Commuter Chat forum?

supersonic

I know of plenty of posters who dislike the commuting forum - many who post in MTB (plus some in Road) who avoid it - I can ask them to contribute? This skews perspective somewhat.

Plus the thread itself has shown that some posters would like a different format.

DonDaddyD

Crapaud wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

... Couldn't disagree more. I have to ask, have you been to any of the real world meet ups...

No, to the best of my knowlege there haven't been any near me. Have you been to any up here? And what's the relevance? The forum's on-line.

Yes the forum is online. It's about a real world activity however. It's online discussion has impacted on peoples real world lives. A bunch of people went on a bike ride weekend away, organised from this section. That would be an example of the community specific to this section that you would dismiss.

DonDaddyD wrote:

... ... or taken part in the banter in this section? If not, then you wouldn't have a sense of the community in this section would you?

Yes.[/quote] yes you've taken part? Or yes you haven't taken part and therefore have sense of the community?

Eau Rouge

cjcp wrote:

Four months and counting! Hurrah!

The Tour is all well and good but give me March and April and their one-day classics every time.

What makes the Commuting forum work is having a pool of experienced and opinionated regular posters who are able to contribute their knowledge and opinions to the various commuting threads that come along and help spread the knowledge base. Without that pool coming back every day to read the threads and post there wouldn't be much of a forum.
What keeps that pool coming back is exactly what looks like cliqueyness, the off topic posts, the in-jokes, the banter, the social gatherings etc.
If you move that off to a separate forum of it's own, thats where the posters will go, and they won't come back here anything like as often and it will be pretty dead around here as a result. There is a very real chance a non-commuting offshoot would multiply the cliquishness as new members won't be able to use their commuting to break into the clique anymore they way they can now.

DonDaddyD

supersonic wrote:

I know of plenty of posters who dislike the commuting forum - many who post in MTB (plus some in Road) who avoid it - I can ask them to contribute? This skews perspective somewhat.

Plus the thread itself has shown that some posters would like a different format.

Why? And who? Have they tried to post here to know what it's like? I don't like the other sections because there is too many forum sections to choose from.

supersonic

I am not naming people (you can see the some of people in this thread easily) - some of this is from PMs and reported posts. Yes they have tried to post, and yes some have been pushed out. Many feel it is cliquey, and many feel it is a mess. Some have been c)cks admittedly and I have warned those who go on crusades to wind people up. The same can be said of other forums though, so we are constantly discussing and trying to improve matters for all, not just keep a few regulars happy. We have to look at it from all angles, especially new users.

The MTB section is currently under discussion to be shrunk, with the merging of some sections.

DonDaddyD

Ok I think this goes beyond keeping a few regulars happy, it certainly isn't an us or them. I think this is about changing or keeping the section as is to suit both regulars, people who find it hard to engage and new users. I know for a fact there are new users that find this section friendly and accessible.

I think all the regulars here do whatever they cab to male people feel welcome. I was, it's why I come thus far as a cyclist.

There is a community here and it would be a shame to loose it or try and change it. This is my first port of call when I have a bike related question. I can guarantee whebriding around Richmond park I'll meet some from Here. To loose that simply to change the feel would be a terrible thing and I think the level of activitybin this section would drop-but that's a personal view.

I think we all know where I stand on this.

Gotta go bed so Good night.

DonDaddyD

One last thing I find ironic that the other top thread, at the time of writing this, is GTVLUSSO telling us about the birth of his kid. It's a cake stop thread, but he posted it Here because he wanted us to know about it. That's the community.

So change and destroy away, but you'll lose something beautiful.

supersonic

I agree with pretty much of all of that,: striking the balance is the key.

Maybe it is something as simple as changing 'Commuting General' to 'Commuting Community' and 'Workshop' to 'Commuting questions' (with explanatory sub headers). It may populate the latter more with more serious stuff on what to buy, lights etc, while the former would retain it's feel. Basically just leveling it up with two distinct areas that should cover most ground.

Crapaud

DonDaddyD wrote:

... ... or taken part in the banter in this section? If not, then you wouldn't have a sense of the community in this section would you? Yes. yes you've taken part? Or yes you haven't taken part and therefore have sense of the community?

Yes, I have taken part. No, I didn't get a sense of community. I got the sense of posting into a void.

In the interests of keeping it civil and apersonal, I'll leave it at that.

cjcp

Eau Rouge wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Four months and counting! Hurrah!

The Tour is all well and good but give me March and April and their one-day classics every time.

Amend to that! Good to see Flecha win at last!

