close down the cafe?

[hikerboy57]

On July 16, the hikerboy cyber cafe opened its doors. since then weve had over 71000 visitors. the cafe was designed with the intent of helping to reduce thread drift as well as redirecting the wisea** answers to serious inquiries, which i believe has been largely successful.
Its become a chat room where visitors have posted anything on their minds, and its been one of the most civil forums that exist on whiteblaze.
ive even looked into making tshirts to be sold with all profits to whiteblaze(still need to get approval from attroll once ive finalized the design)
BUT
over the past few days, ive suffered a couple of black eyes and im rethinking whether the site should be allowed to continue or not.
so i wanted to get some feedback from you guys, and figure out whether we should keep it running, or if its time to close it down.

[JohnWayne]

Dude. to Life on WB. I don't care how great a topic is or what is posted, there are always going to be a few on this site who disagree or have to drop someone's ice cream cone on the pavement. I reckon some of the very people who criticize your Cafe do so because they didn't think of it first or it don't revolve around them. I seldom post in the Cafe, but you and your group enjoy it - that's what count. Screw the naysayers!

[HikerMom58]

Dude. to Life on WB. I don't care how great a topic is or what is posted, there are always going to be a few on this site who disagree or have to drop someone's ice cream cone on the pavement. I reckon some of the very people who criticize your Cafe do so because they didn't think of it first or it don't revolve around them. I seldom post in the Cafe, but you and your group enjoy it - that's what count. Screw the naysayers!

JohnWayne... Yay, good for you!!! Hikerboy- These are my thoughts about the Cafe. I think you are a super nice person. I don't feel like I, personally, would ever fit in at the cafe. i'm not "whitty" enough. I do think that sometimes it has been "used" to talk about other members behind their back though. I think that's been the case for me. I have been really hurt by "visiting" the cafe and reading the posts. The one post that sticks in my mind as the most hurtful was the convo in the cafe when Kent Lady took her last "swing at me". I read, in the cafe, that she was a "cool chick" and she was applauded for her actions. *Ouch* I never read any posts written by you that even came close to what I just shared. There are so many more examples of I could write about but it's not important anymore. I try not to hold grudges and I won't. I think you should keep the cafe. I can tell it's a lot of fun for the group. Screw the naysayers!

[Train Wreck]

Why do you have "I could care less" listed twice in the poll actions? Trying to sway the vote?

[coach lou]

Well naturally I want it to stay. I have my own stool and Rasty and I worked our butt off putting up the climbing wall. And no one who hangs out there is allergic to kryptonite.

[Drybones]

The cafe is a good place for the good ole boys to BS. You dont like it, there's another bar down the street. Personally, I'd like a better menu and more Hooter girls and more fights to liven it up, kinda like goin to the Southernair in Columbus when DD Lewis was Mid LB at MS state, always fun watching him throw red necks in the Tombigbee.

[Drybones]

Hey...if it was a respectable place no one would come here.

[Odd Man Out]

I think you should expand to include a brew pub. I would like cellering and hand taps for real ales.
This was not one of the poll options.

[Sailing_Faith]

Saw the thread had 157 pages and figured I was too late to the party to get caught up....

Did that with Seinfeld too.... never watched it till it was being canceled...

[Water Rat]

Just checkin' in real fast on my way to a hike... And I saw this post. Of course, I had to chime in...

If not the cafe, then there should be a place where people can go to just be goofy. I think we all come to WB to escape the boredom, the dreaded "not-being-on-the-trail" syndrome. I do think it has helped to know there is a place to just goof-off, though it might not always have been used for the good it was intended. As far as I know, nobody has been turned away when they have stopped by. That is more than can be said of most threads on WB lately.

When I first dropped by the cafe, I think Train Wreck was the only female there. I was not sure how I would be received in the cafe, but you guys allowed me in and that felt pretty good. I think most women find being on a mostly male forum kind of daunting, but the guys here have been pretty cool about that sort of thing.

My vote is to give it a little more time...See if perspectives change. Then, if ya feel like shutting it down, it will be because you made that choice. Not because people were saying things in the heat of an argument.

I think it is amazing that there still has not been a single argument in the cafe. There is a lot to be said for that. People have not always agreed on things in the cafe, but there seems to be the agreement that it is okay to disagree.

Off to hit the trail.

Water Rat

[Hairbear]

up to you brother its your head ache,and your passion.

[RED-DOG]

Bro keep the CAFE open, if any body around here needs a place to vent or whatever its me and as soon you get those t-shirts finalized and got them in stock tell me i really be interested in getting some of them. RED-DOG

[Another Kevin]

I'd be a little concerned that the length of the thread will eventually put a strain on the software that runs WB. I'm sure that the programmers didn't foresee a thread with over three thousand messages!

Maybe close the cafe thread and open a new one weekly?

(And maybe have a warning at the top of each thread that the discussion is freewheeling and the easily offended should stay away?)

[moytoy]

I couldn't care less! What I mean is that the correct question is that "I couldn't care less". If I could care less then that would show some interest but not wanting to show interest would mean that " I couldn't care less" . Oh mY noW I'm confused but you probably could care less. Or maybe not!

[Hairbear]

im going to add this though,when i first came here to white blaze to gather info from all of you i found what i needed from the sight without saying anything.it was you and others like you that led me to interact and not just lerk.i find you to be a kind compassionate person please dont let the negative ruin what you are doing.the cafe is a good place for newbees to try and fit in.

[Train Wreck]

I couldn't care less! What I mean is that the correct question is that "I couldn't care less". If I could care less then that would show some interest but not wanting to show interest would mean that " I couldn't care less" . Oh mY noW I'm confused but you probably could care less. Or maybe not!

Did you check both the boxes at the top?

[Gray Blazer]

It is a blight upon the face of WhiteBlaze, but, I could care less. I visit, but, never post. However I say, no way, let the cafe stay.

Could use a little live entertainment. I sugest the Gray Blazer Blues Band.

[moytoy]

Did you check both the boxes at the top?

No...Because I could care less then I must care a little but I got so confused that I Checked the wrong box. Can I take back my vote.

[Hairbear]

No...Because I could care less then I must care a little but I got so confused that I Checked the wrong box. Can I take back my vote.

are you a politician.....lol

[Train Wreck]

The regular WB forum has been very useful to me as a section hiker over the past 8 years. I appreciate that. I’ve always had good success in finding answers to most of my questions while in constant lurk mode. It has provided me with tons of great information for section hikers, and only this spring, convinced me to invest in a hammock through reading up on all the great information available through this site.


I’ve spent more active time on WB lately, simply because right now, I have more time to do so. I became interested in the café because of its chat room nature, as opposed to all the factual discussion threads. It’s just been a place to go when you’re not in the mood for all the serious discussions on chossing the best boots, gear inventories, gram weenie-ing, yada yada yada. I don’t see a real problem, as long as people recognize that it’s a chat room and nothing more. I've met a couple of really cool people there, and it did help me feel more comfortable on WB as an oldie-newbie.

Sometimes it descends to downright silliness, but that happens on the other threads too. Nothing going on in there is ever going to win any Pulitzer prizes for intellectual or literary content, that’s for sure


People do kid around in the cafe and sometimes poke fun at current topics. Sometimes a poke may actually "poke" a nerve. If that is a real problem for the majority of people, then maybe the café should close down, but I don't know if that's the case. I personally find it much more disturbing to see recurring instances on the main threads where the OP’s get excessively trashed or beat up on, usually by the same group of people over and over again. I've seen 3 instances of this just in the last 2-3 months.


You know, at the end of the day, “It’s only walking, and boiling water…” (per Coach Lou)