Fifty Plus (50+) - What happened to all the stickies?

Did I miss some kind of announcement? Didn't we have several stickies? I only get one now...

I guess one of the mods (not me) did some house cleaning.

Good job, whoever did it. It's somewhat of a nuisance to have redundant stickies cluttering up the index page, especially when they're not really 'informative' topics.

The stickies were there for easy reference to information that otherwise would have scrolled off the page, since they didn't always get a lot of attention. Boo. :mad:

Uh oh.:fight::popcorn

Oh crap! :wtf:

Well, no matter how stupidly they muck this up I'm stayin' this time.

Uh oh.:fight::popcorn

LOL

Simple, incontestible fact of internet forums. Whenever a forum moderator conducts some form of intevention, for every 1000 forum participants:


10 will complain, so vociferously that they will create an impression that a 'wave of resentment' exists regarding the intervention.
100 will think that the intervention was warranted, but only one or two of those will comment to say so.
890 won't even notice the intervention.

I guess one of the mods (not me) did some house cleaning.

Wouldn't it be normal to ask if people care about the stickies before removing them? and I thought in some circumstances at least there is a note, sometimes identifying where they are moved to.

Do we really need change for no reason?

Road Fan

Uh, and where did they go?

..and I thought in some circumstances at least there is a note, sometimes identifying where they are moved to.

They haven't been moved. They've merely been de-stickyed. Two are on page 1 of the section index, two more are on page 2 of the section index, any others have slipped further back to when they were last posted in.


The 'Weight loss challenge' thingy, for example, is still on page 1. It's something which has pretty much been 'kept alive' by only a few people, and if those people continue to post in it then it'll stay up top of index anyways. Didn't need to be stickified for that. DnvFox's 'questionairre' thingy is on page 1 too. It'll stay alive if people are actually interested.

None of them were really 'information' topics which are there to be consulted when frequently asked questions and issues arise.

Being as how it has been at least 6 months since I read any of the stickies, I'm not in a position to complain about them being un-stickied.

Other sub-forums have their stickies and they haven't been moved.

Who's picking on the old folks? C'mon, fess up!

At least clean up the forums equally.

Maybe the mods thought we wouldn't remember them. ;)

Plenty enough de-stickification candidates in those other sections, too. Hopefully whoever has started on the good work will keep it up.


A couple of examples:

The 'Car-free teenager' thread in Living Car-Free section. It's only apparent reason for stickification seems to be that it's a 'pet' thread of one the admins here, and it's long ago devolved into being merely yet another discussion ramble. Doesn't need to be stickied for that!

The 'R.I.P. Sheldon Brown' sticky in Road Cycling. Come on! Respect and condolences in regard to a well-respected figure is one thing, but condolences posted five months on are another thing again. Surely if people are just now becoming acquainted with the 'news' then they weren't too fussed from the outset? A condolence sticky which devolves into being pretty much a 'Postcount +1' opportunity isn't really respectful.


Plenty more too, if you look. Keep up the good work, mods! Don't stop here!

:D

I guess one of the mods (not me) did some house cleaning.

Is it too much trouble for a mod who does some "house cleaning" to let people know what happened?

A mod WD-40'ed 50+

Is it too much trouble for a mod who does some "house cleaning" to let people know what happened?
The author of the stickies requested that they be unstuck.

^

That gave me a better chuckle than Tom Bombadil's WD-40 comment!

:D

Well, you don't think the moderation team would dare interfere with the stickies in 50+ without a request from anyone less than the OP of said stickies, do you?

The author of the stickies requested that they be unstuck.

I wonder...once a sticky has resided in a forum for a long period of time, should that
sticky belong to the original author or to the participants of the forum? After all, folks
get accustomed to looking through some of those stickies for info and such. Just wonderin'.

There's most probably a rule about this that I've missed.

Me'n Tom Bombadil were cool with it. Can't help it if some of the rest of the fogeys here were a bit short on their meds this morning!

:lol:


You mob just get on with doing your job wherever it needs to be done, and don't be worrying about crotchetty old geezers!

:thumb:

Uh, and where did they go?

There were ClingOn's and they stuck together?

