tnocs?

“tnocs?”

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What is this place?

It’s a hangout for kind and positive folks that love music, art, literature, video, and most of all, their fellow human beings.

What does ‘tnocs’ mean?

It’s a bit of a story. Pull up a chair, and perhaps a snack.

Back in 2018, author Tom Breihan began work on a project to write a review of every Billboard number one record since 1958 to reach the top of the Hot 100.

This massive project is still underway and runs on Mondays. We encourage you to have a look over at https://www.stereogum.com/category/columns/the-number-ones/

From the start, each Number Ones column featured a comment section where people could offer their take on the record of the day, as well as their thoughts about the author’s review. This interactive and interesting mashup of music history and nostalgia had an unexpected result, in that the comment section began to organically evolve into something more than just, “Yeah. Good tune.” It morphed into a sometimes meandering, tangential forum – not only on the “oldies record of the day, but, improbably, the cultural Zeitgeist of the early 2020s.

People began to loyally and reliably submit small micro-blog posts -rignt on the comment secion.

We needed a name for these little missives: we called them “featurettes”. The other “commenters” would encourage and cheer these efforts on with zeal. Folks began to create and reference running gags, comedy bits, and even original video productions.

But it all wasn’t just fun and games. Commenters often would candidly reveal how a particular record made a difference in their life. Incredibly, this little internet comment section evolved into a legitimate appointment-viewing style hangout, where both virtual and real-life friendships were established and are maintained to this day.

A few months into 2018, participating as a commenter, yours truly noticed that we had no real name for our “membership”, nor an efficient way of referring to the place. I kept referring to “The Number Ones Comment Section” in my own comment posts and replies

And, while perhaps a little bit on the wordy and bland side, it was nonetheless accurate. I thought that we might be well served to try and distill that down to a simple initialism – and so “TNOCS’ was born. And impossibly, it somehow caught on.

Fast forward to the present:

Why tnocs.com? Glad you asked. Quite simply, this place aims to be an extension and tribute to the original (and totally accidental) meeting up of those good souls who have a passion for music, art and thoughtful companionship; perhaps at a time when it is needed most.

Here are few simple FAQs. I’ll add to these as we move forward.

Do I have to register to comment here?

Yes, but we don’t ask for your real-life name. And I will never sell, rent, or otherwise reveal your email address to any person or organization, ever. Your privacy is guaranteed.

Am I missing anything by just lurking?

All content is available for viewing whether or not you are logged in… But – I want this to be a real community. We’re a nice group of folks, and it would make a difference if you registered and joined in with everyone for the fun.

How much does it cost to become a member, have access to the content, and be able to comment here?

It costs nothing. The site is free.

Do I have to have been a participant over at the other comment section to join in?

No! All are welcome.

I have an idea for an article. How do I post it?

The site is organized as such that I’d ask you to send over your ideas and content to: submissions@tnocs.com . We’re always looking for articles, from comedy to personal stories, to music and art reviews… pop culture… really, whatever your imagination can come up with.

What’s the site’s “rating?” Are there any “rules”?

It would be nice to keep things PG-13 rated, so that as many people of all ages will feel welcomed and will be encouraged participate. The only rule: Please treat each other with respect and kindness.

I’m having trouble with something, or a site feature isn’t working…

We strive for an easy-to-use and functional site. Have a question? Hit me up at mt58@tnocs.com with any issues and I’ll get back to you.

Thanks for riding along with me on this adventure. Good on you all.
-mt58