Future of non-cycling discussion on Bike Hub

[Pure Savage]

I haven't followed this thread and don't know if it is either too late or merely inappropriate to make a rational suggestion.

 

The military (not just in SA) have a rule for officer's clubs; no discussion on religion, politics or sex. 

 

The first two were typically respected, the third less so, but it has served  the institutions well in avoiding unnecessary conflict within a unit.

 

Let us talk nonsense on all topics with the exception of those that are bound to give rise to existential conflict.

Add COVID to that list and call roll it out.

[DieselnDust]

it peaked in about 2007, and held on for a while before gmail really changed things

 

 

but if you are really nostalgic, rapid sports often have old shirts at the expo, go with "burnt orange"

 

edit - joh, they are actually still making them?1!!!

 

https://rapidsport.co.za/Warthogs-orange-mens-unisex-cycle-shirt?path=74_79_82

 

 

NFW!!

[gummibear]

News 24 now doing bike news[emoji106][emoji3]

 

https://www.news24.com/ride24

[Matt]

Thanks for all the comments and feedback on this.

On the surface some might see it as a storm in a teacup, but just as a blanket ban on all non-cycling topics could well harm a finely balanced community dynamic, allowing divisive and sometimes toxic discussions to run unfettered erodes the fabric of that same community.

If you look out at some of the biggest tech platforms the major challenges they face tend to center around political/ideological content & fake news and how best to moderate this kind of content, if at all. Certain threads on Bike Hub reflect the same challenges, albeit on a micro scale in comparison.

We're simply not equipped or designed to monitor and arbitrate on these kinds of issues. It was never our intent or purpose. Bike Hub is a cycling platform after all.

 

At the same time, as many have stressed, these problematic topics don't define the non-cycling discussion section. However large or small, a subset of the broader Bike Hub community find immense value in this area. Our key concern is that the value created for the broader community in some discussions isn't overshadowed by that which is destroyed by other discussions. 

There are many ways in which that can be addressed. We're carefully considering the options based on feedback here and the data.


 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

I've been on the Wilddogs adventure biking forum for as long as I can remember and they obviously suffer with the same issue. Their solution was to allow users to unsubscribe from sub-forums e.g. Politics & Religion. So you essentially block what you don't want to see. The users will then see none of the posts from that thread at all. I found it worked great for my needs.

[Frosty]

 

On 12/11/2020 at 3:12 PM, Matt said:

Thanks for all the comments and feedback on this.

On the surface some might see it as a storm in a teacup, but just as a blanket ban on all non-cycling topics could well harm a finely balanced community dynamic, allowing divisive and sometimes toxic discussions to run unfettered erodes the fabric of that same community.

If you look out at some of the biggest tech platforms the major challenges they face tend to center around political/ideological content & fake news and how best to moderate this kind of content, if at all. Certain threads on Bike Hub reflect the same challenges, albeit on a micro scale in comparison.

We're simply not equipped or designed to monitor and arbitrate on these kinds of issues. It was never our intent or purpose. Bike Hub is a cycling platform after all.

 

At the same time, as many have stressed, these problematic topics don't define the non-cycling discussion section. However large or small, a subset of the broader Bike Hub community find immense value in this area. Our key concern is that the value created for the broader community in some discussions isn't overshadowed by that which is destroyed by other discussions. 

There are many ways in which that can be addressed. We're carefully considering the options based on feedback here and the data.

Hi Matt,

I noticed there was an off-topic thread closed based on some comments that were less desirable not acceptable. While I never read much, I wasn't surprised that it was closed down. Any debate that 

If I may ask, could the off-topic threads be reviewed where useful/informative threads are retained?

As mentioned before, some of us have interests outside of cycling, with some of them in common with other Bike Hub users. Threads like the Woodworking, Photography, Discovery/Momentum, etc., are useful threads that don't (or shouldn't) incite any form of verbal violence, hate speech, etc.

Allow the users of these threads to self-manage the comments from users, by encouraging them to report any unnecessary abuse. 

[Wayne Potgieter]

Why has the Off Topic section been removed as a default option on the new site?

[Dicky DQ]

6 hours ago, Wayne Potgieter said:

Why has the Off Topic section been removed as a default option on the new site?

Because they want us to all go away. Ho be honest, I have been a member of this site since the start but the last 9 months have seen me ignore it due to too much moderation, changes and nonsense.

Ho well another face the advertisers will loose. 

The site has become a sale platform, nothing more nothing less. No sense of community and too many snowflakes. 

@Matt, good-luck, I am sure this has probably been your plan for a while. Problem is, other sales/review platforms are coming online and then what happens....... You become just another one out there.

You or your advertisers won't see me much any more as the only time I come here is to look for an item that may be on sale if and when I need it.

[gummibear]

25 minutes ago, TDFN said:

@Matt, good-luck, I am sure this has probably been your plan for a while. Problem is, other sales/review platforms are coming online and then what happens....... You become just another one out there.

 

I haven’t bought or sold anything in over a year now on any forums.

Facebook market place has just made selling and buying so much easier ????

[shaper]

1 hour ago, gummibear said:

I haven’t bought or sold anything in over a year now on any forums.

Facebook market place has just made selling and buying so much easier ????

Am also buying and selling more on FB marketplace

[Patchelicious]

27 minutes ago, shaper said:

Am also buying and selling more on FB marketplace

Is that a factor of off topic conversations being moderated, or the improved FB marketplace UX and wider adoption?

