discpedia Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Hi everyone. Now, before you shoot me down and ridicule me, I would like to present an idea I had the other day. I know there are a lot of websites and forums, like this one, Discogs.com, etc. But it occurred to me that nobody had ever made a wiki, where anyone can post/edit etc. information about record collecting. I decided to rent a domain, (discpedia.com was the most natural-sounding one that was available), and loaded a mediawiki onto it. Currently, I've been trying to add some content. I'm not a professional developer or anything, and I don't have time to make the website huge by myself. You can visit the site--it redirects to the wiki (there's no homepage yet, because I don't know how to write one!... and it's horrendously slow due to Godaddy shared hosting). I've made a few pages and a couple friends have added their own content. I'm just wondering what you all think. Good/bad? Illogical? Will never go anywhere? Thanks! (On a side note, I'm looking for potential authors/content creators. If there's positive feedback for this idea, then you will be well compensated!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarondltd Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Yay! discpedia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daegor Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Discogs is user controlled content.... So in essence a wiki. What is going to be different on your site? (Why does everyone all of a sudden have an urge to create a Discogs alternative??) emacs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpedia Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Discogs is user controlled content.... So in essence a wiki. What is going to be different on your site? (Why does everyone all of a sudden have an urge to create a Discogs alternative??) I've personally never used Discogs... I don't know why, but it's always seemed like a waste of time. It is user controlled, but it doesn't have the freedom of a wiki (essentially you can create whatever formatting you want). Plus non-users can't edit. I didn't realize other people wanted to create an alternative . I had this idea the other night around 2AM and I stayed up until 5AM trying to figure out how to begin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpedia Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 In a way, I sort of feel like it could be sort of a combination of Discogs and a record collecting book/guide. You can't really find tips and extreme specifics in Discogs, from what I understand. (And don't kick me for already saying that I've never used Discogs ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daegor Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I've personally never used Discogs... I don't know why, but it's always seemed like a waste of time. It is user controlled, but it doesn't have the freedom of a wiki (essentially you can create whatever formatting you want). Plus non-users can't edit. I didn't realize other people wanted to create an alternative . I had this idea the other night around 2AM and I stayed up until 5AM trying to figure out how to begin. I strongly suggest you get familiar with Discogs, if you're going to be successful you're going to need to offer something different and/or better than them. A couple of things: Open versus set formatting - being able to set whatever formatting you want is a bad idea. No one will format in the same way and it will quickly become an unusable mess. User registration - the reason you don't want non-members to edit is so that you can keep your editors in line. If some decides to be a dick and destructively edit entries you want to be able to warn/ban them. You can't do that if they aren't a registered user. kurtz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daegor Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 In a way, I sort of feel like it could be sort of a combination of Discogs and a record collecting book/guide. You can't really find tips and extreme specifics in Discogs, from what I understand. (And don't kick me for already saying that I've never used Discogs ) Yes and no... I mean I'm not sure what information you mean. Discogs gives me pressing information and sales statistics. I've never needed more than that. Besides, that's kinda the purpose of Vinyl Collective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpedia Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 I strongly suggest you get familiar with Discogs, if you're going to be successful you're going to need to offer something different and/or better than them. A couple of things: Open versus set formatting - being able to set whatever formatting you want is a bad idea. No one will format in the same way and it will quickly become an unusable mess. User registration - the reason you don't want non-members to edit is so that you can keep your editors in line. If some decides to be a dick and destructively edit entries you want to be able to warn/ban them. You can't do that if they aren't a registered user. I am familiar, I just don't use it. Maybe in the beginning--but the benefit of a wiki is that other users will correct problem edits. As the website owner (and administrators can do this to), I have access to several tools, including mass page deletes. Basically, there are ways to monitor content, but the end hope is that other users will maintain it to the point that it is autonomous... just think of Wikipedia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpedia Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Here's an example (it's a pretty poor example, at that) of an article someone wrote for the wiki: http://discpedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=Transporting_records I don't know if you can find anything like that on Discogs... and anything you can't find on Discogs, you can create. I am predominately a Beatles collector, and I never found what I was looking for on Discogs and always ended up using misc. online collector's sites or published books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daegor Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I find Wikipedia WAY more difficult to use than Discogs when it comes to adding or editing content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daegor Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Here's an example (it's a pretty poor example, at that) of an article someone wrote for the wiki: http://discpedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=Transporting_records I don't know if you can find anything like that on Discogs... and anything you can't find on Discogs, you can create. I am predominately a Beatles collector, and I never found what I was looking for on Discogs and always ended up using misc. online collector's sites or published books. The link doesn't work. Assuming that the article is about transporting records, while that is an example of the sort of thing that's not on Discogs it's still not a great example. A quick Google search will land you on dozens of websites with that information (including this website AND the Discogs user forums) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daegor Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Not trying to shit on your parade, you just need to make sure you're doing something better, like I said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpedia Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Here's an example of an article you can't find on Discogs: http://discpedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=Collecting_classical_records I clicked on "classical records" in genres and was greeted by 200,000 random pictures of album covers. That's the kind of thing that turned me away from Discogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpedia Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 That's weird, it works for me. I don't think you're being discouraging. I was sure I'd be met with a lot of this kind of stuff. In reality, it was just an idea. And if it turns out to be a good one, maybe it's worth