How should a Bard play?Follow

So I've been in parties with a few bards the past couple of days and it seems like they play ranger - they're just doing the usual DD stuff with their bow and arrows. I've seen them occasionally pop off a few songs before battles, but rarely during. Since I've not played bard or archer and this is dramatically different from XI's bards, can anyone give me a rough idea of the utility of bards over a simple archer and a basic idea of what a bard should be doing so that I know whether a bard in a group is just being lazy or not? Thanks!

I much prefer the way BRD played before, being able to balance 2 songs with effective management was a worthwhile skill requiring extra effort. Currently a lot of the songs have pro's and cons like increased MP regen at the cost of lowered attack, so you have to make sure you're far enough away from the tank and melee which is sometimes difficult. I haven't really noticed a benefit yet to the enemy resistance down song since at lower levels it's usually nicer to give the mages increased MP. I'm sure I'll get used to it over time, but I also miss being able to throw emergency cures or a raise when required. I still really enjoy Bard, but it currently feels like Archer with songs when 1.0 BRD felt more like I imagine a BRD which is as a support class.