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Special reviewers age needs to be included.

Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Site News, Newbies, Help and Improvements
Forum Name: Help us improve the site
Forum Description: Help us improve the forums, and the site as a whole
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=112068
Printed Date: December 02 2024 at 07:40
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Special reviewers age needs to be included.
Posted By: convocation
Subject: Special reviewers age needs to be included.
Date Posted: October 07 2017 at 19:17
The site currently asks for birth date for members....but that is too personal...given the damage done by putting putting personal info out in public....but I can't help want to have the historical significance of the reviewers opinions  to judge reviewers contributions in the proper context. Age does - without argument -  matter when evaluating the reviewers stand point. I am suggesting age be a requisite factor that must be given up in joining PA for special reviewers. 

It's ok to be anonymous...and still contribute...but the persons who dominate the reviews for artists should reveal more about their background...than being totally anonymous out side of shear quantity of contributions. After all, age does not determine quality any more than quantity.

Think about it





Replies:
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: October 07 2017 at 20:38
45, but nobody special


Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: October 07 2017 at 23:38
This should be in the 'Help us improve the Site' subforum.

I hear what you're saying but I think you'd get a lot of blowback.



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"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy


Posted By: Windhawk
Date Posted: October 08 2017 at 00:11
My age isn't a secret. I will be 46 before this year ends.


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Websites I work with:

http://www.progressor.net
http://www.houseofprog.com

My profile on Mixcloud:
https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/


Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: October 08 2017 at 00:18
I don't really see the relevance. One can be an ignoramous at fifty or insightful at eighteen. The content of the review is what matters.

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Soldato of the Pan Head Mafia. We'll make you an offer you can't listen to.
http://bandcamp.com/jpillbox" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp Profile


Posted By: Kepler62
Date Posted: October 08 2017 at 01:59
I have tried my hand at a handful of reviews. But  what's the point of giving Close To The Edge it's kazzilionth review.  personally at this point I think I know as much as I have to know about that album. I occasionally read or scan  some of the reviews if I have the time and don't see much difference between the "experts " or just someone who is just a "member". What qualifies someone as an "expert" in music? Anyone can write anything on the internet really. I guess you could call someone such as Chis Welch an "expert " but he is a trained journalist. He's even published books about artists from Led Zeppelin to Tina Turner. He even "interviewed " Gentle Giant. I'm sure some people here probably have never heard of Chris Welch but if you lived through the seventies he was everywhere. A person's age is not their fault but I think certain music belongs to an era and it helps to have lived through that period in time to really understand the impact certain music had relative to the times.



Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: October 08 2017 at 02:53
for the PA progreviewers, there is a way to describe his background in their profile page

I like the idea, but I don't believe it will be enougn to give the age, because it won't tell you at what age you discovered the album you're publishing the review of. Being 54, it's obvious that I can't have discovered Anglagard's Hybris (released 92) at age 18, but I could've discovered two months ago.




Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: October 08 2017 at 03:38
Originally posted by Mascodagama Mascodagama wrote:

I don't really see the relevance. One can be an ignoramous at fifty or insightful at eighteen. The content of the review is what matters.

Indeed.

Anyway we have far more troubling issues at hand as it is.

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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams


Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: October 08 2017 at 07:04
Originally posted by Mascodagama Mascodagama wrote:

I don't really see the relevance. One can be an ignoramous at fifty or insightful at eighteen. The content of the review is what matters.
 
Neither do I. I am neither an avid (11 reviews) nor a good reviewer. But if I ever write another review, I'll try to incorporate my age (now 60 years minus 100 weeks - this nice beaver won't see a leap day before reaching that noteworthy age) nevertheless Wink.
 
@OP: Nice you're posting here anyway Smile. I like to see low-frequency long time PA members popping up now and then.


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Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: October 08 2017 at 11:55
More than 40.......Less than 80

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Posted By: convocation
Date Posted: October 08 2017 at 13:00
I hope you're kidding.

Anyway, the discussion might have splintered a bit.

Age by itself has no bearing on the quality of reviews. Limits on age are basically common sense: you should to write in clear & succinct English. This does challenge some of our non-English native speakers/writers.....so I don't want to be construed as trying to exclude people....but then again posts are already edited...yes?
 
However,  one suggestion was to include at what age a special reviewer first discovered a particular track or artist. Also, it took me some not insignificant time to feel satisfied with a review before I posted....the age you write/post also does indeed have some bearing....just by the fact that our prose, observations, and perspective change in time.   I hope for the better, but in reality not always I suppose.

