General Cycling Discussion - Where would you like to see BikeForums.net in 2years?

As the topic says, where would you like to see this site / forum in 2 years? Where should we go with the site? What would you like to see?

What type of community would you like? And how can we get there?

Joe, at 62, I have a hard time planning two years ahead!! I would think that the major change might be in technology/hardware/transmission speed, and that the forum would adjust to those changes, whatever they may be.

I like the Forum the way it now. I would say take it slow and gradually change things as you see fit.

VRML chat room. We can ride around on bicycles and talk to each other! J/K :)
I really can't think of a thing I'd change. If I do I'll let you know.
You da man, Stupid!:D

Joe, by the nature of the question, it seems you might be getting a little bored or disenchanted with the forums. Hope that's not the case.
What thoughts do YOU have lurking in the back of your mind?

Change should take place slowly, evolutionally as new ideas crop up. The chat room will be an excellent addition. I will clear the forums of a lot of that mundane banter so prevelent now. Not that it's bad, but why preserve it for eternity?

I'd like to see Tourer's relate more of their road stories with pictures. I'd like to see more specialization in the topics: ie, in Bike Mechanics there could be sub sections for different parts, BB's, Wheels, Brakes etc. which would have an archive of answers for all the everyday questions, and the mechanics site for the intricate or complicated ones. As it is this info isn't readily available without digging through the archives which no one seems willing to do.

But on the whole, I'm happy with it just the way it is.

I agree word for word and thought for thought with DnvrFox and Steele-Bike above.

Maybe I'd like to see it a lot less fancy, but that's just me.

Chris L is more than happy with bikeforums as it is now. Chris L does, however, concede that ljbike had some good ideas above. The only change Chris L would make is banning people who talk in third person as it can be very distracting to the reader.

Doh!

Hi Joe,

As above, I'm happy with the forums...they're friendly, chatty, and a great place to hang out.

Keep up the good work mate! :p

Rich

Other than using the forum more to promote group activity (e.g meeting other forum users on trips etc) I think if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!

I like ljbike's ideas of subdividing the mechanics section, but basically I like the forums as they are. We seem to have a fairly steady influx of new members, some who stay some who don't, but I think we've got a pretty good forum.

Just keep up the hard work Joe :)

Richard

I like 'em pretty much as is too. If I could ask for anything, it would be a "low bandwidth mode" with everything but the essential text removed (but switchable, of course). Fancy is nice when you have the bandwidth available, and horrible when you don't.

Keep up the good work!

Cheers...Gary

Hey Joe,

Here's my take...more site content...

I'm new here, so i'm not sure if this site has always only been forums??? But I have to go to other sites for reviews, news, etc. Make this place a "get-it-all-in-one-spot" for your users.

I guess my point is...I check new threads and then leave. :(
What about more of an online cycling "community".

Take it for what it's worth. :)

-jason

BTW...great forum. Lots of good people giving good information.

I agree with whats been said previously.
If I get to vote I would choose:
break out Mechanics section
Maybe an organized ride section?
sign up for Sea Otter, or Ride 4 Roses,
A way for us to meet, and transportation to
events etc.

Marty

Originally posted by mrdatalife
Hey Joe,

Here's my take...more site content...

I'm new here, so i'm not sure if this site has always only been forums??? But I have to go to other sites for reviews, news, etc. Make this place a "get-it-all-in-one-spot" for your users.

I guess my point is...I check new threads and then leave. :(
What about more of an online cycling "community".

Take it for what it's worth. :)

-jason

BTW...great forum. Lots of good people giving good information.

I agree. But I know that would be TONS of work. It would be cool though if there were daily headlines where we could get the latest race updates or something.

But what I think would be the coolest thing is to have a bikeforums "ezine", and every month users who where willing could submit articles into it. For example, people who build bikes alot (KevinG, RainmanP...etc) could write about their latest project, and give pointers. People who go on big rides could write about that,(catfish,Mike....) We could have a coffe article, we could have a bargain article...And so on. I would really like to see that. Me,Pete, and ChrisL can write the article that take up space.:beer:

Joe,
I like things the way they are. The only thing that could be improved is the connection speed.
What type of connection does the server/host have?
When I'm at work (DSL line) it takes several seconds before a new page opens up when I click on a thread. When I'm at home (56K) things are r-e-a-l-l-y slow.
What can be done?

