Site announcement: Forum Restructuring

[Matt]

Hi Hubbers,

 

Some of you might have noticed a few new forums popping up recently. In addition to some already added we have some further changes in the pipeline. 

 

The Rant ’n Rave forum has been a point of much consideration. Although intended for only complaints or compliments it has become a catch-all for just about anything. As the first forum in the list it becomes the default place for many new topics even if they don't belong there (or simply don't match with the others available) and this gets a bit messy.

 

We do see number of legitimate (and responsible) “rants” and “raves”, but with the wide ranging subjects it becomes even more fragmented. Anything from shops to events, brands and distributors are covered all in one area, each of which could be better served in dedicated sections.

 

Long term we have plans to develop dedicated sections for each aspect with functionality to catalogue and support feedback. For example: significant updates coming to the Events section will see built in feedback mechanisms centred around each event allowing better organisation and aggregation of feedback and importantly closing "the loop" in terms of involving the relevant parties.

 

What does that mean? In short we'll have a dedicated area for each event to publicly provide positive and negative feedback in such a way that includes and alerts the organisers from the outset. This approach will be extended to other common entities, e.g. shops, brands, trails, etc.

 

In the short term though we're changing existing forum structure to better align with the long term goal. The current Rant ’n Rave forum will fall away. This doesn't mean we're disallowing rants or raves though, we're just requesting that they are channeled via the appropriate forum. E.g. event feedback would be placed in the Events forum, Bike shop feedback in Bike Shops & Services, etc. This will provide better organisation and grouping of topics and serves as a step in the direction of the longer term goal.

 

Other changes / additions (some newer than others):

• The Bike Room: A section for general, less formal bike-related discussion. e.g. introductions of new members, newbie guides, etc. (To be added)
   
• Bike shops & services: Discussions, questions and feedback relating to bike shops and service providers
   
• Scam Alert: An extension of the Stolen Bikes & Cycling Safety forums this will house any discussion around suspected or confirmed scams.
   
• Bike Travel: Discussions about travel with your bike. Be it an epic adventure abroad or a local weekend away.
   
• Skills & Techniques: Skills and techniques to help riding your bike, on-road or off-road.  

There are still some areas where the lines are a bit fuzzy in terms of where you should post, e.g. buyers guide vs. product reviews, and some areas perhaps not covered by the existing structure. So if you've got any comments or suggestions of additions or improvements to the structure please have your say.

Thanks,
Matt

[Wez-O]

Sounds good Matt 

[Bloukrans]

As long as you don't remove the "Ladies and Bicycles" thread!

[Rock Guy]

I'm keen to see the changes. Although I don't post very much I do follow a fair amount of discussions. These changes sound like they will be very helpful.

[paul_ct]

, but who's the poor person who has to sort through all the existing threads for the new groupings?

[Pusher]

Please move the Forum Posts to the top left hand of the page. It sucks where it is now!

Edited February 16, 2015 by Pusher

[SwissVan]

SNIPPED...

 

 So if you've got any comments or suggestions of additions or improvements to the structure please have your say.

Thanks,

Matt

 

I wish someone would fix that damn search thing that activates every time the mouse pointer moves over it.... Can't you make it activate by click instead?

 

And why cant I post pics here?

[mrbaker]

Please move the Forum Posts to the top left hand of the page. It sucks where it is now!

If you're using a tablet it's perfect where it is...

Can't please everyone I guess...

[Cookie88]

Sounds great - look forward to seeing some of the changes!

[Bizkit031]

Well done bring on the changes.

[Uni]

If you're using a tablet it's perfect where it is...

Can't please everyone I guess...

I actually find it harder on the tablets. I tend to click on things in error as i prefer to scroll with my right hand.

[Pulse]

I actually find it harder on the tablets. I tend to click on things in error as i prefer to scroll with my right hand.

Agree

['Dale]

That's cool

Good work, Matt

[Wayne Potgieter]

Can we get a rant and rave section for rants and raves?

 

 

Just kidding....like the ideas.

[Grebel]

Is it possible to enforce the minimum post count for the classifieds idea?

 

However.... in order to get the minimum post count, you need to make a valuable contribution to the community. Posts shouldn't count in certain threads or general categories. For example posting 100 pictures in the "I have an idea for a new thread/Ladies and Bicycles" shouldn't count towards your post count...

[Matt]

Is it possible to enforce the minimum post count for the classifieds idea?

 

However.... in order to get the minimum post count, you need to make a valuable contribution to the community. Posts shouldn't count in certain threads or general categories. For example posting 100 pictures in the "I have an idea for a new thread/Ladies and Bicycles" shouldn't count towards your post count...

 

There was an earlier thread relating to a scam ad posted and removed shortly thereafter. In that thread the call for a "XXX" forum post rule was also made. Although my responses there were in the context of a scam ad the bits regarding a decision to implement a minimum post count apply.

 

Forgive the straight quoting from that thread, but what was said there is applicable here. The second quote in particular addresses the minimum post count rule.

 

Your underlined text is one of the key issues. The policing of what is valuable and what is not is just not feasible or practical. Ultimately we'd see a big increase in frivolous posts which add little to that individual's credibility beyond a post count. It does add an additional barrier which would work to a degree, however the knock on effect that would have on the forums would be dramatic and loss of many "forum-shy" yet legitimate advertisers within the Classifieds.

 

We do need to find a solution, but an outright minimum post count is just not it. 

 

Perhaps this is worth separating into a separate discussion as it is an important issue.

 

As a starting point to address these concerns we will be restricting first time classifieds posters by requiring approval on the first ad before it will appear live on the site. From there on they'll be able to post as normal.

In this example [of a scammer posting an ad] the ad would have raised flags immediately and quite likely never have been published.

 

It has been discussed in the past and features to allow this are already scheduled for our next development round for Q1 this year, however we'll prioritise this specific functionality to get it implemented this month.

 

While we work on implementing this asap please continue to report any suspicious ads you come across.

 

 

 

 

While the post count rule works very effectively in purely forum based classifieds, it's not an effective and inclusive solution for us. The classifieds here was once just a small part of the forums and back then a post count criteria would have made sense, but not now.

 

Classifieds is the most used feature on the site, it receives more than double the traffic of the forums and 99% of ads and deals go through without issues.

 

Implementing a forum post count criteria for Classifieds would only harm the community (both classifieds and forums). We'd see a drop off in the number of ads posted (most of which would be good deals from reputable people who just aren't inclined to use the forums). And we'd see an increase in frivolous posts with people just trying to get their post count up. Neither of those are a win in my book.

 

It's a solution that can work and does for many others, but it won't work for The Hub. However, as mentioned in my earlier post, we're not ignoring the calls for stricter criteria in posting ads, just looking to implement it in a more inclusive and sensible manner.

 

As others have said: the current reporting system already works very well, but still it could work better. We often will receive a report after an ad like this already has 5-10 comments from user suspecting a scam, but not have reported it. Don't stop posting comments as it helps warn others, but PLEASE hit report on the ad.