Hosting a Jukebox
Thank you for considering guest hosting a Jukebox on Bluesky. You'll already know that even with its relatively small audience the Mystery Jukebox is probably THE most interactive music-sharing account on Bluesky, and possibly the most interactive regular post on the site.
Here are some guidelines for running a Jukebox. It looks like a lot of work (I won't lie; it is), but most of it's fairly straightforward and it's quite fulfilling when you see it come to fruition.
Planning
* Plan your Jukebox well in advance
* Choose your opener, then decide on your keywords or topic
* Think of six 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)
* Agree a date with me via DMs for you to host (NB: I need to be following you for you to DM me and vice versa)
If you intend to choose a shortlist from everyone's tracks:
* Read the section at the end ("Follow up")
* Check that your choices can be added to a YouTube playlist (not all tracks can, e.g., ones designated as child friendly cannot)
* Click on share, then on "embed". Do you see an embedding code? Yes? Great, it's something I will need later!
* Let me know that you plan to do this
* Let me also know your opener and closer well in advance so I can set up a playlist on YouTube; it won't go live until I've added your nine choices
Prepare your opening and closing posts
* Use a notepad on your phone or something like Word on your desktop so you can copy and paste it quickly
* 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
On the day
* If for any reason you are unable to host, please DM me as soon as possible
* Post your welcome post at your local equivalent of 11AM UK time
* 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 to your welcome post; everyone else's responses should now go to your opener
* There may be a short delay before Snowfloe's Jukebox feed picks these up; I shall repost them if I can
* Prepare to be inundated with notifications
Next:
* "Like" every valid token (ignore those that aren't valid or gently prompt with a question like, "Was that token 1?")
* "Like" people's replies to others and join in the conversation if you can
* 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
* If someone posts your closing token, reply to them as soon as possible acknowledging this; perhaps congratulate them on having great taste
* After the first 2 - 3 hours, take a well deserved break (regular breaks are important)
* 6 hours in, check Snowfloe's Jukebox feed and like any valid tokens you may have missed (do this again towards the end of the Jukebox)
Finally:
* At your equivalent of 11PM UK time, post your closing token as a reply to yourself and then repost it from your own account
* Congratulations! You just made it through your first Jukebox!
Follow up
Only necessary if you intend to create a shortlist. Please note that I'll need this information from you via DMs within 7 hours of the Jukebox closing.
Using Snowfloe's Jukebox feed, please choose:
* 3 classic tracks that reflect your topic
* 3 tracks chosen at random
* Your 3 favourite tracks
The phone app now has an option that lets you DM me each of the replies you choose. Find the one you want then click on the three dots on the bottom left-hand corner. A menu opens and gives you the option to "Send via direct message". Please stick to the order mentioned above (3 classic tracks, etc.).
I'll put together a YouTube playlist and send you back a link, which should form a thumbnail if you copy it into a post.
I will also put it up on my website (in much the same way as I usually do, but with you cited as the guest host), and share this in a post on Bluesky.