What Do You Want To See On TNR?
Here’s your chance to let us know what changes you’d like to see us make here at TNR. Here are some questions we’d like you to consider:
What site features should we implement?
What would make the site easier for you to use?
What features do you currently use?
What features do we offer that you don’t bother using?
What we’re not looking for are typical “troll” suggestions, so don’t even bother with “Don’t review sh*tty music“. If you want to leave hate, we have a designated post for that.
Leave us some comments and let us know!
About The Writer
76 Comments
August 14th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
HAHA, love the "designated post."
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August 14th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
HAHAHAHA! Liking the suggestion of where to leave hate.
I'd like to exceptions for reviewing EP's. =D
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August 14th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
I laughed so hard when I saw the designated hate post area.
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August 14th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
*bows*
And the punishment for leaving a hateful comment – scrolling through 770+ comments!
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August 14th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
One thing could be that the reviews section could allow you to only show a certain genre or add the genre on the review section
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Gabriel Pio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
It's an interesting idea, except most people would end up like:
"What? Are you CRAZY? *insert band name here* is not *insert genre name here*, you retard, they're clearly *insert other genre name here*."
That's how I see it anyways.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Yeah, that's kind of our issue with genre tags. It really all depends on the person you ask, especially when it gets into super exclusive genres. People will argue forever about whether they're correct or not.
Secondly, we kinda want people to dig around. You never know what you might find accidentally while looking for something else.
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Skelly replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Yeah your right.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
But we still appreciate the suggestion. Even if it's something we don't implement, it give us a chance to explain why we do things the way we do them.
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August 14th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
first of all i would like to give you a big "thumbs up" for the site! i discovered lots of interesting new bands due to your reviews und won't miss any promising releases anymore (as i used to do^^)
i would like you to add the release-date to your reviews, because you often review records weeks before they are released so it would be fantastic to know, when the records hit the stores
the blog-entries are also pretty fun to read… maybe there is an opportunity to increase the number of new posts –> some more concert reports or stuff like that would be an nice addition to the site…
that should do it for now, i let you know if anything more comes across my mind
greets from germany! and keep the nice work up!
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August 14th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
An edit post option would be interesting. Although I'm not sure it would be either viable nor functional.
A suggestion, nonetheless.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Like for comments?
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Gabriel Pio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Yup. I sometimes misspell things and like to correct them.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Done! You'll now have roughly 5 minutes to edit a comment after it has been posted. The only reason we don't allow longer is because we don't want people going back and editing comments, then pretending like they didn't. I think you get the idea.
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Gabriel Pio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
I had actually considered that as a reason why it shouldn't be done. But the time limit is a great solution! Thanks Jen!
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
ugh Okay, so it seems that it's only working on top level comments at the moment (any replies can't be edited). I'll be working on it.
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Anthony Gannaio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
I'm a pretty heavy forum-goer, and normally it says "Edited X times by X" after an edit. We don't have that?
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
The difference there is that these are technically blog comments, rather than forums posts. Lee and I have given thought to forums, just never got around to it. Might be the time for that now.
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Anthony Gannaio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
I for one, would absolutely love a forum for discussion. I was thinking about that for a while now, actually.
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Josh replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
I mean, I think a forum would be very cool so Staff would be able to communicate even more with members of the staff and more importantly, for fellow members to discuss music with each other. However, I am concerned about the need of moderators, etc. Also, my two cents is that if we do implement a forum that it needs to be relatively concise. Most forums I have been to have subject upon subject to post under and I think if we stuck to three or so general areas to post threads under, the forums would be more worthwhile.
Just my take on it. What do all of you think?
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Anthony Gannaio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
Agree. The ability for all of us to talk backstage together (Staff) is invaluable. Plus, I looooove further discussion on musical topics, et cetera. As for moderators, I'm sure we would be given "moderator status" and that would suffice. I mean maybe we could do applications for a couple non-staff moderators, but I dunno. Just throwing ideas out. I COMPLETELY agree with the concise aspect to the boards, though. It doesn't need to become a rabbit trail leading to…everywhere.
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Gabriel Pio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
I'm a big big big forum enthusiast. I say go for it.
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Jen replied:
August 15th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
I definitely agree with you Josh. If we implement forums, they would need to be done as concisely as possible. Looking into it!
