General Discussion Triathlon Talk » It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk Rss Feed  
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2017-03-08 7:38 AM
in reply to: SevenZulu

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Originally posted by SevenZulu

Maybe the state forums could be merged into regional forums.  I don't see many posts at all happening in the Cali forum.  Perhaps other state forums are more active?




I second this idea. The Iowa forums aren't very active either. Also, I live on the Iowa/Illinois border and am easily within driving distance of Wisconsin, so being part of a regional forum would be helpful to me.


2017-03-08 7:55 AM
in reply to: Rooster519

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

I've been a member here since 2007, and actively posting since about the beginning of 2010.  EVERYTHING I learned about how to accomplish my first triathlon was from TT and the Gear Questions sections.  My local Maryland forum was pretty active back then, too, and we actually had some meet-ups around here.  I joined a mentor group in 2011 and I've been part of at least one ever since.

As BT membership peaked through about 2014, I was everywhere posting, sharing/teaching, and learning - TT, Gear Questions, The Peloton (that was a great sub-forum),  the Challenges, and even the injury area (no surprise there, huh??).  You would get dozens of well-respected, knowledgeable responses to pretty much anything you asked, and sometimes some feathers got ruffled if people didn't hear what they wanted to hear.  That friction contributed to the banning of some key posters here (Bryan D, Fred Doucette are two that immediately come to mind), and BT went downhill from there.  Maybe the redesign contributed, too, though to be honest while I found the new design less friendly, I wasn't overly upset about it and just got used to it.

Now I still hang out in TT and post some responses now and then, my Maryland forum has had any action in probably four years, I hang out with two mentor groups (BDAS, and the Manatees occasionally).  The rest of the forums are pretty much worthless to me anymore.

I tend to pose more personal questions to the mentor groups where I have people I "trust" (well, at least as much as you can trust someone that you've never met in person LOL  ), though there are certain people that still answer questions in TT (Ben, Jason, Marc, Arend, among others come to mind...) that have specific expertise that I want input from.  I post it there because I think others could benefit as well.

TT isn't what it used to be, but hell nothing is.  It is what it is, which is still a good thing in my opinion.

2017-03-08 10:18 AM
in reply to: SevenZulu

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Originally posted by SevenZulu

Maybe the state forums could be merged into regional forums.  I don't see many posts at all happening in the Cali forum.  Perhaps other state forums are more active?




I'm looking into this. I'd like to establish a way for BT users to continue to find each other in real life before merging the forums. I'm researching that now. For example, if people fill out the "state" in their profile, maybe we can create a way to at least have a listing of users in your state, ordered my most recent activity on the site, so you could still find people near you.
2017-03-08 11:25 AM
in reply to: alicefoeller

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

Originally posted by alicefoeller
Originally posted by SevenZulu

Maybe the state forums could be merged into regional forums.  I don't see many posts at all happening in the Cali forum.  Perhaps other state forums are more active?

I'm looking into this. I'd like to establish a way for BT users to continue to find each other in real life before merging the forums. I'm researching that now. For example, if people fill out the "state" in their profile, maybe we can create a way to at least have a listing of users in your state, ordered my most recent activity on the site, so you could still find people near you.

Just a quick look at the state forums showed 25 states with no activity in 2017, and there are some (like DE, which actually has a pretty good tri community) that haven't seen any activity since 2014.  And the only reason my state has any activity is from a "hey, who's out there? thread I started last year.  LOL

I think the regional idea has merit, especially for those of us in smaller states where we might have local races in several states (for instance, I can get to PA, NJ, DE, MD, DC, VA, and WV by car in under two hours). 

2017-03-08 2:00 PM
in reply to: jmhpsu93

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Do you all think anyone would use regional forums?
Or should we just merge the state forums with Tri Talk (thus preserving all the old threads), and make it so that if you click, for example, the "Ohio" in my profile information under my pic, you could see all the users who also have Ohio in their profile, in a list with the most active people on the site at the top?

