Hey Matt/Neil. I waited a while trying to work out how best to phrase what I want to say without fueling an imaginary fire.
I'm not going to speak for Dennis, he is far more eloquent than me and capable of his own response. I'm just speaking for me.
I think there are plenty of new members, which is great. Particularly those who choose to be active on the forum. I have had the impression though that a few notable "high-profile" members have been a bit quiet, and I wondered why. Dennis just asked the question out loud. I think the reasons revolve around work, practice, life (outside of TG) etc, rather than any dissatisfaction. But the thing is...if there were issues, surely you want to hear what they are? Not in a rude, abusive, unconstructive way I absolutely support that, but in my humble opinion they should be raised not grumbled about. Which brings me to the last point I wanted to make.
I don't think you should perceive these discussions as criticism. I doubt anyone in their right mind would suggest you guys haven't been churning out a ton of content. Neil must sleep with his guitar in one hand and pick in the other. There is also plenty of technical improvement that is very noticable. You guys do a great job and I'm sure the vast majority of members appreciate it all, I know I do.
I do have one suggestion, but I will PM it. Nothing controversial just a suggestion.
I hope you understand where I am coming from and I hope it is seen as appropriate to express those thoughts here. Cheers.
What's going on with this forum?
I have been spending 4 or 5 hours a day practicing. I have very little time right now and have been jamming as much practice time in as I can. My sleep is suffering a bit, but that's a non-issue right now.
That and I'm waiting on a couple of other members to upload guitar tracks for the Elton John collaboration. I really want to finish it off as soon as possible.
I did start a couple of new threads sometime in the last day or so. but having the forum slow down a bit now and then only means that we are assimilating new data and need time.
That and I'm waiting on a couple of other members to upload guitar tracks for the Elton John collaboration. I really want to finish it off as soon as possible.
I did start a couple of new threads sometime in the last day or so. but having the forum slow down a bit now and then only means that we are assimilating new data and need time.
Now I tend to post a wee bit here and I notice the highs and lows, haven't seen it getting really slow from members that much. The kind of post is changing, more video uploads which is cool, less contentious issues for discussion, fewer Please Intro posts which is wierd given the increasing size of the membership ( i guess its taking longer for newbies to get involved as they are in catch up mode lol, and there is certainly a lot to catch up with) I liked the suggestion instead of linking back to old posts we maybe revitalise and discuss the issues again as it is possible we just might have changed our opinion on some things, maybe we resurrect old posts ourselves , bump them up to the top again or completely start over. I do know that I have discontinued some of the topics i hosted, this was due to decreasing interest, these were mostly Off Topic posts anyway and just a bit of fun, time permitting I might resurrect them also. I also think we might just be spreading our time out more due to the Facebook and You Tube links we now have, I spend more time on YT than i did previously. Anyway, this topic has generated a bit of interest, so bring on more Dennis, good post.
I been feeling that it's been too quiet around here too, so thanks for starting this thread Dennis. I think I've left the question on a profile page or 2. I've been assuming that a lot of you are out enjoying the Northern Hemisphere's Spring, or learning all the new content, or that you just have busy lives. It is nice to hear what people are doing, without that my mind starts to make it up. I find it good to compare notes and to get a reality check.
I'm finding the cold is reducing my practice time and maybe my TG time too. Often I get on and there are only a couple of new things. So it is good to hear the 'whys' already expressed above.
Re: Neil's time, he might want to invest in one of those magic pendants (Harry Potter) that allows you to go back and redo your day. That way he'll have time to fit in the normal TG activities that we love seeing and the new content that is coming from the voting at YouTube. I don't know how he does it. Oh immediate cloning could be useful too. :silly:
I'm finding the cold is reducing my practice time and maybe my TG time too. Often I get on and there are only a couple of new things. So it is good to hear the 'whys' already expressed above.
Re: Neil's time, he might want to invest in one of those magic pendants (Harry Potter) that allows you to go back and redo your day. That way he'll have time to fit in the normal TG activities that we love seeing and the new content that is coming from the voting at YouTube. I don't know how he does it. Oh immediate cloning could be useful too. :silly:
I'm not sure what the statisitics indicate, but I, too, have detected unofficially a sense that the forum has quieted down a bit. The tone of the original question seemed appropriate to me and honestly, as I read then re-read the post, I thought to myself I was glad the question had been raised. For me, it's simply a matter of baseball. Not unlike Neil's experience with softball (I would think), baseball rules my family for 3-4 months per year as I have three kids who live and breathe the sport. I coach my 8 year old's team, and as much as I love it, it takes quite alot of time. I have been playing my guitar a fair bit, though, and hope to post a few songs in the next couple of weeks.
I certainly won't put words in Dennis' mouth or pretend to know what he is thinking, but I interpret his post as a concern for our community, and I appreciate him for it.
TG has just exploded with new content and new membership recently, as well as the widespread appearance of the social media. Some of us just may need to digest it all for awhile. Additionally, I think some of our membership are getting musically more capable to explore new music and work on bigger challenges, thereby spending less time on the forum. I think we tend to talk less and less in the forum about some of the fundamental things as our less experienced players gain experience.
I think (and hope) it's just seasonal flux, student re-load, or any number of benign reasons. But many have noticed the slowdown, and Dennis has put it to the community. So, let's do something about it. Post some stuff. What are you working on? Have you tried any new equipment? How about new members? Don't you guys have any questions? How about just a thanks to TG for all the recent innovation. How about a shout out to Superman Hogan for producing lessons for every song recorded in the last 50 years, and the training to write your own if you want. Review some student uploads and throw in a new comment. Write in a request for a new video from Dennis.......or from anybody else. Anyone who's been inactive lately, just drop in a quick note to say hey......
TG has just exploded with new content and new membership recently, as well as the widespread appearance of the social media. Some of us just may need to digest it all for awhile. Additionally, I think some of our membership are getting musically more capable to explore new music and work on bigger challenges, thereby spending less time on the forum. I think we tend to talk less and less in the forum about some of the fundamental things as our less experienced players gain experience.
I think (and hope) it's just seasonal flux, student re-load, or any number of benign reasons. But many have noticed the slowdown, and Dennis has put it to the community. So, let's do something about it. Post some stuff. What are you working on? Have you tried any new equipment? How about new members? Don't you guys have any questions? How about just a thanks to TG for all the recent innovation. How about a shout out to Superman Hogan for producing lessons for every song recorded in the last 50 years, and the training to write your own if you want. Review some student uploads and throw in a new comment. Write in a request for a new video from Dennis.......or from anybody else. Anyone who's been inactive lately, just drop in a quick note to say hey......
All I can say is I am spending a good amount of time practicing and hope to post something soon. I try to be active but lately I need to do it at work during lunch so it is mostly just responding and not starting new threads. Just my 2cents
Bob
Bob
Dennis, good question. I note that Matt quotes stats that forum traffic has not slowed down, but, like you I subjectively felt it was ebbing a bit. Tony Tovo made some good points. My guess is that many of us have learned to use the walls and PM's more. I know I have so as to not show my a** to the entire world :laugh: . Marc and Chas' idea to rehash old subjects seems good. BTW: I did not read any harmful intent into your original post. Most of us here know you better than that. 
Cheers to all.
Cheers to all.