Alright, who made off with the 50+ Stickies? Fess Up?

Maybe we had better check Foo. Could it be - no not him - well maybe - oh I don't know. Ok, Ok, I'll say it: Did PCad have something to do with it as retaliation?

Each of the four stickies that were unstuck were written by me AND WERE REQUESTED TO BE STICKIES BY ME.

I am no longer proud to have my screen name on 4 of the first 5 posts in the 50+ forum, nor to have my screen name associated with the 50+ forum.

I asked the mods if the name (author) could be changed on those stickies, and there seems to be no technical way to do that without changing the name on all my posts, which I don't desire to do.

So, rather than have the posts completely deleted, I asked to have them unstickied (I believe this to be my right as the OP, and the person who requested they be stickied) so they might pass into obscurity.

No one likely would have ever noticed, except Digital Gee brought it up. I wanted it done quietly.

You have the option of writing new stickies if you so desire.

Whippersnappers. They're all a bunch of dadgum whippersnappers. You know what they say.

Did I miss some kind of announcement? Didn't we have several stickies? I only get one now...


The paste dried out and they fell off.

What's important here is not the stickies themselves, but rather the chance they give us to now engage in reasoned, meaningful discussion. We will grow as a community as well as individuals, coming together through this series of internets tubes to make the forum, and the world, a better, more friendly and safe place.

Now if the evil mod overlords will just stop their Nazi-like random thread-killer terrorist policies we'll all be just fine. We'll be able to move on the critical topics, like: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Shimano or Campy? Double or tripple?

Let's focus, people.

Well, you know what they say.

What's important here is not the stickies themselves, but rather the chance they give us to now engage in reasoned, meaningful discussion. We will grow as a community as well as individuals, coming together through this series of internets tubes to make the forum, and the world, a better, more friendly and safe place.

Now if the evil mod overlords will just stop their Nazi-like random thread-killer terrorist policies we'll all be just fine. We'll be able to move on the critical topics, like: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Shimano or Campy? Double or tripple?

Let's focus, people.

I am not sure of your point but the originator of the stickies asked them to be removed and the mods obliged. I believe there is more to the story. See DFox's post above.
:popcorn

The paste dried out and they fell off.

Should have used duct tape.

Each of the four stickies that were unstuck were written by me AND WERE REQUESTED TO BE STICKIES BY ME.

I am no longer proud to have my screen name on 4 of the first 5 posts in the 50+ forum, nor to have my screen name associated with the 50+ forum.

I asked the mods if the name (author) could be changed on those stickies, and there seems to be no technical way to do that without changing the name on all my posts, which I don't desire to do.

So, rather than have the posts completely deleted, I asked to have them unstickied (I believe this to be my right as the OP, and the person who requested they be stickied) so they might pass into obscurity.

No one likely would have ever noticed, except Digital Gee brought it up. I wanted it done quietly.

You have the option of writing new stickies if you so desire.

DnvrFox, I am truly sorry to hear that for some reason you are no longer "proud to have your name associated with the 50+ forum". Thinking of the "greater good" it is obvious that you have made a
significant contribution to a virtual community of like people who fall within the 50+ description, but are not always "like minded". The "Stickies" served a purpose and could continue to provide a source of information to new Baby Boomers thinking about joining our ranks.

I've taken my share of negative comments regarding some of my posts and realized that we are some what of a giant dysfunctional family of bicycle riders at all skill levels and perspectives so I don't let it bother me in the least.

So, would you care to share with us what we have done either as individuals or as a family that resulted in your decision to have them removed? It might provide us all an opportunity to reflect on how we interact and help us raise the bar on our level of congeniality, mutual respect and simple good manners within this forum.

Fred

Well, you don't think the moderation team would dare interfere with the stickies in 50+ without a request from anyone less than the OP of said stickies, do you?

Did I detect a note of sarcasm here? :lol:

Did I detect a note of sarcasm here? :lol:

Sarcasm? Snarky response - maybe

Honestly, I have not seen stickies removed unless it has been requested by the OP or unless that thread has not been replied to in quite a few months. In that case, I would suggest it to the OP first, then unsticky if agreed.

