Announcement: Changes to non-cycling discussion on Bike Hub

[Gen]

1 hour ago, gemmerbal said:

if Chit Chat/NCR/Off-topic was only available to premium members, I would happily pay to have somewhere to come for some banter.

Ding ding ding we have a winner.. And pls have another payment option available for payment. The credit card thing is not an option for me....????.. I have a sentimental attachment to my current bank account okay I've had it since 19-voetsek.

[Patchelicious]

I would support NCR behind a pay wall. People who pay for things often have a bit more respect for it too.

 

BUT somehow I do not think that is the main motivator to take it down. 

 

Edited June 10, 2021 by Patchelicious

[gemmerbal]

7 minutes ago, Patchelicious said:

I would support NCR behind a pay wall. People who pay for things often have a bit more respect for it too.

 

BUT somehow I do not think that is the main motivator to take it down. 

 

mmm ja probably, I mean how many times do you see people paying cover charge to go in to a nice larnie nightclub just to cause crapola and get thrown out...

still, applications to be accompanied by certified copies of your ID, if you cause k@k, you get blocked permanently... I guess I better start behaving then.

[gemmerbal]

^back in the day when nightclubs still existed...

[Dirkitech]

2 hours ago, Matt said:

I hear you.

But what if the experienced members who's thread sprawling squabbles cause the newbies to leave or never bother asking a question in the first place? In fact we've had many long-time experienced members leave for the same reason. And yes, better moderation absolutely has a key part to play here, but most often it's a conflict and culture stemming from off topic debate that bleeds into cycling discussion in a negative way.

Obviously there's a balance we have to strike, however if members leave a cycling website because we limit their ability to discuss a subset of non-cycling topics then perhaps they weren't hanging around for the right reasons.

 

this is why I left.

Just here to check for a frame and be on my merry way

[Eddy Gordo]

Thanks Matt, interesting road ahead, and I sure good experiences. I aint getting off anytime soon.

[Stretch]

I am not sure how I feel about all of this. I am conflicted. One the one hand I feel almost betrayed that supporters of the site and regular contributors requests are outright ignored, but on the other hand my use of the site is dwindling ....so maybe my input is not the important anyway. I have always mainly played on the NCR side. I think I have sold one bike and bought one bike through here...but it has still be something I interact with daily for the last 12 years. Its also my only real link back to the motherland...but maybe its time to cut the apron strings

[SwissVan]

6 hours ago, Gen said:

 

at a stage we'd come here for a lot of advice on tech and training and and and and.. but I think with GCN's growth a lot of people just go there (if they know about it)  there are other forums for racing  etc, twitter for race news and updates etc. not too sure Bike Hub has enough content or exclusive content to keep people on just bike stuff, that's why I said I think they may be looking into growing their market place and trying to grow their brand to actually make some cash, to be clear there is nothing wrong with that at all.. ( I could be completely off the mark here).

 

It's just sad that the sense of humour has left cause most of us come here to just have a chat and chill out (mostly) yes some days we have Fridays on Tuesdays ... 

 

It is what it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The problem with having a sense of humour is often the people you use it on aren't in a very good mood" - Lou Holtz

 

 

[Chris_]

2 hours ago, Dirkitech said:

this is why I left.

Just here to check for a frame and be on my merry way

It's a pity. I miss your cat profile pic

[Chris_]

The fact that I now count THREE Scott Spark threads should make admin very happy. 

[Chris_]

13 minutes ago, Chris_ said:

The fact that I now count THREE Scott Spark threads should make admin very happy. 

Adding to this - I've just read Durban CBD was shut down today because an old man, armed, ex SANDF, whom was also thought to have been strapped with explosives, stormed the govt employees pension fund building, demanding his pension pittance. 

Now I understand this is a cycling forum, and people like talking about woodwork and TV shows, but I like talking (and reading) about news, and whats happening in the world. So as much as I have really enjoyed getting to know the various characters behind this small community, I honestly don't see this new forum featuring much in my future, despite my best intentions. 

