chip arnold - Posted - 12/14/2021:  05:45:23

Have Facebook groups taken over? So few postings on BHO anymore.

Nic Pennsylvania - Posted - 12/14/2021:  05:52:33

I don't know, but I imagine a lot of folks may be busy prepping for holidays. With Facebook hemmoraging people, I doubt they're likely to supplant this forum if they hadn't by now.

Edited by - Nic Pennsylvania on 12/14/2021 05:53:18

rcwright - Posted - 12/14/2021:  05:57:03

Have you not heard? Supply chain problems, shortage of banjo players.

mike gregory - Posted - 12/14/2021:  05:57:12

I'm here, every day, multiple times.

mike gregory - Posted - 12/14/2021:  06:00:05

Gave myself a LIKE just for   the reply! 

Bill - Posted - 12/14/2021:  06:02:42

All the smart people have ditched their Facebook accounts. This is the joint that's right for me!

KCJones - Posted - 12/14/2021:  06:03:02

Bottom left says "891 Banjo Lovers Online". It's a big party.

banjohangout.org/pages/members-online.asp

Banjonewguy - Posted - 12/14/2021:  06:05:06

.

 

mrphysics55 - Posted - 12/14/2021:  06:39:00

Excellent!
Too bad about my hair.
: >(

tbchappe - Posted - 12/14/2021:  06:52:23

I'm typically on here every other day. I don't necessarily post much, but I give the odd response, or at least see what people are discussing.
I'm a late 86' model millenial, and I still use this forum, as well as Facebook. Facebook is my only contemporary form of social media, as I'm not interested in the instagrams, snapchats, tik toks, etc. That's all just too much, and I'm settling into being a middle aged square. In fact I'm embracing it.

Blaine

MacCruiskeen - Posted - 12/14/2021:  07:57:37

quote:

---

Originally posted by rcwright

Have you not heard? Supply chain problems, shortage of banjo players.

---

All of my posts have been delayed due to issues in the bindery.

YellowSkyBlueSun - Posted - 12/14/2021:  08:01:53

Many folks have been driven away by the divisive political threads that get posted in the 'off-topic' area and flood the "newest posts" section on the right of the homepage. For the life of me I don't understand why they're allowed. It's become an every day thing at this point. I'll admit I participate, it's a compulsion, and for that I apologize.

jan dupree - Posted - 12/14/2021:  08:27:22

quote:

---

Originally posted by YellowSkyBlueSun

Many folks have been driven away by the divisive political threads that get posted in the 'off-topic' area and flood the "newest posts" section on the right of the homepage. For the life of me I don't understand why they're allowed. It's become an every day thing at this point. I'll admit I participate, it's a compulsion, and for that I apologize.

---

The Political posts jack up the traffic on the website. That's what the advertisers look at. Number of views and duration of each session. BHO still has the option of clicking on the posts, or not clicking on them.

BeeEnvironment - Posted - 12/14/2021:  08:46:13

I've heard the Pennsyltucky folks have braced down for the winter coming. Time to cut the wifi, cable, and electricity bills! The only bill to then pay is the one to other neighbors for listening to your endless plinking and plucking of the banjo.

Omeboy - Posted - 12/14/2021:  09:08:57

Sorry to say, but the most impoverished section is the Four String Jazz corner. As people have left, it has steadily declined over the past six years and it's barely a shadow of what it used to be.

Alvin Conder - Posted - 12/14/2021:  09:27:00

Work, Holidays, end of year BS and normal attrition, all the usual. Maybe also some of the reasons above, maybe not.

I have noticed over the years that some of the people who I consider the real experts who were very active on this site in the early days back on the 2000’s and who are beyond a doubt the end all knowledge base as it relates to the banjo have dropped off here after being attacked a number of times for one fool
Reason or another. Cant say I blame them, but it’s a big loss.

After all, who wants to play in the sand box, when some kid keeps kicking sand in your face.



Maybe some of the other sites pulled a few away, but not that many.

Bill Rogers - Posted - 12/14/2021:  13:14:13

Jan’s right. Even though this is a pretty comprehensive banjo site, the off-topic forum gets the most posts. BHO is, after all, a business, and clicks count. The member count is also why inactive accounts aren’t purged.

struggle_bus - Posted - 12/14/2021:  14:48:50

I'm here a few times a day to see what new things I can learn. I never go to the off topic area.

