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Dear Trials Forum


Dave Anscombe

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Damage is already done Tom, in my humble opinion. The people who like the 'banter' without being a complete knobjockey have left, and they're probably the only ones who would actually do the job that being a mod requires.

I'm fully aware I'd have never been considered, because of posts like these. I'd have definitely naievely jumped at the chance 6 months ago though, to put something back into the community. This place was awesome, but now it's just like every other forum that descends into shit by allowing topics like these to escalate without an unbiased palm in the right direction. Find the right people yesterday and maybe it can be sorted out, but personally I reckon not even your back end skills can code a time machine.

What the f**k do I know though, human engagement online is only my entire life and shit... :geek:

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To whoever gets that 'job' of being moderator, enjoy the traditional first 6 months of being public enemy number one and having "You're just on a power trip" replies to everything you do. A really worthwhile experience. Jon and George are sound as f**k and people absolutely rinsed them for no reason at all, so good luck to anyone else giving it a pop.

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I don't normally chip in with out reading the whole thread. but I have been a member on here for some years now, and I have always respected it. I don't tend to get involved with people petty and sometimes unnecessary "banter".

Just seems like a certain few are just letting it down.

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escalate without an unbiased palm in the right direction

Its good to hear peoples opinions straight up. If there were such a thing as an 'unbiased palm in the right direction', then I don't think this thread needs it. I really don't.

I think you need to leave the 'old TF' in the past. 2005 was not the same as 2004, and 2007 was not the same as 2008. Some things stay the same, like this thread - I'm sure we've had a few of these in the past, but other things change. Change is good, the community evolves, people move on, new members join, it goes on.

What the f**k do I know though, human engagement online is only my entire life and shit...

Right.. :ermm:

To whoever gets that 'job' of being moderator, enjoy the traditional first 6 months of being public enemy number one and having "You're just on a power trip" replies to everything you do. A really worthwhile experience. Jon and George are sound as f**k and people absolutely rinsed them for no reason at all, so good luck to anyone else giving it a pop.

Only 6 months? You got off lightly :P

But yeah, being a mod aint easy so apply with caution.

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Nowt wrong with the scene Simpson! It's fragmented slightly but it's cool because there are enough riders around now that pretty much everyone can find a group of riders who view riding in the same way and enjoy riding for the same reasons.

It's an inevitability that as a sport grows it'll form splinter groups much the same as the BMX world. There's nothing wrong with that at all, it's pretty healthy really because if you embrace it you get a broadened view of what is possible on a bike. If you're blinkered and you just focus on the one style you like, that isn't necessarily wrong but it is a shame because you might be missing out on something awesome just outside of your peripheral.

Edited by Sam Nichols
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I think you need to leave the 'old TF' in the past.

I'm trying, but it's habit to be on here.

Right.. :ermm:

If you read that wrong, that's your problem, but I think you know exactly what I was saying.

It's frustrating to see someone be so incredibly stubborn about not listening. I think you've single handedly f**ked this forum by not putting more mods in during the couple of years you went pretty much AWOL (in comparison to how much you used to be about). Having people who were actually active members, with their heads screwed on (like Mike, for instance), would have gone some way to keeping some order - WITHOUT stifling peoples opinions.

I could stomach your belief in this community 'evolving' if it wasn't evolving into a place where all anyone does is rip into each other with absolutely zero 'community' feel at all. The most annoying thing is that I'm absolutely certain you know how to make it work, because you have done before. If anything, this post isn't a dig at you - it's a compliment to the way you used to do it. You should take it on board that someone is being passionate about this place, because it's an achievement that you've built something that someone like me gives a shit about.

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If you read that wrong, that's your problem, but I think you know exactly what I was saying.

I do, I also see where you're coming from. However (and this isn't me not listening, this is just what I think), I spend a LOT of time thinking about TF, where its heading, the poor decisions I've made in the past (some that are still with us) and most importantly how members from each side think - not just one member, not just old members, not just seniors, not just new members, but everyone.

For instance, riding my bike to work this morning I was thinking about the Damon W thread in disputes, seeing people take digs at Ali C and wondering what to do about it - what do I do? I don't know the full story, there are clearly a few people on 'one side', but was what Ali said out of place? I dunno, I don't know the full story - I don't want to go wading in warning people left right and center for something I don't know about. Stuff like that really barely scratches the surface of how far it goes. That's the bit you don't see.

You (and all members) have the freedom to hit reply thinking only of yourself, log off and forget about it, let someone else clean up the mess if you've caused an issue. So yeah, you may be a 'human online engagement' expert but I don't think you see the bigger picture for TF, hence the ' :ermm:'.