If we did New England, mid-Atlantic, SE, Midwest, etc., what would people use those forums for?
We already have the ability to start threads for specific races, so people training for IM Louisville, for example, who are from Virginia, Ohio, and Tennessee and other places can all stay in contact.
2017-03-08 3:10 PM
in reply to: alicefoeller

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Move them all to TT.


2017-03-08 4:47 PM
in reply to: Goggles Pizzano

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

Originally posted by Goggles Pizzano Move them all to TT.

x2

For the activity in them, it wouldn't swamp the forum.  Doing so explicitly would also perhaps make it "OK" for people to ask state or region specific questions on TT and not get blown up for doing so (not that anyone would or that those posts are so frequent).

Honestly, it would be great if the states or regions had a lot of activity, but it just isn't so of late.

As you say, the race threads are one place you get some of that now anyway (definitely was my experience for Timberman and Galveston a few years back - people from the region and beyond were on those, not just the host state, which made them even more useful).

I suppose one place that would be left out would be the smaller local races that often don't have their own thread, but it doesn't seem like the state fora have a lot of that activity anyway...

Would be interested to hear other downsides that I'm missing. 

Matt

2017-03-08 9:11 PM
in reply to: Goggles Pizzano

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
I visit the forum every few days. I read quite a bit more than I post, usually when I see that someone may have already responded in the same way that I might. I found the race specific forums for IM especially helpful/ informative when training. It was fun to see who was doing the same event and sharing that information. I've gotten a lot of good information from this forum over the years. Would hate to see it disappear.
2017-03-09 5:31 AM
in reply to: Rooster519

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

I have been on BT for many many years.  I would be crushed if every single bit of my training for the last 13 years got washed away and every single one of my race reports were suddenly gone.  The site has changed a lot.  I think there are a lot more options for people to get information RE: tris now than 13 years ago.  Mike leaving the site was bad, the format change was bad, getting rid of chat was bad.  Its a LOT less social than it used to be.  No more big meet ups of people at races and meeting people IRL.  Yes a lot has moved over to FB and people drift away from the sport as well. 

I think killing tri talk would be a big mistake.  This site has been a big part of my triathlon journey and I would be so sad to see it go. 

2017-03-09 1:54 PM
in reply to: Socks

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Just to be clear, no one in "The Management" is proposing getting rid of the Tri Talk forum, or forums in general. I'm responding to a thread someone started.

If for some reason we did want to do that in the future, it certainly would not impact anyone's training logs or data.

The only way that information would ever be lost is if the site closed down. And that would happen if no one ever came here anymore.

So keep the suggestions coming, and we'll keep the improvements coming! And invite your friends! Like I said, traffic is up over last year, and we've had some new advertiser interest.

It sounds like folding the state forums into TriTalk, and coming up with more ways to find people near you (making the state in your profile a hotlink) is an acceptable solution to most everyone?

Alice
2017-03-09 5:04 PM
in reply to: Goggles Pizzano

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
I'll throw in my $0.02.

Coming from when I started, I wouldn't have felt comfortable jumping right into a mentor group. I liked the idea of just throwing questions out there and being able to get feedback.

My time on this site has diminished significantly. The reason for that is that I'm sort of in the middle now. I've been doing this long enough to know what I'm doing, and I am continuing to see gains through all three sports, so I don't have a lot of questions. However on the flip side, I don't feel that I'm as knowledgeable as other posters to really answer questions. I'll lurk regularly now, but typically I'll see a post that I could answer, open it and see that someone gave an appropriate response and move on. The only thing I could add would be a "^^ x2" which doesn't do much.


2017-03-09 5:19 PM
in reply to: mcmanusclan5

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

Originally posted by mcmanusclan5

Originally posted by Goggles Pizzano Move them all to TT.

x2

For the activity in them, it wouldn't swamp the forum.  Doing so explicitly would also perhaps make it "OK" for people to ask state or region specific questions on TT and not get blown up for doing so (not that anyone would or that those posts are so frequent).

