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Forums > Help: Suggestions

Song Comments

songbird	Date: December 8, 2007 @ 4:53 PM How about an option for artists to enable or disable song comments on their pages just as we can enable/disable downloads, etc.?
evansorchid	Date: December 8, 2007 @ 5:13 PM And what exactly would be the purpose of that? I can understand having the prerogative on the downloading songs bit, but why would you not want people to comment on your songs. If someone is being abusive you can simply block them and delete their comment. I just don't understand the thought process behind why someone would want that. Elaborate.
songbird	Date: December 8, 2007 @ 5:32 PM I realize we have the capability to delete and block comments. And it's not about deleting abusive comments. I'm sure we all have different opinions as to whether or not comments left on our songs are a good thing/bad thing/relevant/irrelevant/helpful/not helpful, etc. For me personally, I don't want people to feel like they have to comment just because I have a song on my page. I just want to share my singing and hopefully have people enjoy what they hear. Likewise, I just want to enjoy the songs I listen to on this site and don't want to feel pressured to comment. The experience of listening to and sharing music is different for everyone as everyone is unique. That is why I believe artists should be given a choice to enable or disable comments on their songs just as we as listeners have a choice whether or not to comment.
leedsquietman	Date: December 8, 2007 @ 7:33 PM Oh Oh. We had a major debate on this a while back and people seemed to be very polarized on their opinions. For now though, I wouldn't worry too much about it Katie, it is a pleasure to leave a comment on your music and if I have no time to do that, I can still enjoy listening to your music without any obligations.
evansorchid	Date: December 8, 2007 @ 8:21 PM That’s just so altruistic sounding that I just can’t help but chuckle….. But, the pressure is just more than I can bear, so I’m just going to post my comment on your track here... since you don’t want me to comment on your tune. _______________________ Wow, your vocals are really outstanding on this track. So vulnerable, yet so strong. Your pitch is absolutely perfect. The vocoder is a very nice touch. Ace production! The music is sweeping and graceful and absolutely makes your voice sound quite astonishing. _______________________ And don’t try to pretend that you didn’t read it…..
FraDonaghy	Date: December 8, 2007 @ 9:12 PM I am with Katie on this one. I personally would like the option of disabling comments.
GTOriginal	Date: December 9, 2007 @ 9:52 AM I think we should stop calling them "comments" because I keep expecting to hear actual voices instead of reading text messages. DMusic is after all, home of the "ShoutBox".
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 9, 2007 @ 11:11 AM How about an option to disable the chicken emoticon for Moam...
Mojosnake	Date: December 9, 2007 @ 7:28 PM
evansorchid	Date: December 9, 2007 @ 8:49 PM How about an option where no one can stream our music. I just feel that as an artist that I should have the option to turn off or turn on streaming whenever I want. The listener should be able to appreciate the stone cold silence of my artist expression and if they cannot then they obviously have no taste. Did I mention I was a subscriber....
ShadowMom	Date: December 10, 2007 @ 9:14 AM I have sometimes wished for an option to "turn off" some users... alas, Jack has a more level head than I do. So you are safe. For now. Did I mention I was an admin....
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 10, 2007 @ 10:20 AM You can't turn me off, Mom... I'm like cat flu (FIP) (for the "huh?" persons reading, a cat's immune system attempts to kill the disease but inadvertantly speeds up its growth, eventually killing the animal... now that sounds scary when applied to this place)
jack	Date: December 10, 2007 @ 6:05 PM On 10th Dec 2008, ShadowMom said: I have sometimes wished for an option to "turn off" some users... alas, Jack has a more level head than I do. So you are safe. For now. Did I mention I was an admin.... It exists, I shouldn't have to remind you the time I made all your comments say the same thing.
FraDonaghy	Date: December 10, 2007 @ 6:58 PM You can turn off the ability to stream your music Evansorchid. Just turn off the song's visibilty. It might be an idea to turn off your sarcasm too.
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 10, 2007 @ 9:37 PM Who needs to watch Hatton v Mayweather when the boxing matches here are more interesting?
ShadowMom	Date: December 10, 2007 @ 10:00 PM I remember, Jack.... and I didn't back down, did I? That's one of the most enjoyable evenings I've ever had here. Even if I did spend time in the dungeon with
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 10, 2007 @ 10:02 PM Hey, at least my socks were clean!
ShadowMom	Date: December 11, 2007 @ 7:03 AM Then what the hell was that smell??
evansorchid	Date: December 11, 2007 @ 8:38 AM My guess would be horse manure from that fine white steed FraDonaghy seems to be mounted upon.
farfor44	Date: December 11, 2007 @ 9:40 AM ~~still~
FraDonaghy	Date: December 11, 2007 @ 10:30 AM On 11th Dec 2008, evansorchid said: My guess would be horse manure from that fine white steed FraDonaghy seems to be mounted upon. ..or it could just be your attitude. We all get that you don't agree with Katie's proposal, that doesn't mean you can poke fun at it. You should treat other users here with the respect you in turn wish to receive yourself. I very much doubt you would appreciate it if someone tried to belittle any proposals you made.
