Bonj's thoughts on a better technical section

[marinyork]

1. Admin to create a "Serious Cyclists" forum with Bonj and Noodley as moderators

2. Bonj and Noodley could also form a "standards sub-committee" which could monitor the whole of CC and report back on a periodic basis on numbers of incorrect posting, badly chosen avatars, etc. The time spent on this and moderating the serious cyclist discussions would keep both of them out of mischief.

Why is this so ridiculous? The subsections such as cafe and beginners (and other sections) have evolved so particular people go into particular places, they have their own standards, etiquette and so on, their own cliques. Where there isn't a niche for what people want you see people posting in the wrong section/getting offended. There is actually a lack of a "serious cyclists" area if you look at the subcategories.

 

[wafflycat]

No, absolutely nothing for *serious cyclists* on this forum. Why there's absolutely no catering for the sporty racer, the off-roader, the touring & expidition cyclist, the audaxer.. no, nothing like this on CC. Shaun should be ashamed of his piddlingly-poor forum provision

 

[montage]

This site is great - and I am glad that I contribute such useful and informative posts to it.

Bonj is a great character on this site - so stay bonj ..... I see what bonj means about it not being serious enough.... if you ask a question on the health and fitness forums, all you get is "go to the doctors" or "train slowly" ....but this isn't a forum full of professional grand tour riders...it is full of fat gits with beards and brookes (hides....I didn't mean that...honest) ... and it is a hilarious place to spend cyber time.

 

[Baggy]

....but this isn't a forum full of professional grand tour riders...it is full of fat gits with beards and brookes

How very dare you. Brooks saddles are evil!

 

[tdr1nka]

The problem with having a 'serious cyclist' section is that, as has been ground out in the past is there are too many variables in what actually constitutes being 'serious' and the only ones that honestly matter to Bonj are the ones that exist, almost solely, in his head.

It also constitutes Admin doing the all work just so Bonj can have a soapbox, which frankly no one member of this forum should demand.

 

[bonj2]

... if you ask a question on the health and fitness forums, all you get is "go to the doctors" or "train slowly" ....

By the same token, I don't see the value in replies to technical questions advising no more than "just take it back to the LBS - it should be under warranty".
That may be mentioned, and it may even be the first port of call. But it should at least be qualified with a technical analysis of what the problem is, and what to do if the LBS are no use.
JUST telling someone to go to the LBS exhibits no amount of passing on of cycling knowledge, and is a lazy way to appear to have answered the question without having actually put any thought into it.

 

[marinyork]

No, absolutely nothing for *serious cyclists* on this forum. Why there's absolutely no catering for the sporty racer, the off-roader, the touring & expidition cyclist, the audaxer.. no, nothing like this on CC. Shaun should be ashamed of his piddlingly-poor forum provision

I know very well the subcategories are there, but they aren't well developed. The whole point when someone says this such subsection should be created/modified is on what is posted/isn't posted. They aren't very vibrant sections/enough expertise/friendly enough/serious enough so someone posts in a different section that is busier and someone gets cheesed off with it. Ask yourself if you felt that you couldn't post in the cafe would your view be different? If someone didn't feel like they should post in beginners, was an outlaw in the cafe, couldn't stand the hotheadedness of commuting and just isn't interested in P&L, are the other sections vibrant enough to sustain interest?

 

[TheDoctor]

Tedious wibbling and general You-don't-want-to-do-that-you-should-do-this-ing

I thought you'd gone?

 

[bonj2]

The problem with having a 'serious cyclist' section is that, as has been ground out in the past is there are too many variables in what actually constitutes being 'serious' and the only ones that honestly matter to Bonj are the ones that exist, almost solely, in his head.

It also constitutes Admin doing the all work just so Bonj can have a soapbox, which frankly no one member of this forum should demand.

My original idea stems from not so much the desire to have my own personal soapbox, but a trial of "sandbox moderation" - i.e. what we're saying is, this area of the forum is moderated by xxx, therefore if you don't like xxx's moderation, don't go in that area of the forum. The person who moderates the sub-forum would write a blurb for it, as an abstract/introduction to the type of topics that are likely to spring up there.