Honestly, it would be great if the states or regions had a lot of activity, but it just isn't so of late.

As you say, the race threads are one place you get some of that now anyway (definitely was my experience for Timberman and Galveston a few years back - people from the region and beyond were on those, not just the host state, which made them even more useful).

I suppose one place that would be left out would be the smaller local races that often don't have their own thread, but it doesn't seem like the state fora have a lot of that activity anyway...

Would be interested to hear other downsides that I'm missing. 

Matt

x3.  Merge them into TT.

The PA forum used to have some activity, but it's died to almost nothing in recent years.  I believe in large part that's because the things that used to be discussed there are now being discussed in Facebook groups like Central PA Tri Geeks.

 

2017-03-09 10:22 PM
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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

Ughhhh......just an observation.....there is already a pretty good model for what works as far as the number of forums. You know where it is.

IMO you could do away with almost every forum except TT, the classifieds, and an "off topic" forum and have a very viable board.  What makes this board stand out is the attitude of the posters.  If you need an example, go to the political forum.  You can't find another political forum, in today's climate, where the discussion is more civil.

As for the mentor groups.......I'd throw a hand grenade in there and make the posters find a place on the main board...or leave.  It's not like they are contributing to the health of the board.



Edited by Left Brain 2017-03-09 10:25 PM
2017-03-10 10:54 AM
in reply to: Left Brain

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

On the other hand, the "civil" part of the forum is what ruined it.  People giving absolute garbage advice, and when told its garbage advice turn into whining crying babies.  Forget that the people posting a contrary recommendation are those who have had actual success in triathlon.  Thats what made me almost non-existent in this forum.  Bryan's banning was the beginning of that.

2017-03-10 11:16 AM
in reply to: dmiller5

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

Bring back the girls of BT threads!!!!

 

do we still use red for sarcasm?

2017-03-10 11:34 AM
in reply to: dmiller5

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

Originally posted by dmiller5

On the other hand, the "civil" part of the forum is what ruined it.  People giving absolute garbage advice, and when told its garbage advice turn into whining crying babies.  Forget that the people posting a contrary recommendation are those who have had actual success in triathlon.  Thats what made me almost non-existent in this forum.  Bryan's banning was the beginning of that.

This is one of the reasons I don't post as much anymore.  I like to think I'm pretty civil, but there are still situations where the best thing for the community is for an individual to be told they're clueless.  The attitude that everyone's opinion is equally valued and must be treated with equal amounts of respect undermines the overall average quality of the information shared.

 



2017-03-11 5:41 AM
in reply to: TriMyBest

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Originally posted by TriMyBest

Originally posted by dmiller5

On the other hand, the "civil" part of the forum is what ruined it.  People giving absolute garbage advice, and when told its garbage advice turn into whining crying babies.  Forget that the people posting a contrary recommendation are those who have had actual success in triathlon.  Thats what made me almost non-existent in this forum.  Bryan's banning was the beginning of that.

This is one of the reasons I don't post as much anymore.  I like to think I'm pretty civil, but there are still situations where the best thing for the community is for an individual to be told they're clueless.  The attitude that everyone's opinion is equally valued and must be treated with equal amounts of respect undermines the overall average quality of the information shared.

 




The problem arises when little cliques of "experts" get together and discredit the opinion of others.......or get people like Bryan banned.............because they can. You wanna see whining? Let that clique be disagreed with..........by anyone.
2017-03-11 7:17 AM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Originally posted by nc452010

Originally posted by TriMyBest

Originally posted by dmiller5

On the other hand, the "civil" part of the forum is what ruined it.  People giving absolute garbage advice, and when told its garbage advice turn into whining crying babies.  Forget that the people posting a contrary recommendation are those who have had actual success in triathlon.  Thats what made me almost non-existent in this forum.  Bryan's banning was the beginning of that.

