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  1. #41

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    I’d also like to speak in defense of the moderators, especially on COVID. While I agree that the moderation was biased a bit in the direction I favor, the reason I liked it was it kept this place focused on hiking, and kept things from slipping into the all caps world of the elephantine vs the asinine.

  2. #42
    Registered User cneill13's Avatar
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    I blame the WB moderators. Too strict, shut down on-going discussions.

    That is why I quit posting and giving financial support to WB.

  3. #43

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    Interesting, FWIW, I've gotta say that the only posts I've had deleted by a moderator were justifiably deleted. I'm an "anti-horse-ite" and had nothing positive to add to a good-faith discussion on hikers and riders. I just couldn't help myself and had to dig at them with negative comments.

    PS Get your lazy butt off the animal and hike up the mountain yourself.

  4. #44

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    I believe forum maturity & consolidation of hiking ideas is a driving force for the lower number of posts. Last week I did a WB topic search and took note of the intensity of some of the older posts. WB could be contentious, but there was a lot of passion in some of the posts.

    Maybe my view is skewed, but it's harder to find discussions on the less popular hiking modes (e.g. tarping, alcohol stoves) & less popular equipment makers. Information on the internet also streamlines our thru hikes, making fewer aspects of the hike up in the air and less to talk about.

  5. #45
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    I unintentionally but regularly (for awhile) got crossways with the moderator, but he used good and consistent judgment in drastically limiting comments about COVID, including mine. Other websites/online communities that weren't as careful ended up seeing their communities fracture over COVID-related topics.

    The decline in WB use has nothing to do with the moderator. It has everything to do with the aging of the community and the proliferation of hand-held devices. WB (and many other websites) were built for the PC rather than the Smartphone. All the younger folks (and plenty of older ones) are posting to Guthooks, YouTube and Facebook. I don't have a Smartphone, so I'll be among the final hanging around the old, made-for-PC websites.

  6. #46

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    Quote Originally Posted by cneill13 View Post
    I blame the WB moderators. Too strict, shut down on-going discussions.

    That is why I quit posting and giving financial support to WB.
    You quit? It's hard to tell.

  7. #47

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    Quote Originally Posted by cneill13 View Post
    I blame the WB moderators. Too strict, shut down on-going discussions.

    That is why I quit posting and giving financial support to WB.
    Yet you are still here, and to put it bluntly utilizing the web site for free. Which is to say, you are complaining about the rules on a free website that you point your browser to where the rules haven't changed since you joined. I'll let you in on a secret folks, even banned members keep trying to join and come back and visit rather frequently even. It's always the same gripe. For 13 YEARS (Sorry HankIV). The user agreement is the same, the moderation is the same. If you want drama go to an unmoderated forum. How many AT hiking groups on FB? It's hard to keep count with the censored and uncensored versions. If you want to be more like FB or other unmoderated forums, you are going to get the drama that goes with it. If you need to be plugged in 24/7, this is not a Twitter feed or a FB wall. It is a forum with structure. If you want to talk about hiking the AT, you are in the right place. All you have to do is follow the user agreement, which starts with
    These rules are designed to make WhiteBlaze useful and enjoyable. Please follow them. As you do, please keep in mind that the purpose of WhiteBlaze is to foster a sense of friendship and community among its members. Behavior that is contrary to that sense of community is not welcome here, and will not be tolerated by WhiteBlaze.
    If you are are gratuitously insulting people, not cool. If you think you are some elite crack hiker mountaineer that's cool but try not to speak less of the common hiker or act like yours is "the Way".

    Since I'm not here to collect followers or create a cult of personality, it's up to you to talk about hiking, so talk away. Plan a trip, ask questions, be respectful, and leave the moderation out of it please. Thank you.
    "Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
    Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
    Call for his whisky
    He can call for his tea
    Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
    Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan

    Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.

  8. #48

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alligator View Post
    Yet you are still here, and to put it bluntly utilizing the web site for free. Which is to say, you are complaining about the rules on a free website that you point your browser to where the rules haven't changed since you joined. .
    I see the "free website" argument a different way. Many posters here have a vast amount of backpacking experience which they offer to Whiteblaze for free.

  9. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by Maineiac64 View Post
    If you did a video trip report on YouTube you would get thousands of views and hundreds of comments.
    This is gonna sound odd but I think still pictures with exhaustive captions offer interested people more facts and information and visual clues than a backpacking YouTube video. This is why some FB posts are so relevant when concerned with specific areas like Cohutta wilderness or BMT trail or Slickrock Creek etc. Plus, in the FB comment section you can add your own detailed pics of the places mentioned. Think of each FB post like an individual WB thread---with comments to follow.

    Problem is, FB has no subject organization and secondly material gets shunted (buried) in deep scrolling as mentioned.

  10. #50
    Registered User LittleRock's Avatar
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    Back to the original topic - one major reason I think there are fewer posts now is Guthooks. There used to be lots of posts asking about trail conditions, water availability, etc. on WB. Those posts are few and far between now. It's a lot easier to just find the location in Guthooks and read the user comments.

