Thursday, May 05, 2005
reviewing the new Box
NewMusicBox has a new look. It’s fantastic to see such an influential instution that is lean and mean enough to redirect its path in midseason, so I have nothing but praise for the folks at NMB. I can’t imagine how much work must have gone into such a mammoth revision, and they haven’t missed a beat. If only some of our more prominent music establishments had half that ability to reassess and readjust.
With any overhaul, one expects improvements and compromises, as well as unexpected payoffs and flaws. Here’s a quick, very subjective response to what I’ve found attractive and disappointing on the site so far:
What I like about the new look:
- speed - The old Box was very slow to open, the new one spills its contents very quickly.
- what we’re listening to - Daily sound samples of new music. It's fun, it's easy, it's provocative.
- no more anonymous comments - The spleen vents have been sewn up.
- response time - So far, it seems like the new Box will be updated regularly and frequently, although it's too soon to say how well that will work.
What I liked about the old Box:
- focus - it was nice to have a month to explore and reflect on a single subject. Now the Box seems to be all over the place all at once, which is great, but I do miss the thematic approach (maybe it’s still there and I just don’t recognize it anymore).
- anonymous comments - sure, 90% of them were obnoxious, but there was also a feeling that people could say what they were really thinking without fear of committing professional suicide. And occasionally you came across a truly unexpected insight. Now (so far) the comments are benign to a fault. But that could change tomorrow, I suppose.
- birthdays - One of the trivial pleasures of visiting the old Box was scanning through the list of birthdays on the sidebar to spot friends and acquaintances. I never visited the site for that reason, but it was always pleasant for a quick glance. Now there is a link to click - and I probably won’t ever bother to click it.
- Hymn and Fuguing - One of my favorite parts of the old Box was sampling many different perspectives on the same topic. The current version seems to keep the variety of perspectives, but not the consistency of topic.
Again, the overhaul is an amazing accomplishment, and the commitment to keeping the site more fluid will certainly be taxing for the editorial staff, so I’m very impressed with the results and the potential. In general, there seems to be more editorial control, with all the benefits and drawbacks that implies. I guess I feel like the old Box was like Socialism or Democracy -- a fantastic idea, if only it hadn’t been abused for personal gains or agendas. Now we have something closer to a benevolent dictatorship, which may be the best we can hope for in the long run.
What have you found in the new Box?
posted by Lawrence Dillon
9:58 AM
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