing' thread?
It's becoming a catch all thread, comments, recommendations, criticisms are all being buried in a hodgepodge of bands. I'm a prime culprit for using it as a quick comment dump.
Want to say you're listening to  something, do a quick search of band name, if it's not there start a thread for em. If everybody searches a band name before making a comment on  them then we can keep each band's shit together in one place.
Obviously a lot of bands will have one of two comments and sink but at least they they have a go-to place on the forum.
Just to reiterate, for example,you wouldn't start a thread with the title Candlemass - Nightfall album, just Candlemass will do and people can add what they want there.
Just think the Now Playing Thread is getting to be too much of a quick get in- get out and some good conversation starters there are being lost.
Anyway... Have at it y'all..

[Juggz]

Works for me

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

I remember making a similar suggestion about 16 years ago about the then called "Satan's Metal" thread. Then over time I came to not be bothered by it and even post in it occasionally. Maybe what you're missing, like most of us, is the 10 or so years of archived threads that would guarantee that a search for almost any band would bring back some bit of discussion or someone's opinion. That was nice. RIP MI. It'll take us a while to get to that level here.

[Ducky]

I kinda like the quick comment nature of it. I listened to both of Kerbdog's album last night, I'd say that in the thread, there might be a bit of convo about them. I wouldn't feel the need to start a thread about them.

At the same time, there were so many threads on MI that mostly had tumbleweeds blowing through and they'd sink without a trace anyway.

[Kurt Cocaine]

I don't mind the thread. I'm not a fan of 2 or 3 post threads. They just push the worthwhile threads down the pages and get forgotten about.

[Hambeast]

The problem is finding the right balance. The original intention of the thread is to just state what you're listening to, but sometimes that can spark a discussion. Sometimes that discussion isn't big enough to justify a new thread, but sometimes it is. Do you limit the "now playing" thread to only allowing you to post song titles? If  a song sparks a discussion does it get split into a new thread? What happens if somebody posts a song on page 1 and then somebody sparks a discussion on page 90? It also prevents a bunch of low quality threads being created.

Interesting to see what everybody thinks on the issue.

[Ducky]

Yeah I think just letting it organically do its thing is the best for it. If it's limited to simple lists, it completely defeats the purpose of a forum (discussion) as you can just Google a list of songs or whatever.

I think we're small enough in numbers here that discussion on the "Now Playing" thread doesn't get buried. I'll skip back a few pages and see what catches my eye, which is a lot less effort than skimming threads with only a handful of posts.

I'm more of a passive user of the forum too. I'll read it a good bit and will take part in ongoing threads, but don't really bothsr making new ones and whatnot myself, so the "Now Playing" thread works for me.

[Carnage]

A bit pointless limiting it to just what you're playing and leaving it at that, surely. Isn't the idea to provoke discussion as well as sharing your listening habits? As long as the thread isn't derailed completely leave it as it is, I think people here have sense enough to create threads for sustained discussion of a particular band/album/topic if it's warranted.

[Circlepit]

Keep the thread. It doesn't do any harm and it's interesting. Just on Tuesday I got some great recommendations from it.

[Thorn]

BSC mentioned the Satan's Metal thread on MI,  I pretty much killed that by starting the One Album You're Listening To Today ' thread, same thing with a more obvious title, so I do like that premise , just seeing what heads are listening to .  There IS a bit of  a  quick tweet feel to it though .
Ducky, youre saying you didn't feel the need to start a thread on Kerbdog, I wouldn't count it as starting a thread, more putting them in the database, just creating a place  for that band where others can add their twopenneth.