What makes the Commuting forum work is having a pool of experienced and opinionated regular posters who are able to contribute their knowledge and opinions to the various commuting threads that come along and help spread the knowledge base. Without that pool coming back every day to read the threads and post there wouldn't be much of a forum.
What keeps that pool coming back is exactly what looks like cliqueyness, the off topic posts, the in-jokes, the banter, the social gatherings etc.
If you move that off to a separate forum of it's own, thats where the posters will go, and they won't come back here anything like as often and it will be pretty dead around here as a result. There is a very real chance a non-commuting offshoot would multiply the cliquishness as new members won't be able to use their commuting to break into the clique anymore they way they can now.

[/quote]

And to that bit, too. I didn't post a great deal here before June 2008, then someone posted something about SCR, but it was a bit dead round here before. I like Supersonic;s idea of "Commuting Community".

MonkeyMonster

supersonic wrote:

I know of plenty of posters who dislike the commuting forum

Probably roadies who don't like to be scalped by hybrids (Or slicked mtb's)...

...

Kieran_Burns

I guess I better weigh in with my tuppence worth.

Is there a clique? Well, I'm not aware of one beyond the sometimes London-centric posts, but then it is the most populous part of the UK so it's kind of inevitable.

I have no need to go to other parts of the forums (fora? ) as I do the majority of my cycling while commuting; and beyond what drinks / food to take when I am doing a weekend ride I don't have any questions to ask in the road forums.

I think a rename, while a simple change, would be a good idea as really this particular forum has evolved into a chat area for people who commute.

There is a particular mind-set attached with cycle commuters, so you are going to get kindred spirits posting in here. This will also apply to the Road and MTB forums - those who combine these activities will find a welcome in all the forums.

However, the welcome would really be in their own mind, not in the other people who post in the forum. This is why *I* would not feel welcome in the MTB forums - not because of the people in there (I'm sure the lunatics who throw themselves down muddy tracks are really nice people :? ) but because I don't share their mind-set, so there is little commonality.

I think Supersonic has missed this point, in him saying there are people who don't like this forum. There is nothing wrong with the forum, or the people who dislike it - they're just different animals.

You have different forums for different people, you can't have one big homogonous mess, it would never work. So you separate out the different folk and let them get on with it.

I think this should be a forum for those people who like to commute, to post whatever they feel is appropriate; as they think it would appeal to people with the same mind-set as them.

So, yeah - it's a Commuting Community, and we should make sure we take the time to be welcoming to all people who make the effort to post (even if it's been asked before )

IMHO this is an easy forum to Moderate, go try a few weeks on a car forum... it's like herding cats.

BTW - can someone explain how I ended up being the Cape(d) Crusader?

lost_in_thought

I have no objection whatsoever to a name change from 'Commuting General' to 'Commuting Community' (although I don't really see what it achieves), but I don't know that creating a separate area for 'Commuting Questions' is such a hot idea.

Maybe it's because I'm blonde, but I almost forget the 'Workshop' is there, if I have a question I'll post it on here, because I know it'll be answered - this is the busiest part of the Forum - possibly the busiest Forum on Bikeradar... (discuss :P)

I think trying to break it down into separate areas will mean you'll get one area that's essentially this forum, and lots of areas where nobody posts.

If you're a noob wanting questions answered, will you post in a quiet area and hear nothing back, or post in the busy area and get an answer within hours?

Clever Pun

lost_in_thought wrote:

If you're a noob wanting questions answered, will you post in a quiet area and hear nothing back, or post in the busy area and get an answer within hours?

this and

Eau Rouge wrote:

What makes the Commuting forum work is having a pool of experienced and opinionated regular posters who are able to contribute their knowledge and opinions to the various commuting threads that come along and help spread the knowledge base. Without that pool coming back every day to read the threads and post there wouldn't be much of a forum.
What keeps that pool coming back is exactly what looks like cliqueyness, the off topic posts, the in-jokes, the banter, the social gatherings etc.
If you move that off to a separate forum of it's own, thats where the posters will go, and they won't come back here anything like as often and it will be pretty dead around here as a result. There is a very real chance a non-commuting offshoot would multiply the cliquishness as new members won't be able to use their commuting to break into the clique anymore they way they can now.

this

renaming is fairly pointless although I see the angle, it's just a bit middle management trying to justify their existence by reshuffling a department (only to place it back in another one once people have forgotten about the first one)

Don't like change
Wont someone think of the children
etc

OldSkoolKona

lost_in_thought wrote:

I have no objection whatsoever to a name change from 'Commuting General' to 'Commuting Community' (although I don't really see what it achieves), but I don't know that creating a separate area for 'Commuting Questions' is such a hot idea.

Maybe it's because I'm blonde, but I almost forget the 'Workshop' is there, if I have a question I'll post it on here, because I know it'll be answered - this is the busiest part of the Forum - possibly the busiest Forum on Bikeradar... (discuss :P)

I think trying to break it down into separate areas will mean you'll get one area that's essentially this forum, and lots of areas where nobody posts.