[Skubarra]

7 hours ago, Matt said:

@Gen this reply isn't directed at you specifically but you raise some points I've seen others question and perhaps some further context and history is needed.

It's quite clear from the reactions of Hubbers that Bike Hub means very different things to different groups of users, we know this but it's often surprising to us just how different that can be.

Here is some context from this side of the curtain. 

Bike Hub began life as a rudimentary "message board" in 2004. Since then it has evolved, partly from our input, but mostly shaped by users and what you've used Bike Hub for. 

As early as 2008 the predominant use of Bike Hub was to buy and sell bikes and gear. Back then we had a simple Buy & Sell forum which quickly became a torrent of ads that was near impossible to search or filter. This was the opportunity that lead me to turn Bike Hub from a hobby into a business in 2010.

The Buy & Sell forum became a purpose built Classifieds section with categories and filtering. We've continued to build on this over time as user demands evolved. 

Later we began publishing some content. Predominantly press releases, but at a stage we produced a healthy amount of original content in reviews, interviews, etc. While we enjoyed creating content and without tooting our own horns did a decent job of it on original content, in a world where everything is available online from some serious international players, as a primary revenue driver for the business it felt like a losing battle. This content pre-occupation led us to all but ignore what always the "big opportunity" for Bike Hub. 

About three years ago now we made the decision to re-focus our efforts on the Classifieds. In numbers even then it was the engine room of Bike Hub, accounting for well over 60% of traffic (now well over 75% of traffic). 

All through this journey the forums have lived on and evolved in their own way. We saw the arrival of big social, Facebook, Twitter, Strava, Youtube and even the likes of WhatsApp begin to service some of the role Bike Hub played in connecting cyclists with each other and information. And no doubt other platforms will do similar in future. Despite this, we feel strongly that the forums can and will continue to add value in specific contexts in a way that these other platforms can't.

We know we can't be everything to everyone, and trying to be would see our demise. GCN, Pinkbike, even some Youtubers and many others... there are so many great sources of cycling content in 2021, all globally available. Even on the Classifieds front we're cautiously aware of the likes of Facebook marketplace and other upstarts.

The bottom line is that in order to succeed and thrive we have to focus, play to our strengths. Our core strength lies in Classifieds. Of course the community that surrounds Bike Hub is shaped in part by forum activity, the content we create and other softer factors. The move to reduce the scope of non-cycling discussion will without doubt change the dynamics of the forums. We expect post counts to drop, at least in the short term, but ultimately the move is one in favour of quality (relevance to our domain - cycling) over quantity. 



 

Guess I am one of those that are going to be left behind with the hub focusing on its "core strengths". Im not really big on the classifieds but I understand that you run a business that has to generate money not a public service or charity.

For the most part (even on the heated days) I found the NCR discussions on here to be far more civil than on Twitter, FB etc. Got a lot of breaking news here first rather than on newspages.. Not just a little depressed that its now gone...

Will still be hanging around for the cycling and the non-controversial threads. Old habits die hard.

 

[Hairy]

ok, 9 pages down and I am not going to read through all to catch up...would someone be so kind as to give a point form summary of what is happening 

[ChrisF]

8 minutes ago, Hairy said:

ok, 9 pages down and I am not going to read through all to catch up...would someone be so kind as to give a point form summary of what is happening 

Fridays are going to be quiet .... 

 

Apparently no more mid week Fridays either ....

 

The Hubs core business is the classifieds.

 

The forum side may possibly be more cycling related in future .... or so Matt believes, at least 8 pages may suggest otherwise ....

 

 

O.well .... lets hope some balance is found ....

[porqui]

18 minutes ago, Hairy said:

ok, 9 pages down and I am not going to read through all to catch up...would someone be so kind as to give a point form summary of what is happening 

No Chit Chat !!!!

 

[Frosty]

Stole this from another cycling forum. If you've been there, you'll know which site it's from.
They said "strive to live in the counterargument and above".