Keep up the great work. :thumbup:

Originally posted by fubar5


I agree. But I know that would be TONS of work. It would be cool though if there were daily headlines where we could get the latest race updates or something.

But what I think would be the coolest thing is to have a bikeforums "ezine", and every month users who where willing could submit articles into it. For example, people who build bikes alot (KevinG, RainmanP...etc) could write about their latest project, and give pointers. People who go on big rides could write about that,(catfish,Mike....) We could have a coffe article, we could have a bargain article...And so on. I would really like to see that. Me,Pete, and ChrisL can write the article that take up space.:beer:

Yes, the time to code would certainly be there. But think how much more time you could spend here! :)

Joe, if you ever need help to code stuff, just let me know. ;)

-jason

Originally posted by fubar5
... and ChrisL can write the article that take up space.:beer:
...in the third person, of course! :D

I agree with mrdatalife (BTW, welcome!) that it would be good to have a kind of hub for all cycle-related stuff, but I also agree with my frisky buddy fubar5 that it would be "tons of work," and I fear it would be too many tons at this point. The ezine idea is interesting but sounds to me like one of those things that would shrivel and flutter off the branch like an autumn leaf. But maybe that's just my pessimistic (=realistic) streak showing.

I agree with RonH about the bandwidth. I'm usually connected at a goodly dial-up speed at home (around 50,000 bps) and there are times when things zip along and other times when it's maddeningly slow, and the last couple of days it's just ground to a halt :crash: to where I thought it was a Windows problem, but it wasn't. Other sites loaded normally.

So I really think the first improvement that needs doing, since the site is already FANTASTIC (just read fubar5's signature if you need convincing), is to see what can be done about the server issue.

:)

I like it just like it is. If I had to suggest one thing it would be a free bike for all current members.

Originally posted by gmason
I like 'em pretty much as is too. If I could ask for anything, it would be a "low bandwidth mode" with everything but the essential text removed (but switchable, of course). Fancy is nice when you have the bandwidth available, and horrible when you don't.

Keep up the good work!

Cheers...Gary

I agree, low bandwidth mode would be nice. Make sure it works with text browsers like lynx.

As far a chat goes, the only thing that worries me is that some great discussions might be completely lost to the void unless the chat is archeived. The forum is nice in that discussions take a few days (or weeks or months or years), which gives everybody a chance to participate.

andy

re forums
i like it the way it is :D :D

i also enjoy reading about cyclists and what they are up to
pics also cheer me up on a dreich day in scotland

touring forum is great :D
reading about people who are touring or planning tours
makes me gaze at my world map or get out my maps for
a look see

again keep up the good work
steve rooney:thumbup:

Q: "Where would you like to see BikeForums.net in 2 years?"
A: "[Still] on the Internet."

All seriousness aside, I think the other respondents have made some good suggestions.

The probem you have planning a two-year plan is that the content is generated by the users, so you have no idea where serendipity will take us. You can, of course provide us with an ideal infrastructure for our chatting and ranting -- but you do that already. I certainly hope, like everyone else, that things stay pretty much the same in that regard because you've achieved a Zen-like perfection.

Where else can BF go? You could professionalize the content and become an on-line magazine, but that might subvert what you already have. A reviews section might work, but that is being done by roadbikereview.com and mtbr.com, and they already have the user base and the market cred.

On the othjer hand, if you want to attract revenue so you could make a profession out of this -- and I can't imagine why you haven't done that yet -- you do have to find some way to professionalize or regularize some [though not all] of the content. The trick will be to do that without sacrificing BF's soul. [Speaking for myself, I would have no objection to non-obtrusive advertising and sponsorhip.]

So where will BF be in 2 years? I hope it's pretty much the same, to be honest. I also think that you have an excellent opportunity to develop something in parallel to BF that could actually make a living for itself. If you want to pick my brain send me an e-mail. I write about stuff like ths for a living.

Maybe it's just my natural lack of imagination, but I, too, like the forums just the way they are. Possibly the mechanics forum could be segmented, but there already is a search function.

I think you've found the niche and have a community here. Leave the more formal reviews to the others, we have a "forum" to express our own opinions here.

Bandwidth is another question, I also have a slower connection at work and would benefit from a faster one.

I see a natural evolution that takes place, given new member inputs, new technology that comes in, new ideas that come up. Just go with the flow, we don't want to lose the friendly community we have now.

I wouldn't mind ads if it would benefit your bottom line, as long as they aren't intrusive or annoying.

