GrizClaw - Posted - 04/02/2016:  08:16:05

Spend quite a bit of time at Mando Cafe as mando is my second instrument......tried to support Mando Hangout for some time but it seems it has never taken off....you can  spend days and days waiting for conversation on any topic. Anyway, to my surprise, I noticed yesterday that Mando Cafe has started a sister website called Banjo Cafe. I think they officially launched it yesterday.

F Elisha Eastes Jr - Posted - 04/02/2016:  08:23:13

Scott Tichenor had told me some time back (more than a year ago) that this site was being developed. I think he has some big pans for it and it should do well.

MarkHawkins - Posted - 04/02/2016:  11:47:27

Well I'll admit that I registered but I can't see myself posting there much. My experience on the Mandolin Cafe has been mostly negative, a lot of snide remarks and such with the exception of the Newbies group. One of the 1st things I noticed here was how warm the reception was & how friendly folks are. You don't suppose it's a mandolin player vs banjo player thing do ya?

banjered - Posted - 04/02/2016:  13:31:11

You don't suppose it's a mandolin player vs banjo player thing do ya?

Well, yes, of course. You must realize the level of frustration of trying to get those fat ol' fingers on such tiny frets. A couple hours of that and your brain starts to spasm, the cerebellum chokes up and then it is all down hill from there. The higher brain centers completely shut down and you are just left with the old lizard brain that reflexively spews venom all over the Mandolin cafe. Banjered, P.H.D. (Pilled. Higher & Deeper) of Banjology 

GrizClaw - Posted - 04/02/2016:  16:17:04

quote:

very enlightening Banjered........mandolin vs banjo player......maybe that's why I have so much internal conflict.....I try to do both, and with fat fingers to boot.😩

---

Originally posted by banjered

 

You don't suppose it's a mandolin player vs banjo player thing do ya?

Well, yes, of course. You must realize the level of frustration of trying to get those fat ol' fingers on such tiny frets. A couple hours of that and your brain starts to spasm, the cerebellum chokes up and then it is all down hill from there. The higher brain centers completely shut down and you are just left with the old lizard brain that reflexively spews venom all over the Mandolin cafe. Banjered, P.H.D. (Pilled. Higher & Deeper) of Banjology 

---

GrizClaw - Posted - 04/02/2016:  17:05:36

PS....I really like Mando Cafe. It has great content for those interested in the mandolin. As for snide remarks, I've seen plenty over the years on this site. You can involve yourself with those elements or choose the positive input offered by a lot of good people on both sites.

pearcemusic - Posted - 04/02/2016:  19:03:38

Dang .. I thought this was a discussion about Santa Monica's Banjo Cafe. I miss that place.

palmettopicker - Posted - 04/02/2016:  19:35:15

I found folks on Mando Cafe to be great. Recently bought a Flatiron off of it, and the experienced players were very generous with advice. Don't really see the need for a Banjo Cafe'. There is only so much time you have to spend on these things, and there isn't any grousing here anymore about rules, cliques, fights, etc. like there was years back. Everyone seems satisfied with the Hangout, and it has reached a critical mass of experts and personalities. So I don't know what a Banjo Cafe could offer that would lure folks away. Plus, there are only so many advertisers in this business. Why would they split up their dollars when there is so much traffic here. The format for "For Sale" and classifieds here is much better, and while I had a good transaction over there, the quality control for sellers (and the outing of those who have not been so good to deal with) is a big plus here. We have regulars posting for sale, and you know you're getting a great deal.

dmiller - Posted - 04/02/2016:  21:24:57

quote:

---

Originally posted by MarkHawkins

You don't suppose it's a mandolin player vs banjo player thing do ya?

---

dmiller - Posted - 04/02/2016:  22:56:37

I registered over on the Banjo Cafe also, but I don't really expect it to take off and be any kind of "replacement" for the Hangout or anything like that.  I'm thinking their banjo site will be much the same as our mando site.  Folks (from the Mandolin Cafe) who play banjo will feel comfortable talking with others from the mando cafe on their banjo site since they have a familiarity with each other - - the same as we do here on the Hangout.

 The Banjo Mafia was a great site, but it is no more.  The Banjo Holler is a great site, but it seems to be on "life-support" these days.  I can't see that a Banjo Cafe will add much to the online banjo picking community/ world, but I've been wrong in the past and I could be wrong about this too.  Somehow I don't think so.  We'll see, eh? 

F Elisha Eastes Jr - Posted - 04/03/2016:  02:31:16

I tend to believe the site will do pretty well. Give it five years or so then let's see where it's at. I've already spoken to the site owner by phone yesterday after seeing this thread. The site owner (not Scott Tichenor) seems to have his head screwed on right and was a very positive, upbeat conversation. I think his heart is definitely in the right place, and I detected no issues with BHO. I think these guys just have a different approach but they definitely have a vision from the beginning.

The MandolinCafe ranks in the top 65,000 websites on the Internet. BanjoHangout ranks in the top 95,000 websites. MandolineCafe has far more traffic. I'm not sure of its member count. BanjoCafe seems to have an aggressive social networking apparatus already in place. They signed up 159 people in about two days. I would think they will have a slow but steady growth.

I think they have a good idea overall and the tools on the site seem well thought out, I believe there's plenty of room for the site, and I think the vibe and tonality will be a little different than here on BHO. Other than that I think there will be lots of overlap in membership. It's all good I suppose.

I joined too and spent a little time looking. The site has a lot to absorb. There's a lot there for a site just out of the gate.

So as with anything new (I know from personal experience) just give it some time. Time will tell. Let's see how it serves the community.

JMalmsteen - Posted - 04/04/2016:  17:31:44

I thought it was an April Fool's joke, but it's always nice to see more banjo sites.

banjoman56 - Posted - 04/04/2016:  21:13:24

I also sign up with them, but I don't see myself spending a lot of time there. I already spend too much time on this site when I should be practicing instead. :)

Old Man - Posted - 04/05/2016:  05:32:46

I find what I need here.All you got to do is ask.

Tobus - Posted - 04/05/2016:  05:37:14

I've been a Mandolin Cafe member since 2009.  The site is well-managed and very powerful in terms of information.  Not just from the folks there, but also in terms of the way the site catalogs information, runs news feeds, maintains databases on builders, etc.  It's the place to go for everything mandolin.  But so many of us are multi-instrumentalists that it's difficult to keep things mando-centric.  I think it was a natural and logical expansion to create a sister site for banjo.  While it is a different owner/operator there, they have cross-feed for the classifieds and probably some other stuff.  I signed up on the Banjo Cafe the first day it went live. 

Texasbanjo - Posted - 04/05/2016:  05:47:11

How do you sign up?  I never found a place where you could sign up or register.  Maybe  I didn't look hard enough.