CB HI

I have been in here a long time and I am also clueless to the claim. The only thing I can think of, is when we start talking about pie or a Tom award. But the 50+ in the know have always been happy to explain the reference and have new comers join the clubs. Even though most new comers would not want to join one of the clubs, but sooner or later do anyway.

jalbri

Yes, may I second this motion. We are all big boys and girls here, and I think we are all capable of ignoring a thread that does not interest us. It really doesn't bother me to have to look at the title of the thread, and sometimes I find a thread discussion interesting and informative even if it is not strictly "over 50" content. Since there are many people on both sides of the argument it seems some compromise is in order.

Pobble.808

Miss K, how could you have forgotten colonoscopies??

GFish

Agree with the above........a simplistic idea that works. Don't like a thread, then don't open it or reply, just move on.

Also, if the 50+ forum is to remain lively and a worthy place to visit, then please don't restrict topics (or move), even if they're discussed in another forum. There's a reason why 50+ members would rather post and discuss these subjects in 50+.

Really not understanding why some (?) people feel the need to alert a thread in 50+ if they believe the topic doesn't fit. Guess what...if others agree, then the thread will receive little response and quickly slide off the first page.

stapfam

Political is the issue that will get threads moved. Several have been moved because they have become a slanging match of two different factions and have veered way off the original topic. Some have started on such a weird topic for cycling or 50+ that they are not relevant to the forum and do deserve a re-post.

I am not interested in some topics opened but I can read and then ignore. I am surprised that my thread of "What are you eating" has not been Moved but it does have some relevance to nutrition for the 50+ and it has not yet got political.

It is up to us to keep the threads relevant to the forum by being appropriate in the first place and then not sidetracking it into postings that will get it closed.

However I do agree that some threads that I would like to see on this forum have been moved because some one has objected to its relevance or a mod has decided it is in the wrong forum.

chasm54

I'll do my best.

In my view, allowing everything and anything to be discussed in 50+ (or any other forum) erodes the distinctiveness of that forum. It becomes, as someone said earlier, a "one-stop shop". Those who use it have no need to go anywhere else, and forums cease to be defined by their subject-matter and start to be defined by their clientele.

What is wrong with that, I hear you ask? Well, nothing, if you want the tone of the forum to be defined by a smallish group of people who are principally interested in one another's company rather than the content. And some clearly do want that. Others evidently don't, hence Tom's sticky at the top of the forum. I don't know what subjects he was referring to specifically, but I do recognise the sentiment. Sometimes this place resembles a local pub in which the only regulars have been coming in for years and have such a sense of ownership that change and intrusion are resented.

In my view Bike Forums is best viewed as a whole. I post mostly in 50+ because I'm mainly interested in the racing/training sub-forum (there are very distinct issues associated with racing as an old fart) and while navigating my way there, other subjects here sometimes catch my eye. But if I want to talk about touring I go to touring, if I want to talk road cycling unrelated to age I go to road, and so on. I prefer to get different perspectives rather than talk to the same people all the time. But that is because I am more interested in the content of a post than in its authorship. Others, clearly, feel differently. And in the end, it is for those who run the forums to decide which model they want BF to adopt.

Gerryattrick

As far as I Understand it the 50+ forum is a general forum that is not meant to be subject-oriented:

" Forum: Fifty Plus (50+)
Share the victories, challenges, successes and special concerns of bicyclists 50 and older. Especially useful for those entering or reentering bicycling."

That covers a huge range of topics including wheat in diet.

Its distinctiveness comes from the age category of the contributors, not from a particular topic. So sometimes a topic could possibly be posted elsewhere - so what - why bother when the poster is obviously interested in the views of other 50+ members.

Threads should only be moved IMO if they blatantly disregard the rules or are objected to by a large number of people.

As far as moderation is concerned "less is more".

GeorgeBMac

Could that be revised to:
" the 50+ forum is a general forum that is meant to be LESS subject-oriented: " ?

I think of it as: "Topics that interest 50+ year old cyclists". That doesn't mean ANY topic. But neither does it mean that every thread and every post has to have the words "50+" or "bicycle" in it.

jdon

JUST KEEP IT ON TOPIC!!!!

GeorgeBMac

Darn! That was well said!

And, while I can't bring myself to agree with it, neither can I argue with it...

Perhaps that problem is that the 50+ forum covers a lot of territory and the edges are not sharp and clear cut. So the differences are more a matter of degree than objective substance with a clear line that you can't cross... (Like "Cyclocross" or "Hybrids". When you enter those forums, you pretty much know what to expect. Yet, their topics and discussions are pretty restricted and often die off quickly.)

But, I think the essence of your point is that the subject matter and content needs to dominate over the social structure and "Group Think".
... I agree: Yet I hesitate to draw a definitive line that cannot be crossed.

