SeaAnemone 01.14.11

congrats to everyone! Knott got snubbeb : (

cvlts 01.14.11

uh-oh. girl staff reviewer. shits gonna get heavy...

WeepingBanana 01.14.11

gratz guys it was only a matter of time

Knott- 01.14.11

right

BigTuna 01.14.11

snubbeb

Crisis 01.14.11

Congratulations to all who have been promoted, well-deserved all. Wish I could say this on my normal account but yeah >.

Defeater 01.14.11

"We decided to break with convention on this occasion and actively began to advertise the position outside the existing community. The result was that we received over double the number of applications as we have in previous rounds of promotions." Whoever came up with this, THANK YOU.

Lakes2 01.14.11

mms540 has one review wtf

Willie 01.14.11

What you're not realizing is that we were only going to add three staff reviewers, so the other two new staff didn't take anybody's spot.

Athom 01.14.11

lakes cant read. anyways... congrats everyone.

Curse. 01.14.11

No offense, but what made you take the leap of faith with these people?

bloc 01.14.11

"Andy Antar, JViney, mms540" I'm sorry, but with all due respect, who the HELL are these three people?

Irving 01.14.11

Congrats all!!

Deviant. 01.14.11

Congrats all

Aids 01.14.11

congrats all, interested in reading the new staff's work (the "new" new staff).

iarescientists 01.14.11

girl on staff GIRL ON STAFF

Defeater 01.14.11

You guys can't read, can you? They were picked up from outside of the community. You know, diversity.

Aids 01.14.11

Nice to see Keelan, Robin and Jared getting the respect they deserve. All great writers.

BigTuna 01.14.11

congrats people

Urinetrouble 01.14.11

congratz gaiz wish i could've been on contribs here but oh well. theres always next time

Spare 01.14.11

fukn knew it

Irving 01.14.11

Xeno makes a good point.

robertsona 01.14.11

damnit

Defeater 01.14.11

Knott has become increasingly hostile lately, I'm not surprised he didn't get it. No offense dude.

Knott- 01.14.11

I realise the irony of arguing with you but I'm not hostile to anyone who isn't disrespectful to me.

Defeater 01.14.11

If you think I'm disrespectful then you miss the point of a lot of my posts. It's ok though.

robertsona 01.14.11

he didnt say you were

IsItLuck? 01.14.11

"I'm sorry, but with all due respect, who the HELL are these three people?" I made no executive decisions in this process, but you don't have to 'be' someone in order to become a staff reviewer if the writing is good enough.

Jethro42 01.14.11

Congrats all!

Knott- 01.14.11

Defeater, I tend not to get involved in most of the bitching that goes on, if you think I've been disrespectful you almost certainly missed the point of my post too. Regardless, I'm just confused as to how I could've made Staff. The answer clearly isn't to contribute more.

kanecooper 01.14.11

hmm

Athom 01.14.11

all good things come to those who wait. look at David haha

vanderb0b 01.14.11

Congrats to everyone! Agree with many of these decisions, particularly glad that conradtao got promoted; his writing definitely needed more recognition.

Defeater 01.14.11

No, I've just noticed a shift in your demeanor here. I think you can agree to that without any specifics. You're not the only one that has changed. Don't quit writing though.

Knott- 01.14.11

Yeah, I do agree with you, I've gotten quite tired of a lot of the petty nonsense that goes on. Clearly not, Thomas. Sorry dude.

Defeater 01.14.11

I just wish I liked any of the albums he reviewed, Xenophanes.

Knott- 01.14.11

Yeah, David is a good writer.

Enotron 01.14.11

holy shit, thank you!

tinkrbel 01.14.11

"Andy Antar, JViney, mms540 I'm sorry, but with all due respect, who the HELL are these three people?" I'm with bloc on this one

Eclectic 01.14.11

Congrats to all!

SeaAnemone 01.14.11

I have one other account on Sputnik. It has 0 comments and 3 reviews. Looks like I applied with the wrong user lol.

Defeater 01.14.11

lol

tombits 01.14.11

yo guis staff bros you forgot me congratulations to all the promotions. i would have liked to see xenophanes and knott be promoted but i'm sure they'll be shoe-ins for next time around. good luck to the newbie staff.

Irving 01.14.11

I like the new direction being taken by the site here, but Sea makes an AMAZINGLY good point. If he had registered a new account, written up three reviews in typical Sea-quality, would he have been promoted? Hmmm.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

congrats to atavan and eno also biggest congrats to Keelan! JViney just seems like a downer clone so idk u staffed him alongside british downer...

Willie 01.14.11

--I like the new direction being taken by the site here, but Sea makes an AMAZINGLY good point. If he had registered a new account, written up three reviews in typical Sea-quality, would he have been promoted?-- No. I can smell his stink from a mile away ;)

tinkrbel 01.14.11

wait, so academy WASN'T made staff? WTF?

Athom 01.14.11

rabblerabblerabble

acADHDemy 01.14.11

oh yea IM ANGRY ABOUT THAT

robertsona 01.14.11

academy rep me

tinkrbel 01.14.11

@ acad yea i thought you would be one of the "leap of faith" guys

acADHDemy 01.14.11

honestly i think TheSpirit not getting promoted is the biggest disservice to the userbase... the good metal reviewers are routinely shoved aside for more and more downers

acADHDemy 01.14.11

robertsona would have added a little code red to the site's dew

Fugue 01.14.11

Congrats to all, been too long for an Atavan promotion IMO. Given the surprise element behid the promotions I'm expecting a lot from the "new guys", so no pressure.

Fort23 01.14.11

congratulation my people. i think im going to step it up this year for real.

Knott- 01.14.11

I think I'm going to step it down.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

just grow your hair out + then make an alt

AntonioMontana 01.14.11

It was about time Atavan got promoted. I need my pop and I need it now!

Aids 01.14.11

yah I mean it's not like my opinion matters for shit around here but Knott getting snubbed from staff seems pretty stupid. If he doesn't deserve the promotion, I don't know who does. (No disrespect to Keelan and the other recently promoted staffers, you're all fine choices).

acADHDemy 01.14.11

lol the only new staff member who actually applied was keelan

SeaAnemone 01.14.11

no academy you could email in applications, which a bunch did

porch 01.14.11

they're gonna be pissed when they realize they made me staff

acADHDemy 01.14.11

@sea ooooh my bad

Gyromania 01.14.11

Lololololol. Okie then

tombits 01.14.11

andy antar? SOUNDS LIKE A DISGUISE TO ME!!

Hawks 01.14.11

You bastards! Seriously though, congrats to everyone that got promoted.

Inveigh 01.14.11

congrats to all Sea, Spirit, Crysis and Knott should all get promotions imho, but I can definitely see the advantages to bringing in new blood

Irving 01.14.11

PORCH WINS THE WHOLE THREAD.

DaveyBoy 01.14.11

We wanted to staff David James Young & ban Atavanhalen... We ended up taking the middle ground. Congrats to all who have been promoted & heads up to those who have not been. I can assure you that a lot of names were discussed back & forth.

tapitforever 01.14.11

congrats but bailar14 wus the most deserving user for staff

tombits 01.14.11

it was me davey wasn't it? you guys were so close to promoting me. i mean i'm probably best reviewer since MJ peaked.

conradtao 01.14.11

Holy shit, this is awesome news! Thanks for the congratulations, guys :3

WeepingBanana 01.14.11

lol i thought about applying with only 5 reviews shoulda done that

Josh D. 01.14.11

Cool.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

wtf is rush are they like aminal collective

foreverendeared 01.14.11

Awesome to see Robin at staff.

robertsona 01.14.11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9kfcEga0lk&feature=player_embedded

Lakes2 01.14.11

I should have applied with this account since it has 0 reviews. I think that's a reasonable leap of faith.

kris. 01.14.11

sea got screwed i think but congrats to everyone

Deviant. 01.14.11

I applied under my academy alt, bad move

AnotherBrick 01.14.11

lol

Skimaskcheck 01.14.11

interesting..

