The Infamous Ghost Host

I originally wrote this as a comment on UCBlack's blog, but decided to reprint it here:

My biggest complaint about hosts has been lack of communication.Let me acknowledge that I have never had this problem at SR. At several other venues, however, it was like pulling teeth to get the host to talk to me.

The host & DJ are a team. I need my host to keep an eye on the crowd, spot requests in open chat, make sure nobody's griefing my avie, etc. Not to mention the usual duties of spamming for me & keeping the convos going in chat. When I have a lot of requests pouring in, I have to concentrate on getting them in queue, replying to IMs from requestors, etc. There are huge periods of time when I'm not paying attention to what's on screen in SL. A good host keeps me updated and makes sure everything is running smoothly at the venue so I can concentrate on providing the tunes.

I should never have to ask the host who the dancers are (if any), and we need to consult on contest times, on-air announcements, etc. I guess I've been spoiled by the fantastic staff at SR, since I measure all hosts against these professionals.

The lack of competent hosting has actually led me to the point where I often bring my own staff when doing a guest slot at a venue. I need someone I know I can rely on. I realize that there are many great hosts all over SL, but the quality of my show depends on me being able to concentrate primarily on the music.