[ChrisF]

And the reality is that the off-topic posts ARE still very much available, and still very active.

 

Time vs reward .... some of the threads are truly toxic, and without moderation may well open the Moderators up to legal action  (sadly that is the stupid reality of this modern era).    

 

 

Where to buy or sell .... very little difference between the different platforms.  That was BEFORE "Hub Pay", which offers a lot of protection for both parties, especially for those long distance sales.

 

 

The new look....  

[shaper]

3 minutes ago, Patchelicious said:

Is that a factor of off topic conversations being moderated, or the improved FB marketplace UX and wider adoption?

I don't think any topic has an impact on the commercial aspect of buying and selling here on the hub.  Perhaps the change in direction for the site has brought a different type of buyer?  I find it easier to sell on marketplace these days.  Items move quicker and less low ball offers, so perhaps the latter with regard UX and adoption.

[Patchelicious]

40 minutes ago, shaper said:

I don't think any topic has an impact on the commercial aspect of buying and selling here on the hub.  Perhaps the change in direction for the site has brought a different type of buyer?  I find it easier to sell on marketplace these days.  Items move quicker and less low ball offers, so perhaps the latter with regard UX and adoption.

And they allow comments on the adverts ????

[Karooryder]

How the heck did I miss this thread and this discussion. And here I thought the gradual slenderizing of the Off-Topic section was a natural progression of the BikeHub makeover.

Probably too late and flocking a horse which has become part of the archaeological record here. I have been part of the Hub community since 2012. I'm not a (very) regular contributor but I scan over the goings on of the Forum almost daily and over the past 10 years I have noticed a few things:

1. Some users are on this forum ALL THE TIME. I mean, ALL THE TIME. I'm not sure if they are paid by / employed by communications / pr agencies specializing in engaging with online public forums or if they are retired or bored or whatnot. I am amazed (if not puzzled) at the rate at which some users post, comment and reply from early morning to late night, every day, every week.
2. Some users, and very often those mentioned in 1, will only (or largely) engage in off-topic discussions. 
3. Very often these same users are also to be found causing, fueling and perpetuating online brawls and trolling in off-topic discussions. 
4. These same users - through their chronic engagement - accumulate thousands of post counts which, to the uninformed eye, might look like BikeHub street cred and giving these individuals a measure of entitlement on this forum, its management and engagements. They will often have a go at mods and instances where they gang-up on contributors with differing views with a "we as BikeHub" vs you as "noob poster" occur throughout the Off-Topic threads.

5. The above points have caused many Hubbers to stand back and even remove themselves entirely from this Forum. Over the past years we have seen valuable contributors disappear from the forum and with that, insightful contributions diminish.

Having observed the above, I would be in full support of the gradual restructuring (and if necessary unwinding) of the Off-Topic forums. Matt and the mods offer us the opportunity to be part of an online community of individuals who love all things cycling. Let it be. They are not here to oversee online kuier-sessions with general debates, discourses and brainstorms (and I absolutely agree that these are often the best!). And they are definitely not here to mitigate problematic discussions on problematic topics by problematic people.

Maybe it is time to return the Hub to what it was a few years back. And for the rest, perhaps rather power-off PC and head down to the local pub / park / bike shop for some (socially distanced) interaction with real humans.   
     

[Jewbacca]

12 minutes ago, Karooryder said:

How the heck did I miss this thread and this discussion. And here I thought the gradual slenderizing of the Off-Topic section was a natural progression of the BikeHub makeover.

Probably too late and flocking a horse which has become part of the archaeological record here. I have been part of the Hub community since 2012. I'm not a (very) regular contributor but I scan over the goings on of the Forum almost daily and over the past 10 years I have noticed a few things:

1. Some users are on this forum ALL THE TIME. I mean, ALL THE TIME. I'm not sure if they are paid by / employed by communications / pr agencies specializing in engaging with online public forums or if they are retired or bored or whatnot. I am amazed (if not puzzled) at the rate at which some users post, comment and reply from early morning to late night, every day, every week.
2. Some users, and very often those mentioned in 1, will only (or largely) engage in off-topic discussions. 
3. Very often these same users are also to be found causing, fueling and perpetuating online brawls and trolling in off-topic discussions. 
4. These same users - through their chronic engagement - accumulate thousands of post counts which, to the uninformed eye, might look like BikeHub street cred and giving these individuals a measure of entitlement on this forum, its management and engagements. They will often have a go at mods and instances where they gang-up on contributors with differing views with a "we as BikeHub" vs you as "noob poster" occur throughout the Off-Topic threads.

5. The above points have caused many Hubbers to stand back and even remove themselves entirely from this Forum. Over the past years we have seen valuable contributors disappear from the forum and with that, insightful contributions diminish.

Having observed the above, I would be in full support of the gradual restructuring (and if necessary unwinding) of the Off-Topic forums. Matt and the mods offer us the opportunity to be part of an online community of individuals who love all things cycling. Let it be. They are not here to oversee online kuier-sessions with general debates, discourses and brainstorms (and I absolutely agree that these are often the best!). And they are definitely not here to mitigate problematic discussions on problematic topics by problematic people.

Maybe it is time to return the Hub to what it was a few years back. And for the rest, perhaps rather power-off PC and head down to the local pub / park / bike shop for some (socially distanced) interaction with real humans.   
     

This is probably in the top 26 posts I've ever seen on bikehub.

chapeau