HoustonB

If someone has a bright idea for an advocacy or safety message, should the BikeForums.Net masthead be available to display that message?

The masthead is displayed across all forums within BikeForums.Net, and yet for years all I have ever seen is a lot of space being put to little use.

Edit: (for Kerlenbach), access does not need to be direct, but could be via the moderators.

Any thoughts?

Kurt Erlenbach

Not by any of us idiots. Maybe it's somethings the mods/owners/bosses could do.

HoustonB

I made the assumption that direct and immediate real-time access was obviously not what I was proposing. My bad. You are correct that it is only something that should be done via, for example, a moderator. I've edited the original post to make this explicit.

Regarding "us idiots", please only speak for yourself.

randya

I think you might be just a bit too sensitive for A&S

HoustonB

You did not vote. Are you still thinking, or you prefer not to vote. Perhaps "Yes, No and Maybe" are not enough options.

genec

Maybe... bearing in mind that BF is a business, and as such has the right to control the Forum as they see fit.

Now the other side of that "maybe" is the fact that BF and bike shops and bike makers and any other entity associated with cycling should be concerned about the safety of their peers/clients.

Why isn't the cycling community more like the SCUBA community... self policing/self training/self governing? Every SCUBA shop offers training... they want their divers to want to to dive safely and to of course continue to buy products...

Tom Stormcrowe

Any use of the masthead would have to be authorized by Internet Brands. If you have a serious idea, you should submit a proposal, and the worst result would only be a "not interested, sorry".

I didn't vote, by the way, because I would have to stay completely neutral here, as an Admin.

I-Like-To-Bike

I submit that the masthead should read: "Roar Lions, Roar!" Appropriate clickable sound effects would be nice too.
BTW I didn't vote because I never do in BF polls; reason - too many times the "poller" argues with those who don't provide the anticipated "proper" response.

dobber

How about we keep the AnS crappola confined within its own subforum?

Allister

When it comes to Anti Bike Propoganda, you can't be too sensitive.

Allister

I didn't vote either, because there wasn't a 'Couldn't Give a Flying F***' option

Machka 

NO!

One person's great advocacy idea is another person's nightmare.

alhedges

+1

And aside from that, the idea is antithetical to a place called Bike Forums, which is designed to encourage discussions. It is not, after all, called Bike Announcements.

Niten

I don't see the point. If you have a great idea for advocacy or safety, you can just post it here. It gets the BF banner, indexed by google, and "peer review".

noisebeam

I haven't seen it for many months as it is blocked

Al

HoustonB

And yet you took the trouble to reply. Thanks for clarifying exactly why you do not care. You are an asset to cycling advocacy. We can all learn from your shining example.

HoustonB

Please make the assumption that I am not an imbecile and that I am fully cognizant of Google indexing and the "peer review" that might occur here in the A&S forum.

I would appreciate how you think being indexed by Google is a benefit - since if people are not searching for the specific advocacy being proposed and also using appropriate search terms, then no match is likely. Ergo, the class most likely to find a match are those that are already familiar with the specific advocacy being proposed and are also clever enough to discern nomenclature that is unique to the proposal in order to use Google to find something they already know the location of. Another way to look at this, is, in my opinion you have included 'indexed by Google" in your enumeration in an attempt to look clever to the peanut gallery but the reality is you are clearly talking out your ass!

The point is that the A&S forum is visited by a minority of BikeForums readership. The vast majority of page hits occur in other forums. What is common to all forums - it is the masthead at the top of the page. The best cycling advocacy idea on the planet will amount to little, if BikeForums (and all the other cycling related sites et al.) fails to put itself squarely behind the idea.

My question revolves around the potential use of the BikeForums masthead to extend a 'message', not necessarily a literal one, to all readers in all forums. Please make the assumption that the advocacy being promoted would already have been subject to peer review here in the A&S forum.

The vacuous drivel posted in the vast majority of replies (but not all) is indicative of the myopic perspective and stunted intellects prevalent here in the A&S readership. It is obvious that people here need to be spoon fed.

There is no quality in A&S and ideas seem to be few and far between.

My guess is that the owners of BikeForums pay only lip service to Advocacy and Safety, perhaps limited to the provision of the site itself. Is there any official communication between BikeForums and other web sites, cycling organizations (for example League of American Cyclists), cycle manufacturers, etc. in an attempt to find common goals and identify ways that they can work together for the common good?

Pointing out that BikeForums is a corporate entity with owners that should not necessarily have to be interested in advocacy simply reinforces my argument and constructs a compelling case that this heap of excrement should be shut down. Subsequently our best endeavors should be directed at creating a site that better facilitates true advocacy and not the inane puerile material manifest in this poor excuse for A&S.

I-Like-To-Bike

Tee Hee. The "Quality Advocacy" you seek can be found on Chainguard on Yahoo Groups. No myopic perspective and stunted intellects posting inane puerile material there, i.e. they have the same "quality" ideas as your's. Go there and enjoy wallowing with fellow know-it-all "advocates" of the One True Way.

alhedges

Why should we make this assumption about you, when you certainly did not make it about us. I.e.:
The point is, the idea of using the masthead for your idea of bike advocacy is stupid. First, this site is about discussion, not about announcements. People are happy to discuss advocacy issues, but no one *wants* to have your idea of advocacy (or, presumably, mine) spoon fed to them.

Second, as you know from A&S, there are no uncontroversial advocacy positions. Helmets, MUPs, VC, CM, bike paths, liability, the BF masthead...have all generated a lot of discussion, with no emerging consensus.

Third, if only a minority of people go to A&S, that is their right. If they aren't interested in advocacy, no one should force them to be. If they are interested, there is an entire forum devoted to advocacy.

Fourth, the fact that people disagree with your idea doesn't mean that they don't understand it. It most likely means that they do understand it and still disagree with it. In fact, YOU are the only person who seems to think that this is a good idea. NO ONE else who has bothered to respond thinks that it is a good idea. So, really, this is one area in A&S where there is almost a consensus.

urban_assault

Start your own site if you do not like this one.