pursuing. Yes, there are plenty of websites, but the point is to compile them all into one area, where anyone can edit and add their own tips. That's the purpose of wikipedia--it's just for everything, not records. In a forum, yes there are tips and tricks, but you have to sort through disorganized information for what you're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicondevil Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Anyone can join discogs. Any member can add information either officially or in the comment section. I usually just write a comment with information I have that is not shared in the official listing. I don't see how this will be better/different, but good luck. kurtz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostOfRandySavage Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 That's weird, it works for me. I don't think you're being discouraging. I was sure I'd be met with a lot of this kind of stuff. In reality, it was just an idea. And if it turns out to be a good one, maybe it's worth pursuing. Yes, there are plenty of websites, but the point is to compile them all into one area, where anyone can edit and add their own tips. That's the purpose of wikipedia--it's just for everything, not records. In a forum, yes there are tips and tricks, but you have to sort through disorganized information for what you're looking for. Compiling every sort of information that someone could possibly be looking for about any single release into one place with no formatting seems like it will just end up being an unusable clusterfuck. kurtz and caninesapien 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarondltd Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 This sounds like geocities.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtz Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Just stop now. Everything you are trying to do is already done by discogs and done well. Here's an example of an article you can't find on Discogs: http://discpedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=Collecting_classical_records I clicked on "classical records" in genres and was greeted by 200,000 random pictures of album covers. That's the kind of thing that turned me away from Discogs. That link doesn't work for me, but if you want a definition of classical music, just use wikipedia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpedia Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Just stop now. Everything you are trying to do is already done by discogs and done well. That link doesn't work for me, but if you want a definition of classical music, just use wikipedia. It's a little ironic that you cringe at the idea of a record collectors' wiki, but advocate using Wikipedia. It's not a definition of classical records, it's an explanation of what makes certain classical records valuable, etc. The article title is "Collecting Classical Records" and it delves into detail about the different labels, etc. That's the whole point... it's like Wikipedia but FOR record collectors. It was just an idea... I'm not starting a company, edging out Discogs, or trying to profit and make millions--just starting a space where maybe something will happen. I am seriously trying to understand why everyone here is so hostile to this idea. Isn't Wikipedia itself proof enough of concept? There are thousands of articles, and yet it's not a jumbled, uninterpretable junk site. It's probably one of the most useful websites on the internet. Almost any search you make for a definition is directed to Wikipedia. So the purpose here is to apply this same thinking to a smaller, more specialized niche. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl_ben Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Sticking with discogs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpedia Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Sticking with discogs.... Nobody is trying you to make you leave Discogs... But can you, from the information available in Discogs, tell me the most collectible UK record label for classical records? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostOfRandySavage Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Nobody is trying you to make you leave Discogs... But can you, from the information available in Discogs, tell me the most collectible UK record label for classical records? Nobody here cares about that, so you may just be in the wrong place all together. If I'm buying classical records I'm just getting them to listen to. Records aren't a smart investment, dude, and I can't think of anyone who actually collects classical records. Not to mention that no one cares which label is most collectible in any certain region or country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpedia Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Nobody here cares about that, so you may just be in the wrong place all together. If I'm buying classical records I'm just getting them to listen to. Records aren't a smart investment, dude, and I can't think of anyone who actually collects classical records. Not to mention that no one cares which label is most collectible in any certain region or country. Some classical records are very collectible... some are absolutely worthless. For a majority of labels and pressings, people will pay you to take them away. The reason some labels are more collectible is because of the sonic quality of the pressing. Classical was just an example... but there are classical records that daily go for hundreds to thousands of dollars. High-end audio listeners prefer audiophile pressings and purchase them for top dollar. The reason for collect-ability is supply/demand... I am confused about why this is a new concept on a record collectors' forum. What exactly does "everyone here" collect? I am really surprised, again, how hostile you few are. Makes you wonder what people said about the startup for Discogs... or even this site. "Really? A forum for record collectors? Don't be ridiculous." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusted_By_Space Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I think the hostility comes from the fact that just about every new user here comes first with something along the lines of how much is this record worth or how much can I get for x record. The majority of members here give no shits about the "value of our collections". I myself buy records to listen to, and don't care what they're worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostOfRandySavage Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Classical records are very collectible... the reason some labels are more collectible is because of the sonic quality of the pressing. Classical was just an example... but there are classical records that daily go for hundreds to thousands of dollars. High-end audio listeners prefer audiophile pressings and purchase them for top dollar. The reason for collect-ability is supply/demand... What exactly does "everyone here" collect? I am really surprised, again, how hostile you few are. Makes you wonder what people said about the startup for Discogs... or even this site. "Really? A forum for record collectors? Don't be ridiculous." Not trying to be hostile, and I'm saying records in general are not a great investment. If the only reason something is collectible is supply/demand, then why would you need a site explaining why a certain album is collectible? You can't oversimplify something like that and also say that people need to look up reasons why something is collectible. This whole scheme just seems unnecessary to me. This site functions mainly as a place to come and talk about records, whereas the main function of discogs is to catalog, with a side function of forum. You just don't seem to be able to accept the fact that making an unformatted, non-membership based aggregator of all things vinyl related is going to be a mess that will need an army of mods to keep in check. When someone doesn't listen to reason, hostility follows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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