Originally Posted by Sunset Poet
Well, it's been a month since my last review and assessment. So let's take a look and see how things have come along in the last month.

BASELINE (per Gemini)
When something is functional it “fulfills its intended purpose and operates effectively”

When something is dysfunctional it “it fails to operate properly, fulfill its intended purpose, or maintain healthy, effective performance.”

When adverse forces act in a manner contrary to the intended purpose of a functionality, those forces are destructive, disruptive, or antagonistic—often resulting in operational failure, stress, or dysfunction.

It is a songwriting site. The intended purpose is songwriting.


OVERVIEW (at a glance)

The site is much improved.


EVIDENCE OF IMPROVEMENT

There was a thread titled “beautiful mess.”
This was a “dung beetle” picking at scabs in an effort to create a dung thread to feed on...posed as a "song."
The ploy, as usual, was to pick at a scab, get something going, and then insidiously, but obviously, deny the intent.

When the thread was started, 4 dung beetles immediately converged on the thread but could not get anything going, so the thread fizzled and faded.

That’s a very positive indicator.

There was a thread titled “a brand new set of keys.”
That was an attempt to get a political diatribe going, and derail songwriting for that self-centered purpose. But alas, THERE WERE NO TAKERS.
And that attempt fizzled and faded, as well.

That’s a very positive indicator.

One of the dysfunks effectively made a public apology to the site for being part of the politically based diatribes that have riddled the site with dysfunction for years.

That was a very positive indicator, and displayed elevated character. This person has been removed from the list of dysfunks.


OTHER ASPECTS:
John S’s influence is exceptionally polite and mild mannered. With some of the other dysfunction gone, that leaves “space” for him to have a good effect as a steward.


A PROBLEM THAT REMAINS
After years of dysfunctional dynamics, most of the activity that remains here is from the residual dysfunks. They often dysfunctionally argue with each other, now that the number of available other targets has dwindled.

However, there are some new names showing up and posting songs. Some good songs. Their posts should be encouraged and interacted with more than they are.


CONCLUSION:
Things are much improved.
Keep it on the “intended purpose.”
Leave derailing side-shows and derailing topics out of it.
Encourage the new people and provide a comfortable atmosphere for them.


See you in a month…maybe.

SP

Marty, did anybody ever ask for your monthly “evaluation” report? I can’t recall that anybody did. Posts like this are completely expendable. They add no value to the songwriting discussion and are filled with rants, insults and name-calling. If anything, posts like these are exactly the kind of thing that can drive people away from a site.

Yesterday you made a claim about a song I wrote: “There was a thread titled ‘A Brand New Set of Keys.’ That was an attempt to get a political diatribe going, and derail songwriting for that self-centered purpose. But alas, THERE WERE NO TAKERS. And that attempt fizzled and faded.”
You said you would explain to me where the politics in that song are. You didn’t explain it, because you can’t. The song isn’t about politics. You simply decided that it was.

This website may be a mess, but in some ways it’s still a beautiful mess. You can discuss songs, songwriting and all sorts of related topics with other songwriters here. We don’t have to agree with each other all the time. As long as we don’t make everything personal, disagreement is perfectly healthy. Yes, sometimes it gets messy.
For example, look at what you just wrote. What a mess.

And now I guess we have to wait another month for you to tell us what the forum’s intended purpose is, who is helping or hurting it, and how everyone is progressing. Wow. How are we ever going to survive the suspense?