Following lots of good discussion last week, I said I would feed back from the first draft document, would make revisions to incorporate the views expressed, and break it down so that everyone could vote on the various components.
My understanding of the views expressed can be summarized thus:
- Some thoughts were expressed that a welcoming statement on the home page of The Marconium might be nice
- There were concerns that anything we did might be regarded as prescriptive to newcomers on the blog and put them off rather than otherwise
- There was a fairly clear concensus that any technical tips should be separated from any quotes on how people go about nomination/donding and that it should be clarified that there are no rules other than The Guardian ones.
Why I said I would put together a document on technical tips I don’t know, being very untechnical, but I stand by that! I’ve also incorporated your additional nomination and recommending/donding styles into a separate document.
I will be posting during the course of today the two documents for you all to review again and vote on:
1. A document containing only technical tips and useful information that has been suggested
2 A document which is provisionally entitled From The RR Confessional which contains your half-joking nominating/donding techniques
And if you don’t like either of them and they are scrapped, that’s perfectly okay. Just discussing these issues is good!
What I am not comfortable doing is drafting up a welcome, which I think should come from someone who has been on the blog for longer than I have. If you would like to post your thoughts on that below, please do.
Hi SR !
I think you should not be shy in writing a welcome note, I think you have been here a long time and contribute so much, so please do ! ! !
Thank you, Sakura, but I don’t want to be the one for a number of very good reasons! For one, Marconius is the host of The Marconium., I’d like to think that he should be given first dibs.
This is a first draft welcome:
Readers Recommend has been going on The Guardian website since 2005, originally with a top ten published with a column in Friday’s printed newspaper, and since January 2011, on the website only. Over this time, it has been kept going by both its regular contributors and people new to its delights. Recommending songs to fit a topic isn’t exactly original to anyone who likes to have music in one’s life, so it’s not a difficult game to join in, and today’s new person becomes tomorrow’s loyal regular as the weeks are marked out from Thursday’s new topic, to close of nominations, to the next Thursday’s A-list. It works best when people bring diverse tastes and new people keep things freshened up. There are no rules other than The Guardian’s community standards, though it helps if, to paraphrase The Super Furry Animals, you can “tolerate the music that you hate”. Elsewhere on this site there are practical hints and tips, and some explanations of some quaint and obscure practices that seem to have grown up over the years. But these are extremely optional and handy reference. Please join in and get Recommending !
Subject to whether we want anything at all, and to Marco’s approval, and probably could be edited down.
Love to all xx
I hope there are some comments on this. I think it’s perfect.
Daddypig, nice work – hope you don’t mind me joining in? I asked ‘The Saurus’ to change a few repeated words (‘new people’ x2, too close together) and waffled a bit myself – if you want to take out the red pen again and improve this – please do – or anyone else for that matter.
Hope it helps.
Readers Recommend has appeared on The Guardian website since 2005, originally with a top ten published in Friday’s printed newspaper, and since January 2011, on the website only. With a simple premise to explain what music you love – and want others to love too – set to a weekly theme.
Over this time, it has been kept going by both its regular contributors and people new to its delights. Compiling songs to fit a topic isn’t exactly original to anyone who likes music in their life, so it’s not a difficult game to join in, and today’s interested observer becomes tomorrow’s loyal regular.
It works best when recommenders bring diverse tastes and new readers keep things fresh. There are no rules other than ‘The Weeks Theme’ and The Guardian’s community standards, though it helps if, to paraphrase The Super Furry Animals, you can “tolerate the music that you hate”.
It’s a game for celebrating what appeals to you and expressing that passion – not a game for venting dislike of other people’s taste.
Elsewhere on this site there are practical hints and tips, and some explanations of some quaint and obscure practices that seem to have grown up over the years. These are extremely optional and included as reference only.
Join in and get Recommending.
Subject to whether we want anything at all, and to Marco’s approval, and probably could be edited down (again).
Love to all, too xx
Thanks SR, and thanks Shane, that’s excellent editing from you and The Saurus.
Reads well to me, perhaps we should have a spin-off writers blog!