Observer 01.14.11

Thanks guys, though as I already told Adam, I would gladly step down so he or Kyle can might have my spot... That said, I'm going to give this my best and try to step the quality of what I do up big time. Hope I don't let you guys down. Congrats to the others!

joshuatree 01.14.11

Andy Antar JViney mms540 yeah guys idk either

Captain North 01.14.11

Oh ffs, that's another notch in Davids ego.

joshuatree 01.14.11

others deserve it like crazy obviously

AtavanHalen 01.14.11

Captain No

Mordecai. 01.14.11

mordecai :(

Captain North 01.14.11

See. He'll just use this against me. Although I do admit his writing has been staff-level for fucking ages.

Mordecai. 01.14.11

oh damn congrats David :) the contributor line up just got a whole lot sexier

Gyromania 01.14.11

Congratulations, sputnikers.

Duderino 01.14.11

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/13551/Insomnium-Above-the-Weeping-World/ i'll just leave this here

Josh D. 01.14.11

Sh.

Crisis 01.14.11

@Duderino- I've already said that review fucking sucks and I think everyone knows that already

Megadeth 01.14.11

can i be contrib

tombits 01.14.11

hang on hold the phone who is "duderino" and why have i never heard of him before

acADHDemy 01.14.11

lmfao @ http://nyunews.com/arts/2010/04/13/13album/#/arts/2010/04/13/13album/?ref=ajax

Ire 01.14.11

JViney mms540 I DON'T KNOW THEM ANGER

AnotherBrick 01.14.11

OMG WHY AM I NOT CONTRIB YET

FromDaHood 01.14.11

^ yeah who are those people Conrad, you my boy, congratulations (same goes for everyone I guess)

Knott- 01.14.11

Indeed, academy.

IndieOut 01.14.11

soooo lame that chan is gone

Aids 01.14.11

yah that review academy linked doesn't exactly seem like staff material but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and see how this pans out

Irving 01.14.11

And still Hep Kat remains un-Emeriticized.

Aids 01.14.11

was he actually staff at one point or was that a bunch of bs?

ZKG777 01.14.11

Hep Kat is a jew though so it's all good.

Ire 01.14.11

false jew

Lakes2 01.14.11

Jew, Catholic, Nazi, whatever. All the same to me.

alachlahol 01.14.11

too many indie loving fucks on staff right now need to diversify the collective

Enotron 01.14.11

"Jew, Catholic, Nazi, whatever. All the same to me." I detest organized religion as much as the next internet user, but that's a really stupid statement

alachlahol 01.14.11

this is a segregated society it seems i thought oppression was abolished years ago obviously not

Ire 01.14.11

eno comment or GTFO

alachlahol 01.14.11

when staff needs new clothes they rummage through their sisters closets

Electric City 01.14.11

staff took outside apps this time around so those are who the new people are. look at that. also, the only reason we didnt staff knott was because there is a no more than 3 adams on staff policy

alachlahol 01.14.11

hmmm these pants are a little tight i kind of like this feeling

thebhoy 01.14.11

I'll sum up my feelings with a euphemism: I just found that secret beanstalk in Super Mario Bros. in the underground level that leads to the crazy mushroom cloud with all the coins and the warp tunnels.

SeaAnemone 01.14.11

I < 3 Keelan

alachlahol 01.14.11

of course you do hes staff now

FromDaHood 01.14.11

That mushroom cloud made my life complete

Irving 01.14.11

Gonna pos the next five reviews of yours because of that Super Mario Bros comment, Keelan. Oh wait I can't do that now.

Observer 01.14.11

lol posting that link to Crysis' review that thing is 3 years old.. my stuff back then in 2007 would be far worse than that. Crysis is a damn good writer, easily one of the best metal reviewers on the site IN THE PRESENT, and has been for a while too tbh.

Tyler. 01.14.11

so happy i made staff

WeepingBanana 01.14.11

lol i know a girl who writes for the NYU newspaper or w/e i'm gonna have to ask her if she knows this Monica Skoko character...

TMobotron 01.14.11

how is it possible that i dont know some of these people? gratz though everyone

Irving 01.14.11

I'm okay with not being promoted...s'long as the userbase isn't killed first thing in the morning.

Athom 01.14.11

that can be arranged!

Irving 01.14.11

FML.

Hawks 01.14.11

"Crysis is a damn good writer, easily one of the best metal reviewers on the site IN THE PRESENT, and has been for a while too tbh." This.

wyankeif1337 01.14.11

Andy Antar JViney mms540 they're all my alts

PuddlesPuddles 01.14.11

I thought promotions were based on how many band edits you have, random your name was, and the number of albums you rated.... I learned something today

wyankeif1337 01.14.11

this was poorly thought out imo

Athom 01.14.11

we don't negotiate with terrorist. whining ain't gonna change what just happened. and for the record, the internet IS NOT serious business. if you think it is, go shill for Anon. they're always looking for people that take things incredibly seriously but are too lazy to move from their computers. xoxo

wyankeif1337 01.14.11

disagreement = whining

Athom 01.14.11

when the staff tag gets applied to a user of sputnikmusic you do realize that the person in question thinks "come know me in a different light now... come know me as god!". I give Robin 2 days, Bhoy 2 weeks, and Jared 17 days.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

why is nobody congratulating dave and jom they got promoted too Editors Dave de Sylvia Jom

Electric City 01.14.11

once the users react to a list they contribute to, theyll be there

acADHDemy 01.14.11

treys been a mod for over a year, bro

acADHDemy 01.14.11

oooo my b

acADHDemy 01.14.11

eww no im not cool enough for chan

Irving 01.14.11

I thought you wrote "Trey got moved to god" lol.

climactic 01.14.11

i'm asking this in the least offensive way possible...how the hell do two people with less than ten reviews each get staff before someone like BallsToTheWall or SeaAnemone

204409 01.14.11

See ya guys later :/

kanecooper 01.14.11

bye bye nick greer

wyankeif1337 01.14.11

ttyl broski

Knott- 01.14.11

bye dr. nick :(

couldwinarabbit 01.14.11

I thought knott was a shoe-in for staff.

thebhoy 01.14.11

Adam Thomas I can't function the internet right now so it may be a while before I think I'm god.... at least until I find the warp whistles.

couldwinarabbit 01.14.11

"they're gonna be pissed when they realize they made me staff" I checked the ratings...it's not you porch.

Willie 01.14.11

--See ya guys later :/--- Don't go too far! I need to learn whatever the hell it is you do with excel to make these lists 100x easier...

204409 01.14.11

I read sputnik every day still :). I'll stop by Olympus too from time to time.

Electric City 01.14.11

http://www.freewebs.com/nickgreerreview/ one last time

SeaAnemone 01.14.11

In honor of Nick Greer's retirement: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/2888500826_cbd670c7ea_o.jpg

Satellite 01.14.11

why turn down knott--an established contributor, excellent writer, and solid member of the community--in favor of someone who's submitted exactly one review? i'm sure that this person offered other works for consideration, but still. note: i know my opinion does knott matter at all and fuck me and stuff.

CelestialDust 01.14.11

congrats to all! especially observer, who brings so much civility to this site

DaveyBoy 01.14.11

Oh no, I have competition in the civility stakes.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

tbh davey, kiran was shitting all over you

TheSpirit 01.14.11

hmmmmm

StreetlightRock 01.14.11

Lewis went emeritus back in October.

Athom 01.14.11

tbh there was only one "promotion" for staff up for grabs. Robin and Jared had sealed their fate long ago.

couldwinarabbit 01.14.11

so the outsiders' spots couldn't have gone to a sputnik user and were a seperate thing?

