Whadya think of new forum?

[Rain Man]

Might be a good alternative site for all those who abuse WhiteBlaze (a place for AT enthusiasts) by posting non-AT stuff and those who engage in pissing contests (oops, that new place says they won't allow that!)?

RainMan

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[Mags]

Might be a good alternative site for all those who abuse WhiteBlaze (a place for AT enthusiasts) by posting non-AT stuff ....
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If the owners of this BBS have forums for non-AT stuff, then it is not abuse. Is it?

Don't like non-AT stuff...don't read it. Never understand why you kvetch so much about non-AT forums when you have a choice about reading them or not.

Since the owners of this site have setup serveral forums for non-AT issues, I would tihnk it is quite fine to post in the non-AT areas and not "abuse" as you say.

This site is for AT enthusiasts...not exclusively for the Appalachian Trail.

[sierraDoug]

If the owners of this BBS have forums for non-AT stuff, then it is not abuse. Is it?

Don't like non-AT stuff...don't read it. Never understand why you kvetch so much about non-AT forums when you have a choice about reading them or not.

Since the owners of this site have setup serveral forums for non-AT issues, I would tihnk it is quite fine to post in the non-AT areas and not "abuse" as you say.

This site is for AT enthusiasts...not exclusively for the Appalachian Trail.

Now, this would never have gotten by the admin at PBF.

[Heater]

Might be a good alternative site for all those who abuse WhiteBlaze (a place for AT enthusiasts) by posting non-AT stuff and those who engage in pissing contests (oops, that new place says they won't allow that!)?

RainMan

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Like you just did?

What about whiners?

[attroll]

Here is another site that has been up for a while now that never took off either. It looks to be a good well thought out site too.
www.thruhikes.net

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Personally, I don't see a problem with new sites springing up. The new site under discussion has an entirely different feel than this forum and may become a place for those who choose a less 'wide-open / pretty much anything goes' environment for sharing hiking information to post & read.

WhiteBlaze is an older site and has evolved to where it is via trial and error. It strives to accommodate the entire hiking community. This new site, if it survives, will do the same over time. For now, it is small enough that the moderators can manage to keep a lot of the negativity that plagues all large sites - regardless of their topic area - off the site. I find that refreshing. The members generally get to know each other more deeply on smaller sites than on sites with thousands of members - that is both a good and a bad thing. Obviously, the number of people reading and commenting on smaller sites is smaller, but this is somewhat offset by the fact that people tend to respond with more depth on smaller sites.

SgtRock & ATTroll do an excellent job of administering this site and I know it isn't easy. I help administer a couple of sites (not about hiking) with similar-sized membership to WhiteBlaze and the problems are constant.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Think this could be the guy?
http://www.berniewilt.com/blog/about.php

That is the guy.

The new Practicalbackpacking forum doesn't seem to be doing very well - it dwindled down to just a handful of people discussing their hiking and gear preferences among themselves. It is far too heavily moderated for my taste - made me appreciate this place much more.

[Skidsteer]

That is the guy.

The new Practicalbackpacking forum doesn't seem to be doing very well - it dwindled down to just a handful of people discussing their hiking and gear preferences among themselves. It is far too heavily moderated for my taste - made me appreciate this place much more.

I signed up in order to be allowed to scan the member profiles and get a feel for the folks who make up the membership. No dice. I still wasn't allowed to view the profiles. I've lost interest in it as a result.

[Clark Fork]

That is the guy.

The new Practicalbackpacking forum doesn't seem to be doing very well - it dwindled down to just a handful of people discussing their hiking and gear preferences among themselves. It is far too heavily moderated for my taste - made me appreciate this place much more.

"too heavily moderated"? I'll say so....

I posted a couple of times and got prompt private e-mails back admonishing me for the error of my ways. My transgression? I posted an URL incorrectly! My post was edited and "fixed" by the Moderator in Chief. Later I responded to a post that apparently had drifted "off topic." The second e-mail to me on posting something off topic was entitled "Gentle Nudge." The thread was locked after my post. I accepted the "Gentle Nudge" picked up my marbles and went home.

I thanked them, promised to be a good little boy and skedaddled back to Whiteblaze.net where I am free to be an idiot. Word to the wise, if you decide to post on their site, learn the rules, study up, and for heaven's sake, don't go off topic.

