Northeast - Mid-Atlantic Fourm

I have suggested a Mid-Atlantic forum to be added to the regional discussions. It's been needed for some time, and the lack of it has even been complained about on other regional forums. If you support such an addition, please comment on the "Mid-Atlantic" thread I started under "News and Suggestions/Forum Suggestions & User Assistance.

Thanks.

This comes up every once in awhile. So far the consensus seems to be that it is unnecessary. It's not a particularly well-defined area either; according to the US Census, Mid-Atlantic is NY, NJ and PA; around here, people seem to think it's MD, VA, DE, DC.

Maybe if there is a huge influx of DC cyclists it would make sense, but until then....

This comes up every once in awhile.

Which it wouldn't if there wasn't a need. :) You are right that I was indeed referring to the mid-Atlantic coast of the US as being the mid-Atlantic region. But that doesn't change the need.

I'm sitting in Florida reading the "Southeast" forum, (where the topic comes up every now and then too), and there are posts from MD, VA & DC on there. Those states aren't the "southeast", but they aren't the northeast, either. So where do they post to reach cyclists from that region?

It doesn't really matter what you call the region or the the new forum! That's just a name. And there are already sub-forums under "Regional" that are vague geographically, like the "Great Lakes region", or the "Mountain-Plains region".

You know, (or maybe you don't!), it only takes 5 minutes to set up a sub-forum and see if it gets any use! That's the easiest way to see if there is a need, and if there is it will give the people from that area a place to post where they feel like their post is relevant.

So what's the downside?

Which it wouldn't if there wasn't a need. :) You are right that I was indeed referring to the mid-Atlantic coast of the US as being the mid-Atlantic region. But that doesn't change the need.

Not really. Given that these threads keep being started by basically the same couple of people who seem to have a bug up their... about the fact that their isn't such a forum.


I'm sitting in Florida reading the "Southeast" forum, (where the topic comes up every now and then too), and there are posts from MD, VA & DC on there. Those states aren't the "southeast", but they aren't the northeast, either. So where do they post to reach cyclists from that region?

If you are in Florida, what does it matter to you? Just curious.




So what's the downside?

A third forum to check...

-D

I think the underwhelming response to this thread kind of says it all. ;)

There's no "need," just a few people who I suspect find it counter-intuitive to refer to VA, MD and DC as parts of a "North" region of any sort....

I'd still support a separate forum, but it's not a horrible hardship the way it is now. Generally the stuff that is specific still needs to go in both places though, which is a bit... stupid.

I go to another bike forum for mid-atlantic postings.

There, it's people from PA, NJ, MD, DC and Northern VA, and DE doing all the posting.

It works pretty well, since most of what is discussed between us is a relatively short drive or long bike ride away.

.

Given that these threads keep being started by basically the same couple of people who seem to have a bug up their... about the fact that their isn't such a forum.

This is the first time I've posted about it, and THAT was simply to inform that I had suggested one to the forum admin, not to argue about it.


If you are in Florida, what does it matter to you? Just curious.

Because I see postings about this or that ride on the Southeast forum, and after reading the post or following a link I find out it's in the DC or MD area or some such. That's around 1000 miles away, and that's not regional.

I go to another bike forum for mid-atlantic postings.

There, it's people from PA, NJ, MD, DC and Northern VA, and DE doing all the posting.

It works pretty well, since most of what is discussed between us is a relatively short drive or long bike ride away.

.

And that's supposed to be the idea, not postings by someone from somewhere you'd only get to on a 2 week vacation.

And that's supposed to be the idea, not postings by someone from somewhere you'd only get to on a 2 week vacation.

I have to say I learn a lot more geography with the current setup. I now know the names of a lot of random MUP's in Atlanta that I'll never ride, or centuries I'll never get to in New York, than I would otherwise :)

I think the underwhelming response to this thread kind of says it all. ;)

There's no "need," just a few people who I suspect find it counter-intuitive to refer to VA, MD and DC as parts of a "North" region of any sort....

Dude,
In a prior thread on this topic 265 users from the DC and Baltimore area indicated an interest in a Mid-Atlantic forum. Perhaps this is more than just a few people?