I keep coming back to: "Non-political topics that interest a 50+ year old cyclist"... And that covers a lot of territory.

The rules of the forum are clear: Avoid abuse. Discuss and argue a topic. But respect each other and their opinions -- even if you don't agree with them. And, especially, "Don't gang up on somebody"... I think that if everybody follows those (paraphrased) guidelines, a lot of these discussions will be unnecessary.

Old Sarge

I have been a major violator when it comes to subject matter. Most of the questions I have posted have been those of a newbie, whether fifteen or Fifty + 15 as I am. I have asked, or commented, about flats, gears, jerseys, and other things not specifically Fifty+ related. I do it in this forum because I find the participants some of the most gracious when it comes to my questions, simple though they may be. I apologize to those I might have offended but since I suffer from CRS I will probably offend again.

Dudelsack 

*chuckle* When the memory starts to fade, every day is an adventure.

eja_ bottecchia

I never get crabby...I am just a warm ray of California sunshine coming down your way.

eja_ bottecchia

Yep!

billydonn

Agree completely.

This thread relocation issue seems to pop up from time to time when the mods get "aroused" by a decline in civility. As I read it, Tom's sticky note was about "tone" in the forum, and not about inappropriate content. This thread relocation thing could easily go too far.

And one more thing: this talk about "groupthink" and the need to break it up makes no sense to me at all. There's more grumpy individuality here than groupthink... maybe too much so sometimes.

david58

+1

Biker395 

Yea, I agree too. And on all counts ... especially the part about it being "well written."

I'm a complete noob here, so take this all with a grain of salt ... or maybe a bowl full of pretzels and a cold beer ... but here goes:

To me, a 50+ forum isn't so much distinguished by topics as it is perspective. That perspective may be different because of health issues, wisdom of years, different life situations ... any number of reasons. There is a difference, but it is subtle.

Chasm, you said: "Sometimes this place resembles a local pub in which the only regulars have been coming in for years and have such a sense of ownership that change and intrusion are resented."

I found that especially interesting, because I love the notion of the local pub with regulars that have been coming in for years. When I do cycle, I go out of my way to find places like that and chat them up.

The rest of it ... the sense of ownership and the resentment of intrusion ... not so much. But I personally think that it's better to moderate a forum to address that issue when it arises rather than limiting topics, though.

On the other hand, even if there is no abject evidence of "ownership" or "resentment," there may be others who might be hesitant to participate because they feel they are not part of the clique. We won't even hear from them, because they'll just pass on the whole thing. I'm admittedly not the right guy to address that, because I have no fear about jumping in, just like I have no fear of the friendly old pub. Rather, I embrace it.

So, I dunno. Another one of those cases where I'm glad I'm not a moderator.

eja_ bottecchia

You are a natural born diplomat.

eja_ bottecchia

I personally prefer less groupthink and more cranky individualism. But that is just me.

stapfam

You are of a certain age and you want replies that are relevant to you. They may be a mundane subject that some here get fed up with answering on a regular basis but to you it is an important matter that you would like a good answer to. Hopefully you got the answers without being put down or insulted. That would not be the case in some of the other forums.

And keep posting--- I learnt from some of your questions with the replies from others. Don't feel that your little problem is too basic to bother us with.

MinnMan

I see that this has been implemented. It's a great idea and a great compromise. Hats off to the mods!

maddmaxx 

I see that movements are the topic of conversation here in 50+ at this time.




We've done this thing with threads moving before. It quiets down in a while...............till next time.

donheff

Heck, if I wanted chain cleaning advice this is the first place a I would ask. I ask all my biking questions here. You old geezers have been at it for years and know all the tricks.

I tend to think that almost any health topic among 50+ers is relevant to our riding but (as I mentioned in a response to another post) on topics that can get heated and religious like diet maybe a more explicit link to riding would help keep it out of foo if the topic starts to veer off into la la land.

John_V 

Viewing the topic list is like having a remote control for your TV in your hand. If the topic or channel doesn't interest you, find another topic or channel that does. The 50+ forum is certainly better than the 41.

LDB

Well yeah, it pretty much does. If it is of interest to 50+er John Doe then it's an appropriate topic. If it also interests others it becomes a thread. If it interests no one else then it quickly disappears. It's incredibly, extremely, completely simple for users to read the thread title and decide if it's of interest or not. If it isn't obvious from that then it's a few seconds of reading the (potential) thread to know.

We "old" people sometimes prefer the company of our own generation whether the topic is political, meteorological, culinary, physiological or whatever and each of those topics has bicycling connections and applicability as do pretty much every other topic there is that interests "us".

Some people, the ones making such a big deal about limitations and restrictions on what's discussed, need to go riding or go find (at least) one more hobby so they have something to do other than try to put limitations on topics and tell others what they can and can't discuss.