I'm 62.


Posted By: Quinino
Date Posted: October 08 2017 at 14:19
I would more easily get some clues about taste from knowing the facial hairstyle of the reviewer: close-shave, goatee, moustache, full beard, you name it... Ermm
But then again that would be getting too personal, wouldn't it (I use a 10-day stubble, btw, how can you get cooler than that Cool )


Posted By: BarryGlibb
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 02:49
It's not so much the age of the reviewer, but how many times has the reviewer actually listened to the album. I don't review much these days, but when I have, I had a rule that I must listen to the album at least a dozen times.

If for instance I had reviewed A Passion Play after 6 listens; I would have given it 2 stars...after a dozen listens it went to 4 stars; after 20 listens it went to 5 stars.

So maybe there should be a section in the review where you can put how many times you have listened to the album rather than worrying about how old the person is.






Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 03:14
^ Well, anyone can give that info in the body of their review if they want. If you make it a mandatory section reviewers who are hell-bent on praising or damning an album will just lie anyway. I figure that most who are filled with the zeal to write without having taken time to absorb the music either thinks it's the BEST or WORST ABLUM EVAR.

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Soldato of the Pan Head Mafia. We'll make you an offer you can't listen to.
http://bandcamp.com/jpillbox" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp Profile


Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 03:31
I could spin an album of a certain artist, say, twice, claim to have heard dozens of times, and no-one would know any different. Age doesn’t matter, how many times you listen to an album doesn’t matter. Somebody who has heard DSOTM a million times could say - “ Man, Pink Floyd are cool, they use synths and planes and all sorts of trippy sh*t. The album is awesome “. Means jack-sh*t. Take reviews at face-value, if you resonate with one, good luck to you. I was never good at it.............


Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 05:20
I think it is silly to introduce parametres to reviews that no one ever will be able to confirm the validity of.

I am 87 and my favourite colour is pink.

The above statement is 75% wrong but you have no way of checking whether I'm lying or not.

Read the review - any review - and then read another by the same author. It doesn't take an advanced linguist or English literature professor to unravel what kind of a writer we're dealing with.


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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams


Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 07:09
Is it hypothetically because if Johnny Reviewer hates an album, like for instance Jethro Tull's `Thick as a Brick', he must clearly then be a snarky kid too young to appreciate what apparently is a masterpiece?


Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 07:13
Originally posted by Guldbamsen Guldbamsen wrote:

I think it is silly to introduce parametres to reviews that no one ever will be able to confirm the validity of.

I am 87 and my favourite colour is pink.

The above statement is 75% wrong but you have no way of checking whether I'm lying or not.

Read the review - any review - and then read another by the same author. It doesn't take an advanced linguist or English literature professor to unravel what kind of a writer we're dealing with.
 
Agreed.
 
Over time, one also gets a feel for which reviewers have similar tastes to their own and those that don't.


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i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag
that's a happy bag of lettuce
this car smells like cartilage
nothing beats a good video about fractions


Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 07:46
What if one transcends time by existing in the astral planes and only beams reviews onto the site therefore having no true age? Wacko

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https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy


Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 07:49
Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

What if one transcends time by existing in the astral planes and only beams reviews onto the site therefore having no true age? Wacko

Jon doesn't write reviews here as far as I know.


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Soldato of the Pan Head Mafia. We'll make you an offer you can't listen to.
http://bandcamp.com/jpillbox" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp Profile


Posted By: Kepler62
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 17:53
I don't know if this fits into this thread but since it's discussing the reviews... Some of you guys have literally hundreds or even thousands of reviews. Do you actually own these CDs or LPs? I have a rather large LP collection that dates from the early seventies and if I were to review every single on of them I wouldn't have time to eat, sleep or go to work.. Some of the reviews seem like the reviewer only possesses a passing knowledge of the album. How many times have they listened to the album? Are they reviewing it just for the sake of it? They are certainly not being paid for it as far as I know. It's just something I sort of question. If i want to read what someone has to say about something I've just listened to I'll just check out one or two reviews at random. Some of these fancy titles that I don't see on other internet forums  just baffle me. What does this guy know that the others don't?


