Paul’s Polls

Disconnect wrote: more Paul polls, please.  If only to drown out Logan's alphabetical polls (which consistently leave out many bands despite the thread names ).  It's maddening, son.

I'm truly sorry that those upset you, and I wonder if I have offended you. I made those over some time based on personal favourites. There were not a lot of new polls going up and I did not want to drown out other people's topics. I try to respond to a variety of topics in a hopefully generally, positive, constructive and amiable manner. Often polls get responded to en masse so the clump together even if spaced out. Flooding is a bad thing, and I don't think I flooded this site with my topics. I am not planning to make any more of those, and in fact I have been off the site this last week until today. There are only a maximum of 25 spaces per poll, so even covering just my favourites would require many more polls, which it seems clear you would not want. I ask people to mention their own favourites -- I don't care about the poll results but I like to discuss music with people that I like and discover things new to me.

Polls drop off the page anyway if they don't get responses, and I don't try to keep my topics active. If you ever have concerns, please consider PMing me or maybe post about in one of my topics. More likely I will notice and then be able to address your concerns directly. I do try to read all responses and I try to respond to queries and concerns in a hopefully satisfactory manner. I do try to take other concerns and perspectives into consideration and despite the animosity that my actions have sometime brought about, I do like to be on friendly, and friendly enough that we can be comfortable being candid with each other, terms with other members of this fine community.

I'd love to see more people making more topics and maybe trying some new things to make them really interactive.

By the way, if doing a series like that, other than perhaps spacing it out more (say doing only one a week, but I like to finish things I start instead of really prolonging it) how do you think it would have been done better? I'd love to see your take on it. I do tend to prefer the ones based on personal favourites. Of course these polls will leave out many bands with the letters unless one does a huge number of polls, and I only covered some of my favourites. I wonder if my opening posts were not clear enough in expressing the ideas behind it.

- Greg

EDIT: I likely am thick as a brick, but I don't get the logic of your observation that the topics "consistently leave out many bands despite the thread names". It's an unfortunate limitation of this forum often not being able to figure things out with people in real time (to understand where we are both coming from). You're vexed, and I'm rather perplexed, I guess.

For instance, I wrote as one title "25 "H" List Acts" and there are indeed 25 acts with the letter H. There are may hundreds of Hs to choose from potentially. If you mean I consistently left out various popular names, I thought I made it very clear throughout the series that I was choosing my favourites and others are free to mention their own; be they big names or obscurities. I treat polls as accessories to discussion, by the way, and not contests and am happy to hear about what people like on AND off the lists. I hope to expose others to some names they might not know and are interested in in turn and to be exposed to some other names. I am more interested in topics generally not about the most usual of Prog suspects, but then I don't have very "Prog-mainstream" tastes (mainstream when it comes to Proggers).

I honestly do hope you make your own original polls and topics generally, and come up with your own approaches. I'd be thrilled to see these forums more lively with topics and ideas being presented by a wide variety of people that appeal to a very wide variety of tastes. Even if I was not visiting this site much anymore, I would still care that others continue using it, learning from it and enjoying what is offered and what they can offer, as well as interacting together as a mostly harmonious community despite the differences in interests and personalities.

Edited by Logan - October 08 2024 at 21:14

Disconnect wrote: more Paul polls, please.  If only to drown out Logan's alphabetical polls (which consistently leave out many bands despite the thread names ).  It's maddening, son.

Thanks, guys, it is much appreciated. And I apologise for being off-topic here (the topic being Paul's polls).

It would seem incredibly lazy to be critical of and hostile towards topics without actually reading beyond the headline. Disconnect did post in one of those topics (just the one; not a frequent poster) with "would've voted for Wobbler, but they are not on the list....so I guess Robert Wyatt and Weather Report" which indicated to me perhaps an understanding that it was multiple votes at the time but also not really getting the topic, since it's vote for and mention what you like AND mention any other favourites. There is this strange to me air of expectation from some here over the years that what is well-known, or even their favourites that might be obscure, SHOULD be represented, and to some that omission is even somehow insulting. I know Wobbler, by the way, but I prefer my 25 choices and mentioned Wobbler, as well as many others not in the poll in an alternate list in my first post in that topic. Seems I was more duly diligent than the complainant. Before criticising or questioning, at least take the time to try to understand the poll topic by reading the poll question and original post, and try to see if it was addressed in other posts. Maybe a difference with me is that I am more interested in reading the threads and sharing my thoughts than voting. Shorter posts than I tend to make can make that experience more enjoyable. And of course if you are critical and someone responds thoughtfully, it is polite to acknowledge the post and respond back. That may be more ingrained in my upbringing and cultural background.

One thing I wish to mention/ reiterate is that while I did post those polls over only about six weeks, which is very little time for maybe 21 polls, and I sped up with the last few since I wanted it over and done with (I'm too impatient), often polls get lumped together because other people respond to them en masse. I did not obscure new polls by making those. The forums were very slow, I was trying to give it a shot in the arm, and I did respond to other people topics regularly. I would not only pay attention to topics I create. It can help PA too for the search engines to pick up on the key words in one's topics. I want this site to be active and vibrant, and attracting new people and encouraging some others to come out of the woodwork and interact more with the membership. One other thing (I am too verbose, but some not enough imo), I ask that people do me the courtesy of trying to speak to me directly if they find an issue. That would have been much more appreciated by me, and seems more diplomatic, that posting it here in this way. That's why I think I might have offended this user at some time. Surprised me to read here, not even in one of my one topics, and with no attempt to speak to me first. So much nicer to be talked to than talked about.

And if one doesn't like the polls, why not make your own as counterpoint? Or to show how perhaps to do them better. Lead by example.... And variety is the spice of life.

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Back on topic too as this was not intended to be about my contributions, definitely I do enjoy many of your polls, Paul, and I appreciate that you put so much time and effort into them. Don't let it get in the way of other activities like sleeping, eating, getting out and about, and I would not put too much expectation on yourself even if the fans/ groupies are crying out for more. :)

Psychedelic Paul wrote: ^ Thanks for your comments and don't worry, I get plenty of exercise just walking to the shops and back (a 7-mile round trip most days), not to mention walking to Melton Mowbray and back earlier this year (a 35-mile round trip!). Not bad for a 65-year-old.

Ooh, Melton Mowbray….pies….just sayin’!!!🤤

Coming soon.....

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - 2 hours 21 minutes ago at 06:06

Cristi wrote: I don't think we need pedophiles in the forum polls.

Looking forward to the glam rock poll.