In the interest of civility, I beg to defer.
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There are many people who cannot stand social media and like a focused forum like WhiteBlaze. I haven’t found the moderation problematic. I was called out one time and it was my fault, in retrospect. I have a blog/website (not hiking related) and can appreciate the moderation challenge. It got to the point where I turned off comments and my forum feature because life’s too short for that kind of thankless work.
WB is no longer as useful as it might have once been. There are a plethora of other sites better geared to current hikers than WB.
I can't think of one single source that serves more people with more information, or that covers more topics than Whiteblaze.
Yes, I've found a few things on BPL; I've found good answers on a forum dedicated to the BWCA; I've actually found informative little nuggets in actual books from an actual library...but Whiteblaze is my first choice and, more often than not, my last stop.
But I have to say that I'm not on Facebook, never have been, so I am speaking from ignorance as to what that is like.
fortis fortuna adjuvat
5 pages since 5/31. I think the trend may have reversed itself.
May 18 = Blastoff!
Destination: Wyoming.
I will let y’all know how the trip went.
Fingers crossed for a Grand Teton Walkup Backcountry Permit.
Keep the resurgence in discussion going!
Cheers!
Wayne
For those with attention deficits wanting a hand held terse "quick and dirty" preparatory approach few do it as well as Paul. https://pmags.com/a-quick-and-dirty-...alachian-trail There are some good AT section and thru hiking articles here on WB, for example, Jack Tarlin's resupply method(s) article and Carrot Tops(?) how to do an inexpensive AT hike. The problem with WB is the info becomes mountainous for Newbies to digest with so many dissenting opinion oriented posts that it makes it difficult to know which opinions apply and which info should be held in lighter or no personal regard.
Many note little attention given to trails other than the AT and maybe PCT. Many note little interest in trip reports. The Walking In Nature's World threads regarding the duo walking across Europe are but one example. The UL Forum still often devolves into a debate about the merits of UL or about non UL preferences. This is not the site for in depth UL gear, tactics or logistical discussion. FKT, speed hiking, and fast packing gets debated more in posts on some threads than meaningful related discussion. I suspect the avg age of posters to be above 40 yrs here as well making for overall older opinions not commensurate with Gen Y attitudes. WB poster demographics I suspect are a tight narrowed bell curve. Posters often go off on unfocused tangents from the original topic sometimes left that way for too long before being moderated. Many have said there is a PC mod bias and have left.
I think youtube AND facebook is the answer.
I joined the AT group on fb last year or the year before. It is like the general section here used to be; newbies asking the "what's the best _______" , followed soon by someone saying "use the search feature".
I got banned when someone asked a firearm question - I answered factually, giving the op the answer he needed to help make his decision. They have a very strict no firearm discussion rule, so I got hit with the ban hammer.
I have been following Dixie's Homemade Wanderlust channel on FB as she hikes the FL trail this year - and admit I watched several of her older videos where she goes over, quite thoroughly, many of the topics/ questions that newbies tend to ask when they join a forum. Darwin, Kyle hates hiking, and several others have hiking/ AT related youtube channels.
While some here on WB are known in the hiking community, most members are anonymous. One of the problems with FB is that, unlike WB, names are mostly verified. As such, posting details of travel, planned trips, trips in progress, etc., is a big security risk. Some may scoff at this, but the world is full of criminals and creeps, and it's best not to make their job easier. You can ask questions here on WB about an upcoming hike, dates, times, travel itineraries/arrangements, etc. without tying it to your real identity. Do it on FB and someone with a little effort and internet smarts could find your identity, address, etc., within minutes just using public records.
Last edited by 4eyedbuzzard; 06-08-2021 at 06:51.
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
Strangely enough, people are most critical towards what is given to them for free. Most users of this forum, as we all can see, do not contribute a dime to it. It is maintained and operated out of love of hikers and hiking I believe, not for profit. So even if it not perfect, it's what we have. My own advise to the operators of WB is that they should be more proactive in attracting the young generation as the median age of a typical WB user is probably closer to my age.
More of an interactive sports on Facebook about hiking. Attroll needs to improve this a bit
BTW, I and many others do "contribute a dime". It may not make profit but I do not think Whiteblaze is registered as a non profit.
Facebook is definitely not free, its just most people do not understand that the personal information they supply aggregated with their activity is a valuable product that Facebook markets. The users are the product.
Last edited by peakbagger; 06-09-2021 at 15:47.
I check whiteblaze about once every six months. I, personally, don't find much educational value in the posts anymore. It's all fireside chat, which is okay. But for current trip repots, gear advice, or just staying current with hiking news/info... whiteblaze is far behind other resources.