Deviant. 01.14.11

"so the outsiders' spots couldn't have gone to a sputnik user and were a seperate thing?" Kinda answered your own question there

acADHDemy 01.14.11

all i know is there better be PLENTY of btbam on these new dudes' last.fms OR ELSE

Urinetrouble 01.14.11

I think this is sort of unfair to the users who worked hard to get this spot. Giving it to new users who've only had one or two reviews and aren't as skilled writers as oposed to those with lots of reviews and are great writers (Deviant, Knott) seems severely unfair to the hard workers who put time and effort into doing this when they could be doing something else. I mean, Deviant should've been up there instead of the guy who wrote the Gorillaz review-he wasn't even a very good writer for pete's sake. i know i didn't work hard, but i still applied anyways. I've vowed to start reviewing new releases which started with Cake and i've got a huge long list. Also, gonna review more often.

Athom 01.14.11

i was explaining this to Sea a while ago and if you guys actually sat down and thought about it, you'd see that these promotions are A. not a slight against those coming of age so to speak in the userbase and B. are an attempt to grow the site. because this site walks the thin line between semi-professional pomp and overall message board pandemonium expanding it is never going to please everyone. Over the last couple of years the site has become a legitimate source for music critiques because of the site's staff. Unfortunately for those that have "grown up" in the system, it breeds homogeneity, and just promoting people that cover some of the genres we as staff miss but cover nothing else isn't going to fix the problem (this is why Jared was a shoe in for staff because he not only covers metal but also EVERYTHING else... and no this has nothing to do with Knott. he was more than capable and just because he wasn't chosen this time doesn't mean he isn't staff material). The only way we could do this is to treat the staff like any other job position and expand it beyond just the small scope of writers that the website offers in hopes to gain new audiences on the professional side of business. Also we are now looking at contributor as a position that is more than just "oh this person has a lot of reviews that are ok" and are holding them to a high standard as potential staffers. that's much tougher scrutiny. There are a lot of up and comers that are almost there and this is not meant to discourage any of them but from what we saw, the people chosen, if they continue to perfect their craft impressed us the most and could possibly be promoted higher in the future. Remember Sobhi was made contrib with like 5 reviews and staffed with something like 10 and that worked out rather well. And for the rest of the userbase that is for some reason up in arms at the moment, if you notice the key changes in the site over the last year or so, they have all mostly been to the benefit of cultivating the social aspect of the site because that's what's at the heart of the website. Basically it comes down to this, we had 3 staff promotions that we were planning on doing. The same 3 people would have been promoted even if no one new was added from outside of the site. It's not like they took someone's spot. Everyone just needs to calm down and take a breath because after all this site for us is just a hobby. if you take it as something more than that, you should take a break from SputnikMusic and reexamine your priorities. I mean hell, I was pissed when DaveyBoy got promoted over me back in 09 but that was for like 10 minutes and then I remembered that, despite what you may have been told, it's not serious business. TL;DR

Defeater 01.14.11

In short, LIFE ISN'T FAIR. Later.

Kiran 01.14.11

gonna get serious on you fellas for a moment.. i find it a little bit disappointing that, after months of regurgitated complaints about stagnancy, hive-mind and deleted staff sux lists, that a move which has brought in THREE well-loved, constantly userbase-championed contributors into the staff ranks alongside two left-field outsider picks, who are the first in an experiment for sputnik in opening its doors and seeking FRESH minds, is met OVERWHELMINGLY by the majority of the vocal userbase as a diss to those overlooked. i understand its hard to maintain perspective when youve become so ingrained in the community of what is at its core a website entirely based around exactly that but i feel like nobody ever takes a step back to actually see more than whats thrusted in front of their faces. come on guys

Urinetrouble 01.14.11

i just remembered something; i already do this, and for a living too. It's part of my job to actually review music for our magazine we sel at the store. Redskyformiles, i you've made your point. It seems to be a good way of expanding the community and making this site more legit than it is now. think you are right about this now that

Kiran 01.14.11

...adam beat me to it

Urinetrouble 01.14.11

damn keyboard always moving words in the wrong place. Basically, was saying i now agree with your ideals

Defeater 01.14.11

It's good to let a few outsiders in. Maybe they'll put some hair on our incompetent users' chests.

Satellite 01.14.11

well said kiran and adam. *slowclap*

Urinetrouble 01.14.11

yeah, little pussies need to MAN UP. BUFF NIGGAS TYPE IN ALL CAPS, SKINNY ASS NIGGAS TYPE IN SMALL CAPS

acADHDemy 01.14.11

the problem is, if THOSE are our diversity picks... i just don't see it... i mean, i guess her being a girl is nice, but that shouldn't be her defining characteristic... the staff list was pretty fucking girly this year (no offense, i'm talking about musical taste not your guys' character).. regarding the other dude, he just doesn't seem like a very good writer (but idk really ive only read two reviews from him..) more indie =/= more diversity... frankly, for online music magazines, it's quite the opposite

Tyler 01.14.11

just also wanna say FYI we do know what we're doing, especially the higher ups. yeah that's right we have higher ups what now?

Tyler 01.14.11

frankly chambered89 you totally missed the point. it's not an achievement award.

Athom 01.14.11

also to add to what kiran said, there seems to be a lot of people that are bummed by Chan leaving. just keep in mind though, the amount of shit he got from the users was a factor in him leaving. i started writing adding my two cents to the conversations on this site because it was fun. when i started doing reviews it was because it was fun, but the intensity in which people interact with each other on this site has drained a lot of that fun. this isnt some back in the old days bullshit because there were always assholes on sputnik music, but god damn, not everyone has to be.

Defeater 01.14.11

"i guess her being a girl is nice, but that shouldn't be her defining characteristic... " Where did this come from? She was picked because she can write.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

and obviously observer is the most diverse reviewer ever so i'm not complaining i'm not even pissed about outside reviewers... they don't make a difference to me i'm still just going to rag on downer just don't tell knott- that they didn't take his place... or like rasputin or waior... all three are insanely diverse reviewers... there was no real reason to automatically staff the newbies instead of automatically contribbing them...

Satellite 01.14.11

that bums me out. chan did get way too much shit from people. i always just sort of assumed he was impervious to the criticism.

Knott- 01.14.11

I'll just say what I've said elsewhere many times over, very briefly: - 5 positions available = 5 positions available. - If I hadn't been a contributor on sputnikmusic.com I would've had a better chance of making staff through applying as a newcomer, which is INSANE. - Why contribute if you want a promotion?

acADHDemy 01.14.11

"Where did this come from? She was picked because she can write." someguest nobody knows this from one review posted. i'm sure she can write, but all that jumps out at us from this blog post is...

Tyler 01.14.11

none of us are impervious too it. i've gone through what chan had to deal with and it sucks. there's a reason i don't really actively talk on this side of the site anymore and it's not far off from why chan got fed up. it's not even that he was necessarily hurt or anything it's that it's annoying as fuck having people follow you around harassing you.

Tyler 01.14.11

Also, just because she has one review on here doesn't mean it's all we've read from her.

Defeater 01.14.11

"other than diversify the site which i think is bull the best man for the job should get the job" There isn't a "best" man for the job, there were many excellent submissions and some got picked and some didn't. There's no guarantee of promotion when you submit your reviews here.

Curse. 01.14.11

Sputnik has a hive mind, and won't accept outsiders and newcomers?!?!?! NO FUCKING WAY BTW gonna write about 90 review in the next year and apply for contrib

Tyler 01.14.11

write 90 in the next year but make sure to submit them all at the same time, that way you'll really stand out

acADHDemy 01.14.11

"Also, just because she has one review on here doesn't mean it's all we've read from her. " yeah but it's all that someguest has read from her

Defeater 01.14.11

Actually, I haven't read anything from her. I'm using logic.