This is one of the reasons I don't post as much anymore.  I like to think I'm pretty civil, but there are still situations where the best thing for the community is for an individual to be told they're clueless.  The attitude that everyone's opinion is equally valued and must be treated with equal amounts of respect undermines the overall average quality of the information shared.

 




The problem arises when little cliques of "experts" get together and discredit the opinion of others.......or get people like Bryan banned.............because they can. You wanna see whining? Let that clique be disagreed with..........by anyone.


I do remember Bryan being banned for calling someone's opinion stupid. It was unfortunate, he was probably the best poster on BT. I forget what it was about.

I in terms of "discrediting", how do you say "I think that is wrong", without giving the perception of discrediting ?





Edited by marcag 2017-03-11 7:44 AM
2017-03-11 8:09 AM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

Originally posted by marcag
Originally posted by nc452010
Originally posted by TriMyBest

Originally posted by dmiller5

On the other hand, the "civil" part of the forum is what ruined it.  People giving absolute garbage advice, and when told its garbage advice turn into whining crying babies.  Forget that the people posting a contrary recommendation are those who have had actual success in triathlon.  Thats what made me almost non-existent in this forum.  Bryan's banning was the beginning of that.

This is one of the reasons I don't post as much anymore.  I like to think I'm pretty civil, but there are still situations where the best thing for the community is for an individual to be told they're clueless.  The attitude that everyone's opinion is equally valued and must be treated with equal amounts of respect undermines the overall average quality of the information shared.

 

The problem arises when little cliques of "experts" get together and discredit the opinion of others.......or get people like Bryan banned.............because they can. You wanna see whining? Let that clique be disagreed with..........by anyone.
I do remember Bryan being banned for calling someone's opinion stupid. It was unfortunate, he was probably the best poster on BT. I forget what it was about. I in terms of "discrediting", how do you say "I think that is wrong", without giving the perception of discrediting ?

"I disagree", state your point and then move on. The problem is most people want to defend why they are right but it is really up to the OP to do their own research based on the info generated in their thread. 

At least that's my opinion

 



Edited by trigal38 2017-03-11 8:11 AM
2017-03-11 9:14 AM
in reply to: marcag

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Originally posted by marcag
Originally posted by nc452010
Originally posted by TriMyBest

Originally posted by dmiller5

On the other hand, the "civil" part of the forum is what ruined it.  People giving absolute garbage advice, and when told its garbage advice turn into whining crying babies.  Forget that the people posting a contrary recommendation are those who have had actual success in triathlon.  Thats what made me almost non-existent in this forum.  Bryan's banning was the beginning of that.

This is one of the reasons I don't post as much anymore.  I like to think I'm pretty civil, but there are still situations where the best thing for the community is for an individual to be told they're clueless.  The attitude that everyone's opinion is equally valued and must be treated with equal amounts of respect undermines the overall average quality of the information shared.

 

The problem arises when little cliques of "experts" get together and discredit the opinion of others.......or get people like Bryan banned.............because they can. You wanna see whining? Let that clique be disagreed with..........by anyone.
I do remember Bryan being banned for calling someone's opinion stupid. It was unfortunate, he was probably the best poster on BT. I forget what it was about.I in terms of "discrediting", how do you say "I think that is wrong", without giving the perception of discrediting ?
For starters we could not get bent out of shape if someone disagrees with your opinion. Different opinions make for good discussions. I don't care if someone calls out my opinion or calls it stupid. If it was someone regularly doing it to everyone it would be different. If "I think that is wrong" offends someone then they need to grow up.
2017-03-11 9:30 AM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Originally posted by Goggles Pizzano
For starters we could not get bent out of shape if someone disagrees with your opinion. Different opinions make for good discussions. I don't care if someone calls out my opinion or calls it stupid. If it was someone regularly doing it to everyone it would be different. If "I think that is wrong" offends someone then they need to grow up.


