Using Music on your ProBoard

[Anya Ozera]

I dont like music on the fourm simply because I can't focus on anything else. I tend to listen to the music and than do nothing while listening so yeah

[grieves and squick]

Anything that automatically makes noise is a major pet peeve of mine on ANY site, whether it's a forum or not. Having a playlist that you can choose to play or not is something else entirely, I enjoy trying those out, but only if I feel like it. I usually have music already on when I surf the net {unless I'm on youtube or something} and post on forums, thus hearing music or other sounds coming in when I click into a page is jarring, and I usually don't come back.

The same goes for those excruciatingly annoying noise-making Cboxes that seem to be so popular these days. Silent ones are fine. But I REALLY hate having to put up with booms, bleeps, etc when I'm trying to listen to music and I actually went to the trouble of using Firefox to install an add-on that shuts them off by default!

[ToriJ]

I dislike the very idea of it. If people really want to listen to music while scrolling your forum they'll have Youtube or something else playing in another window or have a CD player playing one of their albums. I think it's unnecessary, can become very annoying hearing the same song over and over and if it doesn't have a means to turn it off or at least mute it then it can become very annoying very quickly!

I was once part of a forum where the admin added a music player that automatically came on every time you refreshed the page and it was nice at first but after a while I got annoyed with it and luckily it had a mute option. So I say if you feel you really need music it best comes with a way to turn it off or at least mute it or it could drive members and guests away, especially if they don't like the music. That's another thing if say the forum doesn't have a specific subject matter then how do you decide what music to add? It just seems to be more trouble than its worth imo.

[, b e x ']

Auto play is definitely a no-no. It's plain annoying if a song keeps starting when you load a different page on a forum, plus there's the chance of a member not liking the song and such... but I don't see how a music player with no auto play could hurt. It should just be there, some people really use it..and those who don't, just don't have to.

[avion]

I used to have a playlist on my forum (Music) It has a few songs on it, but after a while it made the page lag, and members started to 'not like it'. Sense it interfeared with other music that was playing, on like, youtube for example.
We ended up taking it off.
But i've been realizing, that it might be better to use the types of playlists that you have to hit the 'Play' button, on the songs (:
I still have yet to find one like that.. heh.
But then again, I might not, sense it lags still, with playlists and music.

[valaria (Kah'lenda)]

Its a good question, i was recently thinking of putting music on my site but not really a music player just a single song on a single thread its a specific thread made for the end of the major plot. i tought the music would just make people like get into the end of the story a bit more.

[Pandora]

I find it too distracting, and takes away focusing on the RPing. Also how anoying is it when you are playing music, and then half way through you accidently refresh the page, and then you go.

"Dam! I was listening to that!"

Or that it automaticly starts playing when ever you go into a new page, when you don't want it to play...

[Albireo]

I use one on my site, but it a play list. I made sure it change to a different song when one ends. I also try to keep the music fit the theme of the site or the videos that fit with the site.

[Gateway Hogwarts]

A music player would be good for some sites, but there is that risk of alienating a guest if the wrong kind of music is heard on the site. You always run that risk no matter how hard you work to avoid it. It's best to find music that fits the rp itself and if the members don't like the music, then remove the player. Experimentation is often the best way to find what is needed, though simple polls will work to determine if members want a music player anyway.

[LiViNGDEADGiRL]

I agree with many of you. I dont mind music on a site, as long as its not set to auto play. There is nothing more annoying than clicking on a site and some crappy song is screaming from my computer.

[Whammy]

I currently use a music player on my own site. I know full well auto-play annoys people, so it doesn't turn on automatically. You have to manually turn it on if you want to listen to the playlist there. Speaking of which, the playlist for my site is basically the theme music for the major characters of the series, and the opening/ending songs of the series. The reason I do it is because the series is a little on the obscure side, so unless you know the series already you aren't going to know the music. Therefore, it's a little bonus for people who know the series, a nice way to get to know the series for those who don't know it, and just a fun little thing to make the site a bit more entertaining if you are waiting for post or need a boost of 'muse' for posting.

Besides, I asked my members and they all said go ahead and do it so...

[Ara (Crow)]

I hate music that plays automatically. I can't stand it. Everytime you switch pages. BAM!. You have to click stop every single time. It's a pain to advertise on, let alone be a member on.

[Schamael]

I personally have no problem with music on forums, as long as it's not set to autoplay. If something starts making unwanted noise while I'm listening to my music then it's an automatic close. -_-

[Mythwing >> *Firefly*]

I know that I'D like music on a forum ... just as long as it's a song I like. Maybe there could be a section for guests or members to recommend songs ... just maybe ...

[valderra99]

I didn't realise this excellent thread existed in the Discussion board, and made one in the 'General Talk' section, because I get annoyed with music on forums. So I will just copy what I wrote in the other thread, in here:

I sometimes come across a forum with music. And usually I right away leave again, even if I was thinking of joining - especially if there is no button which turns it off - permanently.

A short while ago I did join a forum, not realising the extend of music I would get on there - several boards had different kind of music, and you could click the off button, but it would come back on the moment you moved within that board while clicking on different threads.

I absolutely hate having to listen to music on forums - it's mostly the same song over and over and over again - and not always songs I like anyway.

I mean, how often can I listen to the same Christmas song (one I don't even like) whenever stepping into the Christmas section of that forum while reading posts or posting myself.

And always the song starts again from the beginning. So while you are roaming about one particular board, you keep hearing the beginning of the same song again, and again, and again. It's enough to drive me potty.

When I asked the admin if the music can be disabled for me, she said to just disable my sound on my laptop - mute it.
But hey... I don't want to fiddle about with the audio settings on my laptop. And I DO want to hear other sounds, like for example, a warning sound if something is amiss.

And you just can't escape the music, because it's on the main page as well - most forums that have music have it on the main page. So the first thing that happens when you click on the link, is that your ears get insulted (sometimes with a really loud blast of music).

I find it a little selfish of those admin(s) to install music that members simply have to put up with. If I want to listen to music while roaming a forum, I will put a CD on.