Posted By: Magnum Vaeltaja
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 21:58
^ Let's say that a reviewer sets aside 2 hours every day just to listen to music. That's 2 or 3 albums every single day, and this is being pretty conservative since I'm sure most of us have far more than 4 hours to listen to music over the weekend. Let's say that these reviewers also listen to an album a minimum of 5 times before posting a review, and they don't listen to an album more than once in the span of a day. 

So if we estimated that they listen to at least 20 albums-worth of music every week, then that's enough to become familiar with 4 new albums every week that they would then feel comfortable reviewing. If there's 50 weeks in a year where they listen to music (let's say that there are a few busy weeks here and there where they can't find the time to listen to anything), then that's still a lower bound of 200 new albums every year that they'd be fine with reviewing. Seeing as most of the veteran reviewers have been on the site for at least 5 years (some more than 10), is it really so surprising that someone can become well acquainted with over 1000 albums and write a review for each of them?


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when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents


Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 22:14
^ some of us are just music addicts. We breathe it, bathe in it and eat it for every meal. We live on cosmic vibrations instead of eating. There are veritable patterns in the universe and the same applies to music and musical recordings. I can only speak for myself as a reviewer but i persoanlly do not need to hear an album 100 times to get the gist of it. Often i only need one sitting and i understand it. Progressive music is a bit more difficult so sometimes twice, three times or maybe even up to ten if it's a tough nut to crack. Some albums i've been listening to for years and am only now reviewing. Some are brand new and hit me instantly. It's not really a chore to write reviews and transmogrify an emotional reaction into words if it's a passion. Some of us have a natural gift for these things and some don't. Everyone has a gift to offer the world. Some of us simply share our gift of gab with you and HELL NO we're not getting paid for it! However i do ask for a free CD from bands who contact me to review an album :) <hint>

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https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy


Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: October 11 2017 at 01:02
Originally posted by Kepler62 Kepler62 wrote:

What does this guy know that the others don't?

How to properly behave himself on an internet forum? Unlike some.
How to treat people in general? Unlike some.
How NOT to troll the forum with every new post? Unlike some.

Aside from that? You will never know because you're a silly person who feel entitled to throw sh*t in a house you didn't help build.

Stay vinegary and for the love of dog: please keep on critisising people and processes you know nothing about. It's always preferable to piss on people before you get to know them. Ask any mutt.

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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams


Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: October 11 2017 at 02:21
^ I remember someone posting years ago that they didn't see how anyone could have heard all of PA's top 100.   These days that seems like a trifle.


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"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy


Posted By: Kepler62
Date Posted: October 11 2017 at 05:16
Originally posted by Guldbamsen Guldbamsen wrote:

Originally posted by Kepler62 Kepler62 wrote:

What does this guy know that the others don't?

How to properly behave himself on an internet forum? Unlike some.
How to treat people in general? Unlike some.
How NOT to troll the forum with every new post? Unlike some.

Aside from that? You will never know because you're a silly person who feel entitled to throw sh*t in a house you didn't help build.

Stay vinegary and for the love of dog: please keep on critisising people and processes you know nothing about. It's always preferable to piss on people before you get to know them. Ask any mutt.

Whoa! Take a happy pill. 


Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: October 11 2017 at 06:16
Sure of course...if you drop the derogatory attitude. Quid pro quo.
You have been here what about half a year and almost every post I've read of yours take stabs at either PA or its collabs. You really seem to hate it here yet continue to come back and spew your vile.
The general member also spews vile but at least we've come to know the person in question beforehand. You started insulting just about everything the moment you joined. That is not very sympathetic and no amount of happy pills will make up for poor manners. I thought the American south was famous for its hospitality and general goodwill towards others. I guess you're the exception.

The people who work for this site have all, either through reviews or thoughtful posts over the forum, shown their love and knowledge of the prog scene. Then again we've had many walking prog encyclopedias join the site who would have been absolutely brilliant in the role of a collab...had they only been able to communicate with other people without being downright nasty.


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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams


Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: October 12 2017 at 06:47
Hi,

66 and counting ... too much doggy doo about doggy doodoo!

Nothing, EVER, has been secret anywhere, and anyone can find out anything ... it's why the internet is not secure and things can get mixed up ... the folks that created can get in and out ... and some of them are not as honorable as we think.

What makes you think that some folks at PA are any better or worse that you can hide information? There will always be someone that can figure it out and get to it, by snapping their fingers ... so, at 6ft tall, my information is ... 

WHATEVVVVAHHHH!

