Sure, I could've gone to the thread but I asked you directly. It was more personal and in the flow of us having a discussion so I thought I would ask and you never answered.

Sorry dood.

No biggie. Just proving a point :)

People don't report so much spam that anything gets clogged up (in my opinion), but the most obvious spam usually gets noticed without the help of members and so reporting it is somewhat redundant. I consider threads made in order to promote a product or service as spam which is obvious to the point where no report is needed.

If spam is hidden in a thread, f.ex my album review index, then it is harder to find and I think it should be reported.

I don't feel expected to talk about my life, but the conversations about non-music stuff always feel more lively.

I've posted a bunch of reviews and tried to start discussion, and it's hard for me to tell if people are just not interested, I'm an uninspiring writer, or they are just more excited about the Lounge. All I know is I get little feedback. I'm not saying this because I'm starving for attention. I'm saying this because on the biggest, most popular music forum on the internet, one would think a review of an artist that's never been discussed would attract at least a few comments. I don't know. Like I said, this could be purely about my tastes and writing style. So it's not a big deal. I just wanted to sympathize a bit with Rostasi on that.

I've already posted about this sentiment in the thread (see pages 4-7), and I only posted again to reinforce Rostasi's point and respond to him, since everyone else passed his comment by.

The spam I used to report was usually just when mods weren't around to take care of it and hidden ones like you mentioned.

Well, I don't understand it, unless it's simply a tendency for people to label loudly stated unpopular opinions as trolling. I have been accused of that a few times elsewhere, and I have seen it happen to others, mostly to individuals who start threads. 'Funny' thing is that, in this case, my opinion isn't unpopular - the subject was brought up by Pedestrian or actually by a mod (Duga) who probably thinks I'm a trouble-maker, and several other members have commented negatively about the atmosphere. And I will state here, as I did maybe last year, that mods shouldn't egg things on against anyone, for moderators are supposed to appear impartial. Also, in this case, I don't see the opinion as offensive - unfriendly atmosphere doesn't mean members are unusually animal-like or rotten (though I suppose a few are).

You need have no worries on that score; I can assure you you're an incredibly talented writer. Sometimes, most times in fact, people just don't comment. I'm guilty of it too, though if I see something I want to comment on I will. My journal has over 100,000 views --- the most on MB ever, and I say that as a pure fact not a boast --- and yet you could count the comments on the fingers of the hand of one Arcturian Mega-Plasmoid --- probably less than a hundred. Over a period of four years that's not much. But I know people appreciate my writing as I hear it elsewhere. You shouldn't lose heart: just because people aren't commenting doesn't mean they're not reading, though I know it's hard to get a sense of how your writing is being received without comments.

Your off-site blog is amazing, truly. You have real talent.

I know I'm guilty of not commenting on a lot of things I read here. That's not to say they aren't impressive though when the fact is they really are (Miss PT too!) For me, and I can of course only account for me is that my problem is when I'm here, it's usually while I'm at work, and when I start to write something I get lost in the writing and next thing you know, I've lost a deadline. Anyone reading this that has ever written a review, a journal, or whatever, please know that it DOES get read and just because noone posts a comment doesn't mean it's poorly done. I see a boat load of talent on here.

Hey guys, thanks for the encouragement. TH, you are also a talented writer, and I've seen you admit many times that you know your journals don't get as many comments as you'd like. I find your perseverance admirable! Keep on keepin' on!

Also, I think you and Plank's comments really respond to the point duga was originally making. I'm happy to go on providing content for MB without any validation, and I think others are, too. Yet others are here to read avidly and contribute only sometimes. duga, people get worked up about the little things on MB and in real life, and just because the bad sometimes drowns out the good content, it doesn't mean that we've got a major problem. It simply means that members' priorities are different.

If newbs don't stick around, it's not because they see the drama, get involved in it, and feel unwelcome... I bet it's because they didn't find a niche. And...I think that's okay.