Say, Frolickers, and this is way off topic, I saw a great bumper sticker the other day and thought of you guys. "We stop at all dinosaur crossings."

Now I will wait to see if our folks at Whiteblaze have learned anything and will call in an air strike for posting off topic.

Regards,

Clark Fork in Western Montana "Where Seldom is Heard a Discouraging Word."

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea, Forum....

WHAT FORUM?

KZ@

[Pacific Tortuga]

Here is another site that has been up for a while now that never took off either. It looks to be a good well thought out site too.
www.thruhikes.net

It may be due to the fact they have a special hammock section

[Just Jeff]

Yep - my whole thread got deleted b/c I asked about the copyright notice...in the PBF Help forum. It's pretty heavily moderated but at least it stays on topic. I'm not ready to give up on it yet.

The whole secrecy thing over how many posts you need to "earn" certain privelages is kinda irritating, though. I had to have so many posts before I could create a poll, and I'm guessing that viewing the profiles is the same way. Why should this be secret?

But it's his forum - I'll play nice as long as it's useful.

[Skidsteer]

The whole secrecy thing over how many posts you need to "earn" certain privelages is kinda irritating, though. I had to have so many posts before I could create a poll, and I'm guessing that viewing the profiles is the same way. Why should this be secret?

But it's his forum - I'll play nice as long as it's useful.

Maybe he could be persuaded to participate in a "forum reciprocity program" whereby WB posts( or a percentage thereof ) transfer like college credits.

Nahh! He probaby developed his "forum moderation philosophy" as a result of reading our threads on White Blaze. Different Strokes......

[Jack Tarlin]

There are internet Trail Forums that in my opinion aren't moderated ENOUGH.
There are others that are obviously moderated too much. And we sure don't need any more overbearing ones.

For folks seeking nuts and bolts information about the Trail, especially those planning their first long-distance backpacking trip, there are, in my opinion, sufficient forums already; there may in fact be TOO many for most folks to keep up with. When information is too widely dispersed, it means that most folks will never see it.

If Whiteblaze folk want to go check out new forums, that's fine, but keep in mind that WB has become, in a few short years, THE best place to share and exchange information on the the A.T. If you want your message heard and read, and if you're really interested in sharing stuff with folks and helping the new guys, THIS is the best place to do it.

[Just Jeff]

...WB has become, in a few short years, THE best place to share and exchange information on the the A.T. If you want your message heard and read, and if you're really interested in sharing stuff with folks and helping the new guys, THIS is the best place to do it...

Agree. But that one isn't just about the AT, and for us folks who no longer live near the AT it's nice to have a forum that's not focused on the East Coast. I know there are "Other Trails" forums here, too, but it's still nice to have a forum where I'm not in the minority (except as a hammocker ).

I wonder how long it'll take for PCT-L to migrate to a WB-style board. The format now is too cumbersome to me to bother with.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

The whole secrecy thing over how many posts you need to "earn" certain privelages is kinda irritating, though. I had to have so many posts before I could create a poll, and I'm guessing that viewing the profiles is the same way. Why should this be secret?

But it's his forum - I'll play nice as long as it's useful.

The secrecy thing plus several 'gentle nudges' were the deal breakers for me. I wish Ma Huasheng would post here. His post were among the best I'd seen anywhere, but he left that site.

[Just Jeff]

Yeah - I got a not so gentle nudge about that thread. Really came across as "who are you to question me?"

[sierraDoug]

I like that it's not about the AT, and that it's not full of silly, nasty name calling and such.

I don't like just how much of a control freak he is. But I can see how it's sorta the best way to keep the silly nasty stuff out. On the other hand, going off topic, or asking how things work there seems harmless, or a fair subject.

I bet the priveleges thing is meant to encourage you to put up a lot of posts so the site will grow. Just a guess.

Just goes to show how hard it is to run and grow a really good forum.

[Frosty]

If you want to try a good AT forum, consider

http://appalachiantrailservices.com/

It has forums, not overused yet. And the planning section is great. Every road crossing has a web page, and had information about everything a thruhiker could possibly want.

In fact, I think I'll post what they do have in its own thread

[TN_Hiker]

I was curious and had to check it out as well. Some things are that forum are annoying. I think Mr. Bernie is a control freak. Every WB should at least visit the other forum so they will realize how damn good we have it on WB!!!