Stickies
CiB
Posts: 6,098
Don't we have too many stickies here now? I can understand occasionally having a couple but some have run their course - bike pics, helmet cam footage, even rants is never much more than rehashes of the same issues that we all face from time to time. The glossary & beginner's guide always seemed a little errmmm 'lucky' to be pinned - time for them to go too?
At the minute it almost looks like everything is a sticky, but if everything's a sticky then nothing's a sticky. Time to trim the bush a bit? There's always the search function instead of the first page stagnating with pinned threads. Let's have a tidy-up.
IMHO.
At the minute it almost looks like everything is a sticky, but if everything's a sticky then nothing's a sticky. Time to trim the bush a bit? There's always the search function instead of the first page stagnating with pinned threads. Let's have a tidy-up.
IMHO.
0
Posts
In order to make sure we always remember to only stick relevant threads, can this be a sticky?
I posted in the helmet cam thread last week, and I wouldn't have known it existed if it was buried on page 4. However, your assertion that "if everything's a sticky then nothing's a sticky" is supported by the fact that someone else posted his commute footage in a new thread this morning, despite there being a relevant sticky thread just a few posts above.
Maybe a few of the threads could be condensed into a post which lists "Threads of note", or a "New here? Read this!" post with links to subject-specific threads.
VOODOO CANZO
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+1. One sticky for newbies. It could be called Dave after the TV channel, so that endlessly repeated stuff has a home and the rest of us know where it is on the off-chance that it might be relevant.
I concur
I'm especially concerned we have the accident advice thread as a sticky when much of what is on there is not legally accurate or best practice.
By making it a sticky it is implying in this case that the contents are somewhat special- whereas they in reality are not
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Twittering @spen_666
Having a thread for rants stops the whole board being overtaken by negativity and bad experiences - which we know are awful and scary but the joy of cycling is worth it, right?
Bike pics - well, it's always added to now and then by newbies - and is interesting to browse.
And I remember looking into the glossary when first coming here, so I see that as useful rather than having lots of people going "What's LBS?" "What does RLJ mean?"
VOODOO CANZO
Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
New rants could be merged into the existing thread if they get posted on their own. I don't know how easy phpBB makes this, but it's trivial on vBulletin, so I expect phpBB has a similar facility.
Bike pics and the glossary can both be condensed into one sticky post, entitled "FAQ, Glossary and Interesting threads" or something like that. The "Interesting threads" section would then list various other threads, making them easy to find. One advantage of not having these threads permanently stuck is that they would get "bumped" if someone added a new pic, video or rant; a bumped thread is often more likely to be noticed than a new post on a stuck thread.
But what I meant was, those and those alone stickied, no others. If any were considered for keeping, those should be among the top of the list.
If the link to the sub-forum is included as the header for this forum it would always be there and not forgotten about while at the same time keeping the main (active) forum tidy
2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
2011 Trek Madone 4.5
2012 Felt F65X
Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
I doubt a newbie is going to want to wade through 60 pages of podting to find the answer to his simple question such as what size innertube do I need.
The sticky idea really only works for announcements which are then locked and removed when the event or notice is passed.
Then read MY BLOG @ http://www.pebennett.com
Twittering @spen_666
I definitely see your point, there are too many at the moment. I'll go through with them one by one.
Accident Advice - I'm not done with this yet. Once all advice has been given, I'm going to remove the cruft, leaving only the relevant helpful posts and lock it as a proper advice thread. I may merge this in with the three mentioned below as well.
Recommended Lights - I'll probably merge this in a way with the beginners guide and glossary threads at some point, taking the best information from each thread and putting it all in one, easily accessible place. This one won't be locked, as the information will be subject to change.
Beginners guide - See lights
Glossary - See lights
Rants - I think it serves a decent purpose, and it seems popular. If enough people let me know they don't like it though, I'll get rid of it.
Helmet Cam footage - This is staying
Commuting bike pictures - This is staying
Obviously, if you have any suggestions, complaints, insults or marriage proposals, let me know.
In my view it's actually quite a positive thing when new people ask old questions and it's healthy for a forum to revisit things from time-to-time.
If somebody wrote an excellent article about a specific subject two years ago that is still relevant today then by all means post a link to it in the first reply to the new member's question but I don't think it should be stickied, just linked to every so often... And then the rest of the thread can be used for discussion of problems specific to the person who started the thread, or chatting about little things that might have changed since the 'guide' (that was linked to) was written.
Hmmm... Maybe I should write a sticky with my thoughts on forum usage
The glossary is good, and a benefit to anyone new, but could that not become a link in the beginners guide section and have a universal glossary that works over all of the forums? I'm sure the MTB mud suckers have abbreviations that would confuse the assos chamois cream off the roadies, and VV
In another forum where I'm a mod, there were no stickies...I made one post sticky, then another, and some of the regulars went into apoplectic shock, because it was me who made the post stickies, I could have something unmentionable to the Pope in front of the crowds in Saint Peter's Square, and got less grief! :shock:
I did think the sticky count was getting a bit high, but I wasn't bothered enough to start a thread...but seeing one is here....
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THE Game
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Why keep the Helmet cam and bike pictures as stickies? - not suggesting the threads go
If they are popular threads, they will stay on the front page anyway.and therefore there is no need for a sticky.
If not popular they will drop off the front page and if not popular, then why have them as stickies?
The what lights thread - is a different beast to the newby or glossary thread and I would suggest it should not be merged with them. I suggest it is simply left to sink or swim on its popularity- ie not a sticky.
Then read MY BLOG @ http://www.pebennett.com
Twittering @spen_666
I'd like to have the lights advice stay in a sticky, so I might just take out the information, put it into the other thread then unsticky the main thread to allow it to sink or swim. Not sure yet, I need to think about it.