Scarlett Johansson (Actress)
Mark Ruffalo (Actor)
Jamie Lee Curtis (Actress)
Billie Jean King (Tennis)
Rodney Dangerfield (can't get no respect ... around here!)
Steve Van Zandt (Musician)
Terry Gilliam (Writer/Director)
Geraldine Page (Actress)
Charles de Gaulle (French Leader)
Robert Vaughn (Actor)
Tina Weymouth (Musician)
Mariel Hemingway (Actress/Model)
George Eliot (Writer)
Boris Becker (Tennis)
Peter Hall (Actor/Filmmaker)

Of course there are many more, and we can even include 3 ladies that did some porno, but what the heck ... and I DO NOT share the political stuff de Gaulle did ... other than that ... I'm a member of the party that is slightly to the left of Genghis Khan and slightly right of Spike Milligan!

Maybe you can see my appreciation for music and film/theater when you see this list! Oh, yeah, I played tennis left handed and was borderline ranked (just over 4.1) and served as well or better than John McEnroe did with the same windup. I usually say I invented it and he stole it ... !

You want more secrets?


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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com


Posted By: Negoba
Date Posted: October 12 2017 at 11:44
Some people have music going on in the background all day at work. When that was the case for me, I did a lot of reviews. I got a new job and now I don't get to listen nearly as much. I drop in once in a long time and review the few I truly have absorbed. 

As far as age, I think writing ability and musical background make a much bigger impact on the quality of reviews than age. 


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You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all.


Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: October 12 2017 at 15:32
Originally posted by Mascodagama Mascodagama wrote:

Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

What if one transcends time by existing in the astral planes and only beams reviews onto the site therefore having no true age? Wacko

Jon doesn't write reviews here as far as I know.
 
Fortunately he doesn't. Such reviews would have a pleasant element, but it would take longer than the pitch drop experiment to extract the sense out of it LOL.
 
By the way, Timothy doesn't post reviews either.


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Posted By: Cosmiclawnmower
Date Posted: October 20 2017 at 14:25
I've used progarchives for many years as a personal research resource; long before I joined the forum. I re-started collecting records about the turn of the millennium (after loosing all my records and tapes during the 80's/90's) and to discover new music. Firstly I have nothing but the upmost respect and sincere thanks to the reviewers for the countless reviews I have read and for the music they have led me to. I do a certain amount of (professional) writing about elements of my job and feel perfectly confident about that and have often wondered whether I should give reviewing my favourite lps a go but I consistently feel I would just be too emotionally involved and probably annoyingly gushing. I find it hard to be negative about most music so would probably not be very objective in my reviewsWinkLOL oh by the way I'm 55.

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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: October 20 2017 at 14:57
I'm not a special reviewer but I'm glad to see there are others on here who are around my age. I'm 47. 

Anyway, if people don't want to disclose their age I don't see what the big deal is. I suppose I get it to to some degree but I think usually you can tell someones general age just by their taste in music/prog. For example I can't imagine many people over 55 reviewing mostly prog metal and I can't imagine many 20 somethings not having mostly prog metal and or post rock. Just my two cents. Also, if they say in their biography what their first prog album was or how they got exposed I think that is usually a tip off also.


Posted By: peregrino
Date Posted: November 03 2017 at 17:24
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

I'm not a special reviewer but I'm glad to see there are others on here who are around my age. I'm 47. 

Anyway, if people don't want to disclose their age I don't see what the big deal is. I suppose I get it to to some degree but I think usually you can tell someones general age just by their taste in music/prog. For example I can't imagine many people over 55 reviewing mostly prog metal and I can't imagine many 20 somethings not having mostly prog metal and or post rock. Just my two cents. Also, if they say in their biography what their first prog album was or how they got exposed I think that is usually a tip off also.

As a 20 something pushing 30, I can tell you the bit about prog metal is true - males love DT and Symphony X with bits of Tool here and there, while females (at least where I live) are really into 00s Purcupine Tree, Opeth, The Gathering, Anathema, etc. But post rock is still very much of a niche genre, save for "mainstream" bands like Sigur Ros, maybe. Post rock seems to be bigger among indie rockers, since my friends who are into, say, Godspeed You! Black Emperor are also into shoegaze more than prog.

Actually, there is a fair bit of jazz fans among 20 somethings, to be honest. Jazz seems to be creative an interesting enough still for those restless minds out there, which makes me happy.



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