[mb-users] Aside: Discogs "ruination"; was "The need for free and open music metadata"

[Chris B]

2008/4/28 Chad Wilson <chad.wilson at gmx.net>:
> Chris B wrote:
>  > all of this has almost completely destroyed the discogs moderator
>  > community. our questions don't get answered, and theres a constant
>  > flow of unwanted 'features' whilst the key problems don't get
>  > addressed. bear in mind that this entire feature set literally turned
>  > up overnight with no consultation/testing with ANY users. now the live
>  > data is suffering a death by a 1000 tiny cuts, and all that are left
>  > are the 'yes men'. the level of expertise and dedication many of the
>  > moderators had on discogs was astounding, but they all seem to have
>  > left now.
>  >
>  > it's obvious what's going to happen now - the problems are going to be
>  > ignored, and the voting is going to be opened up to all users, which
>  > would be fine if done right, but the useless interface and lack of
>  > logic to the voting options means that bad votes are going to be done
>  > to bad data. discogs will no longer be accurate, but the votes (and
>  > dollars) keep coming in.
>  >
>  > rant over :) it's really upsetting, though.
>  >
>  > _______________________________________________
>  >
>  No offence meant (or intended tarring-with-same-brush), but after a
>  quick (my first) read around the Discogs forums, why do the users appear
>  to have become a bunch of angsty teenagers? Quick one-liner insults and
>  disses to the developers left right and centre? Sure, it appears to have
>  undergone a massive PR cock-up, but how did the users become so
>  completely devoid of respect?

whilst i think the attitude shown by some discogs users is pointless
and won't get us anywhere, you have to understand that they have been
through years of this shit.

discogs only has the one developer (teo) and he appointed one
'community manager' (nik) a few years ago to liase between himself and
the community after it become too much for him. the problem is that
teo evidently doesn't listen to nik, or nik isn't doing his job
properly because no correct or useful decisions ever seem to be made.

all that's happened now is nik has become a master at ducking issues,
or providing 'politician' responses. when you finally understand that
talkin to nik is ultimately pointless i think all there is left is to
leave (as most did) or insult 'the management' (see the forums) :)

>
>  Is this just something that scale gets you a risk of eventually? Or
>  direct commercial interests via the marketplace? I'm intrigued...

it's because there was only one developer who didn't have contact with
the community (or didn't care for it). i'm not sure what his motives
are, but i suppose it's easy to point the finger at the marketplace.
personally i think something like this was bound to happen eventually.
the whole teo > nik > community thing wasn't working.