Masochist 01.14.11

Congrats to all the new staff and contribs. Don't care about Sputnik adding in two new people from outside...but I do kinda care that Adam Knott wasn't promoted. I kinda always thought of him as Staff anyways, to tell the truth (probably has to do with his name being Adam). Also...sad to see both Dave and Chan go. Essential Sputnikers, they were.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

"She was picked because she can write." this is an assumption... aka a leap in logic

Defeater 01.14.11

Not assuming she can write, but that the staff can pick someone perfectly capable of writing.

Nagrarok 01.14.11

"Andy Antar, JViney, mms540 I'm sorry, but with all due respect, who the HELL are these three people?" I was a little surprised when I saw these guys appear yesterday before this was posted, but fresh blood is actually a really great idea.

Tyler 01.14.11

"Also...sad to see both Dave and Chan go. Essential Sputnikers, they were." Uh, I think you mean Nick.

Satellite 01.14.11

just read the new girl's nicki minaj review. it's excellent and certainly of staff quality.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

i don't want to continue arguing semantics, but that's not what you said, and regardless that's not the point i was trying to make... i said it shouldn't be her defining characteristic... thing is we don't know whether it is or not... only time (and reviews) will clue us in...

Defeater 01.14.11

The funny thing is that her gender was never mentioned in the original article.

Knott- 01.14.11

Except the bit where it says her name.

couldwinarabbit 01.14.11

While I understand what the staff is doing completely I do think knott has a point as what they did does really go against the "sense of community" the site tries to create, and which separates it from nearly every other, not only music site, but site on the internet. If users have a feeling that they being outsourced, no matter what the intention of the staff, they will lose that sense of connection and sense of community the site builds through its internal promotion system. As a writer, reviewer, artist or whatever who is working for the good of the site, as much as their own interest, it is a real slap in the face to login and see "thanks for the 100 plus (good) reviews but we went with an outside person"

acADHDemy 01.14.11

and the 2nd comment

acADHDemy 01.14.11

god rabbit shut the fuck up everybody hates you

Masochist 01.14.11

Uh...yeah. Him. Nick. :-P Seriously, though, his Thrice reviews are legendary. I remember reading The Alchemy Index as I was getting into the EP's (and subsequently becoming a true fan of the band)...reviews most epic; I'll miss those. That being said...I can't imagine that most people would be so upset about hiring two new people if Knott weren't promoted in conjunction with it (despite the fact that it would appear as though he wouldn't have been promoted this time around anyways). New blood on staff isn't an idea that particularly bothers me. Also, looking at all the "Girl on staff" comments...apparently, morrissey(sp?) doesn't exist.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

Morristown according to auto-correct

Defeater 01.14.11

"Except the bit where it says her name." Right, but academy is making it sound like she was picked because she's a woman. Nowhere is that even hinted at.

Knott- 01.14.11

Tru dat.

Tyler 01.14.11

just wanna say again that the fresh blood was brought in because they're all really good writers. and hey guys maybe monica is a guys name you dont know for sure

Knott- 01.14.11

Anyway I'm not entering into a group discussion of this thing, I just wanted to make those 3 points and did so.

Tyler 01.14.11

also knott i wouldn't get discouraged, just having the body of work you do is enough of a kick-starter if this is something you want to pursue. staff is the extra push, yeah, but it isn't like that's not still in the cards for you. this entire thing is a surprisingly arduous and messy process for us and that's not even sarcasm or anything.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

i am NOT suggesting that... i have no idea what to think, as i obviously wasn't part of the decision i'm saying it shouldn't have played into the decision. and when we start throwing words like 'diversity' around for someone with 1 review and 1 comment and 1 mis-spelling of segue... it's sort of the elephant in the room.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

oh shit nvm re: the segway misspelling that's a paul blart reference

Tyler 01.14.11

nobody who actually had a say in choosing the new staff members used the word 'diversity' and nobody is beyond stupid typos. as someone who works in the 'industry' i can tell you that even people who've been writing for decades make mistakes like using the wrong homophone (ie: segue/segway...there/they're/their is unaccaptable though) every once and a while.

WeepingBanana 01.14.11

would it not make more sense to put all three of these people at contributor and have adam and dev be new staff members. in the meantime see how the 3 newcomers do and place them in staff if they deserve it? idk i guess i'm just planting seeds

Athom 01.14.11

I'm done with this thread. if you leave me a shout about it i'm just going to ignore it, same thing goes if you talk to me off the site. I wish the new staffers and contributors all the best and I hope that the rest of you sleep on it and let things play out. Even if you don't like the idea of bringing in some outside talent at least be civil (if that's possible with you all) and give them a chance to win you over. Although I know that I'm bound to be disappointed in the userbase, I have faith that you won't troll them because you don't like the staff's decision.

Curse. 01.14.11

She only has one review for this site, she has more reviews for other sites if you did any fucking research, and diversity means more than race or gender. If anything, it is implied that the diversity comes from different writing backgrounds. It will be nice to have people who honed their reviewing style without the influence of what is the norm for sputnik (obviously I don't mean TBTs.) Have some faith people.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

Sputnikmusic Did I mention we're looking for new staffers? And that we'd particularly enjoy some female because this sausage party's gone on way too schlong... -facebook page

Ire 01.14.11

dave is a joker don't take him too seriously

Sowing 01.14.11

wow. looks like i missed out on a hell of a lot of good debating here but im just going to try tp keep it simple. while i definitely think knott is staff material (and at first i scratched my heard at some of these promotions), i understand the merit in bringing in two "outsiders" or hisk risk/reward users...i feel like that whole process of selection was separate from the ones they made out of the obvious canditdates who post frequently within our little community here...and that's the key word right there. We have to remember that Sputnik is just one little community and there is no shame/snubbing involved in bringing in people who haven't wowed us with 100 reviews, provided they show promise and the potential to write at a staff level. And basically, that is what you want - quality writing, not just a ton of reviews. I mean I'm one of the more recent inductees to the pool of contributors, but I know full well that while my work is good and consistent/plentiful, there are users who are better writers, and then people outside of this site who may or may not even review music who blow all of us away. And most of all, just remember that this is all for fun.

Defeater 01.14.11

Knott is already a solidified writer here. His opinion's influence and relevance is higher than a lot of the staff even without the tag behind his name. It's good to find someone who has excellent writing skills with the possibility of a different take that would add value we don't yet have here. Now, it might take an instant tag in order for them to be recognized inside the community without all the mindless posting and other things to make a name for them. This shouldn't be thought as a reward for "an outsider", but as a benefit to the website as a whole. We get to have both with the assurance of the current staff backing up the new recruits while maintaining our already good faith we have in Adam's writing.

Aids 01.14.11

It's too bad that chan left the site partially because the users were busting his balls, but to be honest he kind of had it coming. I mean, I've been here for over three years and Chan's posts were useless and rude about 95% of the time. He's a great writer but he was an asshole to users (especially newer ones). You reap what you sow and if Chan had been a little bit nicer to the users or more inclusive or something he probably wouldn't have gotten bitched out like he did. For the record, I never bitched him out and still think that users giving him a hard time was pretty stupid and most of time, he was just the scapegoat for all the hate that much of the newer userbase has for the staff for some stupid fucking reason, but when I read stuff like this " the amount of shit he got from the users was a factor in him leaving" I'm not going to start feeling all bad for him. There's a reason that Chan got most of the hate on the staff: he was the biggest asshole on the staff. still chan if you're reading ilu (your asshole tendencies almost make me like you more, I love watching you tear into some dumbfuck haha) and I am truly bummed that you're leaving. hopefully you'll still drop by from time to time to review. happy trails man.