GeneHilbert	Date: December 11, 2007 @ 12:02 PM I thought I'd comment but then I disabled that option. Well Damn....! Never mind I'll do next time.....
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 11, 2007 @ 12:10 PM On 11th Dec 2008, ShadowMom said: Then what the hell was that smell??
ShadowMom	Date: December 11, 2007 @ 1:08 PM You have GOT to stop wearing panties, BuzzBoy! I told you about that before, I'm sure. See-- you never listen to me!
Tattoomom	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 1:04 PM I need to have the option for people to leave negative or un-helpful comments about our stuff... Bill gets awfully testy if the revenge list gets too short...
jack	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 1:38 PM How about something like this: When you upload a song, you could select an option 'prefered comments type', which would be something like * All comments * Crtique Only * Only from my friends or watchers list * No comments from anyone
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 3:13 PM The thing I remembered about the thumbs up/down system was that so many would hit down just because they didn't like the artist or song, then do it to half the other songs on their list. Now that option is gone because it was messed with... My questions are how would we control "criticism"? And would the comments allowed be from the user's buddy list only (bear in mind artist pages can have multiple users) or just groupies, who can add themselves? If the latter, then perhaps groupies should need to be approved by the artist first?
Israfel	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 3:22 PM I get a kick out of this thread. No offense to Kate, I think everyone should be able to decide to either have commnets or not on their own page but I do get a kick out of this site. In one forum, everyone's yelling about not being censored and here, we are deciding to allow eachother to censor comments on our pages. Ya gotta love the irony!
jack	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 4:03 PM Well personally I am slightly against the idea, since this is a community and I think interaction should be encouraged. Then again, it should be the artists right to choose - and they may just be showcasing finished work that they don't want critique on. I have no idea how such a thing would be moderated except by the artist themselves anyway, since there's obviously no way to intelligently read the content of a comment without wasting a large amount of resources doing so. Leaves us pretty much back at square one and down to either turning comments off entirely or allowing all comments. Another option to consider would be allowing users to 'lock' comments on a song when it's completed and just there as a showcase, with the possibility of unlocking it at later stage. Just brainstorming.
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 4:08 PM I think all or nothing would be the best place to start, as with the previous thread on this matter. It's less to code and it will also throw up plenty more debate on how it works and what users think in practice rather than in theory. Yep Issy, it is rather ironic. Then again this is the result of having such a colourful and diverse community.
songbird	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 4:14 PM Jack...I like your idea of having artists have the option to "lock" comments on a song. That is what I was initially going for with this forum. It's all about having a choice. As far as this discouraging interaction on the site, I don't believe that will happen. This site is all about interaction via shoutboxes, forums, and notes. If someone wants to tell an artist how they feel about their particular song, and the comments are "locked" on that song, there are other means to convey the message to the artist.
jack	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 4:20 PM Valid points on both sides, I'll have a chat to Tracy about adding something and see how it goes from there.
FraDonaghy	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 4:32 PM Of course as it sits at the minute it is possible to stop comments being made on your page If memory serves we correctly, in the privacy options, blocking artist comments for all people who are not on your buddy list is an option. So all you would have to do is enable that option and then delete your buddy list. Everyone would still be able to communicate with you via the notes & shoutbox etc, just not comment on your songs. I can't speak for everyone (even the minority of us who would prefer to disable comments), but personally the reason behind my thinking is that there are numerous options available to give feedback to an artist here at DM (shoutbox, note, journal comment etc etc) but when the comments are directly associated with the song they become a part of how that song is presented here on the site. Yes, subscribers have the option to remove unwanted comments, but not everyone is a subscriber.
HenriRoger	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 4:37 PM Katie and fra I respect your choice but, I don't understand You take a real risk of staying appart from how it works here and on all music sites . Now you both have at dmusic a number of people knowing you ,but consider any newbie with "no comment" option and not commenting , he would meet nobody here ... I think it's better you explain your choice on your journal than to just have a kind of "no comment" button on your songs .