If I have nothing new to post, can't further a discussion, or help someone, then I just don't type anything.

banjo bill-e - Posted - 12/14/2021:  15:14:11

"Many folks" get---driven off---a banjo forum by posts that they have to scroll to the bottom "off topic" section to voluntarily read? Do you actually know of any? How many is "many"? I suppose that they just can't help themselves. Or somebody put a gun to their head? Perhaps seek professional help for your uncontrollable compulsion?

ceemonster - Posted - 12/14/2021:  15:21:31

I never look at the "New Post" headlines, just go to the forums I'm interested in and do a quick eyeball. It's not deliberate, but come to think of it I guess that's good protection from the idiocy of the "Off Topics" section. My occasional look-sees there always leave me feeling kind of degraded, and embarrassed by BH.

Edited by - ceemonster on 12/14/2021 15:22:27

bubbalouie - Posted - 12/14/2021:  15:37:16

I forget who but there was a guy on here that said he was laughing at his daughter for being on Facebook.

She said "What's the difference? You're on Hillbilly Facebook!"

chip arnold - Posted - 12/14/2021:  17:46:31

"many folks" ... Name a few or it didn't happen.

hobogal - Posted - 12/15/2021:  00:07:51

If I have a question I tend to search and find something in an older post. The BHO has a rich archive of information but that might mean I need to post less. I do try and respond to new people who ask questions....

MT_Forester - Posted - 12/15/2021:  00:37:13

quote:

---

Originally posted by hobogal

If I have a question I tend to search and find something in an older post. The BHO has a rich archive of information but that might mean I need to post less. I do try and respond to new people who ask questions....

---

This is a big part of it I think. So many of my questions have already been answered. This account is new since I can't log into my old account, but I've been a lurker much more than a poster for like 13 years or more since so much has already been talked about. I think alternative social media groups has definitely had an impact though. I find the information on Facebook and reddit to be a lot less valuable, but for whatever reason its popular. This goes for all kinds of interests too. 

gratefulbiker - Posted - 12/15/2021:  08:14:03

I visit the Hangout at least once a day primarily to check the forums and the classifieds. I'm also a member of several FB groups that are fairly active, but there seems to be a lot of duplication of content across the groups due to shared membership.
I prefer and trust the knowledge base here more than the FB groups as I've seen some questionable info being passed off as fact over there.
I have noticed some of the longtime contributors here don't post nearly as often or have left entirely. I don't think this has much to do with the Off Topic forum as much as getting tired of the shenanigans of a handful of members with their own skewed agendas.

Don Borchelt - Posted - 12/15/2021:  12:35:11

Chip Arnold wrote: "Where is everyone?"

Who out there remembers alt.banjo, or banjo-l? These were the two lists groups for five-string banjo players back about twenty years ago, and for years they were both buzzing with lively conversations about all things banjo. Some of our most notorious banjo trolls got their start on one or both of those groups, and we had lots of wonderful discussions, before the Banjo Hangout came along to rapidly render them obsolete. But alt.banjo is still around, though on life support. Up until the end of last year, it had a new discussion about once every two weeks, with some of our BHO friends, including Mike Stanger, Bill Rogers, and Bart Veerman remaining active. But there was only one thread started in 2021, so perhaps it is finally in its death throes. I hope not, for nostalgia’s sake.

I joined the BHO in 2005, and it was already five years old when I signed on. It was extremely active then, with hundreds of members posting every week. In those days, a thread posted in one of the forums would stay on the front page for no more than a day, and often less, before it would be pushed to the second page and oblivion, unless the OP made a superfluous post in order to “bump” his or her own little darling back to the top. I did that many a time. The nastiest of the list group trolls all came over, too, and the early days of the Hangout were pretty tumultuous, with more than a few angry flare ups and outright feuds, as the moderators, including Texasbanjo and Bill Rogers, still with us today, struggled (in my opinion) to find the sweet spot between censorship and civility. But those trolls are pretty much all gone now, and it’s rare for a member to jump down another poster’s throat, most of us prefer just to tickle the bottoms of our adversary’s feet. It is true that a lot of the real professionals that we used to see have come and gone, and often it is some particularly egregious challenge that triggers the departure, but I still think the more important reason is that over time, you can only answer questions like, “what is the best thumbpick for bluegrass,” before your eyes glaze over.