I suggested it on the thinking that it wouldn't be too much work to set up and it might be popular. I'm not solely thinking of just me having a sub forum, I would look forward to posting in other people's sub-fora as well.

The idea would live or die by its own merits, really. If people didn't like my sub-forum, no-one would post in it, and it would be closed down. Similar to the Tea? thread. I don't like it, so I never read it or post in it. That doesn't mean it should be closed down. If no-one liked it, it would simply drop off the bottom of the page. That wouldn't happen with a sub forum, but the same principle could be applied manually - if it was noticed it was unpopular, it would be deemed pointless and closed down.

 

[MacB]

what would be really classy is for Bonj to create his own 'serious cyclist' section where seekers of knowledge would be rewarded. For a change I'm not totally mocking here, I've considered the creation of a similar facility myself. Kind of an ultimate knowledge base covering all the information that you need to shlep through the web finding out. Almost as if you took all the best from Sheldon Brown, Wiki, forums, review sites, articles, instructional sites, and rolled it all into one. A great addition would be ordering the data chronologically and also adding in CC'ers real life experiences with various bits of kit.

Realistically this would be a monumental task, possibly one only the skills of a Bonj could cope with. The great SB never finished and that was a seriously longterm project.

I also take the Noodly/Bonj view re staying on track, it can be frustrating when looking for info. Certainly not unique to CC, I find the same on YACF, CTC, Bike Radar and Bike Magic. Technical threads smothered by garbage, whether it's in-jokes, side issues or smartass, generally very short, answers. Though all of these forums are a walk in the park to elicit info from compared to LFGSS. It takes serious patience to find the gems within the dungpile there.

I may be in a minority of those wanting to know the real nitty gritty details. Those that have met me can probably vouch for my 'inquisitive' nature, Dell, TC1 and Teef became a captive audience all the way to Sheffield

Oh yeah, on the OP, you may go in search of Bonj, you may even find him, but can you keep hold of him?

 

[tdr1nka]

Ok then, maybe it's not about you having your own sub forum but then it's not far off being about you having your own way. As has been said before, if you really don't like it, you can always go elsewhere or set up your own forum. Build it and they will come.

 

[marinyork]

Ok then, maybe it's not about you having your own sub forum but then it's not far off being about you having your own way. As has been said before, if you really don't like it, you can always go elsewhere or set up your own forum. Build it and they will come.

I think you're biased. What is qualitatively different about that to the tea thread for example? Or even, the cafe itself?

 

[bonj2]

Ok then, maybe it's not about you having your own sub forum but then it's not far off being about you having your own way. As has been said before, if you really don't like it, you can always go elsewhere or set up your own forum. Build it and they will come.

So whether it's a good idea or not is irrelevant, it just wouldn't be right for me to be seen to be 'having my own way'. That's the sort of mentality we're dealing with, obviously.

 

[TheDoctor]

Yes, that's the mentality we're dealing with - that of a spoiled toddler who wants everything thier own way, but wants someone else to do all the work and pay for it all.. Set your forum up. Let's see if it lasts as long as your blog - about a week, wasn't it?

 

[Archie_tect]

It's 3 o'clock in the morning, I've just finished a set of presentation drawings so I'm feeling tired but happy... I call into CC for a diversion and a bit of fun, to be entertained and enjoy the musings and rantings of fellow cyclists. It doesn't bother me that people have different views or opinions to mine because, let's face it, it's all very trivial compared to the important things and it's all the better for it...

So keep a sense of perspective and have the grace to let people be different and express themselves how they want.

If Shaun has the time and the technical expertise to set up the sub-forum Bonj wants then so be it. If he can't Bonj will have to accept that it isn't going to happen and let it go....

As Cat Stevens so eloquently said, "You'll still be here tomorrow but your dreams may not..." Apologies for being patronising if that's how this reads, it wasn't intended- good night all, see you tomorrow, and have a cuppa tea! [Where are all the fish?]