It's frustrating to see someone be so incredibly stubborn about not listening. I think you've single handedly f**ked this forum by not putting more mods in during the couple of years you went pretty much AWOL (in comparison to how much you used to be about). Having people who were actually active members, with their heads screwed on (like Mike, for instance), would have gone some way to keeping some order - WITHOUT stifling peoples opinions.

I could stomach your belief in this community 'evolving' if it wasn't evolving into a place where all anyone does is rip into each other with absolutely zero 'community' feel at all. The most annoying thing is that I'm absolutely certain you know how to make it work, because you have done before. If anything, this post isn't a dig at you - it's a compliment to the way you used to do it. You should take it on board that someone is being passionate about this place, because it's an achievement that you've built something that someone like me gives a shit about.

I think the fact this thread has 90 odd replies in 24 hours shows that people are still passionate about this place, which is pretty awesome to see (Y)

I suspect, I don't know.. but I suspect part (not all) of the reason you don't feel part of a 'community' is because you're not so much in it any more. The older members have moved on and you don't know who these new members are. Trials isn't something that people generally do forever, its something people generally do in their younger years, before they learn to drive, move out, go to uni, have kids etc. So unlike other more general forums we're always going to have a relatively high turnover of members.

Ever been back to your home town, meeting the one mate who still lives there, going to the pub and thinking 'this ain't as fun as it used to be'? If you look around though you can see the younger generation have taken over the pubs, and they'll be thinking the same in a few years time. The same thing happens here, I've seen it time and time again. It hasn't been the way it used to be since day 2.

The way I used to do it isn't the way I am now, that was what.. 12 years ago? I used to be pretty straight down the line. That's not me any more, I think about stuff too much. I really have to go to the pub now but I have loads more thoughts on this, especially about how facebook/twitter and 'social media' have changed peoples behaviour on the internet over the past 5 years. I'll post a topic some time :)

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It seems like the "problems" on here that tend to create threads like this tend to be started in an almost identical way, time after time. You mentioned before about the lack of moderators, and I think in some ways that might have something to do with it. From having been a part of the forum for a while it seems like it goes from being pretty strict to being pretty relaxed, at which point the shit hits the fan again and things tighten up. I think we're just at that "relaxed" point in that sense. I don't think that constant sense of confrontation and division really helps makes things particularly cohesive which in turn won't really help that "community" side of things.

It also seems like the average age might have shifted a bit since I first joined. Back then it seemed like it was primarily a young user group, but it does seem to have moved a little now. I don't know if it's just because they're more vocal, but it seems like it's people in either their really late teens or early to mid twenties who make up quite a large proportion of the active users on here (active in a sense of posting, not just in a "looking at stuff" way).

EDIT: Part of that might be because there aren't as many younger teenage riders coming on here now because they just have their friends/riding groups on Facebook, so the people who are more settled on the forum or newer (probably older?) users who are trying to be a part of a more widespread 'thing' would be coming here instead?

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they just have their friends/riding groups on Facebook, so the people who are more settled on the forum or newer (probably older?) users who are trying to be a part of a more widespread 'thing' would be coming here instead?

You've touched upon something I've been thinking about a lot over the past year or so. That being that if TF is to continue being the best then we need to set ourselves apart from what you could just as easily get from facebook. Gone are the days where MSN and forums were the only place to chat with likeminded people.

All fair, and taken on board.

I had written more, but figured there's no point. So that'll do.

Boring :P There's nothing to 'take on board' really, thats just my thinking and I'd value your opition on what you think of.. my thinking.

Forgot to add earlier, was in a bit of a rush, but I agree that in the couple of years I was pretty much AWOL, in hindsight, its clear we could have done with some more mods. The problem was I drifted away slowly, didn't really notice it was happening and before you know it its too late to get back into it. Complacency is the word, I think. The past year for me has been going to work, coming home, working on house, spending time with gf, going to bed. Basically my priorities changed, sorting out a house to live in was more important to me than monitoring TF, and monitoring TF is really all or nothing - you can't pop in for an hour a week and expect to keep on top of things. Excuses excuses of course, but more importantly I have more free time now and I want to help improve what we have.

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I'll be less boring tomorrow then. For now the only thing on my agenda is getting absolutely totalled after a day comprising of a funeral and my own very near death experience with a car crashing in front of me in spectacular fashion. Not that that's got anything to do with this, but there's no angry thread ;)

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