If you're a noob wanting questions answered, will you post in a quiet area and hear nothing back, or post in the busy area and get an answer within hours?

+1

And what is this cape business?

Sewinman

Just leave it alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Geek voice* "Seeing OT at the start of a topic really is not on, it is aginst the unwritten rules of internet geekery, we simply MUST split the fora for the good of internet tidyness!" :roll:

I post here to explictly avoid such internet geekery! Bugger off and do your internet police work elsewhere!

p.s. I fear change.

redddraggon

I don't bother posting on here much now, it's changed to be more of a Londoners love-in session than a commuting forum.

Far too cliquey.

If the Londoners want their own space, why can't they start their own forum?

OldSkoolKona

The only other observation I would make about the Commuting Forum is the diversity of people that post here.

In addition to the types of bikes we ride, I perceive there is a bigger proporation of newbies and women post here than elsewhere in the forum (I may be wrong, its just my perception)

cjcp

redddraggon wrote:

If the Londoners want their own space

Why do you say that? We don't. There just happens to be a lot of posters on here who commute in London, which is unsurprising given the large number of people who commute by bike down here.

A distinction needs to be made between what constitutes a "clique" and the frequent posters. If a board which has frequent posters is characterised as "cliquey", I would have thought that the same applies to most boards on this forum e.g. Cake Stop, Amateur and Pro Race. There's nothing bad with that - people gravitate to what interests them most. The same applies to what bike(s) you like to ride, I suppose.

There's a wide variety of people who post on this board, riding all sorts of bikes, and from all over the country; some from abroad, even. Hardly cliquey. If there are no frequent posters, acitivity on the forum subsides and then Mods presumably then have to talk about how to revitalise it.

DonDaddyD

I'm sorry I live in London. :roll:

Kiblams

DonDaddyD wrote:

I'm sorry I live in London. :roll:

Oh wow, finally! someone said it...

I almost feel like I could be friends with southerner now

Kieran_Burns

Kiblams wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

I'm sorry I live in London. :roll:

Oh wow, finally! someone said it...

I almost feel like I could be friends with southerner now

I couldn't. They all talk REALLY strange.

jonginge

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Kiblams wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

I'm sorry I live in London. :roll:

Oh wow, finally! someone said it...

I almost feel like I could be friends with southerner now

I couldn't. They all talk REALLY strange.

...and leave out vital bits of punctuation.

DonDaddyD

[london]"Wot ya saying blud! Man;z will merk u, ya-get-me-do, choong mo'fire and all ah dem madness der brap!![/london]

But in all serious Kieran and Kiblams you're both from Derby, meet up by Saddler Gate and head out somewhere, post it in this section and you can create a clique too!

cjcp

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Kiblams wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

I'm sorry I live in London. :roll:

Oh wow, finally! someone said it...

I almost feel like I could be friends with southerner now

I couldn't. They all talk REALLY strange.

Hold the 'phone a minute. You're not from the North either. You're actually in the middle. That makes you....



A HYBRID!!!!!! :shock: :twisted:

tailwindhome

DonDaddyD wrote:

I'm sorry I live in London. :roll:

I heard London wasn't too chuffed about it either

Sewinman

DonDaddyD wrote:

[london]"Wot ya saying blud! Man;z will merk u, ya-get-me-do, choong mo'fire and all ah dem madness der brap!![/london]

+1

DonDaddyD

Manz is from da endz, get me!

lost_in_thought

No, no I don't get you.

Translation please!

EDIT: does anyone else remember that show where the guy translated the Little Richard song 'tutti frutti'? Makes me giggle.

This is somewhat OT. Apologies, OT-haters.

rolf_f

cjcp wrote:

A distinction needs to be made between what constitutes a "clique" and the frequent posters. If a board which has frequent posters is characterised as "cliquey", I would have thought that the same applies to most boards on this forum e.g. Cake Stop, Amateur and Pro Race. There's nothing bad with that - people gravitate to what interests them most. The same applies to what bike(s) you like to ride, I suppose.

There's a wide variety of people who post on this board, riding all sorts of bikes, and from all over the country; some from abroad, even. Hardly cliquey. If there are no frequent posters, acitivity on the forum subsides and then Mods presumably then have to talk about how to revitalise it.

It is cliquey - I certainly felt initially that posting here was like going into a pub and randomly joining in a conversation with a group of regulars; which is perhaps not surprising in this case but isn't what a forum isnormally like (and hasn't been on any other forum I've joined). Personally, I take forums as they are and if I don't like them, I go somewhere else. Here I have felt at times that it would have been easier to go do that but I'm happy to stay; I can see why others might not bother though. The other general forums on Bikeradar seem less cliquey to me but possibly less interesting too - I like the mix of bike and OT and the mix of bike types discussed here.

I think you are right though - base any decisions on forum activity. If it is level or rising, no need to change.