    This forum is still very useful for general backpacking and gear related advice. While these threads are useful, they can also get repetitive. (How many times has the food hanging debate been re-hashed?) I've spoken my piece on a fair number of these threads over the years and don't see any need to do so a second or third time.

    The search feature here is as good as any forum I've seen. Lots of old threads out there that are still very much worth reading now.
    It's all good in the woods.

  11. #51

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    Quote Originally Posted by LittleRock View Post
    The search feature here is as good as any forum I've seen. Lots of old threads out there that are still very much worth reading now.
    Your comment reminds me of the time about 10 years ago when WB installed an upgrade and all my old trip reports (with pictures!) got permanently deleted. Everyone's did.

  12. #52

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    I see the "free website" argument a different way. Many posters here have a vast amount of backpacking experience which they offer to Whiteblaze for free.
    And the forum is provided for free as well, with donating members expected to follow the rules the same as regular members. Donating/not donating is not the point here though. The point is, people that complain about the moderation still point their browser here to read about the AT and hiking, even when they're banned which is what you cut out when you selectively quoted me.
    "Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
    Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
    Call for his whisky
    He can call for his tea
    Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
    Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan

    Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.

  13. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    I see the "free website" argument a different way. Many posters here have a vast amount of backpacking experience which they offer to Whiteblaze for free.
    They don't offer their backpacking experience to "Whiteblaze". They offer it to other hikers for free and that is the beauty of it.

  14. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by cneill13 View Post
    I blame the WB moderators. Too strict, shut down on-going discussions.

    That is why I quit posting and giving financial support to WB.
    I have similar sentiments as yours sometimes but..........let not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Are you going to sacrifice the entire site just because they remove a comment of yours (or mine)?

  15. #55

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    Quite the interesting discussion!
    I post very little, mostly around trip planning, re water/campsites. Not sure what I would do without the shuttle and hostel/lodging information that WB keeps up to date. Those pages are vital to me as a section hiker.
    As a single, retiree, I find WB to be a friendly companion that I have lunch with, almost daily. Always good information!

  16. #56
    Registered User hobbs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Roper View Post
    I unintentionally but regularly (for awhile) got crossways with the moderator, but he used good and consistent judgment in drastically limiting comments about COVID, including mine. Other websites/online communities that weren't as careful ended up seeing their communities fracture over COVID-related topics.

    The decline in WB use has nothing to do with the moderator. It has everything to do with the aging of the community and the proliferation of hand-held devices. WB (and many other websites) were built for the PC rather than the Smartphone. All the younger folks (and plenty of older ones) are posting to Guthooks, YouTube and Facebook. I don't have a Smartphone, so I'll be among the final hanging around the old, made-for-PC websites.
    I think you hit it on the head and so did alligator on his first post. BUt yea I agree with you. I returned to see and research some info this year. Gutthooks came along in 2014 on 2015 I had ity didnt use it. still dont. Ehy do I need to look at the comment section on Gutthooks on water sources. I dont i can ration my water as normal and look at a source thats in a guide book just as easy. So I enjoy actually staying off my phone...
    My love for life is quit simple .i get uo in the moring and then i go to bed at night. What I do inbween is to occupy my time. Cary Grant

  17. #57
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alligator View Post
    The point is, people that complain about the moderation still point their browser here to read about the AT and hiking, even when they're banned which is what you cut out when you selectively quoted me.
    I am very grateful WB is no longer a place for left vs right debate.

    Given the Mods wisdom in exorcising that from the forum, I can pretty much overlook any small oversteps on other things.

    It would not be an overstatement to suggest that moderation saved White Blaze as a good resource for the AT community, IMHO.

  18. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by hobbs View Post
    I can ration my water as normal and look at a source that's in a guide book just as easy. So I enjoy actually staying off my phone...
    I also use date from a guidebook and I always take a map and compass (sometimes I like to wander). I also frequently talk to other hikers about water sources if there is a long dry stretch ahead. You can get a lot of up to date information from just talking to people coming the other way.

  19. #59
    Registered User hobbs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonnycat View Post
    I also use date from a guidebook and I always take a map and compass (sometimes I like to wander). I also frequently talk to other hikers about water sources if there is a long dry stretch ahead. You can get a lot of up to date information from just talking to people coming the other way.
    I am not going to tell you a false but i do take my phone. It seems now you have to call ahead as opposed where we just hiked up to a hostel do to covid. But yoour totally right all you need to do is ask other hikers coming the opposite direction or just shoot the breeze. The last time i saw a map on the AT was a returned vet renger doing a thru in 2015 and we all around him were checking it out..Most hikers now if their just getting into Backpacking their lost on Navigation. I like to get a rational Poll of how many accidents and emergencys do to inreach now...
    My love for life is quit simple .i get uo in the moring and then i go to bed at night. What I do inbween is to occupy my time. Cary Grant

  20. #60

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    ...still pictures with exhaustive captions offer interested people more facts and information and visual clues than a backpacking YouTube video. .
    Hear, hear! And thanks

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