How about favourites?

Stressed Cheese wrote: I prophesy disaster wrote: I can think of four ways to pick a favourite: The one you currently like the most. The one you like the most of all time. The one you are currently playing the most. The one you have played the most over all time.   Whereas the first two are based on "gut feeling", the latter two could in principle be objectively measured.   Yeah, you can measure the latter two. But you won't end up with a list of favorites.

moshkito wrote: MikeEnRegalia wrote: ... I think these polls are rather pointless. People are bored and/or have too much spare time, and I've engaged in some of these polls from time to time, but in the end these polls vanish in the forum archives, and the results are forgotten. ... Hi, To me, this is a really sad comment, on a lot of folks in the medium, that are not helping, and think that their way is better than any one's thoughts, opinions or polls.  For someone running something where the inmates rule, this is a very strange comment ... like the same/similar thing doesn't happen over there, with folks voting on something that many of them have not even heard in its entirety, and sometimes based on one song.  I think the folks on PA are a bit more inclusive and helpful to a band and its work, even if I criticize things here and there ... but the comments are about defending the music ... not a fan! If you were a musician trying hard, you want some respect and appreciation, and someone saying that your work, or someone's poll including your work, is meaningless ... you wouldn't like it ...  I get the thought that some folks want to make sure they sound bigger and better than the musicians, and that's not right, and neither is it fair ... the musician had the guts to put his heart on the line ...

I prefer making and participating in polls to rating and tagging because this is more interactive with others. While it is not my primary source for discovery (mostly these days it's from browsing the RYM charts and it used to be mostly from recommendations to me because I would share my interests in the forum), I have discovered plenty of music through polls, and I know that I have exposed others to music through them. Also, making polls and taking part in others can deepen my appreciation for music as it gets me exploring the music more and revisiting it.

And as I sometimes say with my polls, they are intended as an accessory to discussion. They are ephemeral, but such is life. Of course there are more productive/ useful ways I could spend my time, but I don't always want to be productive. And one could never have too much spare time, I think. I work, have a family, and I wish I had 100 hours spare time every day (I sleep very little which does give me considerably longer days than most). This is a nice break from doing things I need to do, although I must admit that my wife would have rather I had spent less time over the years doing such things.

My issue can be that there are too many polls, and active topics generally, often being responded to to build up discussions. And not everyone wants discussion.

Edited by Logan - August 21 2023 at 08:34

David_D wrote: Logan wrote: My issue can be that there are too many polls, and active topics generally, often being responded to to build up discussions. And not everyone wants discussion. I guess discussion, understood as talking about and exchanging different points of view, is one of the crucial aspects of dealing with art.

Yes, and it can be difficult to have deep and mutually meaningful interactions because art appreciation is so personal / subjective. I would love to experience art through someone else's ears/ eyes (really their brain which interprets the data). I can read about their experience, but I'm not experiencing it as they do. And in fact that description of the experience is in itself a sort of art, and my experience of that descriptive artform will be unique. Often in trying to discuss music and art we are trying to communicate something that is so personal and hoping that that message connects with others, and hoping that others have shared experiences. Even if the experience is not the same, I find it deeply rewarding and satisfying when ones experiences seem to connect and intersect, and prosaically, when one's recommendations are appreciated.

Logan wrote: I prefer making and participating in polls to rating and tagging because this is more interactive with others. While it is not my primary source for discovery (mostly these days it's from browsing the RYM charts and it used to be mostly from recommendations to me because I would share my interests in the forum), I have discovered plenty of music through polls, and I know that I have exposed others to music through them. Also, making polls and taking part in others can deepen my appreciation for music as it gets me exploring the music more and revisiting it. And as I sometimes say with my polls, they are intended as an accessory to discussion. They are ephemeral, but such is life. Of course there are more productive/ useful ways I could spend my time, but I don't always want to be productive. And one could never have too much spare time, I think. I work, have a family, and I wish I had 100 hours spare time every day (I sleep very little which does give me considerably longer days than most). This is a nice break from doing things I need to do, although I must admit that my wife would have rather I had spent less time over the years doing such things. My issue can be that there are too many polls, and active topics generally, often being responded to to build up discussions. And not everyone wants discussion.

^ Sorry. That was some sort of an offensive humour of mine towards the "forumer entity" that you had quoted. Please ignore it. 

Archisorcerus wrote: ^ Sorry. That was some sort of an offensive humour of mine towards the "forumer entity" that you had quoted. Please ignore it.

suitkees wrote: Most of the albums I have in my collection are favourites. To me, it would be a pointless exercise to rank or to rate them, and I therefore have much trouble in listing them as is being asked in the current flurry of 7x7 and 10x10 listings. That is why I don't participate in these listing exercises, nor do I rate album here on PA (nor elsewhere) because I don't find pleasure in it and thus don't want to spend time on it. It is however nice to read those listings and rankings and sometimes it can inspire me to listen to albums that I don't know or haven't heard since some time.

Edited by suitkees - August 23 2023 at 10:20