leonardcohenforum.com

... but I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the posts in the Concert Report threads which are just ‘copy and pastes’ of external articles.

This is a ‘fan’ Forum for people to share their experiences/provide their reports of concerts they have attended. First hand. Uncensored. Real/raw.

The very fact that we have access to the internet and are viewing the Forum means that we are more than capable in finding these articles ourselves.

There are many excellent reports in the concert threads from Forum members sharing their experiences of being there. With these, we all can comment/ask questions and share that experience. I now find myself scanning through pages of nonsense before finding someone's report that I can relate to/ comment on.

I just feel that the excellent, 'first hand', Forum members’ reports are being ‘lost’ in this deluge of external drivel. Most of which is ‘copy’ material.

Robert

It's not just you. I believe my feelings are already well known around here. To me, the concert report threads should be populated by posts from people who were at the concerts, not someone who has been nowhere near the concert but has time on their hands to search the internet and YouTube for reports, tweets and video clips. In addition, forum members post setlists in the setlists thread and then someone else posts a setlist they found on the internet - sometimes wrong - in the concert report thread. Why?? But there is an equally vociferous group of people who clamour to have all these things in the concert report threads. When one particularly prolific poster of concert reports was absent for a week or two, there were lots of "come back, we miss you" type posts, even though those of us who were attending the concerts were posting their reports and pictures. I find it a complete turn off. I don't bother to read the concert report threads and I don't bother to post reports as much as I used to either. There's no point as my few lines get lost in the sea of press reports and YouTube links.

Wendy

Thank you Wendy. Thought I was being particularly paranoid for a moment there. The setlist thing I've already commented on in a report thread.

From a particularly selfish point of view I posted a fairly detailed account of my experience last Saturday which has now been 'lost' in a series of tweets, external media reports and god knows what else.

People just get bored trawling through this stuff. There are now pages upon pages of it.

Complete and utter turn off.

Robert

Wendy,

Someone doesn't watch YouTube videos (I know, you don't).
Someone needs them. As for me, they are an essential part of LC experience, a great chance to hear and see what I'd never witness in my real life. I deeply, really deeply appreciate the work of all the videographers/uploaders. That's why I so dislike posts against that prolific poster you've mentioned (to say nothing about how rude some of them are!) -

also, let's see: an average playlist with videos from a Summer 2013 concert contains about 38 clips. That makes 38 x 3 = 114 lines in a concert report thread. I'm sure it's not a big problem to scroll them down (if you don't need them; I - am saying it once again - need them sometimes). [A final question: should I apologise for posting these links: viewtopic.php?f=75&t=34182&start=60#p335805?]

The other issue is articles, professional reviews. As far as I can judge (usually I don't read them), they are rather typical. It could be funny to see how the planet, one city after another, reveals the story of "smoking at 80". Maybe it's funny, as for me it's boring.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a bit later we can find all those reviews, even with photos, at Speaking Cohen pages. Isn't it a good idea to left just the links - to pay attention of a) readers, b) Marie M. - and some really interesting phrases?

That's a big for me: why we didn't invent a kind of template for an initial post in a report thread? I'd suggest to include links to
- a setlist (setlist itself is better, but I'm afraid of indignation )
- a playlist at http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBzPlrJiWD2_k26ei87iSgQ
- a press report at Speaking Cohen / Marie's project on Tumblr
- wikipedia article about the venue

Just a few lines - and plenty of information and joy behind these links.

Maybe we need two threads per concert: an "I was there" thread and a "review/blog post" thread. Then everybody could choose his or her favorite tipple.

HelenOE wrote:Maybe we need two threads per concert: an "I was there" thread and a "review/blog post" thread. Then everybody could choose his or her favorite tipple.

This has been suggested before Helen - and rejected.

Wendy

Then where are the reviews/blog posts supposed to go? In the News section? In Comments and Questions? In deepest oblivion and nescience?

HelenOE wrote:Then where are the reviews/blog posts supposed to go? In the News section? In Comments and Questions? In deepest oblivion and nescience?

Committed to memory, or your own hard drive?

So, anything written about Leonard Cohen by someone who is not actually a registered member of the forum and actually at a concert is Not To Be Mentioned at all on the Leonard Cohen fan forum? I don't know, I'm fairly new here, but it seems to me that one of the useful things about fan forums is their function as aggregators of material from all over the place about the object of the fandom. Yes, Marie maintains an excellent archive, but why leave the entire job to her? I can understand wanting to keep the concert reports topics focused on first-hand member reports, but you seem to be saying "Keep that to yourself" about everything else. You seem to not want it anywhere.

You've missed the point entirely Helen, and taken a very aggressive stance in the process.

You don't need to be registered to read the Forum, only to comment.

My post was addressing the issues of members' recollection of their experiences in concert threads being completely swamped by easily accessible, open source material.

I too am 'new' here.

At times like this, I wish I'd never bothered.

Christ, talk about arguement in an empty room.

I made two suggestions about where to put reviews/blogs in places other than the individual concert report topics, and you chose neither, but suggested I keep it on my own hard drive or in my own head. I think it's understandable if I took it that you don't want such things on the forum at all. If I am wrong, then where WOULD you like to see them put?

And what about set lists appearing in concert reports when they have already been placed in the right thread for set lists, double bubble and unnecessary.

TBH,personally I couldn't give a monkeys what some reporter says about an LC gig but then again, some who were not there may want to read as much as they can about the concert?

Will sit down when I have more time and see what other rants I can think up about this and that........

I am certainly interested in reading what other people say about the concerts, both forum members, non-forum fans and professional writers. I like watching videos. Obviously, I like seeing the tweets. I welcome all such information because I'm not only new to the forum, to my sorrow I'm also a new fan, and (who knows what the future may hold?) I may have already been to the only Leonard Cohen concert I will ever see. I certainly hope not, but I don't have the resources to travel abroad to follow him.

Disintegrated into the usual petty arguments. I try to start a fairly adult conversation. Not possible on here with some people.

I never said it was not to be mentioned on the Forum. Please read my original post. Instead of launching into an attack that is unwarranted.

I am not attacking, I am asking: where would you like to see those things put?