Relix Article: Controversy

[CookieMonster]

So finally, 1 month after reaching newstands, my July issue of Relix magazine shows up in my mailbox. (I think it is my fate to be consistantly behind the times) Immediately I'm drawn to the article on pg. 45 about message boards and the controversy that surrounds them: "Are message boards a wonderful unifying medium - or a platform for hate and misinformaion?"

It was an an interesting read and jambands.ca featured prominantly in the article with some great quotes by our own Mike Bouchard: "The website has shown me what a like-minded comunity is capable of: love, support, interest, sharing, creativity and talent. Everyone has a little bit or a lot that they share throughout."

However, the whole point of the article was to show that these message boards can also be "a platform for hate and misinformation".

While I do see the underside of this forum pop-up from time to time (and we do have a few shite disturbers), for the most part I find the time I spend here entertaining and informative. So I guess my question is this: Have you read the article and what do you think? Accurate or not so much?

[StoneMtn]

I haven't read it, but I'm curious ... Was that article not authored by our very own Shainhouse?

[Basher]

My Relix is late (as usual) as well. I will comment on it once I receive it.

[shainhouse]

I wrote it. If you want any comments, lemme know.

I'm super sorry about these late Relix. You guys must e-mail the subscription dept and complain. How else can it be fixed? I wish I could do something, but I'm just a lolely writer.

[CookieMonster]

Shainhouse, Great article! It definitely made me think about some of the stuff that pops up here and whether I just didn't notice it before, or if if just doesn't seem to be as big of a problem here as it appears to be in other forums.

I was completely taken aback by the part where the Jacksonville Department of Homeland Security admited to scanning jambands.com and then making arrests before the Jam Cruise based on the info they found there. Who knew?

[Large Marge]

I read it as well. Shain did a wonderful job with such a lengthy (and weighty) cover story. I'll be interested to hear what others thought of it as well, seeing as the content (and quotes) hit so close to home.

I think the article raises many interesting and valid points about the impact of boards such as this one... I can think of a few examples of artists/bands who's shows I have skipped because of what they have written (or what others have written about them) here. I would definitely say that I've discovered and seen about a hundred times more artists/bands and gone to their shows for the very same reason.

As for the Jam Cruise thing… should really be a wake up call. I’ve seen a few conversations on here where I wish kids would give their head a shake and take it off line. Apparently it ain’t just kiddy-porn dealers they’re looking for.

[shainhouse]

Here's some quick context;

I did 3 months of research, including doing 4 sets of interviews with loads of subjects, some ending up in the piece. I know that there are LOADS of positives when thinking about the boards, but that's is beside the point, considering the contextual angle I was commissioned to write this piece with. The point is, there's a problem and it's about time people heared something about it.

The Homeland Security stuff is totally on the money. I interviewed the cop who arrested those upstanding citizens personally. It was on the Jam Cruise message boards, not www.jambands.com.

I have received loads of hate mail about it... Lots of people have voiced their appreciation to the fact that someone said something, but most people were aghast by the one-sided argument, which in truth was the point. My response was, don't hurt the messenger. I just reported on the topic. It's not my personal opinion in earnest.

No one, thusfar has commented negatively on my writing style or how the piece was structured. That, to me personally, is all that matters. I wrote what had to be written, but it was my responsibility to make sure it was clear, concise and conjunct. To my knowledge and aided by the absence of commentary I have yet to receive, I believe I achieved that.

Wow, I trailed off for a moment.

Hey Marge!!! Miss ya definitely.

Edited July 29, 2005 by Guest

[Hal Johnson]

However, the whole point of the article was to show that these message boards can also be "a platform for hate and misinformation".

quote]

YA, well, so can work.

[Ms.Huxtable]

Ha, well it's good to know that people with subscriptions are getting their Relix's about this time and that we're not the only one's patiently waiting.

We'll get it next week perhaps?

[phunkyb]

I too read the aticle.

I enjoyed the read and the Canadian content.

Great job Shain. Keep em coming.

[Basher]

I got my Relix, and am reading this article now.

This quote made me want to stop, but I will push on:

"In its prime, the group was Canada's Phish"

- Shain Shapiro, on the Burt Neilson Band

Um, okay......?