Deviant. 01.14.11

I was initially very surprised by the promotions myself, but then Dave made the official announcement and now I'm surprised at the comments. There were 3 positions available and they were filled (with some degree of difficulty I imagine as they are so many wonderful candidates) and that was it. These other 2 (and I truly feel sorry for them if they read this thread) are an experiment (this has already been mentioned) and have no bearing on others not getting promoted as they were positions that weren't available to the Sputnik userbase. So, why so serious?

Curse. 01.14.11

"It's too bad that chan left the site partially because the users were busting his balls, but to be honest he kind of had it coming. I mean, I've been here for over three years and Chan's posts were useless and rude about 95% of the time. He's a great writer but he was an asshole to users (especially newer ones). You reap what you sow and if Chan had been a little bit nicer to the users or more inclusive or something he probably wouldn't have gotten bitched out like he did." and 99% of the time that he was "useless and rude" so was everyone else, except worse.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

idk why everybody suddenly got pissed at me, or why redsky suggested that this wasn't a civil discussion... its like everybody took that one line that guest took from my post out of context... bottom line: i like the instant promotions i just don't like the snub and the corresponding 'politicking' in knott-'s shoutbox or in the long ass paragraphs from redsky/kiran (two of the most agreeable members on staff imo)

Satellite 01.14.11

chan really wasn't an asshole at all. on the seldom occasion he'd be a dick to someone (which was less often than 90% of the site), everyone made a huge deal about it. and don't try to refute me by bringing up the bulldog blog entry. deep down you agreed with that and knew it was for the greater good.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

he was an asshole all the time and that's what made reading his contributions to the site interesting

Knott- 01.14.11

I wish it were true about good faith in my writing but I've been told today that I'm not so good.

Deviant. 01.14.11

Lol, by who?

Satellite 01.14.11

yeah, but there was hardly ever any malice intended.

Satellite 01.14.11

(@ cad)

sniper 01.14.11

knott for stafffffffff seriously.

Knott- 01.14.11

by a mod

Aids 01.14.11

no way the bulldog stuff was hilarious. but come on, tell me it wasn't a massive dick move. I guess I missed all of his nice posts but in my experience with him, he was almost always an asshole. Maybe he just didn't like me, I don't know. I don't hold it against him at all, it was hilarious and anyone who actually got butthurt by him needs to learn2internet. I'm just saying that Chan leaving because of mean users (or partially because of) is just kind of ironic.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

yeah i'll agree with that... still, his bite is what made his stuff worth reading... saying stuff like 'he's leaving because he got his feelings hurt' sorta cheapens that (regardless of whether that is actually the reason) but then who cares, people move on... i'm sure he'll have success elsewhere

sniper 01.14.11

and best of luck to the two new staffers, and congrats to all those promoted.

WeepingBanana 01.14.11

lol if only you guys knew how big of an asshole chan was to me in my younger days under my old account

acADHDemy 01.14.11

yea but u might have deserved it we'll never know

JViney 01.14.11

Hello everyone. I've read all of the comments here (and refreshed a couple of times for good measure) and I certainly understand the negative reactions towards myself and the other new people. Ultimately, the die has been cast so you're just going to have to deal with it. All you should know is this: I love music and I love to write. I'm also looking forward to debating the finer points of reviews, news, blogs etc with the members of this community. Finally, thank you to those happy to engage in this so-called 'experiment' and to Sputnik Music for the opportunity.

Curse. 01.14.11

Chan and I are friends irl, we first bonded over that putt-putt game that was huge for a while here. I even played with SnackyBinx. Totally have a screenshot of me whooping his ass too.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

lol

WeepingBanana 01.14.11

oh i'm not saying i didn't deserve it i'm just saying

Knott- 01.14.11

Hey, Joe. The negative reactions aren't towards you and Monica, man. I regret it if that's the way any of it came across, and I'm sure other people would regret it equally.

Athom 01.14.11

glad to have you aboard. congrats (made an exception and came back in for this post)

Satellite 01.14.11

welcome, jviney!!! (yes, it's like this all the time)

acADHDemy 01.14.11

JViney's Last.Fm says most recent play was Korn's "Somebody Someone" fuck yeaaa good start in my book

Aids 01.14.11

"Ultimately, the die has been cast so you're just going to have to deal with it. All you should know is this: I love music and I love to write. I'm also looking forward to debating the finer points of reviews, news, blogs etc with the members of this community." /thread

Hawks 01.14.11

I mean, if it's something the mods wanted to do then that's what they wanted to do. I personally don't really agree with some of the decisions, but it's not anything too serious. If these two new people end up being great writers then the mods/staff are going to look like geniuses for choosing them. While there are some people who I feel could've been better choices for both contributor and staff, if they keep working (like I'm gong to) they'll just be promoted at a later date anyways. There shouldn't be too much being made of this I guess.

Aids 01.14.11

hmm I must have messed up my html code, I thought I ended the thread

couldwinarabbit 01.14.11

HE LIKES CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, TOM WAITS AND THE FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU STAFF!

Hawks 01.14.11

It'll end when I want it to end!

sniper 01.14.11

why is everything always made out to be such serious business

Kiran 01.14.11

yeah hawks, you just gotta have faith that those who have more invested in the website than you make these decisions out of nothing but the best intentions and with full control of what theyre doing. i really doubt dave would bring on anyone not qualified beyond doubt.

Defeater 01.14.11

Anyway, congrats to all who received a new position. That's it for me in this thread.

Hawks 01.14.11

Exactly. I'm interested to see how this works out actually. I do feel bad for people like Knott and Crysis who are obviously more than qualified to be promoted to staff, but it's not a question of if they will or not it's just when it's gonna happen.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

yeah but didn't people say that about rasputin and waior and now theyr ghosteddddddd

AtavanHalen 01.14.11

"The negative reactions aren't towards you and Monica, man. I regret it if that's the way any of it came across, and I'm sure other people would regret it equally." I don't think anyone here regrets it one bit. Any chance to have a fucking whinge is jumped upon. The titles mean next to nothing. It's not as if this is a real job.

Masochist 01.14.11

Hey! I only mentioned it in passing earlier, but big ups to thebhoy, pianotuna and Observer for the staff positions, very well deserved. I have the utmost faith in you three. And JViney and mms540, I obviously don't know you too well, but I definitely look forward to discovering your tastes and reading your reviews.

Knott- 01.14.11

Point was I don't think anyone purely resents the appointment of 2 non-community staff writers, it's a separate issue people are talking about for the large part.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

what knott just said x1000

AtavanHalen 01.14.11

"Point was I don't think anyone purely resents the appointment of 2 non-community staff writers, it's a separate issue people are talking about for the large part." What, you?

Knott- 01.14.11

To a degree, yeah. Just stating facts, it's not my doing.

couldwinarabbit 01.14.11

""Point was I don't think anyone purely resents the appointment of 2 non-community staff writers, it's a separate issue people are talking about for the large part." What, you?" Not to start anything but starting from the first comment it was.

AtavanHalen 01.14.11

You're bitter, though, aren't you. You're shit at trying to hide it.

JViney 01.14.11

Knott-: Thank you for resisting to put "Where you going with that gun in your hand?" after "Hey, Joe." It's a curse I've had to deal with since birth...!

Knott- 01.14.11

I'm disappointed, nice psychoanalysis.

Knott- 01.14.11

Hahaha. It's Knott in my nature.

Aids 01.14.11

yah "what Knott said x1000" for me too. Didn't they advertise 5 available staff positions? they should have just advertised 3 and then introduced the 2 outside hires if that was the plan all along. I mean I could be wrong, I don't think I bothered to read the post in which it was announced, but if they advertised 5 but only promoted 3 current users, then that shit is fukin ridikuls. nothing against the new staffers at all, I'm pumped to see what they bring to the table and that post by JViney was awesome as fuck.