So Chip clearly is right, there are a lot fewer of us active today than in the Hangout’s heyday, but that decline happened quickly, maybe ten years ago, when Facebook took off as the preeminent on-line forum for all things found in the universe, including banjo. There are close to one hundred discussion groups related to banjo on Facebook, including one called “Banjo/Fiddle Hangout Chat friends,” which has 18 members and hasn’t had a post since February 8, 2019. That last post was mine, inviting other group members to join me in a chatroom. Nobody showed. There’s also one called “Greg Rich era Gibson Banjo collectors and connoisseurs,” speaking of trolls who are no longer with us on the BHO, and it has almost 2,000 members. The last post there was two days ago, celebrating Greg’s induction into the American Banjo Museum’s Hall of Fame. There’s also one called “Crappy Banjo Players,” with 64 members, demonstrating that there are at least a few humble banjo pickers out there. So Facebook has sucked up just about all of the banjo air in the room, leaving the Banjo Hangout to pick up the scraps.

And I think that’s fine, I have come to prefer it that way. There may be far fewer of us, but our discussions are interesting and insightful, while generally remaining civil and supportive. One of the most active forums is Sound Off, where you can hear new and inspiring performances posted every day. The mods move quickly when there is any destructive behavior, with what appears to me to be good judgement and well-measured discretion. There was a time some years ago when I missed the turmoil, but as I age, I am more and more appreciative of the Hangout’s relative comity and decorum. We learn more when we take the time to listen.

Paul Roberts - Posted - 12/15/2021:  19:56:43

Banjo Hangout is a great place to share musical inspiration. For those with a need for that, this is still very much a world-class site.
Things ain't what they used to be, but there's plenty of ban*joy on the hangout; and new, motivated and interesting banjo players seem to be popping up all the time.
I'm sorry to hear there are divisive threads in Off-Topic (Not Banjo Related). It never occurs to me go there.
Anybody seen a good thumb-pick lately?

Don Borchelt - Posted - 12/15/2021:  20:10:39

I have been using the Herco Blue Flex for about 30 years now. About a decade ago I bought a lifetime supply, in case they go belly up. When I got to know Jim Reed here in the BHO Chatroom about 15 years ago, I discovered he had settled on the same pick, so I think I am in good company. I never liked the standard Dunlop picks the bluegrassers generally gravitate to, and I refuse to pay forty bucks for a Blue Chip.

      Herco Blue Flex

 

Yes, Paul, I got the joke!

Edited by - Don Borchelt on 12/15/2021 20:18:34

okbluegrassbanjopicker - Posted - 12/15/2021:  20:18:08

The saving grace of the BHO is that it doesn't come with all the TRASH of Facebook.

Paul MacPhee - Posted - 12/15/2021:  20:47:48

quote:

---

Originally posted by struggle_bus

I'm here a few times a day to see what new things I can learn. I never go to the off topic area.



If I have nothing new to post, can't further a discussion, or help someone, then I just don't type anything.

---

I'm here at least once a day and I've never been to the off topic area. I am only here for one topic.

Paul R - Posted - 12/15/2021:  21:24:11

quote:

---

Originally posted by chip arnold

Have Facebook groups taken over? So few postings on BHO anymore.

---

Maybe everyone's playing their banjos.

Isn't that a good thing?

jojo25 - Posted - 12/23/2021:  12:42:31

Well Chip, et al...I readily confess to being largely absent for a long time...I do occasionally peek a look...and am finding myself more often now here...but not a lot

elkinsfiddler - Posted - 12/24/2021:  08:52:33

I'm a relative newby to Banjo Hangout. I've played banjo for many years (clawhammer style) and done so in a few bands and lots of jams. During that time, I never joined Banjo Hangout for no particular reason. Then I stopped playing banjo for a few years because age factors discouraged me. However, when the pandemic first hit, I started playing again out of boredom mostly. Because of this renewed interest, I joined BH and have participated in the forum and enjoyed reading other's contributions. Banjo Hangout may not be as active as in the past, but for me, it is very active now and I enjoy it very much. The lack of emotional posting is very welcoming to me. I mean, what is there to be emotional about? We're talking banjos, after all. Passionate, yes, emotional and mean spirited no.

Paul Roberts - Posted - 12/25/2021:  11:24:49

It would seem that the vast majority of folks who visit this site are nonparticipants, in the sense that they don't share comments or their music. In a way that's too bad because more active participation could be a tremendous boon to its vitality. On the other hand, having a large, but invisible, audience isn't necessarily a bad thing. Either way, the important thing is that people's potential is being nourished, and this site certainly deserves great credit for providing a beautiful home for that; a friendly place to hang out (beyond the world of rigged systems and manipulations). Nobody needs to be exploited here. If visiting this site somehow resonates in a positive way with one's creative soul, it serves a purpose of inestimable value.

Edited by - Paul Roberts on 12/25/2021 11:26:14

R.D. Lunceford - Posted - 12/31/2021:  11:19:42

I've noticed a decline in the BHO for a few years now.  

