hey all,
     since it is new years and as someone who's been involved on this website for years i thought i'd post a question.....perhaps to get some opinions and get a dialogue going?
   have you guys noticed a decline in the attendance and perhaps participation on ljp?  i used to be on this site reading new posts at times 4-5x a day.  now it seems like there are days that go by with nobody posting.
   does anybody else feel like the board is perhaps slowing down and if so what are some solutions to reinvigorate it?

thanks,
james
There are 25 comments, leave a comment.
short answer - nope. possible explanations for feeling that way.
if you've been using this site for years, then perhaps (1) you've become a bit selective about which posts you attend to, (2) you've come a long way yourself and have less (not nothing further) things to interest you. personally i find that at some times posts seem to be either banal, aggressive and personal or whatever but things then change either because the site is successfully monitored (which it is) or because it is revitalised over some issue that you really didn't know about.  and, of course, added to the mix is the fact that new learners are joining all the time and are extremely greatful for all the help they receive from experienced members.
also, don't forget that there is so much more information contained in the site that there used to be.  on the old site, there were really only scot's lessons to start with.  compare that to the material available now from people like albetan, 7 and others.  i think maybe people don't need to ask as many questions as they used to because the answers are already there.

also, with so many rooms now, there is probably less focus on the lounge than there was on the old forum - one example is the spanish and french rooms that let people converse and ask questions in other languages.

i guess scot will be able to give you the attendance figures, but i would be surprised if visitor numbers for the site were significantly lower than they used to be.

one thing i will add from a personal point of view: when i first came across ljp i thought it was a fantastic resource (i still do!) and i was really happy to do a lot of posting, answer a lot of questions and take part in all the discussions.  however, i found that as time went on, the same questions were coming up all the time and that some people weren't even bothering to look for the information but just wanted spoon feeding.  i found i didn't want to keep reiterating the same points or answering the same questions on a regular basis.

if you visit a site like this over a long period of time, you will inevitably find discussions are replicated and you see the same things crop up over again.  it's not that there's nothing wrong with this, as many people will be involved in those topics for the first time.  however, these days, having been around for a while, i find that it takes something a little more out of the ordinary to make me want to write a post.  these days, i do more lurking than posting.

i wonder whether other people who have been here for a long time feel similarly?
wrong with this, as many...etc."
i'll second what barry said.  i did a fair amopunt of posting when i first came here, but after a while i quit posting completely - still lurked a bit though.  i now post once in a while (like right now), but unless i feel strong enough about a subject and feel i have something of significance to add, i won't post.

(out with the old farts, in with the new:)
oy - amopunt = amount
amen dr. whack :-) ljp rules!
become the guiding light for the next generation, after the pros of today have left this earth.

as such, ljp performs an extremely valuable function by not only keeping the flame of jazz alive, but also by providing a lieu where intelligent discussion, tips and pointers can be exchanged between players of all levels.

- end sermon -
looking back at this forum over the years, it seems to me that it takes a debate to get a lot of involvement.  

you can start the debate in one of two ways.  the direct method is to insult some well-known pianist. for example, you could say: the reason tatum played all those fancy runs was that he needed a lot of fills to cover up for his lack of creativity!

that would probably be worth, oh, maybe 20 posts, a few of which scot would have to delete.

however, the indirect method is usually more fun. here you say something positive that will goad someone else into casting the first stone. it’s fun because you appear to be taking the high road, and you blame the furor on someone else’s bad manners. an example would be to say:  monk was not only a great composer, he was a virtuoso of incomparable skill!  

if i were scot, i would charge people for each message they posted, and then i’d plant a few phony messages like that, and sit back and let the bucks roll in.

guaranteed income for life!

ed
lol@ed - absolutely spot on!