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August 14th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
More prog reviews!!!
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Josh replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I can help Daniel out on this one.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Feel free to give some suggestions!
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August 14th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Another thing you could add is related or recommended artists if you like this one on the review page.
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Anthony Gannaio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
We actually already have that. Look at "Other Posts You Might Like" under any review.
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Skelly replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Wow didn't notice that.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Plus the tags in the review are USUALLY a good indicator of bands that might sound the same, though not always.
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Anthony Gannaio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Like when Luke tagged Ke$ha. I promise, I will be tagging Lady GaGa before he does.
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Luke Amos replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Sadly, that was Josh. I am ashamed that he got to it before me. I promise I'll step up my game.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
I'm posting a comment to say "No comment."
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Luke Amos replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
I know all the words to "Tik Tok."
Worship me.
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August 14th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Or add a "like" option to posts, so we can share them on facebook. or even give a "user" rating option for the albums. just a thought.
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Max Grundström replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
I've seen that kind of rating before somewhere, where the reviewer added his score and the readers could add their own. It's kinda neat.
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Bait_the_noose replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
http://www.absolutepunk.net right?
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jakester0403 replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I know that http://www.theprp.com uses a user rating system for their reviews but like my other post they just dont review enough music so it loses its fun factor. I think if it is implemented on this site it would kick ass due to the high volume of reviews and users.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
A lot of sites offer that, but our big concern with it is legitimacy. There's no way to really make sure that the people who vote have actually listened to the album. It's especially iffy since so many of our reviews are posted prior to release date. (I mean how can someone vote on something they haven't heard, right?) Some people might even say, "Those dudes look gay" and give them a bad vote purely for that reason. Thoughts?
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
hmm….good point. I'm not sure how to fix that…other than giving people benefit of the doubt. haha. people can always just give opinions in comments, so it's not that big of a deal.
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jakester0403 replied:
August 15th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Thats a good point but isnt that the idea behind an opinion? People dislike bands for a multitude of reasons. I understand you guys review a lot of albums before they hit, but there are still samples to base an early opinion and then when the album does come out you can gauge a better opinion and change your rating one way or the other. I look at a lot of the comments on this site (Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack) and there is a lot of legitimacy concerns all over the place but thats what opinions bring to the fold. Thats why I would like to see a user rating for each review. For example, the Avenged Sevenfold review would have been great to see an average user rating. Based on how much traffic that review brought. It would have been great to see an average rating from the readers on that cd. The user can base it off of whatever they want. Whether it be the samples, the music (if the cd is out), or whatever they feel like based on their opinion of the band. Isnt that the basis of this site? Opinons.
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Josh replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Bait, there already is an option to share the reviews, blogs, news articles, etc. It's right across from the "About the Writer" section below the review.
Hope that helps.
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Bait_the_noose replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
oh! hahaha d'oh. thanks dude =P
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Josh replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
No problem!
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jakester0403 replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Im with Bait_the_noose on the reader review or user review. Once an album comes out or if it already is it would be nice for the readers to give a score of their own and then have an average user or reader rating. It would be cool to see the overall average rating on certain albums from the readers and match it up against the reviewers rating. I know a certain site that uses this and its pretty cool but that site doesnt review very many albums. With the volume of albums you guys review I think it would be an awesome addition. Just a thought.
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August 14th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Reviewing EP's indeed!
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August 14th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Oh, and the fact that you should automatically get an email when someone replies to YOUR comment somewhere, without having to sign up. I'd like to know if someone replied to my comment, but don't want to receive 38 emails of comments unrelated to my post.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
You're at a bit of a disadvantage there, Max. Since you're a staff member, you get an email every time someone comments on one of your reviews as well. We'll see if we can't streamline it somehow.
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Max Grundström replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Yeah, that I know.
But I meant that you should get an email when someone replies to your comment, like when you replied to this one now!
.. Hm, this is weird. I got an notification by mail when Bait said "http://www.absolutepunk.net right?", but not from any more from that "topic". Am I missing something?
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Hmm, not sure. The only thing I know to do is disable the notifications all together if they're a problem. Then you'll just have to check comments for replies manually. :/
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August 14th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Reviewing EPs would be nice, a "Albums we missed" section would be sweet, where the writers would review albums that are already released but that you hadn't heard of at the time, or something that the writer just really likes. Forums would be awesome too.
