1 Registration Process for FORUM+Review

Hi one and all..

This is my first posting in any of the Prog Archives forums, after having been a member for something just over a month...so, apologies in advance if I don't appear to grasp all the nuances of the issue, or if I repeat any already well-worn opinions on the subject.

I initially cast a 'no' vote in the poll, for the same reasons as a lot of others here. As much as I like to consider myself (and with pride) an elitist music snob, the notion of limiting reviews to members seemed to me a benign form of censorship, despite the real danger of too much riff-raff cluttering the site. Speaking personally, it's always easy to recognize a duff opinion when I read one, and use it as a sort of negative guide if necessary.

Also, I wasn't entirely clear on the distinction between Forum Members and Prog Reviewers (like me). I was first attracted to the Archives by the wealth and scope of its listings, and welcomed the opportunity to maybe plug a few opinion holes for some overlooked or undervalued albums. So I've been concentrating my energies there instead of here, in the discussions forum, where I could see myself easily becoming lost in a hothouse of arguments, agreements, advice, articulate announcements, and so forth (quoting Mr. Belew, of course).

But, and this is only how I first understood the poll question, would that make a wallflower like me ineligable to post reviews?

Cutting to the chase in my usual long-winded fashion: after considering the thrust and parry of the last few pages here, I probably should have voted 'yes' instead...serves me right for not heeding the famous words of Buster Keaton: think slow, act fast. Admin's  clarified guidelines make a lot of sense in retrospect, and though it won't entirely weed out the waste it would certainly make it easier to identify the abusers, and presumably slap their wrists.

And I would throw my support behind the addition of some sort of comments option on the review pages, as long as they followed a link here to the forums and left the actual review section of the site itself sacrosanct. That way, as hoped, space won't be wasted in the wrong place for bruised egos and misinformed retaliatory rants.

But please stop any of this talk about quotas, unless it's about a cap to the number of reviews any one album can support. I know it's always hard to resist adding another expert opinion to the mix, but does something like Close To The Edge (a totally random example, but apparently a good one: I just checked and it has 141 ratings to date!) really need even one more review, no matter how insightful and/or enlightening?

I think I'll return to hibernation now...literally, since it's about 10 degrees fahrenheit outside tonight in my neck of the suburban wilderness..

Thanks,

MJN