| About the purpose of blog entries and the recommen... | 17 May, 2012 |
| XT kruemelyeti | (5 comments, 1597 views) |
Finally, this is my first blog I'm going to write and I actually don't know how to begin... hi everyone!  (duh, that sounded weird.) - To mess up my introduction:  Check!
First I have to leave some words about the blog feauture itself before I come to the initial reason for writing this blog. I love the blog feature and it's opportunities. I saw some great blogs so far, for example by md or eyebo. It is a new way of communication and discussion that feautures comprehensive possibilities to express your opinion and to get a hearing from the community by establishing your position. About contentious issues or about how things are and how they evolve, it doesn't matter. The blog feature gives you the chance to be the voice of the community, to reach people's awareness. But it doesn't in the most cases. The majority of people just use it to promote their tracks, to push them in the belief that it helps to get more downloads, more awards, more popularity. There are so many blog users who just want to tell you: "Hey, look at my new map, it's so cool!". I really don't think that the blogs where made to present your own tracks, that is what the Author Comments are made for! There are some very good blogs and I really like to read them, but I feel distressed, because this great feature is so despraved by blogs about "my new map, which is so good, you really have to play it!!!11". Sadly, because of those people the blogs that are worth reading fade in the bulk of self promotions. It's like the needle in a haystack, the pearl in a pile of shit. If someone feels offended now, it will be justified in my opinion. When you hate me now, because of my opinion, then just do it, but it was something I had to get off here, something that had to be said. Enough about the sense (and nonsense) of blogs. Secondly I want to talk about track recommendations. Maybe some of you know this froum thread, it's about recommending other people's tracks. Tracks that seem to be missed by the community, tracks that are simply underrated. The reason for writing this is that eyebo asked me for making my entry there also to be a blog post and I think he is right. Unfortunately this from thread does not get the attention it should get. When you find an underrated track with just a few or even no awards, which totally deserves some more attention, then present it there and leave a short comment. I also see some players giving the track it's 2nd award and telling: "omg, how can this track be so underrated? You totally deserve some more  's!!" right on the day the track was released, that's not what I mean.
It is always a nice gesture to recommend someone's tracks, because the author or rather some of his tracks don't get the attention they deserve. This is so much better than using the blogs for self promotion. You even gain more respect and popularity this way, so stop being selfish and support the ones who deserve your assistance, they will thank you for it. Furthermore please take a look at the thread sometimes, maybe there are new recommendations, maybe you can find some tracks you really like, because that is the actual meaning of this thread. I don't think it would make so much sense to write here what I actually commented in the thread, so don't be lazy, click on the link and read it yourself (you would have to read it yourself anyway  ). But please do not forget to give them a try, they are worth playing! Also, please remember to award tracks you like because mania-exchange is all about sharing. Sharing your passion for Trackmania and sharing tracks. Not only your tracks, keep this in mind.
That is all I wanted to say. Quite much text, but I hope you made it till here. So don't forget to comment this blog, leave your opinion and also head over to the "Recommend a track"-thread and maybe leave some recommendations, too.
Over and out! |
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| arzgaa writes ... | 17, May, 2012 |
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Great post, I totally agree with you here. I neither think that blogs are the place to inform the community about your new track. You already informed that you have a new track in the "latest tracks" box, everyone who needs to see it sees it. There comes the first attention and if the track is neat, it gets more attention and so on.
I just came up with a thought (as you said there) that as more and more people start reporting every single of their track uploads in a blog, doesn't it end up as busy and filled with traffic as the "latest tracks" that the post is visible in the front page just a little time and then falls into the depths of the canyon (hehe  ) filled with all the other tracks. The blogs are their own thing, not a second box of latest tracks. Though in some sense I think it is appropriate to discuss the tracks there (isn't this site all about the tracks ) but definitely it's not for advertising your own tracks.
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| XT kruemelyeti writes ... | 17, May, 2012 |
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I already thought about some kind of rule, too. Something that prevents people from promoting their own tracks. I don't know so much about programming and coding and this stuff, but maybe it can be also prevented by the system itself, at least in a decent way.
For example it could notice the name of the blog author and compares it with the author names of the featured tracks. If they are the same, it will give you an error to prevent the blog being published? I actually don't know how far this is feasible and how much it would help (you can still simply link the track, maybe in some cases people want to feature their track not because of promoting, but of other reasons), so there are pro's and con's of course. Anyway, when self-promotional blogs become more and more, a rule would definetly be a reason I think, but that's on the mx-team to decide. Maybe people will notice themselves that using the blogs for promoting their own tracks cannot end in a good way, or at least they become aware of this by reading my blog. 
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| 51Wizard writes ... | 17, May, 2012 |
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personally i'm not a blogger, neither do i see a need to advertise or promote my tracks, but i do see your point
on this.. there is a danger too many mappers (who want to get noticed) will simply just advertise here because the facility is available, AND because many others are also doing same. Blogging is about the freedom to write your views etc etc, but maybe a specific/direct instruction from the crew at MX to "not use blogs to advertise tracks" will work? 
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| XT kruemelyeti writes ... | 17, May, 2012 |
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Of course I can understand your worries. The only thing I fear is that one day everyone will write a blog, because he released a new track and wants to compete and get the player's attention. The more people do so, the more people will follow. New players around here maybe won't learn it another way, writing a blog for your new track becomes totally natural. When this happens there will be no way of turning-back I guess.
The intention of blogs will just get abused and there won't be a point of reading them anymore, looking at the "Latest Tracks" or at the "Latest Blog Posts" won't be a difference. I know you think now that not every player will do this, so of course it will still be a difference. Well yes, but the point is that those players, who act considerately, are at a disadvantage and that's just not fair. Of course I grant unknown authors awards, too, more than anyone else, but there are other ways and I just plead to use them instead of wrecking the blog feature. Now my coffee became cold while writing this. 
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| 51Wizard writes ... | 17, May, 2012 |
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i agree entirely with your point about the self-promotion of tracks within the blog entries, but what if we feel we are one of those mappers who never get recognised and/or our tracks rarely get noticed, the temptation to promote our work here can be a strong one.. There can be some real gems found when searching for 'random' uploads but rarely does it happen in reverse. Maybe its down to how many contacts/buddies we have in the game, as this can often be a reliable source for track feedback/awards etc.
I admit that a blog here is not the appropriate place to do it, but there are no doubt many talented track authors out there who could benefit from a 'leg up' to help get their work noticed.. |
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