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Pickleodeon
12-18-2009, 14:47
I was just reading the post about lack of interest lately on WB. I've been on a couple of other forums and noticed "rooms", forum categories for general things, not just general hiking things, but anything.

One forum I checked out has "The Lounge" which is anything on your mind. Then it also has "The Lair" which is common interests, movies, tv series, literature, etc, but not just related to the topic of the forum, which happens to be guns (don't ask), but anything. And there's also a "What's Your Deal" forum which is basically where people complain about stuff, their day, Comcast screwing them over, bank fees, whatever.

Then, after all of that stuff, there's the forums specifically about topics in the forum, in that case, guns. In this case, Get Togethers, Media, General Hiking, Staight-Forward, Food, Gear, UL gear, Buy/sell, etc.

It seems like a lot of people on WB know each other or have a common interest in things like hiking, it'd be interesting to get to chat as a forum group about other topics and get input, advice, humor, from other people discussing other things.

Does that make sense, or seem like a cool idea, or should I just stick to reading the posts on the other forums? :-?

emerald
12-18-2009, 15:17
The topic you've raised has been discussed here many times before. The consensus reached is WhiteBlaze.net should be about the Appalachian Trail and it serves those who come here seeking information about it best when we stick to that common interest.

That said, we do have a subscription General Non-AT talk (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=361) forum where one of my favorite threads is located. You wouldn't like it, it's about Berks County and all the wonderful things to do here.:D


Does that make sense, or seem like a cool idea, or should I just stick to reading the posts on the other forums? :-?

Getting outdoors and engaging in physical activity would likely do more to maintain your cardiovascular fitness and improve your mood.

Darwin again
12-18-2009, 15:19
It would be great to see a broad array of such specific forums here.
I think the response by the administrators here to the spirited discussions in the few narrow forums didn't do anything to encourage continued visitations by those doing the discussing.

Instead of a few narrow forums, maybe a good solution is to have a more varied array of threads for just those kinds of discussions that lead away from hiking. They'd be a place where a thread could go to die or continue being debated, as kind of a pressure release mechanism. Instead of beating the posters up with warnings and restricted ability to post and such, why not just put them out in their own yard to beat themselves silly and to wear themselves out if that's what they want to do?

We hikers don't just talk about hiking; we have lives beyond that and those lives effect what's on our mind. It's easy to keep the screws tightened and limit content, but it might be better to have a guns in hiking forum or a religion forum or a politics forum, each with individual threads, just so people could vent and exchange views. Let them go out on the back forty and yell at the wind on any topic that gets their goat.

Then, if they want to come back and discuss hiking, there's always that.
There's much more to a "community" than one topic -- each of us leads a life, has experiences and opinions which we could all benefit from, one way or another. Folks who got out of hand could still get spanked, there's always that option.

But the solution to dealing with taboo or off-topic subjects isn't telling folks they can't talk about them here. They'll just go away and do it somewhere else.
It looks like that's already happening, which is sad.

Tuckahoe
12-18-2009, 16:03
Pickleodion, now there is nothing wrong with going to a forum dedicated to firearms. I am a member of another large gun forum. The main focus is its “technical forums” which covers all aspects of building or maintaining of firearms and accessories. It then has a “hometown” category with sub-threads for each of the 50 state for those with local interests can post whether about the main issue of firearms, or local interests, event, politics, etc. Then there is a “general” forum with is then subdivided into general, LEO, deployed military, history, movies, books, outdoors/camping/survival and NRA. Finally there is the industry section where manufacture and dealers have sub-forums where forum members can post question, bring up issues, make complaints, or compliment those in the firearms industry.

What the owners of the site understand is that you have to keep folks coming back. Just because I enjoy firearms, does not mean I want to talk about only firearms. I also like to have discussions with folks that may share the same interests. So if I am currently involved with building a new rifle I am spend quite a bit of time in the technical side of such a forum. One the other hand I spend just as much time in the generally forum, enjoying the silliness that gun owners can be, the sometimes heated political or religious discussions and social commentary. It’s all entertainment.

It wouldn’t hurt WB (and there is the non-AT subscription forum) to have a couple forums that allow folks and fellow backpackers, who want to talk with backpackers about things other than the trails, gear or hiking.

Regardless, I do love the site and visit it often.

Tuckahoe
12-18-2009, 16:04
And it wouldnt hurt me to better proof read before posting...

emerald
12-18-2009, 16:08
Were you to donate to WhiteBlaze, you would obtain editing privileges and could fix what you don't notice until later.

Tuckahoe
12-18-2009, 16:15
Done!!!!!!

emerald
12-18-2009, 16:24
Donating members' screen names are green rather than blue and donating member appears in place of registered user.

Reid
12-18-2009, 16:51
They do have the general non A.T talk forum here. I use to feel that way myself but I slowly began to realize......no offense to anyone.......that most of those people that lounge around have no lives and I myself have higher forms of entertainment. WB is my favorite place among many because I seem to have more common ground with people here. I'm not defined by how much my pack weighs either. I enjoy BPL's buying and selling forums more than WB but as far as anything else I'd rather be on WB.

Reid
12-18-2009, 16:53
I don't know anyone on WB personally except for my buddy hometown and he's a lurker that won't buy used gear. I hope he reads this.

Pickleodeon
12-18-2009, 17:00
well, the reason I was on the gun forum is because my boyfriend is a member (Sigforum), and he tells me all these interesting thing he learns from the guys on the forum, and just other funny things. So, I started reading it. But my boyfriend doesn't know, cause ya know, they talk about annoying things we do (wives/gf's) and I think it's funny to read them. Also it gives me some insight into what he likes (cause I know nothing of guns), Christmas present ideas, etc. So, I'm snooping, kinda. ;) Does that make me a bad girlfriend? This is the kind of the thing guys bitch about, women snooping.

Anyway, I just think it'd be interesting, I like learning a lot from the people on WB, it's been invaluable to my hike this year. It'd be nice to hear other things their interested in, or just chat about other things, like I posted about cross country skiing a few weeks ago, a more general "general" forum would be a good place for that kind of stuff.

I should've added a poll to this to see if other people would be interested. Hm, maybe when I have some money I'll become a WB paying member too and be able to edit that kind of thing. Any votes, yea or nay?

emerald
12-18-2009, 17:10
Yes, I already voted. Can we expect to see you at The Pinnacle on New Year's Day?:)

weary
12-18-2009, 21:46
I was just reading the post about lack of interest lately on WB. I've been on a couple of other forums and noticed "rooms", forum categories for general things, not just general hiking things, but anything.

One forum I checked out has "The Lounge" which is anything on your mind. Then it also has "The Lair" which is common interests, movies, tv series, literature, etc, but not just related to the topic of the forum, which happens to be guns (don't ask), but anything. And there's also a "What's Your Deal" forum which is basically where people complain about stuff, their day, Comcast screwing them over, bank fees, whatever.

Then, after all of that stuff, there's the forums specifically about topics in the forum, in that case, guns. In this case, Get Togethers, Media, General Hiking, Staight-Forward, Food, Gear, UL gear, Buy/sell, etc.

It seems like a lot of people on WB know each other or have a common interest in things like hiking, it'd be interesting to get to chat as a forum group about other topics and get input, advice, humor, from other people discussing other things.

Does that make sense, or seem like a cool idea, or should I just stick to reading the posts on the other forums? :-?
It does to me. Since these interests are why I joined WB in the first place. My last internet forum , trail place, had very restrctive policies about such things. That site pretty much died, as near as I can tell.

So, I think, there may be room for wiser sites. Or at least sites I would welcome as importatant additions to the internet dialogue.