In regards to DnvrFox not wanting his name associated here, maybe he's REALLY not 50+?? ;)

In all seriousness though. I feel he has contributed a lot. Thanks, DnvrFox.

For the record, I don't mind at all if the stickies are removed, especially if the OP of the sticky wants it that way. I was just surprised that a change was made without a little note to let us know why it happened. We seem to go months without a mod showing up (in public) and now we seem to be attracting mods like ... well, we seem to be attracting mods. :lol:

As to the contribution that DnvrFox has made to this forum, it's probably unparalleled. Without his effort, there would probably BE no 50+ Forum.

Can we make this a stickie? :innocent:

Heyyy I thought you guys were happy that I was coming around (in public)!!! :cry:

And no, no sticky. Unless you use gorilla glue. That's stronger. :thumb:

I wonder...once a sticky has resided in a forum for a long period of time, should that
sticky belong to the original author or to the participants of the forum? After all, folks
get accustomed to looking through some of those stickies for info and such. Just wonderin'.

There's most probably a rule about this that I've missed.
No rule, but our general tendency (with a couple of exceptions here and there) is to respect the wishes of the OP of a thread in matters like these. These threads are still searchable and they are still in this forum.

I'm sure that Dnvr had his reasons for removing his name from those sticky's. In fact, after coming back from vacation and reading the last weeks worth of posts, I'm positive he had his reasons. Anyone who want's to restore the basic information contained in those documents can condense it and apply for new sticky status.

Siu, I for one am happy to have you (and all the other moderators) stop by to chat every now and again. You are after all the glue that keeps the forum on a level headed even keel. Now before I'm accused of getting too sappy.............................................

How bout those Met's?

DnvrFox, I am truly sorry to hear that for some reason you are no longer "proud to have your name associated with the 50+ forum". Thinking of the "greater good" it is obvious that you have made a
significant contribution to a virtual community of like people who fall within the 50+ description, but are not always "like minded". The "Stickies" served a purpose and could continue to provide a source of information to new Baby Boomers thinking about joining our ranks.

I've taken my share of negative comments regarding some of my posts and realized that we are some what of a giant dysfunctional family of bicycle riders at all skill levels and perspectives so I don't let it bother me in the least.

So, would you care to share with us what we have done either as individuals or as a family that resulted in your decision to have them removed? It might provide us all an opportunity to reflect on how we interact and help us raise the bar on our level of congeniality, mutual respect and simple good manners within this forum.

Fred

Here is the stated (and still current) purpose of the 50+ Forum now and when Joe and I founded it:

Share the victories, challenges, successes and special concerns of bicyclists 50 and older. Especially useful for those entering or reentering bicycling.

I am proud of that goal, and have done literally everything I could do over the years to achieve and further it.

Recently, the 50+ forum has become more and more a vehicle for the personal aggrandizement of certain posters - almost a "toy" that they play with and use to show off their cleverness. What is most disturbing to me is that many of the participants have supported and encouraged these displays.

I note specifically the thread:

You old farts may be on to something after all.

To me the very title of the thread is insulting and degrading to 50+'rs, and certainly is not in the spirit of the original (and still current) purpose of the forum. To top it off, there were 193 posts and 2,277 views to this thread, mostly in support of it. Just a few folks had any objections or concerns at all to the use of the forum to further one individual's personal needs for attention. I feel the forum has essentially been successfully attacked (and conquered).

I am NOT proud of that thread nor of the support that has been given to it by a large portion of the current participants. And there are a number of other similar posts.

The attitude of the forum has markedly changed and I am no longer in sync. I realize that I can not change the makeup of the forum - a forum is simply the sum of the participants. But I CAN (and am) change where my name is displayed and where I personally post.

And, I am not the first - many of our previous top folks have "faded away."

Here is the stated goal of the 50+ Forum now and when Joe and I founded it:

Share the victories, challenges, successes and special concerns of bicyclists 50 and older. Especially useful for those entering or reentering bicycling.

I am proud of that goal, and have done literally everything I could do over the years to achieve and further it.

