Hosting a Jukebox

Who would make a great guest host for the Mystery Jukebox? You'd need to love music, be a regular Saturday punter, and have a broad understanding of the Jukebox's ethos and rules. Kindness and patience are also helpful. If that's you, so far so good!

You need to be based in the UK - or at least relatively close to it - so the 11AM start wouldn't be a problem. And you'd need to commit to a 12-hour shift on the day. I won't lie; it's a lot of work.

That said, it can also be very fulfilling.  There's a reason why so many guests hosts choose to return. You'll get to know your fellow Jukeboxers in ways that just don't happen on other music sharing accounts - and they'll get to know you. The Jukebox started out with just a small group of friends. By comparison, it's now five times the original size: it's huge. And yet I still see new friendships forming and strengthening almost weekly. But don't take my word for it; read what one of our regular guest hosts has to say:

Still interested? Click on the hosting schedule to check out available dates then come back here and read the guide below. It will tell you how to plan your day and what you can expect to happen and when.

A Guide for Planning and Running the Jukebox

Planning

*  Agree a date with me via Bluesky DMs or by tagging me in a post

*  Plan your Jukebox well in advance if you can

*  Choose your opening track, then decide on your keywords or topic (note: some topics - "your favourite '60s tracks" for example - are clearly personal and subjective, and won't require any of the normal "proofs")

*  Think of six further tracks that could be added, and choose one as your closer - this helps ensure your topic is broad enough to field a hundred responses (if you can't think of six, rethink your keywords or theme to make it less narrow and try again)

Preparing your welcome post and your opening and closing posts

*  Use a notepad on your phone or something like Word on your desktop so you can copy and paste them quickly on the day

*  Download Kitty's pic to use if the rules thumbnail doesn't form:

Wording your welcome post:

*  It needs to look similar to my own welcome post so that people will recognize it instantly. It should start with the text:

Welcome to the Mystery Jukebox 4.0!

It's 11AM.

*  Then you have a chance to introduce yourself where the bumph about Kitty would go.

*  Finish with:

Rules:

https://michaelgallagherwrites.com/rules/

NO REPLIES HERE 

1/2

Wording your opener:

*  Start it with "2/2", then state whether it's a keyword(s) week or a topic week

*  Next comes your opener, which should begin with the words, "Token 1"

*  Finish with "All replies here", before pasting in the link from YouTube

Wording your closer:

*  Start with something like, "It's 11PM and the Jukebox is officially closed!"

*  Maybe thank everyone for joining in

*  Lastly comes your closing track, which should begin with the words, "Token 2", before pasting in the link from YouTube

*  Be prepared for someone else to guess your closing track. If they do, ideally you should find a way to acknowledge them - though you can't really plan for this

On the day

*  If for any reason you are unable to host, please DM me as soon as possible so I can prepare to step in

Your welcome post and opener:

*  Post your welcome post at your local equivalent of 11AM UK time or a minute or two before

*  If the thumbnail link to the rules forms, fine. If it doesn't, delete the failed thumbnail (NOT the blue text link) and add Kitty's photo (this way the Jukebox stays on brand and your post will be instantly recognizable)

*  Post your opener as a reply to your welcome post; everyone else's responses should now go there

What happens next:

*  I (and any other of the hosts who are around) will repost them ASAP

*  There may be a short delay before Snowfloe's Jukebox feed picks them up

*  Somehow these two simple actions work their magic between them and regulars should be able to see your posts

*  You'll experience a brief period when no one replies to you and you'll wonder if it worked. Don't panic; it did!

*  Breathe and prepare to be inundated with notifications. The first three and a half hours hours can be brutal (especially when people start talking to each other) but it will calm down eventually

What to do next:

*  "Like" every valid token (ignore those that aren't valid or gently prompt with a question like, "Was that token 1?")

*  If you recognize the track or the band, chat with people about what they've added

*  Repost any tracks you LOVE from your own account

*  "Like" people's replies to others if you can and join in conversations if you have time and the spirit moves you

*  If someone posts your closing token, reply to them as soon as possible acknowledging this; perhaps congratulate them on having great taste

Taking breaks:

*  It's a long day and no one expects you to be present for all of it. If you get tired, take a short break, make yourself some tea, pet the dog, etc., etc. (regular breaks are important) even if it's busy

*  After the first 3 hours or so, or when things start to calm down, take a well deserved longer break - lunch perhaps?

*  Replies come in waves. If things are slow, take an hour's break. Snowfloe's feed means people will still see and respond to what others are posting

The last 6 hours:

*  6 hours or so in, check Snowfloe's Jukebox feed and like any valid tokens you may have missed (do this again towards the end of the Jukebox)

*  Usually it's the Canadian regulars who are last to post, followed by the Australians. Things can go very quiet in the last 3 hours. You could even watch TV. Sometimes you'll get a burst of replies from last-minute posters in the final hour

Finally:

*  At your equivalent of 11PM UK time, post your closing token as a reply to your opener and then repost it from your own account. If anyone is looking to post last-minute tokens, hopefully they'll see this and it will stop them

*  There's no need to acknowledge any tokens posted after this (for your own sanity it's probably best not to), but for the next hour or so (and, for a few folks, the next day) people will reply to thank you for hosting. Something simple in response is all that's required

*  Congratulations! You just made it through your first Jukebox!