Knott- 01.14.11

They advertised for 3. Well, they advertised for Staff, then said, "3 or more."

DoctorNurse 01.14.11

I feel snubbed. Didn't apply but thats beside the point

Aids 01.14.11

the one I previously quoted, although "Knott-: Thank you for resisting to put "Where you going with that gun in your hand?" after "Hey, Joe." It's a curse I've had to deal with since birth...!" is a better post then about 50% of the users here are even capable of haha

JViney 01.14.11

Finally (maybe, but I do have academia to be attending to), feel free to add me on LastFM (levitate85) if you want to.

Aids 01.14.11

"They advertised for 3. Well, they advertised for Staff, then said, "3 or more."" oh well then who fucking cares?

Aids 01.14.11

"Finally (maybe, but I do have academia to be attending to)" you have much to learn about this place

Voivod 01.14.11

all good things come to those who wait this along with the long post from redskyformiles.

JViney 01.14.11

Meaning?

JViney 01.14.11

Last post addressed to Aids.

Masochist 01.14.11

"oh well then who fucking cares?" The people who weren't chosen for those three. This is going to sound weird, but...while I think all three of the new Sputnik-side staffers earned it and are well-qualified to do the job, I also thought Knott was a shoe-in for it (especially since he was trying so hard to get there). As I said before, I already thought of him as a staff reviewer, oddly enough. I thought he should've been promoted; lots of other people thought he should've been promoted; he wasn't promoted; backlash ensues. That's about it. Since he wasn't promoted this time, hopefully Knott sticks around to have another go at it; 'sabout all anyone can do. And in the meantime, we have five new staffers who are ready to show us what they can do.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

"we have five new staffers who are ready to show us what they can do." i hope they realize how important 2011 is going to be there's a new thrice album coming out and with channing and greer gone, and knott denied, i fear for the soul of sputnik

Masochist 01.14.11

"i fear for the soul of sputnik" Staff vs. Shang Tsung in 2011...SUPERB.

couldwinarabbit 01.14.11

who has dibs on the new radiohead album?

acADHDemy 01.14.11

@maso fucking LOL

Aids 01.14.11

"Meaning?" sputnik comes before EVERYTHING you must learn this haha I mean the fact that you responded sort of proves my point. Shouldn't you be studying mister? I was joking, re reading it I can see it being interpreted as bitchy, but that wasn't my intention. I just meant that Spuntik > Real Life

Kiran 01.14.11

downer's got you covered, rabbit

JViney 01.14.11

Indeed I do have a lot to learn! Yes, I should be studying. Trying to put it off.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

what are your thoughts on thrice, btbam, and opeth, JViney?

Aids 01.14.11

"The people who weren't chosen for those three" I totally think that Knott should have been promoted. Unfortunately though, the decision wasn't up to me. And while I don't necessarily agree 100% with the decisions, well why would I? I didn't make them. Knott was definitely one of the top 3, if not the best contributor before these recent title changes. But let's be honest, no matter who was chosen, some of those left out would still be pissed.

Masochist 01.14.11

Also Deftones, Converge and Brand New?

acADHDemy 01.14.11

and GYBE

Masochist 01.14.11

(@JViney)

Knott- 01.14.11

ctts

acADHDemy 01.14.11

sweet, beautiful CTTS...

Masochist 01.14.11

La Dispute

couldwinarabbit 01.14.11

and the avalanches. But only robertsona and me really care about that.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

god rabbit you ruin fucking everything

Curse. 01.14.11

Defeater, August Burns Red, and Mis Sigs this year too

couldwinarabbit 01.14.11

ow sorry were we playing a game where we named sub-par bands and I just didn't get it and mentioned the really good ones?

Masochist 01.14.11

The Mars Volta, as well.

Curse. 01.14.11

TMV lol

Aids 01.14.11

"and the avalanches. But only robertsona and me really care about that." I beg to differ, good sir. To be honest, I hope JViney isn't crazy about all of sputnik's favourites. That would be nice to see a negative review of something we all love that isn't MJ being a fucking idiot. except Thrice. if you don't like Thrice gtfo

AtavanHalen 01.14.11

"ow sorry were we playing a game where we named sub-par bands and I just didn't get it and mentioned the really good ones?" Seriously, can you finish high school and fuck off for the next forever years?

acADHDemy 01.14.11

atavanhandled.

taxidermist 01.14.11

The Mars Volta.

Masochist 01.14.11

@curse - Hey, if you can namedrop ABR, then I can mention TMV ;-). @Aids - That's one of the reasons I think it was a good idea to grab outside help for staff--being able to view some albums without that annoying Sputnik gloss and/or slime (imagine, if you will, someone objectively giving CTTS a 3 or 3.5 and explaining why without resorting to the same trite cliches that are always thrown around!)

Aids 01.14.11

atavanhandled, i like that.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

i think everyone knows we're joking about grilling the new guy on our cultish/fav. bands... its all in good fun... except Thrice tho. nobody fucks with Thrice.

JViney 01.14.11

Frankly, I don't really enjoy any of the bands mentioned except Deftones (a particular favourite) and Mars Volta ("De-Loused..." mainly).

Masochist 01.14.11

Thrice = 4+ or GTFO. The Third Law of Sputnik.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

"Music you have in common includes Megadeth, Deftones, Pantera, Korn and Faith No More." i think we'll get along just fine

Aids 01.14.11

I just realized that Eno is the only promotion who's real name isn't listed. So secretive.

Aids 01.14.11

"Frankly, I don't really enjoy any of the bands mentioned except Deftones (a particular favourite) and Mars Volta ("De-Loused..." mainly)." yessssssssssssssssssss bring on the controversial ratings! listen to As The roots Undo and write a 1.5 review for it please

AtavanHalen 01.14.11

CTTS isn't controversial anymore.

Masochist 01.14.11

Random interjection: Every time I see the title, I can't help but think of that Failure song, "Nurse Who Loved Me." SAY HELLO TO THE ROCK'S TOPOGRAPHY IT HOLDS QUITE A LOT OF INTEREST WITH YOUR FACE DOWN ON IT

taxidermist 01.14.11

Mainly De-Loused? Eh, we'll get along ;)

acADHDemy 01.14.11

@maso check this thread http://sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=8548&page=5#lastpost that's what i kept seeing earlier in the day

taxidermist 01.14.11

"That's one of the reasons I think it was a good idea to grab outside help for staff--being able to view some albums without that annoying Sputnik gloss and/or slime (imagine, if you will, someone objectively giving CTTS a 3 or 3.5 and explaining why without resorting to the same trite cliches that are always thrown around!)" Pretty much what I was thinking. I can't wait to see what these new people got.

Masochist 01.14.11

@academy - That would've been worse. The sunshine makes me want to listen to "Daylight"...which I'm now doing. :-P

Deviant. 01.14.11

"and the avalanches. But only robertsona and me really care about that." Yes, i'm sure it's just you 2 rabbithead

Aids 01.14.11

can you guys imagine what would have ensued if Sea had posted his "best users" lists after this announcement? oh god the horror

Masochist 01.14.11

Aids! Shame on you! You know better than to put ideas into Sputnik's head. *finger swipe motion*

Aids 01.14.11

"CTTS isn't controversial anymore." K Jane Doe then. Kid A, I don't know.

Aids 01.14.11

no masochist those lists were a year end thing and it's 2011 so sputnik needs to move on moving on...

Masochist 01.14.11

Year-end thing, moar like a year-long thing.

Masochist 01.14.11

But yeah, moving on...