Recently, the 50+ forum has become more and more a vehicle for the personal aggrandizement of certain posters - almost a "toy" that they play with and use to show off their cleverness. What is most disturbing to me is that many of the participants have supported and encouraged these displays.

I note specifically the thread:

You old farts may be on to something after all.

To me the very title of the thread is insulting and degrading to 50+'rs, and certainly is not in the spirit of the original (and still current) purpose of the forum. To top it off, there were 193 posts and 2,277 views to this thread, mostly in support of it. Just a few folks had any objections or concerns at all to the use of the forum to further one individual's personal needs for attention. I feel the forum has essentially been successfully attacked (and conquered).

I am NOT proud of that thread nor of the support that has been given to it by a large portion of the current participants. And there are a number of other similar posts.

The attitude of the forum has markedly changed and I am no longer in sync. I realize that I can not change the makeup of the forum - a forum is simply the sum of the participants. But I CAN (and am) change where my name is displayed and where I personally post.

And, I am not the first - many of our previous top folks have "faded away."

I admire your stance. As you know I stepped away from the 50+ forum for two weeks because I felt that I, personally, had crossed the line and lacked basic civility in a post. I try to hold myself to a higher standard, and didn't live up to that standard. So, I needed a break. I needed to refocus on what was important to me in being part of the 50+ Forum. Upon my return, it feels like a different place. I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet, but I don't like it much. For my part, I'll attempt to stick around a bit and will endeavor to keep my posts in the spirit of the original intent; I believe it is an intent worthy of support. In a culture (at least here in the US) where reality shows are all the rage, it does not surprise me that people can easily fall into treating one another with little respect. It disappoints me, but does not surprise me. Yet, there are still voices or reason, knowledge, civility, and respectful humor present on the forum. I'm hopeful that these voices will not become the minority. Time, as in all things, will tell.

I admire your stance. As you know I stepped away from the 50+ forum for two weeks because I felt that I, personally, had crossed the line and lacked basic civility in a post. I try to hold myself to a higher standard, and didn't live up to that standard. So, I needed a break. I needed to refocus on what was important to me in being part of the 50+ Forum. Upon my return, it feels like a different place. I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet, but I don't like it much. For my part, I'll attempt to stick around a bit and will endeavor to keep my posts in the spirit of the original intent; I believe it is an intent worthy of support. In a culture (at least here in the US) where reality shows are all the rage, it does not surprise me that people can easily fall into treating one another with little respect. It disappoints me, but does not surprise me. Yet, there are still voices or reason, knowledge, civility, and respectful humor present on the forum. I'm hopeful that these voices will not become the minority. Time, as in all things, will tell.

We actually do have another 50+ forum. During the times when the forum was down a lot for technical reasons, we started a backup forum. We still have about 50 members. It has occurred to me to actually make that backup forum alive again, trying to further the goals that have been stated above.

However, that would be a difficult marketing job, as this is the forum (BFN) which is picked up on Google searches and the like.

But, it is a thought.

I note specifically the thread:

You old farts may be on to something after all.

To me the very title of the thread is insulting and degrading to 50+'rs, and certainly is not in the spirit of the original (and still current) purpose of the forum. To top it off, there were 193 posts and 2,277 views to this thread, mostly in support of it. Just a few folks had any objections or concerns at all to the use of the forum to further one individual's personal needs for attention. I feel the forum has essentially been successfully attacked (and conquered).

I am NOT proud of that thread nor of the support that has been given to it by a large portion of the current participants. And there are a number of other similar posts.

I'm innocent, I tell you, innocent! :innocent:

While I am guilty of much faffing, that thread didn't have much appeal to me, so I didn't post in it, nor read all of it. Don't know where it went to, ultimately.

I must add that it didn't change my opinion of the 50+ forum though either, because I ignored it. Being as how the 50+ forum is designed to accommodate a broad range of topics and personalities, I accept that many won't be interesting to me, nor will I agree with all of them. I suspect I irritate my fair share of 50+ readers.

The paste dried out and they fell off.

I like this one!

The author of the stickies requested that they be unstuck.

Donna, thank you for the brief and to the point explanation.