Originally posted by fubar5
I agree. But I know that would be TONS of work. It would be cool though if there were daily headlines where we could get the latest race updates or something.

But what I think would be the coolest thing is to have a bikeforums "ezine", and every month users who where willing could submit articles into it.

The old bicycleforum site once had a section for this sort of thing. Maybe we could just add a forum where people could write articles whenever they felt like it. However, I wouldn't want to change the site too much because I think it might lose a bit of its character.

As far as race updates and so on goes, maybe there could be a links page for sites that deal with that sort of thing (maybe Joe could exchange links with them or something).


Originally posted by fubar5

ChrisL can write the article that take up space.:beer:

Are you suggesting that I only post here to waste everyone's time?

;)

Originally posted by Chris L (in response to fubar5's good-humored taunt about taking up space)



Are you suggesting that I only post here to waste everyone's time?

;)
Chris, watch out, you slipped into the first person! :eek:

Originally posted by chewa
Other than using the forum more to promote group activity (e.g meeting other forum users on trips etc) I think if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!
I think this sums up best the way I feel about it. I see so many sites undergoing "facelifts" and "improvements" and getting bogged down and losing their character in the process. I would really like to see Bike Forums stay as it is for the forseeable future.

The biggest problem is going to be money, isn't it?

I don't think advertising is the answer: not only is it intrusive and often obnoxious, but it's undependable--look at how many sites fold because they hoped advertising would pay the way, only to have that dream rudely shattered.

I wonder if voluntary donations will do it... I kind of worry about that aspect, the money part. I sure would hate to see this site vanish, even though I'm not a very active cyclist right now. It's fun to exchange posts about tangential or non-cycling stuff, too, and this is BY FAR the most intelligent and entertaining group of people I've found on the Web.

Originally posted by JonR

It's fun to exchange posts about tangential or non-cycling stuff, too, and this is BY FAR the most intelligent and entertaining group of people I've found on the Web.
Amen to that. The only other forum I visit is a tractor forum. Mostly honest hard working farmers there. I've never found another forum on the Web that I've spent so much time at and really look forward to visiting as this one.
It's working fine right now Joe, I wouldn't change it too much.:)

Originally posted by JonR

Chris, watch out, you slipped into the first person! :eek:

Fatal Justice thanks Jon R for his observation and promises that it will never happen again.

Oops! Wrong troll :eek:

Joe,

Having read a good amount of the post here
I do have another suggestion:
A retro/vintage forum.
I would wager that those of us who fall into the
RetroGeezer :D catagory would appreciate it.

Marty (part time retrogeezer)

Joe,

I really like it like it is. I've been on other topic-related forums and this has attracted the best bunch of people of any I've seen. Lot's of viewpoints and lot's of toleration (sp?) of those varying viewpoints.

That said, a simple low-bandwidth design would be nice for when I access via dial-up at home.

Please don't replace the forum discussions with chat. Any info is then lost for those who can't log in for a real-time discussion. Also, I have found that I just can't follow discussions in chat mode (I guess I'm chat challenged).

Add my dangling chad to the "it ain't broke" column. Okay, maybe we need some additional smilies/emoticons. But I can't think of any right now. ;)

But, being a pessimist, here's my concern. As the site grows in popularity, and volume of posts, I'm concerned that the sense of community will suffer. Right now, you can go off topic, butt in to someone elses discussion, etc., and it's all cool, nobody gets too bent out of shape. When a regular poster disappears for a while, people get concerned. I don't know what the magic is, Joe, but this site's got it! So, I hope it doesn't change too much in 2 years!

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I have talked to the host about the speed problems. I'll go ahead and create a wattered down version of the forums as well, currently, you can turn off avatars, signatures, and attachments in your profile. This should help speed up the forums for dial up users.

BTW, the reason i ask? I just purchased the book "Community Building on the web, secret strategies for succesful online communities" The first chapter talks about focus, and what you expect out of your community :)

Great book, i hope it helps me make this great community better.

Originally posted by Chris L

Are you suggesting that I only post here to waste everyone's time?

;)

Nnoooo :) You'll notice I also included myself in the wasting space part.

Originally posted by Joe Gardner
As the topic says, where would you like to see this site / forum in 2 years? Where should we go with the site? What would you like to see?



Being able to follow discussions while cycling might be cool

I have taken some of the feedback from this thread and created a handful of threads in the Suggestions and Feedback forum. Feel free to check thoes out for more details.

Again, thank you!! :)