Aids 01.14.11

pretty sure Monica would win best staff writer just because most people on sputnik would rather troll then vote seriously hahahaha (not saying she's not a good writer, you just know the first 20 posts would be some form of "JViney/mms540 for staff writer of the year lulz")

Sanders 01.14.11

"Hello everyone. I've read all of the comments here (and refreshed a couple of times for good measure) and I certainly understand the negative reactions towards myself and the other new people. Ultimately, the die has been cast so you're just going to have to deal with it. All you should know is this: I love music and I love to write. I'm also looking forward to debating the finer points of reviews, news, blogs etc with the members of this community." Instant new favourite Staff reviewer.

porch 01.14.11

its ok guys the new members will probably quit after a few days when they see how retarded the site is

Enotron 01.14.11

"Chan leaving because of mean users (or partially because of) is just kind of ironic." he didn't leave because of "mean" users he left because of idiotic users

Liberi Fatali 01.14.11

Congrats to those on their elected positions, ultimately we are all here for the love of music though, so in the grand scheme of things, I don't see any point in extending the discussion as far as it has been.

Tyrael 01.14.11

"its ok guys the new members will probably quit after a few days when they see how retarded the site is" Lol

ConsiderPhlebas 01.14.11

It's a shame Evedder didn't get contrib, he's at least as good as Eno and Conrad with a lot more reviews under his belt.

Gyromania 01.14.11

Oh well, there's always next time.

Electric City 01.14.11

sorry dave :(

DoubtGin 01.14.11

ewww that was a long read

Irving 01.14.11

But soooo good.

omnipanzer 01.14.11

Dave makes jokes? Gratz all around!! Welcome to the new individuals.

thebhoy 01.14.11

yeah a lot of this seems petty and idk it makes the new staffers not feel that great about their promotions. You can say all the "but it's not directed at you guys" that you want, and it's not that I'm hurt or that Robin or any of the new guys are, but why don't you just accept it for a while and see what happens. That's like chastising a rookie on a team who has promise but makes mistakes on occasion; you can't get better without expanding. Sure, Knott probably deserved a staff position, he's a good writer and community member, but seriously so did we. And as has been mentioned before, it seems really childish that everyone is getting so upset. Heaven forbid change is occurring, that's not a regression, experimentation never is, even if it fails, it's never a regression. So thanks to all those you offered their congrats, and to those who threaten to leave, come on, just keep using the site the way you have, you're not gaining anything from leaving.

Phideaux 01.14.11

Congrats to all the new staff. I'm also disappointed Knott didn't make it, but I understand. I kinda feel like the site's been stagnating a little bit, so I'm glad to see some outside users on staff. Should be a good year.

BigHans 01.14.11

I could maybe see why people might get this upset about not being chosen if this was an actual paying gig. MAYBE.

Ovrot 01.14.11

Congtats, but where's sonic?

joshuatree 01.14.11

"It's a shame Evedder didn't get contrib, he's at least as good as Eno and Conrad with a lot more reviews under his belt." people forget that being a contributor/staff means writing about new or diverse albums; evedder's a good writer but this isn't something he does compared to some others

BigHans 01.14.11

Yes I have firmly believe Mike (Evedder) is contrib material for over a year now, and hopefully someday he'll get his due.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

"evedder's a good writer but this isn't something he does compared to some others" i disagree with this. eno is basically an eric clone.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

SeaEnomone/Erictron

SeaAnemone 01.14.11

lol maybe I'm just a Eno clone ever think of that acad bet not

FadeToBlack 01.14.11

"I also don't understand why people don't understand how and why the two "new" staffers got promoted. I swear this site gets more xenophobic by the day :p" derp "Yeah, I don't agree with the two randomly new staffed people. I mean, Seanemone and Knott and Crysis easily should have taken those spots."

acADHDemy 01.14.11

mind blown over here right now bro.

Willie 01.14.11

It's like trying to talk to a toddler. No matter how it's explained, there just doesn't seem to be any real understanding. No other contribs were going to be promoted regardless of whether the other two were brought in or not. I like knott, but I think he's not handling this with much grace. The other contribs are all fine. Balls made contrib a long time ago and then lost it in the "great contrib purge" and then earned it back again and still isn't staff - all without complaining... I think my point is that Balls is my hero. Yeah, that's defintely what I'm trying to say.

BigHans 01.14.11

Balls just dont give a fuck. Thats his charm.

Sowing 01.14.11

hahaha that might be my favorite post of the thread right there

BallsToTheWall 01.14.11

My greatest asset is my indifference.

wyankeif1337 01.14.11

might be why balls hasn't yet (to my knowledge) developed a god complex

Irving 01.14.11

He's got balls.

Masochist 01.14.11

Your greatest asset is the ungodly amount of bropuns you inspire, Brododendron.

thebhoy 01.14.11

Apathy ftw

BallsToTheWall 01.14.11

Wrong! Conan! What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

willie dangling his precious balls over everyone's head

DanteCuomo 01.14.11

Well. This was retarded.

Sowing 01.14.11

most controversial sputmoment of '11 already happening

wyankeif1337 01.14.11

still won't beat out the redsky exterminate the userbase incident

acADHDemy 01.14.11

i believe it was Eleanor Roosevelt, my own personal hero, who once remarked: "This small heart can get lonely I lose myself inside myself No one can touch you when you're outside staring in Remove myself from this rat race Back and forth, the struggle consumes us all Trying to keep a level head In the most unsettling of times Today, I'll become the bull (Become the bull)" i think we could all stand to learn a thing or two from these words.

BigHans 01.14.11

Dave, please close the thread. Academy quoting Atreyu (agian), is the most fitting close possible.

taxidermist 01.14.11

"Wrong! Conan! What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women." Lol. Robot Chicken :p

FelixCulpa 01.14.11

As long as Greer comes back to review Thrice new album that is tl;dr I'm happy. And congrats to everyone who got an promotion and welcome the new staff members!

Crisis 01.14.11

Back when the contributor status meant you wrote a bunch of ok reviews and didnt really have any meaning. They. "Purged" us all when the new system came along where contributor means a bit more than having a bunch of semi-decent reviews.

BallsToTheWall 01.14.11

No it was better, it's system is less congested now, however I feel the same thing is happening to staff. I really don't remember if there were so many staffers in 07/08.

klap 01.14.11

notice how we promoted everyone after christmas so they missed the $1000 Christmas bonus

Enotron 01.14.11

cept me and eric have like different tastes(except in emo), different writing styles, and different attitudes towards most of the users in general so yeah that shits kind of dum

robertsona 01.14.11

hi lewis!!

bloc 01.14.11

*Eric and I

Enotron 01.14.11

@bloc: don't give a buck doeee, smoke kush errday

Willie 01.14.11

--willie dangling his precious balls over everyone's head-- He was the first person to talk to me regularly on this site. So, it's kind of his fault that I'm still here ;)

Crisis 01.14.11

BallsToTheWall- keeping the community together with bros and cthulhu since 2007

Masochist 01.14.11

Brothulhu

BallsToTheWall 01.14.11

But could someone answer my question. I really don't remember all these staff inclusions happening back then.

Crisis 01.14.11

It may have been a bit more candid then.

thebhoy 01.14.11

No don't you guys get it we're actually just becoming Pitchfork, OBVIOUSLY

BallsToTheWall 01.14.11

We should merge with Revolver.mag. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL or AP.

Inveigh 01.14.11

I would just like to say one more thing, then I will probably stop commenting on this thread, and possibly this subject: for all the douchebaggery and idiocy present in these comments, there are an equal amount of users whom I like and respect saying things that I either agree with completely or just find entertaining/humorous. I love (most of) you, Sputnik. congrats again to everyone who got a promotion

ConsiderPhlebas 01.14.11

All communities are poisoned with some brand of elitism, not just this site, or even the internet. For every elitist chump on here there's someone who's chill and just wants to talk about music.