Road Fan

Denver, I thought you were having fun with that thread up until a certain point, when you said you were done with it. It was different. Hell, we're all different, that's what makes this interesting. I certainly hope you and everyone else will stick around. It just entertainment. It may cross some lines from time to time, but there is a lot of good, and a lot of good people. Anyway, stick around and speak your mind.

I'm innocent, I tell you, innocent! :innocent:

While I am guilty of much faffing, that thread didn't have much appeal to me, so I didn't post in it, nor read all of it. Don't know where it went to, ultimately.

I must add that it didn't change my opinion of the 50+ forum though either, because I ignored it. Being as how the 50+ forum is designed to accommodate a broad range of topics and personalities, I accept that many won't be interesting to me, nor will I agree with all of them. I suspect I irritate my fair share of 50+ readers.

Tom: Your practice of ignoring threads that don't interest you is a good one. I think that while you might irritate your share of readers (which I find hard to believe), you don't go out of your way or deliberately endeavor to do so. At least, I haven't taken notice of this. Taking care to be respectful of others, IMHO, has been a consistent quality of the majority of posting on the 50+ until recently when the game seemed to be... "see who can be the most clever in how they insult or put down others." I remember reading a study in graduate school the gist of which was this: about 20% of the population are mean spirited, bigoted people, who easily use others; about 20% are not capable of doing nasty, mean things, and would never purposefully hurt others; and about 60% will follow the behaviors of those around them. Hence, Dnvr's concern at the number of posts and views in the thread mentioned is a legitimate concern to those who admire and support the original goals of the 50+ Forum. His assessment that the forum was attacked is, I believe is an accurate one. I hope, however, that his assessment that it was conquered is inaccurate.

Denver, I thought you were having fun with that thread up until a certain point, when you said you were done with it. It was different. Hell, we're all different, that's what makes this interesting. I certainly hope you and everyone else will stick around. It just entertainment. It may cross some lines from time to time, but there is a lot of good, and a lot of good people. Anyway, stick around and speak your mind.


I guess I gave the wrong impression. Sorry. I never have supported denigration of 50+'rs by 50+'rs - we get enough of it from others, so we don't have to do it to ourselves. I think I have made this clear a number of times over the years.

I will admit that as the thread got more involved, my negative feelings about the thread increased.

...We seem to go months without a mod showing up (in public) and now we seem to be attracting mods like ... well, we seem to be attracting mods. :lol:...
I seem to recall some rather vociferous mod bashing a short while ago, with the implication that the mods never participated in our forum and therefore didn't "understand our culture". Jeesh! Perhaps I misunderstand, but now that the mods start participating in our discussions you get testy!?! I say, welcome! :thumb:

Civility has always been one of the virtues of 50+, when we agreed, when we disagreed, when we teased...poked fun...disagreed again. When civility is gone, then you just have .....................................................................................something you can find almost anywhere else on the internet.

I seem to recall some rather vociferous mod bashing a short while ago, with the implication that the mods never participated in our forum and therefore didn't "understand our culture". Jeesh! Perhaps I misunderstand, but now that the mods start participating in our discussions you get testy!?! I say, welcome! :thumb:

Moderators should be welcome and take part in our discussions. They are after all much more than police.

I seem to recall some rather vociferous mod bashing a short while ago, with the implication that the mods never participated in our forum and therefore didn't "understand our culture". Jeesh! Perhaps I misunderstand, but now that the mods start participating in our discussions you get testy!?! I say, welcome! :thumb:

Testy? I'm far from testy!

I just thought it would be nice if a mod who makes a change would let us know why they made the change. Geesh. This forum is getting harder and harder to figure out.

Now I'm testy. Sigh.

I'm sorry I was one of the ones who egged PCad on, and I'm really really really sorry I had anything to do with Botto showing up.

Each forum has it's own dialect. The Roadie dialect is funny once you realize that it's based on self-loathing narcisism. The 50+ dialect is definitely kinder and gentler. Mixing the two is a proverbial oil and water proposition. It's wise not to confuse them.

But it begs the question: if a thread is annoying, you can ignore it or alert the moderators to close it down. If the naysayers had simply ignored the "Old Farts" thread, it would have died a quick death, I think.