International Online Meeting - Collecting Ideas

[mmcodomino]

Alright, so here's a rough idea:

During these strange and somewhat scary times it is important to focus on the positive things. Now that public events are pretty much impossible and many of us have to spend their time at home, why not make the best of the situation and get together for an international online meeting?
One day where we all get on our balconies or couches or whatever and plug in our favorite radios to play the same music, no matter where you are on this planet.
This would be accompanied by a live chat for everyone where you can post photos of your set up and just talk to everyone, exchange a bit of the classic boombox-nerd talk and just share what is on your mind.

So far for my rough idea for this. First of all, what do you think? Would you rather see it done differently or do you think it is a stupid idea altogether?

Here's what we would need:

1. A live audio stream with music to play. Maybe via twitch or some other online audio streaming service. Something that is not affected so much by copyright strikes - otherwise this might be over sooner than we know it. I was thinking of asking some DJs if they wanted to contribute to this. I'm sure many of you know DJs and musicians so it should not be a problem to get a set-list together. What's important is that it would all have to happen in one stream so either everyone involved shares the same log-in details or there is another way to switch between sources from one point. I'm completely new to this so maybe some of you know more about this and have the perfect solution at hand.

2. A chat-room for everyone who is taking part in this. It should probably be by invitation only so there are not way too many people online at the same time. Maybe the Boom Room might be a good idea? Or we could open a Skype group?
In my opinion it should be a requirement to post a photo of your boombox playing before entering the chat just so everyone knows you are actually taking part. Maybe this is too strict. If you think so, please to not hesitate to post your feedback.

Alright, that's basically what I came up with. As I said, your feedback is very much appreciated. It would be really cool to see this happening and connecting all the boombox lovers out there during these tough times.

 

[Fatdog]

I really like the idea, Max. A few musicians I subscribe to on YouTube have been doing "at home" concerts, so it is definitely doable. Getting everything lined up and ready is the difficult part though.

 

[howie1976]

This is a great idea Max. We could easily do a zoom meeting.

 

[trippy1313]

Interesting idea. I only have a mediocre internet connection through my phone, but maybe I could figure it out. Seems like I fun think to try. We don't have internet available at my house, and using my phone as a hot spot sucks. But I could try it out with the phone.

 

[mmcodomino]

I really like the idea, Max. A few musicians I subscribe to on YouTube have been doing "at home" concerts, so it is definitely doable. Getting everything lined up and ready is the difficult part though.

Thanks for your feedback! Yeah, getting everything lined up on the technical side is indeed the challenge here. For now, I believe Twitch might be the best option, at least for the music stream. They also have a chat but I think you can't post pictures there which is a little let-down. I would love to see everyone's set-up. Maybe a corresponding Skype chat (no video) might be a good option.

This is a great idea Max. We could easily do a zoom meeting.

Thanks! A "Zoombox Meeting", haha. I was thinking about Zoom as well but it seems they have a limit of 40 minutes for free users, at least in Europe, so that was off the table.

Interesting idea. I only have a mediocre internet connection through my phone, but maybe I could figure it out. Seems like I fun think to try. We don't have internet available at my house, and using my phone as a hot spot sucks. But I could try it out with the phone.

Maybe an audio-only stream would be better then for the music side? Video would be nice to see the DJ set-up though but as nothing is set in stone yet, I will try to keep that in mind.



Now, if anyone here has any experience with this, please come forward. Maybe ask your DJ friends because they might be already streaming and maybe know of a good way to share a stream with other users.
For me, the music stream is the tough part right now. For a live-chat we do have plenty of alternatives. Skype, WhatsApp, FB group chat....

Also, should this be a Boomboxery only thing? Once there is a steady concept and date, should it be a "public" event?
I posted this here on purpose as the forum is the true core. Before going to Facebook Boomboxery, there should be a relatively steady concept.

 

[howie1976]

This is a great idea Max. We could easily do a zoom meeting.[/quote]Thanks! A "Zoombox Meeting", haha. I was thinking about Zoom as well but it seems they have a limit of 40 minutes for free users, at least in Europe, so that was off the table.

