Frequenting a forum - like 50+ forum - over an extended time - do you? Why or not?
 

I've been hanging around BFN since 2001, and prior to that a similar forum which closed, and prior to that the various "rec.bicycles" forums on USENET, then mostly the 50+ forum since it started in 2006.

I've watched people come and go, and a few stick around for a longer period of time - not many, but a few. Some folks come in all "gung ho" and contribute a bit and then fade away. Sometimes I wonder if they died or something, and, in one case, they had.

What are you - a "hanger on" or a "pop in and out?" Or something in the middle?

So, why?

Thoughts?

I got roped into being a moderator on BF within the first year I joined. I guess that means I'll stick around for a while. :P

Seriously, I've met a lot of very nice people on this site. I've had the chance to actually ride with a few and it's expanded my horizons. Others I email or talk on the phone with. I feel like I have friends here and I can ask questions about cycling and not feel intimidated.

With a few short exceptions, I've pretty much been a 'Hanger-on' type of dude.

I feel one of those exceptions coming on again. This forum, and another I like to frequent, is getting kinda nasty. I'm confident that better weather and increased cycling will temper things back down to a nice, normal, peaceful co-existence on both forums very soon.

I've probably contributed to some of the nasty stuff my own self so after a slight 'Chill out" period I'm sure I'll be refreshed and calmer and able to return to another long and satisfying spell on this normally enjoyable and satisfying board.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say.

Be back soon.......

My desire for 2010 was to spend less time on the computer.
Someone said they need another mod, and that I was it.

Been a member and still on another cycling site since 2002. This site since 2005 when I found out about it through the other forum.:D

SoCal forum has some major fading so I hang with the Big Boyz most of the time.:D

One of my goals this year has been to try and be non-confrontative and more laid back. I tend to word and say things in manners that get read (and reactions about) in ways I had not intended. I also am trying to not contribute to "nasty" threads. I'm still not perfect at that, but I feel I have improved. I also have a "flash temper." SOmetimes I give thanks for the "delete" button, which I use quite a bit after posting a "hot" post I should not have.

I find I have enough nastiness to last for a long time in my regular life, dealing with systems around my son and maintaining serices for him. I don't need nastiness here, nor do I need to contribute to it. That is one reason I don't participate in P&R.

I have no idea how long I'll be here. I used to frequent a Wet Shaving forum but grew weary of that. I frequent a few Bob Dylan message boards (and am an Admin/Mod of a small Dylan board) but many of these boards are fading. Very few new posters are finding their way in and the few remaining diehards post less and less. many of us have known each other online for over 9 years now (late 2001/early 2002). I've emt a few of them in person over the years (in New York City).

I visit 4 biking boards right now, and have posted on all of them. This 50+ Forum is my favorite bike place to read and post. I have tried other forums on this board, and get bored or turned off from them pretty quickly. I find most of the posters here to be witty and knowledgeable. I've gotten more spot on answers to my questions, and some advice that has given me pause to reconsider my thinking.

So I'm here as long as I like being here, which could be a few months or 9 years more!

I was really excited to find BF, and so many sub-forums in which to play.

I volunteered to be a mod, and was turned down, and the reason given me was, IMNTBHO, weak. My enthusiasm waned.

Then I found that the more I rode my bike, the less time I had to write about it.

Now I pop in when time allows. I'm a REALTOR (R) and the past couple of years have been very challenging. Often I skip reading BF so I can keep my business systems going; more so when I'm training.

In some ways 50+ is like the Road forum - the youthful aggression. I find more reasonable debate/discussion here, although no less passionate than in other forums, folks here seem more amenable to considering a different perspective than their own.

I've been hanging around here for a long time and was also a member of the forum that closed before I came here. As Denver mentioned, we have seen a lot of people come and go. I miss those who have disappeared taking with them so much humor and knowledge (Big Paulie...where are you man?).

I'm a bit hit n skip; since I have times when I pretty much can't get along with ANYbody, I have to pull back once in a while.

