Here are Andrew's comments from....

http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=474032&#Post474025

(the text highlighting in red is mine for ease of reference)

The User Showcase forum post list is now sorted by 'topic start time' by default, and there is a setting at the top of the forum that will change it to sort by the time of the last post, which is what it was previously.

As you know there are additional settings at the bottom of the post list in the Display Options area. The sort settings are not sticky however, so the next time you visit the site it will be sorted by the default (which is currently topic start time for the User Showcase and Last Post Time for others).

Would you want a User Preference to set the default sort order of the User Showcase forums and/or all forums globally?

Interesting.

Thanks for the information, Andrew.

I wondered why I couldn't find the songs that I was going to comment on today!

Maybe I'm going to be by myself with my below views but I still need to voice them.

While my thoughts that follow are contrary, they do not change that I continue to hold PG Music, Peter Gannon, Andrew, Kent, Callie and all others that I've dealt with at PG Music and whose names escape me at the moment, in the highest esteem.

= = = = =

It seems that the decision on how Users Showcase is now organised has been determined by those who rarely, if ever, use or even visit the forum. This doesn't make sense to me.

When I read through the thread on 'Bumping Posts', it seems that there are a few people who don't like the original default view of USERS SHOWCASE and at least twice-to-three times as many who support the original default view. Of those who wanted change, a number said that they rarely (or don't) visit the forum.

Why does PG Music see that it's necessary to change a system that has been working well for such a long time and that is supported by pretty much all the people who regularly do use Users Showcase? I don't understand.

I know that these forums belong to PG Music and the right to determine how they run is always the company's. That said, however I look at it, the decision seems to be unfair for those who support PG Music:

• (a) with song creation;
• (b) with continuing growth of global good will for PG Music and its products through creating songs and commenting on songs;
• (c) through the public display of on-line User Showcase friendships and collaborations and general collegiality;
• (d) and are happy with how the forum has been operating since 2010.

At the rate songs were posted in Users Showcase prior to this default-view change, they travelled through the pages very quickly. With this change, they will now journey through much, much faster. Personally, I would not like my forum songs to zip through at break-neck speed.

Another reason that I prefer the old default view best is because it allowed me to keep in touch with users, many of whom I now consider my friends (although we've never met), since their songs were regularly brought to my attention. Now I'll be missing those and many more people than I usually do as the songs zoom through the web pages.

It takes a long time for many to create a song and then get it ready to share with the world. Mine usually take about a month to six weeks. I believe that most people like the opportunity to be seen and to know that their song has been heard. I'm pretty sure that that won't happen quite so much now.

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned or resistant to change, or something similar, but this decision of PG Music's is enough for me to think twice about posting in the forum. (Heck, the change has prompted me to even start a controversial topic! That's a first!)

Up until now, PG Music's forums are the only ones I have ever visited and helped out on with the exception of a private and personal forum on Songwriting I put together. In all sincerity, I find that what has happened with Users Showcase is disheartening.

Regards,
Noel

P.S. I've just discovered that "Just Plain Folks" sort their equivalent of Users Showcase with the default view of "Last post" order.

Just Plain Folks: Mp3 Feedback Forum

I've decided to join JPF so that I can check which sort order works best for me.

You couldn’t have stated that any better Noel! It would appear that PG Music has decided to please the few that have a problem with way the forum was working. I am also one who has spent a considerable amount of time building the tracks I post and have been very careful to give the company credit for their part of the work. The new format will now no longer reward us for the hard work put into our material. I also agree that it will be harder to keep up with posts I want to comment on and many visitors to the site will not have desire to scroll through pages of posts to find what they are looking for. The best way I can put this is that the new way rewards quantity over quality. I could put multiple songs a week up on the Showcase if I wanted to but the work would not have good quality and I won’t do that. The old way made the site a much more interesting place to be for me as I would visit often. I will no longer do this. I have purposely included many Real Tracks in my work that I could have used better sounding alternatives for because I felt I owed PG Music something for the stage I have presented my work on. This will probably no longer happen. I could be wrong but I would say that you will most likely see a dramatic drop off of interest in the forum by long time contributors who have helped make the User Showcase what it has become. Thanks Noel for the link you provided for the Just Plain Folks site. I will be sure to check that out to keep up with your material! Thanks, Torrey

Noel and Torrey said it all in a very studied and eloquent manner.

A couple of members wanted this. And scores didn’t. We are extremely disappointed and do not feel that the User Forum will remain an inviting place to visit.

Look at the members you feature in hot topics. Look at the members you feature on facebook. Look at the songs you add to your featured playlist. Then look at who was complaining.

Think about the growth of members in the use of BiaB skills and songwriting via the interplay the forum format fostered. A community spirit that will now be greatly reduced due to a transient social media model. It’s one thing to post a comment on Facebook and have it disappear in a few minutes. It’s another to work days on a music production and have it buried it a few hours by multiple posts from the same users.

But most striking is what appears to be a deaf ear to the many, many who opposed this.

With the change in default view, I guessing that the number of times posts are viewed will now reduce because the material from experts will be much more scattered than in the past.

If overall number of monthly views do drop, then this would suggest that less people are listening to what BIAB and RB can do. Should that occur, I dare say there would be other implications too.

I'll be interested in seeing if my prediction is correct.

As a guide, for all threads created in April, the yet-to-be double-checked tally was...

Number of threads = 101
Total Number of Views = 51,030

Well I for one am glad that PG music sees fit to set the New song posts in the showcase by time default, sure if anyone is unhappy with this, they can change it in preferences if I understand correctly.

The original poster's thread about bumping songs had a very valid point in doing so, no reason whatsoever to have as many replies by the poster of the song just to keep it at the top of the Hit Parade page. And it seems all the little CLique can do is rubbish his valid points.

But no doubt they will kick up such a stink that PGmucic might well backtrack.

I for one wholeheartedly support PG music in this.

Update...

Things are now back to how they always have been and consistency has returned across all forums.

For more information, see this post from Andrew.

Regards,
Noel