“Zoombox Meet” I love it. Max, not only did you give me the idea but you also gave me a cool name to go with it. I know it’s not the answer to what you’re trying to create but I’m gonna pursue the possibility of a weekly of bi-weekly live chat meet using zoom.

 

[Ghettoboom767]

Sounds like a ‘Booming’ idea!!😊😎🎶🎼📻

 

[mmcodomino]

“Zoombox Meet” I love it. Max, not only did you give me the idea but you also gave me a cool name to go with it. I know it’s not the answer to what you’re trying to create but I’m gonna pursue the possibility of a weekly of bi-weekly live chat meet using zoom.

Thanks, I appreciate your enthousiasm. However, wouldn't it be best if we moved forward with this as one community? I mean, I would be happy to join in if you host a meeting via zoom. Maybe it would be a good first step to plan this kind of "online party" that I was picturing.

Anyway, the most important thing is that we connect and communicate with each other despite these circumstances.
If there is one main thing that boomboxes do besides playing music, it is bringing people together.

 

[howie1976]

Totally agree. To be honest I don’t have the time or desire to put together an event like you are thinking of. I just want to meet with fellow collectors and zoom allows that to happen. Maybe out of these zoom meetings your event can gain more support and develop. What do you think? My intention isn’t to compete with your idea but rather just be another way for us to hang out and talk boomboxes. I hope that makes since.

 

[docs]

Great idea Max.
The meeting needs to be long enough to allow anyone to drop in and out.
It should be structured so that everyone gets a slot to chat/introduce themselves perhaps.
I wouldn't have it being all about playing music, perhaps there are slots of music played by different members in each hour (15 mins per hour?), allowing say three members to collaborate on what they are going to play for that set.
If zoom can allow users to manage their own microphones along with admins to ensure it isn't just one noise fest.
Just a few thoughts.

 

[mmcodomino]

Totally agree. To be honest I don’t have the time or desire to put together an event like you are thinking of. I just want to meet with fellow collectors and zoom allows that to happen. Maybe out of these zoom meetings your event can gain more support and develop. What do you think? My intention isn’t to compete with your idea but rather just be another way for us to hang out and talk boomboxes. I hope that makes since.

That's exactly what I was thinking. In a Zoom meeting we could just chat and connect with each other and come up with ideas to realize an online meeting for as many collectors as possible. Let me know when you think is a good time for a zoom chat.

Great idea Max.
The meeting needs to be long enough to allow anyone to drop in and out.
It should be structured so that everyone gets a slot to chat/introduce themselves perhaps.
I wouldn't have it being all about playing music, perhaps there are slots of music played by different members in each hour (15 mins per hour?), allowing say three members to collaborate on what they are going to play for that set.
If zoom can allow users to manage their own microphones along with admins to ensure it isn't just one noise fest.
Just a few thoughts.

Agreed! It would need to be going for 24 hours to make it a global thing.
The idea of 15 min of music per hour sounds great as well and having the music organized by the members might be the better way to go rather than looking for DJs. I'm sure some members here have pretty good DJ skills anyway and the others can just put together a playlist.
Once again, I think Twitch may be the best option here. Probably with one central person who plays the music that is sent in as MP3 files before. Sharing log in information might become a little chaotic.
For the live chat - definitely no noise fest (had to smile when I read that term). A big thread here might be a good way to connect but maybe it won't convey the feeling of an actual meeting so a live-chat might be better. Correct me if I'm wrong but I read that zoom meeting in Europe are limited to 40 mins if you use the free version. That would pretty much disqualify it in my opinion for the actual event. Twitch does have a live chat but it is public and not invite only. How about the Boom Room? It worked well for those parties in the boom room back then. A WhatsApp group chat would also be great imo but then everyone's phone numbers would be visible for all members of that chat. Not sure if everyone would be comfortable with that.

 

[Zippy]

An International Online Meeting is a great idea Discord might be a good option. It can be invite-only and moderated, allows multiple chat threads, voice chat and streaming. It's easy for everyone to just hang-around, to chat, talk and even to share video. So it's an all-in-one option made for communities. Works on PC and has a smartphone app. And it's free! Though it would be possible to pay a few bucks for better streaming quality.

https://discordapp.com