I don't disagree with the main point you're making Mostess, but I did feel compelled to quibble a bit since I see things I slightly different way...
Mostess wrote:
This is not a community. We've agreed on that. ...
I actually don't agree with that. There's a lot of people who I've met at one of the many live shows I've been to and there are faces and constancy behind many of the people here. I would definitely say there's a songfight community.
Mostess wrote:
There can be no membership because there can be no faith that the online personalities that associate with each other are uniquely connected to real individuals.
To say that the possibility of fraud precludes the development of the concept of membership is way too strong.
Mostess wrote:
That each of us can pop around from IP address to IP address means that you (a person) cannot be banned and that I can vote as often as I like. There can be no honest vote in that situation, just as there can be no honest "community".
In any community there are a range of weaknesses that people can exploit to the potential harm of the community. People and corporations essentially cheat on their taxes and get away with it all the time, but that doesn't mean we pull the plug on the cooperative funding of social projects. In songfight just because someone can get a couple more votes than they 'deserve' doesn't mean that an overall honest community cannot exist.
In the end I just don't think most people really *want* the responsibility of having a direct say in the day-to-day running of songfight. I see it as a community service that is provided by some very cool people and I thank them for that.
Mostess wrote:I don't speak for them, but I'm sure that they don't want to hold you by your hostages. Your hostages are probably doing a fine job of holding you themselves.
He just got served