I suspect the lights thread would stay popular as its a major topic. Just look at for example how much there is on AUDAX UK website on lighting. It affects most of us.
Then read MY BLOG @ http://www.pebennett.com
Twittering @spen_666
Sure the beginners guide may be a little subjective (but the topic is subjective), but there have been less 'what bike' with the same posts explaining the same things about hybrids, road bikes, single speeds etc.
Futhermore there have been a fair few times people have indicated reading it and have clarified a few things. (Pot holes on my journey doesn't mean I need a dual suspension mountain bike with hydraulic brakes - just in case....
All of this shows that the thread is useful, used and should stand and remain a sticky.
Leave it to stand and allow it to stroke my ego everytime I log -on!
A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
Ooh - I like that idea.
Bin the stickies, like Spen6666666 said earlier...
The others should go, as I prefer to see rants as seperate posts, as they can have different topics and should be discussed an dissapear on a natural evolution cycle.
The film and bike pictures can go, as I have never looked at them. Just interested in my own steeds.... not wanting to see other readers "wives".
Agree that certain things should be sticky for a limited time e.g. Lights for Autumn, Accident Advice when there are a few or it is requested. But things do change, so it is also good to refesh and start again.
Firstly, the beginners guide wouldn't appeal to you because you aren't a beginner so I pretty much expected this kind of response.
Secondly, the beginners guide goes beyond recommending a bike, it attempts to add clarity on the types of bike, commonly used for commuting as well as provide a guide of what equipment a person should expect to purchase if they plan to commute by bike.
It doesn't actually recommend any model or brand of bike. So it isn't a "what bike?" thread
Thirdly, the fact that people find it useful is justification for having it as a sticky topic. It's the very idea of sticky topics useful and helpful information be they annoucements or advice that keeps appearing on the site.
The commuting section should have some sticky topics that are iinformative about commuting as well as annoucements, but there is knowing when to stop making sticky's.
IMO these should be:
Beginners guide to commuting. - Advice about different types of bikes and general advice on what equipment a person is likely to need when they first start commuting is useful.
What to do in an accident - This pretty much doesn't need to be explained, I quite like the idea of having a thread readily available that gives me advice should I have an accident as I've never had one (touch wood).
Glossary of terms - Why should this be merged into the Beginners guide? The glossary is a list of terms and phrases used in this website. It is mostly specific to online discussion in this forum. I'm not seeing how it is a beginners guide to commuting. But it should stay a sticky.
Sticky's that should be taken down:
What lights - too subjective, models change almost yearly, with new ones being released with even more frequency. I don't think it's practical to recommend a best light beyond advising "When cycling in the dark it's best to use lights". I mean what's next? What groupset, Campag or Shimano, what wheels, what tyres, what brakes, what saddle? The list goes on.
Bike pic - not seeing the point of this, pics of bikes are in people's signatures and generally speaking most users (like me) just start a new thread when they want to show pictures of their bikes.
Head cam journeys - This is just televised SCR, I'm not seeing the point of this being made a sticky and the SCR thread not being a sticky.
Rant thread - Firstly, its negative. Secondly, there are a large majority of threads that are pretty much rants threads (that van driver, near miss, bus driver, RLJ-pavement-riding-ninja) all over the forum anyway - its largely redundant.
A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
As long as they're clearly labelled/sectioned, and there aren't tons of stickies cluttering up the front page, it doesn't really matter if there's lots of them. Mods can then add/delete as they see fit.
We'll make a sticky called, for example "Links to important threads". This will be promptly ignored and the questions covered in those threads will be brought back time and time again.
The commuting section should have some sticky topics
IMO these should be:
Beginners guide to commuting.
- Advice about different types of bikes and general advice on what equipment a person is likely to need when they first start commuting is useful.What to do in an accident
- This pretty much doesn't need to be explained, I quite like the idea of having a thread readily available that gives me advice should I have an accident as I've never had one (touch wood).Glossary of terms
- Why should this be merged into the Beginners guide? The glossary is a list of terms and phrases used in this website. It is mostly specific to online discussion in this forum. I'm not seeing how it is a beginners guide to commuting. But it should stay a sticky.Sticky's that could do with being taken down be taken down:
What lights
- too subjective, models change almost yearly, with new ones being released with even more frequency. I don't think it's practical to recommend a best light beyond advising "When cycling in the dark it's best to use lights". I mean what's next? What groupset, Campag or Shimano, what wheels, what tyres, what brakes, what saddle? The list goes on.Bike pic
- not seeing the point of this, pics of bikes are in people's signatures and generally speaking most users (like me) just start a new thread when they want to show pictures of their bikes.Head cam journeys
- This is just televised SCR, I'm not seeing the point of this being made a sticky and the SCR thread not being a sticky.Rant thread
- Firstly, its negative. Secondly, there are a large majority of threads that are pretty much rants threads (that van driver, near miss, bus driver, RLJ-pavement-riding-ninja) all over the forum anyway - its largely redundant.A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
Rant thread: I am going to unsticky this. I reckon it will stand up on its own to be honest. If needs be, it can be made sticky again in the future, we'll see how it goes.
Cam and pictures thread - The editorial team want these to stay.
Lights - I think there's a great advantage in having a thread recommending lights. If we're just saying "Use lights", we'll essentially be endorsing the awful yellow blinkies that cost a quid or so and having people thinking they're visible enough. If we can show people that there really is a point to having good lights, and what good lights are, they will hopefully get good ones. This is something I feel that new riders will benefit from most, and so it's going in the beginners thread.
Glossary - This is going into the Beginners thread because it's relevant only to new members. While it is essentially specific to this forum, it only applies to new members of the forum, old hands will know them all already.
The other two topics are becoming stickies.
Don't worry by the way, you're getting name-checked in the new Beginners thread.