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Luke Amos replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
The problem with EPs it that most (not all but most) are just going to be rehashed on a later release. I know that's a generalization but with the amount of material we have to review we have to cut corners somewhere. That being said I'll totally review The Devil Wears Prada Zombie EP, Lee!
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Luke Amos replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Just remembered your name was Lee. That was directed at Lee, our fearless leader. lol
Works both ways I guess.
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Bait_the_noose replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
it's a pretty epic EP.
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Gabriel Pio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Everytime someone says EP, that's the one that comes to my mind. It looks like it'll be awesome, and as a zombie fan I'm super stoked.
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Lee Tran replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
I nicknamed the new TDWP The Devil wears Purging. Because they're so heavy in it =D
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WTF replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
How is everybody getting to hear TDWP's EP already? Its not even out??!?
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Gabriel Pio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
They're streaming Outnumbered on their myspace page.
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Lee Tran replied:
August 15th, 2010 at 9:43 am
And you can find other songs on Youtube
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August 14th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
One thing that really bothers me is that when we post a comment the page has to reload. It would be cool if, like on Facebook, the page didn't reset when you click submit. That way I can be listening to the clips and still comment.
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Gabriel Pio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
I second this.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Daryn also suggested this a while back. I'm looking to to it now.
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Done.
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Luke Amos replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Jen = awesomest at web junk.
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Josh replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
Totally. Thanks Jen!
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August 14th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
While…the suggestions are great. I thought I'd say you've already done a pretty dang good job on it already Jen! =D
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Jen replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Thanks, Jonathan. But I can't take all the credit. The site would have very little cool stuff to read if it wasn't for our awesome staff.
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August 15th, 2010 at 2:13 am
This is the brother to one of your writers, Luke.
An idea that i think would be very useful for those of us reading all the reviews and such, would be to add concert info.
I think a good idea would be to put up the dates, times and locations of concerts for the bands you review on TNR. It would be a way to publicize the music on here and would be very helpful, to the readers and the bands themselves.
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Luke Amos replied:
August 15th, 2010 at 3:13 am
Apparently my brother knows my laptop password…that will need to be changed.
But I agree with him.
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Jen replied:
August 15th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Taken into consideration, but that is quite a feat to manage and keep updated. Since the news, release dates, etc are handled by two staff members, it would be nearly impossible to keep the info correct. Most of us have full time jobs outside of the site. Maybe one day.
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August 15th, 2010 at 3:36 am
I know you guys already were talking about this up above, but I really think that a forum would be a great addition to the site. As for moderators, I'd be willing to help out with that, I've had experience with other forums before on multiple sites, and I still run around on a forum daily. I think it would be interesting to have a section where people can share bands, albums, etc. with other members so that we can all expand our base of musical tastes.
I also think it would be cool to have a section where people can upload pictures from concerts and other musical related stuff. Within the forum people could post user generated content like song ideas, band names (lol), art, etc..
Just some thoughts.
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Lee Tran replied:
August 15th, 2010 at 9:43 am
I would do some mod stuff as well
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Jen replied:
August 15th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
I remember you suggesting that a while back. I'm going to look into some forum options.
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actrambley21 replied:
August 15th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Schweet.
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August 18th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
another thing you could always try is to break up the review points into categories. like vocals, production, and other aspects of a record. because i know there are plenty of albums that get several parts right and some others dead wrong. Just an idea. I know that a lot of videogame sites do that in their game reviews. also, user review for an album shouldnt be available until the actual album is released since you review so many so early. id hate to see people voting down For Today's "Breaker" before it even comes out just cuz they don't like the band.
and maybe links to merch? I know i would love to see some shirts for these bands you review.
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AustinW replied:
August 18th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
another thing is maybe comparing your score versus the scores of other review sites as well? and perhaps some sort of award system where you can award an album if there is something special about it that you want to stand out.
example:
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/masseffect2workingtitle/review.html
gamespot does both of these things and i think they are pretty neat. I love the game emblems. it gives you an idea of the strengths and weaknesses of each game. and even if its a bad game, sometimes there is some redeeming factor about it worth awarding. or maybe its somewhat awful but it has a special place in the reviewer's heart. you get the idea.
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