FraDonaghy	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 4:41 PM I have tried that Henri and people still went ahead and commented. Again, you can comment in the shoutbox etc to introduce yourself and draw attention to your music. This applies to newbies and old hands alike I don't expect DM to change the way it operates simply because of how I (one user) feel, though I do feel the need to share those feelings and see if anyone agrees. If not though, then that is fine
evansorchid	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 10:54 PM If this is adopted it will absolutely erode the communal aspect of the site. If a comment is so abhorrent to an artist and they are a subscriber they can delete it. If an artist is not a subscriber and they want a comment removed they can contact an admin and the admin can remove it. New artists to this site can see the artists who are commenting frequently, and may visit their pages and listen to their songs, in hopes that they also might receive a comment from an artist who enjoys commenting on other artist’s material. In this manner, many newbies are accepted, and the community as a whole will grow. Many of us love this site and enjoy leaving comments because it is a part of our own artistic expression to leave our impressions of the song on the respective comments page. I would like to think that most of here at DM respect each others talents and leave respectful and constructive comments on other artist's pages. Just because that's not always the case, doesn't mean that we should be able to turn off song comments all in the name of 'choice'. If I’m listening to an artist’s song and I discover that I cannot comment on it, I guarantee that I will never visit that artist’s page again. I don't care how good the song is. I'm not going to rave into their shoutbox or send a note praising the song. I'm going to make a mental note never to visit that artist's page again, because in my opinion, the artist that has choosen to disable song comments is either really insecure about their song or extremely smug and has purposefully placed their song on a kind of plateau above those other artists who enjoy receiving the constructive feedback. In my opinion, this will create an ‘us versus them’ cliquish mentality among those who elect to turn off comments. So, I would like to propose that if this is allowed to happen that we also create a new option for when we sadly choose to block an artist. Right now, we can block other artists from User comments, Artist comments, Shoutbox posts, and sending Notes. I say that we create an option to block them from streaming our mp3s as well. That way an artist who has opted to block song comments on their page, cannot receive the enjoyment of listening to other artist's mp3s. That would be my 'choice'.
leedsquietman	Date: December 12, 2007 @ 11:02 PM Yikes !! So Spike, don't be shy, tell us how you REALLY feel
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 12:30 AM On 12th Dec 2008, evansorchid said: ...I say that we create an option to block them from streaming our mp3s as well. That way an artist who has opted to block song comments on their page, cannot receive the enjoyment of listening to other artist's mp3s. That would be my 'choice'. Not really possible, since that user/artist can just log out and bypass any filter.
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 12:36 AM Much as I understand and agree with the arguments for & against having this option to disable comments, the real matter at present is choice. Give the artist the option to choose whether to allow comments or not - What the community will think about those artists is something that will just have to be dealt with as time goes on but will it be really any different to the various debates we've had over the years about other areas, like self-streamers, chart rigging, spammers, etc?
songbird	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 7:06 AM Apparently my suggestion must not be that out of the box for Jack to even consider it knowing that he's quite the busy person around here.
evansorchid	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 10:27 AM I sure hope that your next collaboration partner feels the same way as you Kate. I know that I sure wouldn’t want to go through all the work of writing lyrics, composing the music, arranging, producing, mixing, mastering, etc., only to discover that the talented vocalist that has agreed to contribute with me on the song neglected to inform me up front that they don’t feel the need for any feedback on the tune. Unless, of course you are able to do all these things yourself. In which case, I’m really looking forward to hearing that track.
songbird	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 10:36 AM My collaboration partner, should anyone dare work with me after the terrible suggestion I put forth, would have the choice of putting that collaboration up on their page and enabling the comments.
ShadowMom	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 11:21 AM There are pros and cons about this, but really what it comes down to is choice and respect. Respect each other's right to choose. If some artists are not comfortable with comments, then it would be nice to give them the option, and keep our judgments to ourselves. I do believe the disabling should be done on a track-by-track basis, just in case, perhaps in the file manager. But however it's done, it's a personal choice.
zedsalt	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 11:32 AM I wouldn't find the idea of an option to disable comments "terrible". I mean, those artists would be setting themselves up for a sharp decrease in the number of listens, but I don't see anything wrong in giving us that choice, if it's not too terribly difficult to implement. With the amount of time and effort involved every time I want to listen to something posted here, I simply wouldn't bother with any song/artist where the comments were disabled. No one I know with a lightning-fast connection would bother, either. Some of them have expressed frustration with the notion of having to register at a site to make a comment, but from what I hear, they always do. I guess the important thing would be to somehow CLEARLY indicate "This artist has chosen to disable the comment feature", in order to avoid giving people one more reason to eschew DMusic in its entirety.
songbird	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 11:42 AM ShadowMom: I think your suggestion of disabling on a song to song basic is a great idea. zedsalt: In line with what you've said, I agree that anyone visiting the artist's page should be aware of the comments feature being disabled on any song they choose to listen to on the page. That way, they don't spend time and energy writing a comment, only to find that after pressing "post", it didn't show up.