7 - i couldn't agree with you more.  as well as hopefully helping some people, i've also learned things myself from being part of ljp as well.

just to clarify, i'm always happy to help anyone if i can, the point i was making is that i'm less inclined to post an answer to a question that i know has been answered several times and that the information can easily be found with a search.

i think this site is a superb resource for any jazz pianist and long may it continue!

sure, absolutely, dear barry.

ljp is the best school of piano/jazz in all the web and i think also in all the world.

ljp is a great contribution of scot ranney for helping all jazz lovers, jazz students and jazz pro musicians.
keep in mind that the site slows down during holidays. people don't have as much time to surf the web.

also as others have mentioned, there are a lot of rooms here.  i'm seriously considering getting rid of a lot of rooms and combining.  such as the lessons rooms. there could be one threaded forum called "lessons" that have all those files in them. i could make a "sticky" feature to keep certain posts at the top of the thread so the lessons would be there. things like that.

it would also be nice to have a jazz piano wikipedia here but as usual, i'd want to code it myself instead of using something out of the box so that will take a while to get going as well.

there are a lot of visitors to this site and a lot of space for people to spread out, but in general, the amount of people visiting the site gradually increases.  i'm paying a lot more for excessive bandwidth usage, and i used to never have to pay for that, so that in itself says something.
If I'm not back in 24 hours, call the president.

Scot is available for skype jazz piano lessons (and google hangouts, phone call, etc...)
Use the contact link at the top of the page.
as concerns ljp, i wonder if anyone can relate to this:

i discovered the site (about 3 years ago i think), i did lots of reading then had a bit of a posting frenzy.  

one day i realised i was spending about an hour a day on the site and i started thinking - i could be spending that hour playing. also, whenever i asked a question, i was given such a great set of replies, i usually obtained enough advice and practise recommendations to keep me occupied for months.

i work for myself, from home, so i am responsible for my own time management. an hour spent on ljp probably means and hour to be made up later. some people, however, might have jobs in which they can get away with it more, or they might be pro pianists or students for whom time on ljp can be better justified.

but for me the main thing is - i know the site is here. if i have a bit of time for a browse or a question that i'd like answered, this baby is here.

long live ljp!
attendance in general has grown over the years.  it's more now than it was three months ago.

but i think maybe 1 out of 50 people add anything to the forums.  i suspect most people read and get what they want or download files.  the data transfer each month from this site is pretty big, in the gigabytes, and that's for a site that is primarily text based, not video streaming and that sort of thing.

the site is confusing. no question about it. it's not like other forums and people can get lost.  i'm working feverishly to get the scripting done to take data from this bbs to the new one.  there are some difficult things to deal with in this, if you know anything about programming and database conversion, just think about all the stuff that's here that needs to be converted to an entirely new system.  a daunting task to get right the first time.

i don't see any reason why ljp would ever die out unless someone offered to buy it, but don't worry, i can't see anyone in the world paying the price i have set for this site.

many of the other jazz piano forum sites out there are  based on making money.  money is great, but it's made out of paper.  piano music is better, you can do that regardless of how much money you have.  

i'm working on some books to earn some income from the site, but that's going slowly.  after driving for hours for a two hour gig somewhere, i just don't feel like working on the books, and i've been doing a lot of gigging lately.  mostly solo piano... i really enjoy trio gigging, but i can make twice as much doing solo, so that's what i target these days.

sigh, where's the good old days when some king would say, "hey, you sound good, come live in the castle and make music for me. i'll even pay you."    

that balance between art and real life is difficult for me, more so all the time.  sometimes it's at the point where i'd like to liquidate my assets and get a mini rv and just drive around and explore again.  seven years in the same place is a long time for me.

anyway, bottom line is this: ljp isn't going to go down, and i think it's busier than ever.  just wait for the new system. much easier and a lot of features that will make dealing with the system a breeze.
If I'm not back in 24 hours, call the president.

Scot is available for skype jazz piano lessons (and google hangouts, phone call, etc...)
Use the contact link at the top of the page.
if you ever feel like coming down to dc, my place's always open to you scot. it's small and there are kids screaming. but it's my place and you're welcome all the same ;)

also if you need help with the new site or whatever, drop a line.
scot, i wish to thank you personally, when i first found this site, i was waiting for the catch, the bit where it said 'to access this area you must pay $29.99.  no such catch!  you are an inspiration to everyone for the time and dedication that you put into this site and the kindness that you show to others.  since being directed to this site, ive told so many people about it, and i also have met a lot of people who already use it.  it may be hard to believe but some of the people i work with today would not have got into jazz and would not have the knowledge they have if it were not for this site.  so many of the people i have spoken to at work have mentioned your site and how great it is.  

