03 What is rec.music.progressive For?
Description
This article is from the Progressive Music FAQ, by Phil Kime(Philip@kime.org.uk) with numerous contributions by others.
03 What is rec.music.progressive For?
Discussion on r.m.p usually focuses on the lesser known progressive
bands. While Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, and the like will
always have a home on r.m.p, they also have their own mailing lists
(see FAQ 5). While almost everyone reading r.m.p is an enthusiast
of one or more of these groups, many are not terribly interested
in what kind of beer Mike Rutherford drinks, Steve Howe's favorite
vegetable, or the number of hairs on Robert Fripp's head. The
purpose of this newsgroup is to explore a wide variety of progressive
music, rather than trying to learn the most trivial facts about a
few examples. Also, the most knowledgeable people on each specific
example will almost certainly read the respective mailing lists, but
may not read r.m.p. So, while discussion of a new Yes release is a
fair topic for r.m.p (preferably, alt.music.yes), detailed analyses
of Yes lyrics might well be better off on the Yes mailing list.
As with most other newsgroups, r.m.p is better without flame wars. If
you have been on the net for more than a month, you have probably
seen several already. The best thing to do to people who flame is
to ignore them. You do not need to post a message telling everyone
what an idiot the flamer is, because that person has already let us
know that they are an idiot. The best way to avoid flames is to use
tact and be respectful. Probably nobody in the world is going to
agree with your musical opinions completely, so instead of being
inflammatory, you can carefully write a explanation of why you
find the new Genesis release substandard. The general rule of thumb
is: if you have to think twice about whether your post will upset
anyone, it is probably better not to post. Instead, find a more
tactful and respectful wording of what you want to say. However,
a caveat. Given that r.m.p is generally populated with a type who is
often more concerned about music than most, one can expect and even
see the point of occasional remarks that are more signs of heated
concern and stress relief. I think this is a good thing given the
lack of forums to discuss anything other than popular releases on
the media. Yes, r.m.p has a therapeutic role. I jest not.
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