Does BT need a new forum? (Page 6)

I've read through a lot of the pages and have seen a few suggestions that I really like, or would think would be helpful. I don't design forums so I am not sure how easy some of these things are to build.

• Adding Keywords (Tags) to threads
• Improving the Search Feature
• Likes/Thumbs Up & Down/Helpful

One of the problems (in a good way) is that there is a constant stream of new people joining the site who may not know exactly where to post and if the question has already been asked 12 times this week. 

I still think of myself as a newbie after 4 years of everything from TATs to a HIM and I have to say I like the above ideas. 

I've been on a few mentor groups and find the ones that are goal oriented with a particular focus do very well and I've learned a lot while others - less vague - tend to peeter off.

Co-mentoring reduces the effort required by the mentor, and handing off to another experienced triathlete enables the thread to continue... no need to archive.

Some threads tend to a be a list of what training the group has done each day so the tools would be a great way to view everyone's activity and keep the thread for discussion purposes only.

The last point is a stickler - my experience has been that 15 people sign up and towards the end there are only a handful of active posters, so adding new people is good however - when you get a group of people together with a goal that is X months out - you grow stronger as a group as you motivate and inspire one another approaching that goal.  Bringing someone in to the fold part way may be difficult for the newb to bond with the group.  I've experienced that on both sides.  But if the thread is goal/focus driven then perhaps that isn't an issue after all.

Overall - I think these are good ideas!  When I first logged on to BT I used to browse the forums all the time but now tend to stick to the mentor group, my regional thread and sometimes, such as today, I will browse the TT.  As others have said - the threads get repetitive so the idea of stickies/hot tags is a good one.  And I visit BT for tri-talk so I like the idea of keeping COJ out of it as it requires less filtering on my part.  I'm not a fan of the bickering and will just abandon the thread once it starts.  Having said that - I've asked stupid questions and received feedback but I'm a big girl and it didn't stop me from participating.  For the most part - the responses contained very good advice.  (don't bring a bucket in to Transition ha ha)

Good luck with it all.  I can't help but admire the people that take such time out of their busy lives so the rest of us can benefit. 

Thanks for the many useful replies.  I started the thread in the hopes that promising ideas and productive discussion would occur.  Given what normally happens on the internet, the result is more than one should have hoped for.

Maybe something positive for everybody will come of it.