FraDonaghy	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 12:46 PM I don't see why having comments disabled should automatically cause offence to the visitor or lead to a decrease in listens. Surely that says more about the listeners reasons for commenting than anything else. Is commenting really the only reason you might listen? In no way was this move intended as me saying "hey, I don't want constructive criticism".. in fact I crave it. The sad reality is that here on Dmusic, you just don't get it the vast majority of the time, and having endless praise (while appreciated) on your songs leads you to stagnate as an artist. I also don't see why this would be a bad thing for DMusic as a whole. Up until recently, comments associated with the songs wasn't available on MySpace and it never did them any harm. If someone has something to say to me, I would just prefer them to write me a letter rather than write on my wall.
GTOriginal	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 3:01 PM On 13th Dec 2008, FraDonaghy said: Is commenting really the only reason you might listen? Bravo, Fradonaghy! You just saved my entire Jimi Hendrix collection!!! I was about to throw it away because the artist does not accept constructive criticism from me. Smug bastard. He would really shine on that Strat if he would only read my comments on "Purple Haze" and "Red House". Being dead is no excuse either lol. Katie, I like the 2 songs we did so far and would collab with you again any time. Comments Schmomments. While I enjoy putting my remarks on the stuff I listen to, I certainly don't feel I could teach anyone how to do music better, and even if I could I wouldn't want to force it on them, esp. not for the world to see. Fact is, I DO care how good a song is, and if I like it I'm gonna listen to everything I can by that person, regardless of their state on DM. Doesn't matter if they want/don't want comments, subscribe or not, clique with this one / that one, none of it makes a whit of difference once the tune begins to spin. Hell I don't even have to like or know the person... As an artist I won't disable comments because I like to read what the six remaining DMers have to say about my stuff. But the ability to do so will have absolutely no bearing on what I listen to... DM is way better as a music site with cool interaction than it is as a chitchat site with music.
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 3:18 PM Fra's absolutely right in regards to why it should cause a decrease in listens but bearing in mind that some are opposed to having the option at all, so it stands to reason that people who would comment and then find themselves unable to, may not bother listening at all. That's the part in my last post about dealing with the fallout if or when it happens as time goes on. Here's a thought. Suppose I have a really old song that's no longer going to be worked on, just added for listening pleasure. If I state this and someone comes along, criticising it and trying to suggest how to better mix it (say it's one of my 1994 cassette recordings that can't be enhanced and it says so!) then what would I think of the commenter? I'd say he/she is a donut for saying such things. At least if I disabled the comment for that song I'd have spared someone some blushes and an obvious public comment proving their stupidity. Still, I know that's not the matter at hand, I was just making light of the situation. As Mom says, it's about choice and respect. Why would anyone be opposed to having a choice? If you don't like the option, don't use it. How you feel about someone who DOES use it is your concern, not mine or the artist who uses it.
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 3:21 PM typo - why should it cause a decrease... arse!
GeneHilbert	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 3:31 PM Screw that - I want to be able to tell people when they suck. The exception is Katieoke of course - she is perfect in every way..... Hey.... that could be another subscriber perk.... block all non-subscribers option.... Brilliant!
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 5:25 PM Block all non-subs? Then you'd cut off about 99% of the site... Now there's a point in favour of what Orchid was saying! Worst case scenario is that if someone got so miffed about not being able to leave an artist some comments, they'd just leave a shout or a note... Unless they were blocked there too, in which case a forum rant is probably inevitable.
evansorchid	Date: December 13, 2007 @ 6:52 PM On 13th Dec 2008, GeneHilbert said: Screw that - I want to be able to tell people when they suck. The exception is Katieoke of course - she is perfect in every way..... Am I detecting a hint of sarcasm?
GeneHilbert	Date: December 14, 2007 @ 12:10 PM Absolutely not....... Don't fuck with K - make me have to kick some ass......
moam	Date: December 14, 2007 @ 11:25 PM comments can slurp my dong juice
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 12:39 AM I propose going to Moam's page and leaving a comment on each song, saying "It sounds like Moam slurping on dong juice".
moam	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 12:40 AM Do it!!! It'll only give me more comments
evansorchid	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 12:43 AM But, all of his songs sound like that. Or wait, sometimes you can hear him coming up for air.
moam	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 12:44 AM Hey atleast I'm making a new approach at makin' music!
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 12:50 AM It'll be an improvement on what you've offered so far
moam	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 12:52 AM My next cd is called "dong sea" and every track is me gurgling under all the weight of the dong juice... Just wait 'till you hear this masterpiece!!
ChillinBuzz	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 12:56 AM Dong Sea
evansorchid	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 12:58 AM I think I heard a preview. He's working that organ pretty hard.
Thaspian	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 12:58 AM I think this should be done. Infact I think song comments in general should be disabled. No one offers criticism. It's always "OMFG THAT'S GREAT!!1" or, even on the worst recorded songs of the worst recorded music, someone will bring something up like "I like how you hit the snare on the end. EXCELLENT! " I can't stand it.
Thaspian	Date: December 15, 2007 @ 1:02 AM