I was about to post, but after rereading the thread realized that Don B's submission covers everything I was going to say and more.

To reiterate a bit,  we have lost some stalwarts.  To me, guys like Zepp, Tony Thomas, and Tony Spadero are sorely missed.  This is not to say we don't have some great personnel yet:

Don B. himself, RG, Chip, m06, Janolov, Dan Levenson, and too many more to name.  Janet Burton holds on with the TOTW to her credit, and the credit of her volunteers.  The Mods, especially Bill Rogers as regards the OT forums deserve a heck of a lot of appreciation.

To echo Don B's observation, the bulk of posts seem to be basic requests for information rather than the in depth discussions that were plentiful in the past.

Personally, I've spilt a lot of (digital) ink here.  At 65, I've still got an alarm clock set for 2 a.m., so I'm less inclined to post as much as previously- maybe when I retire.

Things are cyclical.  People and things come and go.  Hopefully, like the music, there are always new folks to pick up the reigns and keep things going.  In the meantime, I do enjoy the BHO, and am grateful for all of the folks here.

Edited by - R.D. Lunceford on 12/31/2021 11:23:07

Comtngal - Posted - 12/31/2021:  13:09:27

I’m here! 2.25 years playing I read things on this site every day. So much good stuff!

Connie

struggle_bus - Posted - 12/31/2021:  22:57:45

Maybe we're all practicing.

I find that arguing with strangers on a forum doesn't really make me a better musician.

Mike76 - Posted - 01/01/2022:  05:37:02

I’m one of the new members and haven’t posted much but I do visit and read here everyday. Facebook is not for me for a variety of reasons. I enjoy this forum a lot!

Paul R - Posted - 01/01/2022:  21:45:22

Hey, Chip (and everyone), how about starting your day with the "Good Day" thread in the off-topic section. Let us know what you're up to - and maybe point to threads in other sections. Couldn't hurt.

Paul Roberts - Posted - 01/14/2022:  20:25:26

We have Pat Cloud over here right now. Those who are too busy wigging-out on Facebook to notice need to get their antennae adjusted. 

GreasyCreek - Posted - 01/15/2022:  17:52:36

I've been away for years, just checked back in tonight, and delighted to see you posting, Chip. Last time I saw you, seems like you were grumbling quietly about all us loud brushy players whamming away at dance tempo in the big Sunday jam in Floyd. Sorry we drowned out your finger-picking subtlety...I hope that sweet tone is still working for you! Looking forward to catching up again in person some day and showing you what's become of that complicated lick on Sourwood Mountain that you showed us noobs beneath the water tower, years ago....

chip arnold - Posted - 01/16/2022:  05:30:14

Hi Richard :-)

Yup, it was the speed, which was awful fast for an open jam where players range from beginners to amazing. I used to be able to keep up at any speed, but that day I had to face the fact that I can no longer do it. Not a fun experience. I did go back one time last year, but couldn't even get through the first tune.

I've got to where I can't even play a slow waltz without missing strings and frets. So I'm done.

I hope you and yours are happy and healthy. :-)

Edited by - chip arnold on 01/16/2022 05:32:42

GreasyCreek - Posted - 01/16/2022:  06:06:55

Chip, let's get together when it warms up enough for porch music...you set the tempo and I'll try to match you with my noob-ious fiddle skills. I am learning that slowing down is helping me learn to hear and play better on that instrument. I always enjoyed your playing and tune choices. Up on Greasy Creek or down by the New River in Radford...or Friday night in Floyd. Stay safe thru this ice and snow!

Noah Cline - Posted - 01/16/2022:  21:28:38

Don't do Facebook, so am not part of any of those groups.

At times when I've posted to share about my new banjo builds or music I've felt as if maybe I was wearing out my welcome, so now I might only post a reply if someone has a question that I come across and can either answer or direct them to someone else that's more knowledgeable. I tend to be on a couple times a day or so, browsing the topics and classifieds, but don't feel the need to add my 2-cents to everything. At times I'll type up a reply, only deciding to delete it before posting. Almost did it with this reply. 

I miss those that contributed to the building forum that are no longer here as I enjoyed their posts and seeing how they went about their processes and methods, let alone the end results.

Those in-depth discussions, as RD mentioned.

Edited by - Noah Cline on 01/16/2022 21:30:00

Helix - Posted - 01/17/2022:  02:23:20

Facebook is just a lonely place.

This hangout has been my only forum.

Noah Cline: I'm glad you're still here, Noah.