prob the last its no diff then any yr in many ways a lot of hikers are inteverts anyway,kyhipo
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prob the last its no diff then any yr in many ways a lot of hikers are inteverts anyway,kyhipo
Likewise; they are useful on the road or just to check in from time to time, but that's about it. I do have Osmand with the contour lines installed on the phone in case I were to ever need it, but 99.99% of the time it just lives in the pack.Quote:
Originally Posted by hobbs
That having been said, if I was going to sail around the world I would definitely have a full compliment of electronic nav devices, but not out hiking on the trail.
As a young-ish person who tries to dip their hands in everything at the buffet, I go to different sites for different types of content. WB is and will always be THE comprehensive experiential platform for AT thru hikers. The amount of knowledge here is staggering and many times I've had to step away during my research on old threads just to try and wrap my head around the sheer volume of information that is covered.
I go to YT for entertainment's sake--if it's late and I'm tired and I just want to look at pretty trail videos. I very seldom watch How-to videos on YT because I feel that just one person droning on to a camera is less thorough than a forum with a multitude of diverse experiences. I follow FB hiking groups but you tend to see a lot of the same content posted again and again ad infinitum. Instagram is great if you're good at photography and/or photogenic but for the most part it's incredibly vapid and dull.
I would argue that sites like The Trek have given a lot of younger hikers the idea that what they're doing needs to be chronicled 24/7 and WB is not conducive to that. Additionally I think the comments section on Guthook has taken away some of the "current event" posters who like to stay up-to-date on specific sections of specific trails.
I come to WB if I have questions and I'm serious about finding an answer.
Exactly it has it purpose. I was in communications in the military. Last thing I want is to be on the phone...IYour correct on navigation on water...But yeah I prefer a compass that how we did our jobs 95 % of the time...Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonnycat
Well said.Quote:
Originally Posted by Old_Man
In regard to the numerous comments I've read in this thread about how this forum isn't "phone friendly", I find myself smiling at the irony. For me, WB long ago became a "phone ONLY" platform, because I access it through the Tapatalk app. These days, I rarely even open my computer (usually only at tax time [emoji853]), but when I do use my computer to visit the WB site, it seems clunky and foreign to me in comparison to the Tapatalk version. So I prefer to use my phone, and I check in countless times everyday -- even when I'm not following a specific thread. Often it's just mindless & reflexive (and yes, that is indicative of me spending waaaay too much time with my phone...that's a different subject), but it's also been a comfort over the last year (or more.) Whiteblaze feels like that bar in "Cheers" -- full of characters, some of whom might make me scratch my head, but I can always walk in and feel like I'm with like-minded souls.
When I first joined WB I was amazed at the different conversations that took place; verbal fighting from a keyboard. It was entertaining to say the least. At the same time there was great info in many threads. I am thankful that the fighting is no longer tolerated but I guess fewer commentators is a casualty of the needed moderation.
I think you hit it correctly the TREK wants them to be online 24/7 I only find one of their hikers worth following this year. They did a fip flop. Your right abiout this being a major source of info..I also looked at what alligator said about the different groups on FB. Hes right its either Modirated or hardly. No inbetween. I had to give details and why I wanted access to the Sobo attemp class page. I told them the truth this year Ill do trail magic two spots in Virginia for the SOBOS. They hike majority solo and dont act entitled...Quote:
Originally Posted by Old_Man
I'll second the recommendation to access WB and other similar forums on tapatalk if you're using a phone. Makes navigating the site pretty phone friendly. It only takes a few minutes to learn the ins and outs. There's a free version with small banner ads, and a pay for "VIP" version that's $1 a month that gets rid of the ads.
It has to be that folks are using their phones to get answersQuote:
Originally Posted by nsherry61
I remember when new posts were more than 15-20.
I tried Tapatalk today, and yes much easier way to,use the phone for WB. Thanks Two Spirits for the tip.
I would bet that the WB host has lots data about posting frequency, etc. I notice that posts tend to come in waves or cycles - interesting topics get lots of discussion, fewer posts on weekends when (hopefully) many of us are out hiking, etc.
I don't think it is the profusion of people now using phones to access the web. www.parkstamps.org has a substantially similar forum design and its usage appears to be growing with its membership.
The moderators there do not delete posts. They will directly and publicly respond to posts within a thread that they deem inappropriate and will close a thread if they think things get out of hand.
Americans inherently don't like censorship. Yell at me; but don't silence me b/c I say something you disagree with.
So I believe it is the manner in which WB's user agreement is implemented, and not the technology, that is leading to fewer posts.
Not a fan of WB’s mobile version, so I just toggle it off.
Everyone knows the full-site version is available on their phones, right?
If not, just click on the two A’s at the top of the screen.
I have a small-screen phone and it formats great, with a pinch every now and then.
Agreed - I find the full desktop version much more usable on a modern phone than the official mobile interface.Quote:
Originally Posted by rickb
Since you brought it up, I am only going to respond once about it here and that's it. Some Americans don't really understand censorship as prohibited by the 1st Amendment, which is a perception problem. The 1st Amendment prohibits censorship by the Congress (government). You can be censored by private business, you can be censored in your workplace, you can be censored in a private home, etc., often without any fanfare because there are rules and etiquette in place regarding acceptable speech. For instance, if somebody came and spray painted racist bigoted messages inside or outside your house or business, I suspect the majority of people would repaint. Yet you would be censoring the spray painter.Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackCloud
Simply put, you can't leave every post up that violates the rules (think of the spraypaint issue). It rewards trolling, hijacking, spamming, and offensive posting. It is abundantly clear from examples of leaving offending posts up or arriving late to the thread that certain types of posts will derail threads or have negative impacts on the website. Again though, moderation hasn't changed tactics significantly in over a dozen years. These type of threads always draw out a vocal minority of members who have been moderated versus the thousands who haven't. Our rules are clearly stated, available, and referenced and we do ask that they be followed. If you need to be mad about breaking the rules, be mad at yourself and accept responsibility for your actions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickb
I prefer to use the desktop version myself because I know where all the website tools are more readily available. So I don't use the mobile version at all really and ATTroll handles website architecture. On other forums and websites though I prefer the full versions too. The mobile and Tapatalk versions differ but I don't know how much so since I don't use Tapatalk.Quote:
Originally Posted by CalebJ
While the ads and memes on FB are annoying, I love having all my groups on one platform.
If that was the case, Facebook and Twitter, two sites that regularly delete content, if not entire accounts of people/groups they disagree with, would be out of business.Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackCloud
I think there are two differences.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonnycat
1. FB & Twitter more often just "shadow ban" people by not promoting certain posts. Yes they do expel people as we've seen, but as a % it is statistically irrelevant.
2. They are so large now that there are no alternatives. Here @ WB (and other relatively small forums) you interact w/ the same people over and over again & it's more like a community. Start to dislike the small community and you drift away....
I may very well be incorrect, but I don't think technology is doing it b/c other like forums are growing. It's something else.
It was never necessary, but it is still useful.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogwood