SNR in Current Forum / Social Media vs. Old Print Media

Discussion in 'General Audio Discussion' started by TwoEars, Nov 29, 2016.

  1. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

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    @Marvey I was more talking about the established printed press, but if you have a beef with this guy I'm sure we can find time for him too.

    Also - for the record. I think what Schiit is doing is brilliant in terms of marketing, they really don't need to change. If anything it's established press, and overpriced high-end manufacturers, which will have to change. Companies like Schiit which focus on bringing value to the end user are in a very good position these days. As long as you have a good product there are so many options with the internet.
     
  2. schiit

    schiit SchiitHead

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    Oh gawd, how I'd love to say, "We don't need you," to the press (and by, "the press," I mean, the predominantly printed magazines.)

    And while I think this is an assholish, arrogant, and not-quite-entirely-true statement, you gotta admit that it's a new world we're playing in. The press is an artifact of an earlier economy--one in which you used the press (reviews, advertisements) to generate demand to pull through your distribution network (dealers.) In an economy where the only voices the masses hear are from articles and ads, and where dealer shelf space is limited, and where your local shop is the only game in town when it comes to buying high-end gear, the press was vitally important. Now...hmm, when most of our business is through referrals from interest-specific forums or even sub-branches of general interest forums, and anyone can have a voice, it's literally a different world.

    We don't have all the answers. Nor does the old-style press. But I will bet on two things: that the real action is here, at forums like these, and the key, trusted voices of the "new press" will come from places like these, as well.
     
  3. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    I'm curious, from somebody who's been in the marketing world for a while now... do you think the ratio of signal vs noise in the current forums/social media/etc is any better or worse than the old print media?
     
  4. schiit

    schiit SchiitHead

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    In general, it is much, much, much, much, much, much worse. How anyone can draw any kind of conclusions about gear from forums is really beyond me. Because every single thread seems to go like this:

    It's great! Yes, it is! Wow! How does it compare to Xyz? Actually, it's not so great, here's X, Y, Z why. No, it's great, here's why! No, you're both wrong, this is unmitigated donkey dung that doesn't deserve to be shipped in a box for free! Hey, I just got mine and I don't know how to turn it on. Wait, none of you really know the context, from conversations with The Great Designer Himself, the philosophy of this product is to... Wait, how does it compare to Xyz again? Has anyone heard this against (something costing 10x as much). Has anyone heard this against (something costing 1/10 as much). Has anyone heard this against (a product made in literally batches of 5 per year.) Oh no, not another flavor of the month. This thing is overrated. No, it's great, really!

    Versus:

    This is a great product (insert audiobabble here) go buy it.
    or
    Of all the products I've reviewed, this is definitely one of them. (By inference, you should pay attention to this.)

    The signal to noise is much, much higher in curated, gatekeepered media, by its very nature. The problem comes when you realize they are playing postmodern interpretations of polka on antique analog synthesizers and computer printers. In other words, what they're saying might be crap, but it comes through loud and clear.

    One of the great things about this forum is its focus on finding a middle ground between highly curated media and a tragedy of the masses free-for-all. SBAF seems to be heading in an important new direction, one I think will be a signpost on the way to a truly useful new media environment.
     
  5. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Haha that's what I figured, but just wanted an "official" opinion.

    One increasing problem I have with online media is the sheer proliferation of it. Even in a curated medium, there's such a glut that I feel like there's information apathy... and when that happens, I mentally start veering towards convenience again.
     
  6. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Moved this to it's own forum. Too awesome. Please carry on.
     
  7. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    I covered IT and telco for 3 years in the national news agency in our Narnia-istan and now have spent 2 years marketing a niche audio product.

    The main problem [here] is that most good journos migrate to PR/marketing in 3 years tops because that shit pays better. I mean you can be a cut-throat journo for 700 shmeckels/mo but after a while you get a gf/bf or if you've impressed some important folks, they give you a very shmeckel-ful offer you can't refuse.

    As for pro audio, the mags are great reading material for all kinds tales from celebrity engineers how they snorted coke from Neve desks, but overall not many people base their purchasing decisions from their reviews. Online communities and opinion leaders in general are what impact purchasing decisions.

    SNR-wise, both forums and press require complex differently configured filters to fish out good info. For press a good litmus is how many less-than-5/5-star reviews they publish.
     
  8. ibzrg1570

    ibzrg1570 Facebook Friend

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  9. Garns

    Garns Friend

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    I would totally buy this record. Suggest releasing as a double A-side single "Skronk Certificate"/"PhD in Prog".

    EDIT: curses, beaten to it:
     
  10. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Lol. Of all the posts I ever quoted, this is, without doubt, one of them

    :drunk:

    And, yeah... I used to do a jig to the rhythm of the office dot-matrix printer. You can't do that with laser. Analogue: more toe-tapping. Or something.
     
  11. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

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    Beautifully put. Don't really know what I can say to add to that, case closed. But hey - maybe we can make a SBAF tag line out of it:

    "The real action is here" - SchiitHead

    :D
     
  12. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    what about a stickied forum-sourced ranking of print media outlets from "trustworthy-ish" to "untrustworthy-ish"? What about online-only sources? Where the hell does a place like 6moons fit into this? Personally, sometimes I dig it (6moons), sometimes (most times?) it's off the deep end, so it doesn't make complete sense to completely shitbin a place like 6moons... what about ToneAudio? How far 'in the pocket' is that place/pub? I have a hard time figuring where they think they fit... i.e., reviewing ML OEM car audio systems and then glowingly reviewing 40 year-old mostly shitty HeathKit amps.
     
  13. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    @Marvey

    Somewhat relevant: I recall reading once that on Changstar there was a list of least trusted reviewers. Have there been any efforts to revive that? I think this would have tremendous social value for the community... That is, to know how to filter out known poor value reviews, old or new media.
     
  14. MoatsArt

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    Is this the thread you had in mind?

    Peer Review of the Reviewers
     

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