you are a great educator and i thank you from the bottom of my heart.

long live ljp!
so much that has been said here is echoed in my belief that this is the greatest site anywhere bar none. i appreciate all the posters of wisdom,  as in scot, 7, dr. whack, jazz+, albetan, mike, hepcatmonk, and i know i am omitting many more that are just as deserving. this site and its contributors have made a vast improvement in me and my abilities and i will forever be thankful for that. that having been said, and perhaps a little crass or commercial, there is a link here somewhere to help fund scot's piano or at least there was, i cannot seem to locate it now. once a year or so i try and contribute a little to the man behind it all. thanks scot.
peace out!
i see ljp thriving for many years to come.  so many creative folk to learn from and just spend time with.  it's close to being like the old days when jazz musicians would hang out at clubs and trade tricks with each other.  once again, a big tip of the beret to all the aformentioned contributors.
(my two bits)
ditto from me.

it's interesting that one or two other forums i lurk on also seem to be going through a navel-gazing phase, worrying about reduced input from old farts, increasing amounts of aggression and trolling etc.  it's just the spirit of the age i think.

ljp is still one of my regular destinations when i log on, even if i find i have less to contribute these days.  and scot remains a hero.

sid
the site seems just as strong as always to me except for the fact that people seem strangly tolerant of me lately.
despite the fact that the last post was done 11 days ago, i still feel that i have to say something in this thread. i know ljp for quite a while now (it is my favorite site!) and this is my first post - why? simply because my piano skills are pretty low and whenever i come up with a question, i usually find that somebody already had posted a similar one before and that such fantastic people like scot himself, 7, albetan, jazz+, dr.whack, ted hawkes... (and a lot more) provided all the information on this question one could possibly think of.  
  
i really gain very much from posters that ask questions like "i accidentally played the following chord, it sounded very good - with a little flamenco flavor - what chord is it?". the thing is, i have not reached the level yet where i do a lot of experiments on the piano and discover some chords i have not known before - if the lead sheet asks for an eb9 i play an eb9. so it is more or less via ljp that i start experimenting thinking something like 'so this guy says that (as people said) cdim/b = b7b9 has some flamenco-like flavor, let's see what i can do with it, ...'.

to cut a long story short (i guess i already missed that chance), i am very thankful for this site, all the good questions and the wonderful replies given by fantastic piano players with skills i dare not even think about trying to reach! in any other business, if you want some advice from high level pros, it is going to cost you a fortune - here all these experts contribute for free.

tanks to scot and all the contributors. hopefully, i will find more time to spend at the piano soon and then i will surely also post some questions.
who is ted hawkes?
i think i had his name in my head because i just read some helpful contributions by him before writing my post.
i shouldn't have started a list with peoples' names in my post anyway because it obviously had to happen that i forget a lot of people who should have been mentioned - mike, smg, ...(although i did not claim that the list was complete), sorry 'bout that.

my only point was that the many very good contributions to ljp are of a great help for people with low skills also, but that often these people (including me) do not post very much since there are so many others out there on ljp who have more things to tell about playing jazz piano than i have.
i agree with all the above.  i've been regularly visiting this site for around 7 years, but i'm more of a lurker than a poster, as usually more experienced players than i have the answers, and i can usually find answers i want by searching around.  honourable mention to 7, who in my humble opinion usually combines wit and wisdom on most topics.
re-"often these people (including me) do not post very much"above....

     for me over here,comparing when i started to have time to visit the site again and contribute(2007)compared with 2003-04 when i used to,i'd say it's that this goes on(people who want to learn something feeling they'd be seen as "....."(insert whatever phrase you want)and not posting things about the art forms' aspects)that has led to the forum being more of a "chat room" with less interesting subjects which involve "........"(again insert whatever phrase you want)instead of the kind of "online university" a lot of us enjoyed being involved in..so please for all of you reading this that feel like this person did,don't let anything stop you from posting about what in your playing you want info about,help dealing with,etc.............
g :7
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