Agreed. I do have to thank you for bringing this thread up,
The fact that people are discussing the problem and the moderators have contributed is nothing but a good sign.

Edited by marcag 2017-03-11 9:30 AM


2017-03-11 1:15 PM
in reply to: nc452010

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk

Originally posted by nc452010

The problem arises when little cliques of "experts" get together and discredit the opinion of others.......or get people like Bryan banned.............because they can. You wanna see whining? Let that clique be disagreed with..........by anyone.

I was off the board for a while when BryanCD got banned so I can't comment on that.  But I can agree with the cliques of self-appointed experts.  And that was about the time Triathlon Talk was over-run by a number of "professional triathlon coaches".  This pattern was comment:

  1. Newbie posts a question on some topic; the answer calls for a mix of fact and opinion and there is room for differences of view and multiple answers can be "correct"
  2. A few replies from knowledgeable triathletes like Bryan and others (maybe even me) expressing that mix of opinions
  3. BOOM!  A "professional triathlon coach" shows up and starts shutting down the thread by arguing that his answer is that One True Answer and most other answers are wrong. 
  4. Coach vs. triathlete argument ensues
  5. Another coach arrives, coach vs. coach argument ensues
  6. Thread becomes multiple pages, veering into personal attack.
  7. Newbie doesn't know what to think.
  8. Old timers start avoiding TT because they have better things to do than argue on the Internet.

This wasn't all coaches, btw.  Suzanne and others had and still have a lighter touch. People who know what they're doing don't have to behave like people who are faking it.  Big dogs don't need to bark a lot.  It's the little dogs that feel the need to make a lot of noise.

2017-03-11 1:49 PM
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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Originally posted by brucemorgan

Originally posted by nc452010

The problem arises when little cliques of "experts" get together and discredit the opinion of others.......or get people like Bryan banned.............because they can. You wanna see whining? Let that clique be disagreed with..........by anyone.

I was off the board for a while when BryanCD got banned so I can't comment on that.  But I can agree with the cliques of self-appointed experts.  And that was about the time Triathlon Talk was over-run by a number of "professional triathlon coaches".  This pattern was comment:

  1. Newbie posts a question on some topic; the answer calls for a mix of fact and opinion and there is room for differences of view and multiple answers can be "correct"
  2. A few replies from knowledgeable triathletes like Bryan and others (maybe even me) expressing that mix of opinions
  3. BOOM!  A "professional triathlon coach" shows up and starts shutting down the thread by arguing that his answer is that One True Answer and most other answers are wrong. 
  4. Coach vs. triathlete argument ensues
  5. Another coach arrives, coach vs. coach argument ensues
  6. Thread becomes multiple pages, veering into personal attack.
  7. Newbie doesn't know what to think.
  8. Old timers start avoiding TT because they have better things to do than argue on the Internet.

This wasn't all coaches, btw.  Suzanne and others had and still have a lighter touch. People who know what they're doing don't have to behave like people who are faking it.  Big dogs don't need to bark a lot.  It's the little dogs that feel the need to make a lot of noise.


[/QUOTE.]

Thank you. That's exactly what I was referring to

Edited by nc452010 2017-03-11 1:50 PM
2017-03-11 5:15 PM
in reply to: #5214927

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
Bring back Adventure Bear! She can make BT great again! I agree with merging the mentor groups into TT. Lots of great input from all.
2017-03-11 6:19 PM
in reply to: marcag

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Subject: RE: It's time to do away with Triathlon Talk
The fact that people are discussing the problem and the moderators have contributed is nothing but a good sign.
It's a good sign. TBT I didn't think it would amount to much. It's been discussed before. I just found myself "depressed" every time I checked on things here. Going as far back as last summer. I don't think it's FB, slow down in the sport or time of year. It could be debated what the problem(s) are but I don't think it's debatable something needs to be changed.
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