Admit it you come here because you checked the mirror and you noticed you are old. :D

We don't have a TV, so this is my entertainment;)

Well I am almost fitty!:D

I've come and gone here and in other bicycle discussion forums over the years. I lose interest or get involved in life, and I lose track of my original sign in names and passwords, so I re-register with a new screen name, and start over from scratch.

I've learned a lot here, mostly in this group, the bike maintenance group, and the touring group. I take your recommendations seriously.

In addition to visiting here, I own a couple (3, actually) websites, am a moderator of several LinkedIn business networking forums, and I own a marina management networking site as well.

Yeah, soon we will all be too busy riding and too tired afterward, to mess around in here much.

If you hang out with bike racers, you find that they are not very interesting. They tend to not have many interests outside of cycling. The strength of the 50+ forum is that the participants are old enough that the discussion goes beyond just talking about bikes. It tends to be a much more well-rounded discussion area. Yeah, there's still the misunderstanding and animosity. It's dangerous to have an ironic sense of humor on the internet; too many people with too little imagination and hair-trigger tempers!

But it's a good social learning experience. You find how powerful a positive attitude can be...

I peruse the posts and contribute when I've got the time, so there's always some gaps.

L.

I guess time will tell.

There have been short periods where I've considered walking away form this forum, mostly because the tone of posts have gotten to mean spirited, inflamatory, or there was too much, "look at how much of a bad ass I am". My years here on earth are too limited anymore to want to spend time with those kind of attitudes.

Generally, I like participating in the 50+ because, to me, it is the most civilized of the fourms here at Bike Fourms.

50+ nasty or mean spirited? I must have missed that part.

I originally came to Bike forums because I have a lifetime of riding and messing with bicycles and I enjoy shareing that experience. I continue to hang around 50+ because I like the other 50+ people.

When Denver got 50+ started I was one of the nay-sayers. I didn't see any need for a forum targeted at 50+ bicycle riders. I was wrong. Over the years I've gotten to know and appreciate a number of the contributors. Many of the posters share parts of their lives that are only tangentially related to bicycling or which may even be totally off topic. That doesn't happen so much in the other forums and, for the most part, I enjoy that.

Hit and run. 50+ forum isn't content I'm very interested in. Nothing personal.......

An "in the middle" here. A quick stopping in and skimming this forum is part of my morning routine. So, I in a way I frequent this place all the time, but sometimes I just don’t have anything to say. :)

As for “mean spirited, inflammatory…bad ass” gosh, I just don’t see that either. I remember thinking how civilized everyone was when I first stumbled upon this forum a few years back.

Definitely a hanger on although my posting waxes and wanes. I will likely continue to follow the forum as long as I ride which I hope will be into old age. I followed rec.windsurfing from about 1993-2005 and then dropped off when I stopped windsurfing. I think (hope) biking will be a continuing sport as I age.

I think this is a very good group. Any time you attract even a small gathering of people who share a common interest or background, you ignite a flame that gives off warmth. It's good we all share similar interests, and yet we all have differing experiences and viewpoints.

I think a pub or bar, for 50+ bicyclists, would be a success. I can picture a group much like the characters in the old TV series, CHEERS - everyone sitting around contributing their wit, humor, sarcasm and opinions. Some folks come in for a quick drink and leave again. Others come in and get involved in conversation for the afternoon. We each give a bit of special flavor to the stew...

I check in a few time a week, mostly to see how everyone is getting along with getting old. No whiners.

Just an observer here. I check the forum pretty much every day, but don't have that much to say.

I certainly hope to be a hanger-on!

While I may not post too much, I get lots of enjoyment out of the friendliness and good humor of the people here. Smiling is good for me, and I get that here :)

I can't remember how I found BF but I've enjoyed tapping into everyone's expertise and experiences. It's a pretty nice group IMO. When I'm not here it's because I'm caught up in a Ducati forum that I've been on for years. I particularly like the 50+ forum just cause we are generally at the same stage of life and facing similar issues. And, I am encouraged by the accomplishments of "old" folks. :)