Yes, the Census Bureau does not define PA, VA, DV and MD as Mid-Atlantic, but I do not see why BF regional forums shuold be bound by that definition.

Want this topic to disappear? If the admins would set up the new forum you will never see it in the Northeast forum again.
oldnoob in NOVA

Dude,
"Dude?" You're in VA, not SoCal. Wrong regional forum! :D

At any rate, dude.... A separate Mid-Atlantic subforum clearly isn't happening. Sorry. I recommend you chill and just post in NE.



In a prior thread on this topic 265 users from the DC and Baltimore area indicated an interest in a Mid-Atlantic forum. Perhaps this is more than just a few people?
I'm not seeing that number. I did a search for "Mid-Atlantic" in the title, and the longest thread I saw was around 60 replies. More than a few indicated that "Mid-Atlantic" refers to NJ, NY, PA etc.



Yes, the Census Bureau does not define PA, VA, DV and MD as Mid-Atlantic, but I do not see why BF regional forums shuold be bound by that definition.
How 'bout....

a) Because your definition is, apparently, wrong.
b) Because alternate definitions of "Mid-Atlantic" are highly ambiguous, and no one can agree on a firm alternative that makes sense.
c) Because ditching the semblance of an official definition would confuse the 3 -- err, sorry, 10 -- people who apparently cannot let go of the idea that the people who run BF aren't going to make a DE/MD/VA/DC - only subforum.



Want this topic to disappear? If the admins would set up the new forum you will never see it in the Northeast forum again.
And it would be supplanted by people wondering how the heck "Mid-Atlantic" wound up meaning "Greater DC Area."

[QUOTE=Bacciagalupe;8384672]"Dude?" You're in VA, not SoCal. Wrong regional forum! :D


I'm not seeing that number. I did a search for "Mid-Atlantic" in the title, and the longest thread I saw was around 60 replies. More than a few indicated that "Mid-Atlantic" refers to NJ, NY, PA etc.


[QUOTE=Bacciagalupe;8384672]"Dude?" You're in VA, not SoCal. Wrong regional forum! :D


I'm not seeing that number. I did a search for "Mid-Atlantic" in the title, and the longest thread I saw was around 60 replies. More than a few indicated that "Mid-Atlantic" refers to NJ, NY, PA etc.


The thread I am referring to is really not that hard to find:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=272080&page=13

Not that big a deal to me, a very infrequent poster, but it just seems not to make much sense that these states are combined with with ME, VT, NH etc in one forum.

As you probably already know, most of the other regional forum divisions here do not follow the Census Bureau divisions. One would suppose that this is done to better serve the users.

Ay you say, the admins will do as they will, and it is fine with me. Just asking though, have they officially put out the word that they are not going to split the Northeast forum? That might go a ways toward settling the discussion.

This is the first time I've posted about it, and THAT was simply to inform that I had suggested one to the forum admin, not to argue about it.

And most of the other threads I have seen have been started by the same 2 other people.




Because I see postings about this or that ride on the Southeast forum, and after reading the post or following a link I find out it's in the DC or MD area or some such. That's around 1000 miles away, and that's not regional.


I would agree that the SE forum is a bit too large of a geographic region.

-D

I would agree that the SE forum is a bit too large of a geographic region.

-D

It's like a whole separate country, y'all.;)

There's been about four threads on this so far, too lazy to dig them up now but I've said the same in all of them:

What would Mid-Atlantic be considered? I think we can agree that MA, NH, ME, VT, RI, upstate NY are Northeast. What about NYC area/NJ? Philly? CT?

For example there is a lot of bike traffic between Philly and NYC as well as Philly and DC much more than say Boston to NYC - for every discussion that's ever been brought up about it no solution has been agreed upon as to where the dividing line should be.

The bigger issue is that there are two weeks worth of threads on the first page of the NE forum that covers half the eastern seaboard. If the traffic doesn't support its own section than a dying forum will get divided up between two dead forums.

It's not an issue of ignoring - it's an issue of not finding the right solution to make it work yet.