[Debate] Using Music On Your ProBoard

[halenite]

Personally, I've only ever used music on one of my old Final Fantasy RP sites and was requested by several members to take it down. To them, it was really annoying.

I personally don't like it much either. If someone's got music playing on their computer and they go to your site with music, it mixes with that person's computer music. Really annoying.

[Jeopardy]

I listen to my I-tunes all the time and I'm not a fan of a lot of different genres. I do mind it when it is there and is not on automatic start, but when it does start automatically, it gets on my nerves 'cause then I have to search for the playlist and pause it. So, I'm neutral on it.

[Dinosaur Queen]

I think music on forums is just annoying. People don't have the same tastes in music, and is extremely discouraging. If people need to hear music, they should turn on a CD player or upload music to their computers. Therefore, it is not necessary to use music on a forum.

[imo pop,]

I don't mind music on a forum. what i don't like it when you click a link and the music starts automatically. a lot of the time i am listening to my own music and i get a fright when it starts playing [especially if its loud rock]. as for the long loading time simple way to deal with that. playlist.com have a stand alone player which i link to - this is also better because you don't need to open the page you wish to go to in a new link.

[charlie]

I'm not a fan of music on forums and have not made use of it on my own, until recently.

As I created a fantasty role-playing forum, I felt that music would help to set the mood and the atmosphere of the different areas of the role-playing world, particularly when I had a wide selection of music that covered the different areas specifically. The role-play is based off on one of the most popular and successful series of books and films of all time, The Lord of the Rings and I felt that music used from the film trilogy would also encourage fans to register and participate. Many of my members have confirmed this and it's nice to see a new idea pay off.

My own music seems to buffer quickly for the vast majority of the forum users and only plays at the click of the music-player button, which solves some of the biggest problems as have been pointed out frequently already.

Nine times out of ten, I don't think music is really necessary, particularly when it plays automatically with each refresh or new link clicked.

Chaz

[DENKI/IMPULSE]

I don't really see the point of having music on your board. Yeah it makes it look cooler and more interesting . But Thats all it does. People can listen to their own music on their computer's can't they? XD

[Pipamonium]

I'm on the fence as far as music goes. It can add to the experience (if you're on an RPG forum with appropriate music) but it can very easily detract. I'm planning on using music on my forum (a Harry Potter RPG) once my husband has finished writing it. I know that 1) it's not going to automatically play. I agree that it's rather annoying to have music suddenly blare when you happen to be doing something else. My members will have to push play. 2) It will be a pop-up player so when links are clicked it doesn't start the music over. 3) The music will NOT be on the main board, only in individual boards so my members with dial-up or who might otherwise have a problem will be able to opt-out from their profile. 4) The music will be specific for the board it's located in, to enhance the experience and put the listener in the right mind to better play in the given area.

[CelestOrion]

I'm okay with it, as long as it relates to the site. For example, my Sonic Team site has a small flash mp3 player inside the welcome table, but it doesn't do anything unless you give it input, therefore not affection loading times. Also, the users request what Sonic Team music they would like to play, thus making the forum slightly more interactive.

[iwamark]

Jun 15, 2006 19:26:40 GMT -8 Lee said:

Music is anoying. Maybe have a board for it. But every where??? No I wont stay for the fun. All that refreshing and restarting. Ug? I think forums are better with out the music
~Mark

Absolutely agree with you, most boards I post on including my own one have youtube threads for those things.

[Sic In Principio]

I personally don't see any use for music on a message board. The whole point of a forum is for messaging not listening to music, you could always open up I Tunes, zune, windows media player, or even youtube if you don't have any songs. I mean sure, the admin can integrate it onto a board and make it look nice, but theres really no need for it. Especially sometimes when i have my speakers on and the music just blares out unexpectedly, making me be in a rush to find the source and turn it off anyways.

[Kendall C. Anders]

I really like having a music player on my forum. I let my members make requests for music that strikes them as appropriate for certain plots, and I think it's pretty neat. Sometimes, music provides that little extra spark of inspiration that you need to find your muse. That said, I don't like the autoplay function because invading somebody's own music with something loud and unexpected can have exactly the opposite effect. So basically, I put it there, give them the option, but don't force them to listen to it if they don't want to.

[Dusk]

I don't like having music on forums, it tends to get on my nerves, especially if the song is one that I don't like. I kind of have a specific taste in music, so I usually won't join sites with music players. Besides, I'm usually playing my own music from iTunes or something. I also don't like it because it tends to slow my computer down. I'm not very patient, so I don't really like to wait for the page to load.

[Hitoban no Fokkusu]

I don't think music on forums is good, mainly because whenever you go to another page, it refreshes and starts over, or if you have it paused, it starts playing again. Not to mention the lack of diversity. Not everyone is going to like that music, and that makes some people not want to join.

[Stupid Lamb]

I had one up on my old forum from myflashfetish and I set it to not automatically start playing.. worked out just fine and members could request that a song could be added.

[» lady j !]

The two forums I admin on have playlists, but they are not on the homepage. Rather they are linked to images under the main table, disguised as the local radio station. It's completely optional and members can request five songs at a time, of which I usually only add three. And I have total control over the playlist. If something is too vulgar or too loud I take it down.

We've gotten nothing but compliments.