[Patchoulia]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Every cloud has a silver lining, every crowd has its Newman and every fridge has an ice cold beer (unless you're some kind of asshole).

My point is, despite all the bitching people do about the negativity certain individuals contribute to the forums we choose to inhabit, these communities are overwhelmingly positive.

The immediacy of the boards, bringing together people with common interests on a daily basis, engenders incredibly close-knit ties. And it's quite a wonderful and revelatory thing.

Sure, a jackass is going to pop up every now and then--but that's life on the boards, just as it is in 3D.

And I'd rather be cognizant of the trolls and the predators and the ignorant than have a pair of rose-coloured glasses welded permanently to my face.

Damn I'm loquacious when I'm trying to waste my last few days at work!

[bouche]

Relix finally ended up in the mailbox yesterday.

Excellent job Shainhouse!

That article was very well put together and pleasantly featured. I love the Call-out by Luke in big bold orange letters

Now, who were the skanks that were argueing in the posting sample sidebar? I don't have the text handy to do a search.

[secondtube]

basher, i'd have to agree...

around 2000-2001, they were huge.

[Tooly]

ill never forget the first time i saw BnB at the horseshoe with ya steve, they let me in thinking i was geoff the keyboard player hahahha

fellow redhead beardy

[Ms.Huxtable]

I read the srticle last night and appreciated the predominant Canadian content. Good job Shainhouse.

[PalacePrincess]

is there any place online to read this article?

[shainhouse]

Becky,

You gotta read it on a paper-based format, because of copyright legal stuff.

[Blurry]

basher, i'd have to agree...

around 2000-2001, they were huge.

Agreed - 100%

Interesting stuff about the Jam Cruise shakedown!!

[headygouda]

Haven't read the article myself, but wanted to comment how far message boards have come in the past 10 years.

If it weren't for phish and rec.music.phish, I would've never found the internet... I got myself an account with internex-online, toronto's first ISP, back in '94 just to check out RMP to find out how I could get more tapes of shows. Before I knew it, I was sending money to a complete stranger in the states so that they could do a phish tickets-by-mail for me - back when they didn't send tickets to canada.

So immediately, I had made some friends and naively trusted everyone out there. I even found myself going to rochester to check out some band named moe. and stayed at someone's house whom I had never met... so I must admit, my first impressions of the online community were much more than I expected - though I had met folks via BBS's prior to that.

But it didn't take long before the trolls started showing up, RMP grew waaayyy too big and then bad traders started popping up everywhere... now I guess its normal to hear so much negativity and strong opinions being expressed on message boards, but its neat to see how many little communities have been carved out of a non-physical, electronic world!!

[bouche]

I will echo Mark Tonin and \/\/illy's assessment from the 07-13-2005 show in Ottawa. I felt like I was at a private Phish show.

The music and jams was all EXACTLY where it was when I got to see Phish. The quality, energy, tightness and elegance was all there.

[guigsy]

I will echo Mark Tonin and \/\/illy's assessment from the 07-13-2005 show in Ottawa. I felt like I was at a private Phish show.

The music and jams was all EXACTLY where it was when I got to see Phish. The quality, energy, tightness and elegance was all there.

man, i wish some of you guys could experience the burt's at call the office here in london. maybe because it's the first place i saw them, and the place i've seen them the most, so it has a special attachment to me, but im tellin ya, nothin' beats a Call The Office Burt show. certainly the ottawa show was a good one, definitely a rocker, but london got more of a deep in the jam ultra-heady burt show, which i enjoy a lot more... maybe its the atmosphere in that room, which is totally condusive to that and really adds to it, as well, but it seems we get more shows like that down here... which is fine by me!

[bouche]

ok, so now it's a pissing contest

[guigsy]

hahahahahaha... nah nah, im just sayin'.... but, i guess you'll just have to trek your ass down here to find out, eh? :laugh:

[CookieMonster]

Oooh, my "August" Relix was waiting for me when I got home from work tonight. Perhaps a "higher up" at Relix saw this thread and decided it was time to speed up the process a bit. Very exciting! I'm gonna go read it right now...