[Debate] Using Music On Your ProBoard

[chocolatestarfish]

I have just deleted the music box thing from my site, as I think it deters people from joining, due to the genre of music. I've noticed that a lot of the people who join, aren't into rock music (which is what it was) so they post and just leave a few days later, even though it's not on autoplay, and there is a play/stop/mute button. Although, I did allow members to suggest songs, the music box was a temporary thing whilst me and my friend were building the site.

[Rozic Dixon]

I'm going have to do the same thing thats why my website was loading slow to so i usually make my music from a music website.

[wulfang29101]

I belive that having music on a forum would be kinda cool. just be sure to have a button in clear site so that some people could turn it off and make sure that u can give them volume control too. i know that i hate it whendeath metal music is blaring in my ears and i now that i would want to be given the power to either turn it down or shut it off completely...

[[s p i n a r a m a]]

I have a music player on my board. It does make te pages load a lot slower, and is a bit distracting. Right now there's something wrong with it. I worked pretty hard to find it, and i think although it may turn away some hopeful members, I'm trying to put on music from every genre on it, so hopefully it will attract rather than repel.

[kelendria]

I've just put a small player on my site which is something I didn't think I'd ever do.
The skin I choose is purposely small, and all I did was add about 100 songs so people have a choice (everytime you update the playlist though you have to update the code)
As far as I'm aware it doesn't load slow, as people can play the song if they choose to, (it doesn't start automatically, I think people should be given that choice)
But I am cautious as to what codes I add & how3 it effects the forum

[ombrel]

I normally have music playing in the background of my laptop when I'm on the internet so when I run through a site to advertise or look at that has music (especially when it plays automatic); drives me up the walls. I normally don't mind if it doesn't but I do void away from sites that do.

[trent]

Well, it's gotta fit the forum. Of course it's going to turn people off if on a Mozart forum and theres Pink playing or a mario forum and final fantasy music blaring in the background.

Also some songs you have to crank up the volume just to barely hear the music, then you get a pm and it scares you so bad, you **** in your pants.

Also you have to remember our dial up friends. The only music on a gaming board I'm modding is in midi format, or 3 or 4 second clips of wav/mp3 and that is in a name the game the tune is from

[Marie-Cris]

Quite funny actually; my forum is in the process of voting in tracks from our idol's albums to be inserted into a media player for the forum. As I've explained to the members, there will be two tracks per album - bar The Snow Goose -, the media player will be in stick form ((my flash fetish)), placed at the bottom of the home page and will not play automatically. There will also be a link installed underneath it so that people will have the option of opening the player up in a different tab so they can keep listening to it if they wish to navigate away from the home page.

The reason for the media player is because Ant's a singer. For those who are relatively new to him - particularly if they have just stepped out of the theatre hosting The Phantom of the Opera and had seen him in the role - this is a chance for them to hear some of the things he's covered over the years'; each album has a different style ((if not a different genre)) so it's a good introductory list to his albums. People can also make up their minds whether or not they wish to take the time to track down his albums after hearing the tracks on the media player.

I don't mind media players on sites; I just don't like them to be automatic ((hence the underline)). On the rare chance that I actually look on someone else's forum and there's an auto-player on it, I just switch off.

[karkarkarei]

Thought I'd throw my thoughts on this.

Pros:

Cons:

Really, I would not advise putting up music on a forum. Unless, maybe, you have a fan forum for music or a band, but even then it's still rather annoying. If there was a code for the music to not play unless someone clicks play that may make things easier, since members who would like to listen to music there can but those who don't won't have to keep hitting stop, yet I've not found one like that.

[justsomerain]

Personally I think it is annoying to hear music immediately when you enter a website.

However, a musicplayer can have added value. For example my own site. It is set in 1998 and for fun I have added a mini playlist with some songs from that time, just for some added value. People viewing can start it themselves, pause it, switch songs... If it's music that is, so to say, shoved down your throat, so no possibilites to turn it off, for example, it might be very annoying.

I know a lot of people listen to their own music on their computer and thus turning off the sound wouldn't always be an option.

Conclusion: I think that it can have added value, as long as people got a choice to listen to it or not.

[Bandits of Prizmia]

Music isn't awful, but it shouldn't be overused. It's like the red hot pepper in your lo-mein. You wouldn't want there to be a pepper in every bite, but getting a piece of one every so often is kind of nice. Music should be used where relevant on certain boards, or even as specific as certain threads. The places it's used should be somewhat out of the way, and should have content of a nature that calls for an attempt to illicit a certain emotional response.

Upside: Adds flavor to your site and gives it a little feeling.

Downside: Can be irritating, especially if the surfer already has music playing.

[jodokast]

I think having music on a forum is kinda dumb, 'specialy if it auto-starts. If admins wish for their members to listen to music, they can make a special board for it and put the player in that board only.

[†Mason Fett†]

I could understand having a play list or something coded in at the top/or bottom, but no auto-start.

Music makes the forum lag. I remember having it on a previous forum I owned, but deleted it all due to member's complaints about everything taking forever to load.

[``Megara Spice]

Personally, if there is music on a forum I don't even bother looking. A playlist at the bottom that doesn't autostart is fine by me because I can ignore it but autostart is irritating mainly because not everyone is into the same genres of music and some people find certain types of music offensive, not only that but I listen to music on my computer while I'm surfing the net and I find it highly irritating to hear music off someones website over the top of my own which usually makes me leave the site. My biggest peeve is when you pause a song and then head to a new page and it starts all over again.

For that reason I refuse to use music on my forum, I did it once in a ballroom board to test it out and no-one really liked it, even when they suggested songs, so I haven't used it since. Even with broadband like mine it makes the forum load slow so that is another minus against using music on a proboard or any site for that matter.

[David]

Having music on a website or a forum is the worst thing an administrator/webmaster can do (in my opinion). It's simply annoying, whether you love that song or hated, whether you're already listening to music or not - there's sites out there for music, and yours is probably not one of them.

People come to your forum/website for the content/info/members, not just to hear that background music. If I come upon a website and it start AUTOMATICALLY playing, then I leave immediately. If I come upon a site which has a "myflashfetish.com" widget, that doesn't start automatically, then I'll might stay.

That's mainly for websites - but forums! Oh my gosh, I'm glad I haven't come on a forum with music yet, I think I would go crazy to think that someone even thought of such a horrible idea. Forums is for posting and reading and fun - you don't have time to pay attention to the music, or pause it every time you go to a different page - with a website it might be okay if it runs quietly in the background, but a forum is a totally different thing. Music is unacceptable there.

Course I know other people have other opinions, so please don't get offended! I do look at the "Pros" in your posts, so I can see some good points out of music... but not much.