DanteCuomo 01.14.11

I'm chill and I want to talk about music. Can we stop with the arbitrary butthurtness now?

acADHDemy 01.14.11

i don't really see all that much idiocy & douchebaggery (perhaps because i'm the one emitting it?)... regardless, at the heart of this 400+ comment thread is: - there's some new staff -some criticism of the choices -some defense of the choices -a lot of people complaining about how many comments there are by adding more comments people can crap on the userbase all they want but this is just how people work... i don't think there's anything dishonorable in politely defending knott-'s unhappiness... fuck, i've disagree with the kid in just about every interaction i've had with him, musical or otherwise, but i see why he would be pissed. lastly i think this thread has been reasonably civil... ctrl F for 'fuck' and you only get 23... and no cunts or fags at all.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

ok now its 25 fucks

Inveigh 01.14.11

lol acad I definitely wasn't referring to you. most of the worst offenders were users I didn't recognize. and it wasn't really all that bad (idiocy and douchebaggery I guess may be too strong) -- more of a "is this really that serious" issue. because whether or not the criticism was just, it still likely intruded on the enjoyment that the people who received the promotions were entitled to. And like I said, there were definitely deserving candidates who didn't get it, and some outsiders that we aren't familiar with did. Welcome to the real world, that's how job searches work. ok now i'm done.

acADHDemy 01.14.11

"Welcome to the real world, that's how job searches work." omg amen.

ConsiderPhlebas 01.14.11

Nah fuck these cunts why did I get passed over

DanteCuomo 01.14.11

I also want to applaud Conrad's appointment as he is like a much nicer and generally more comprehensible version of couldwinamabbit.

tiesthatbind 01.14.11

Thread was a good read. Congrats to the new staff/contribs.

Wizard 01.14.11

Congrats to the noob staffers. This article made me realize how fucking long I've been around these premises!

Athom 01.14.11

this thread is like The Real World: if you can't find the crazy bitch chances are it's you.

Inveigh 01.14.11

ok said i was done but that was really fucking funny redsky

CelestialDust 01.15.11

i feel the need to put a good word in for future considerations because of the following statement: "people forget that being a contributor/staff means writing about new or diverse albums; evedder's a good writer but this isn't something he does compared to some others" @joshuatree Sorry but, that statement makes embarrassingly little sense. While I enjoyed reading Andy Antar's High violet review, I don't think that piece, or any of his 3 reviews meet that criteria. In fact some of the more experienced new additions probably haven't done that lately either. You should probably think of a better reason for Evedder not being chosen, who I think is quite capable of writing well about new releases. ;)

Athom 01.15.11

you might not have seen it but we did and that's what counts.

ShadowRemains 01.15.11

so this thread is a fuckin monster, read up to a certain point and realized the same things were being said over and over again...not sure why a lot of you guys got into such a kafuffel over all this, it's not like this will be the last time someone gets promoted to either staff or a contributor...

Irving 01.15.11

kerfuffle

CelestialDust 01.15.11

@redsky alrighty, point taken

tombits 01.15.11

"you might not have seen it but we did and that's what counts." lowut? you're staff on a public website that caters for a public audience, and if that audience doesn't "see" quality in the people you promote than you've ultimately made the wrong decision. i personally don't have any qualms with the new staffers, but sometimes it seems like whenever you guys recieve criticism of any discription all you do is point to your shiny staff badge and say "nigga, this is my lawn" instead of actually taking it on board.

Grignard 01.15.11

Change sucks, but it is part of life; it is a little naive to not see that even how things are done on this site (I gather) with respect to picking staffers isn't subject to change.

CelestialDust 01.15.11

i love grignard reactions

Grignard 01.15.11

reactions huh? I am sure that is the first post you have ever seen me make

Grignard 01.15.11

Ah excuse my massive fail. I just realized you actually knew the chemistry

Knott- 01.15.11

...the Grignard reaction is a chemical reaction.

CelestialDust 01.15.11

yes i've just finished my first semester of orgo hahaha

Knott- 01.15.11

redundantpost

Grignard 01.15.11

I am a chem major. feeling pretty ashamed for the foot-in-mouth there

CelestialDust 01.15.11

ah nice, i'm going for an environmental science degree

Grignard 01.15.11

Yeah Chem sucks the further you get into it. Not digging it currently. Best of luck on your stuff man!

CelestialDust 01.15.11

Thanks, best of luck to you too.

wyankeif1337 01.15.11

ioc is actually one of my favorite classes: hard as fuck, but the subject's really interesting.

ShadowRemains 01.15.11

"kerfuffle" strange word, but as long as the point gets across

DanteCuomo 01.15.11

"but sometimes it seems like whenever you guys recieve criticism of any discription all you do is point to your shiny staff badge and say "nigga, this is my lawn" instead of actually taking it on board." lol

Athom 01.15.11

@tombits: i dont owe you shit. neither does any other staffer. so in the immortal words of Clint Eastwood "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

Gyromania 01.15.11

In the wise words of forest gump: life is like a box o' chocolates... So stfu and take what you get!

Jackie Gleason 01.15.11

i can't believe people that are possibly less influenced by sputnik cliques and hivemind are going to write for MY site!!! first the mexicans take our jobs, and now this!

STOP SHOUTING! 01.16.11

wot a kerfuffle. congrats to those appointed.

Voivod 01.16.11

notice how we promoted everyone after christmas so they missed the $1000 Christmas bonus this this this lol lol lol

Irving 01.16.11

Just curious...were the successful candidates notified through any other means - that is to say, aside from this blogpost?

Enotron 01.16.11

not I

Irving 01.16.11

Okay, I see. The reason I was asking was because I'm about 60% sure that Monica Skoko probably isn't even aware that she's Staff already lol...

Enotron 01.16.11

lollll

STOP SHOUTING! 01.16.11

i'll take monica's place. i can do dresses.

SeaAnemone 01.16.11

one of the stipulations is that if they don't see it and show up in time then they don't get the spot... not sure what "in time" constitutes though

Enotron 01.16.11

This is really more of an incentive for me to get back into reviewing. my last one was on the 27th or so. luckily there's a couple albums i've been meaning to review for a bit, so once i'm cleared up with my current work, i'll pump a few out

qwe3 01.16.11

so glad i missed this thread

Willie 01.16.11

She knows. She's already responded.

Irving 01.16.11

"one of the stipulations is that if they don't see it and show up in time then they don't get the spot... not sure what "in time" constitutes though" That's interesting. I for one hope that she turns up though - it'd be nice to check out more of her work.

STOP SHOUTING! 01.16.11

"She knows. She's already responded." i'll wear dresses anyway.

smish 01.17.11

Never underestimate the unknown. Congrats all :)

whywontyoudie 01.17.11

great to see Observer and pianotuna getting staff'd

Irving 02.19.11

God damn I miss this thread.

SeaAnemone 05.04.11

in retrospect, those outside additions really worked out well... remember those?

Sowing 05.04.11

yo, skoko and antar are anchoring this review site. don't be hatin'

Blindsided 05.04.11

skoko is blowin it up.

theacademy 05.04.11

lol all it took was one little comment defending sea's manhood vs. sonic and we've all gone back four months

theacademy 05.04.11

he's a little foppish

theacademy 05.04.11

confesh: i don't know what foppish means

theacademy 05.04.11

looked it up, yeah he's totally that

robertsona 05.04.11

haha i knew this would happen SEE 8)))) 8( ;)

Enotron 05.04.11

to be fair i've written 3 reviews since i've been made a contributor : ( though i can't download albums anymore, until i replace my laptop battery

Josh D. 05.04.11

I was wondering the other day where the new people were. I guess I just don't read staff reviews.

Irving 09.23.11

HEY GUYS REMEMBER THIS THREAD?!?!?!!!!

clercqie 09.23.11

I thought it was new...