Should the forum have a General & off topic chat section?

Shame really the forum isn't kept up to date with being able to post proper pictures easily, video and easy chat (and better mobile phone use) as it would keep people here.
There is loads of nice stuff coming from Mountain Mayhem from the retrobikers, you'll not find it here though.
Probably why it's dwindling and people just start off on boredom rants...

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Re:

I'm not quite sure what to say on this question. I kind of recently broke my golden rule of never to get involved with politics on Retrobike :facepalm: it only ends in contention and acrimonious lunacy. For my day job, I work in a campaign environment in a political organisation, so for me, Retrobike has always been a refuge away from all of that and all the everyday nonsense of modern life.

The General & Off-topic section would probably be best if it just stuck to uncontentious non-bike topics really. I rarely go into it but one night I just got bored and somehow I ended up in there. I was quite surprised to see a few new posts in there as they were all based on current huge news events and therefore were inherently laden with politics. Then it's a slippery slope, the thin end of the wedge and all that.

Given that Retrobike has been around for a while, it's not surprising that people may get bored or move on or whatever. We're probably way past peak Retrobike. The immediacy of social media and richer content may be more engaging for some too.

There's obviously an outlet required for particular things on here but talking about bikes and the love of them is where we seem to be happiest.

Groovy, you are making some great posts on these contentious threads.

That is justification enough for me.

Just like social groups of all kinds, you often cannot measure without pressure.

Over the years, I have begun to appreciate the likes of Technodup. I absolutely don't agree with them, but respect them.

If I, at nearly 50, can grow up a little, then surely we all can?

Cycling, whether we like it or no, is a political thing.

There will never be a politics free cycling forum.

Re:

Thanks, it's very kind and assuring indeed to say that Highlandsflyer. You're points are spot on – even the bike threads aren't free of controversy. There should be room for everyone here and we must rise above trading insults. Finding my old bike and then subsequently the Retrobike forum, a few years back now, was a god send for me following a bad injury and it rekindled my mojo.

highlandsflyer":1r1cmngu said:

Over the years, I have begun to appreciate the likes of Technodup. I absolutely don't agree with them, but respect them.

Click to expand...

What do you mean 'the likes of' technodup? There's only one technodup.

Some would say that's a good thing.

But it's good to disagree, debate and discussion is how things more forward. There's a great Oxford Union debate on a very similar subject (it's about offence), I forget the speakers. We don't have to agree, but we should be challenged and have our thoughts and beliefs tested. There are only a handful of 'right wing' views on here. If they were gone (and if users don't frequent other more representative outlets/forums) all you'd have is a group of middle aged, paunchy men believing their own hype about life. And life for many (or most given the election results) is or can be quite different.

Indeed, splintering the board further only amplifies the divides we see, manifested by technology, enabled by us living in bubbles and forgetting we're a common species.

If folks decide to be downright abusive, speak to a mod. That's what they are there for, to review and make a call on whether folks should be banned.

Don't get that twisted with a difference of opinion.

What would really help is a total rejuvenation of the board, which we've discussed at length previously hence my groundhog day comment.

Hopefully the results will give an indication of the way to go. Most forums I know that have an off topic do genuinely have off topic discussions and they can get quite passionate.

This should not be confused however with a forum being boring. If the forum is failing to motivate it's members on it's original reason for existing, then the off topic section is an easy target for blame rather than challenging where the forum is going wrong elsewhere

It might be a compromise where politics and religion are banned, I suspect the modding to prevent that will need to be high as people fall out on the bike sections too

Anyway, like I said, it's easy to blame the off topic part but it is only one very small part of the forum and not one single person or member is forced to go in there

Being slightly asd I don't even look at the rules any more, I just apply what i consider to be reasonable values and tone down any insults or aspersions that I may want to voice. Usually the things that should be locked or removed are. I am shocked at how strongly some react to the views of others.

On the whole it works well. But if you allow unfettered comment, things get out of hand very quickly as some seem to have no internal controls or a substantially different view of appropriate etiquette when addressing another member. Others take offence at far milder remarks than some of their own.

That politics forum is the place for full on debate on the issues of the day. The G&OT was more like a births deaths and marriages column with a bit of general knowledge, consumer guidance and handy hints for life and repair thrown in. Take the controversy somewhere else.

I wonder if anyone remembers all the bike of the month 'liveliness' and, er, debate..

No just stick with it. No other separate sub sub sub sections for this that or other.

People should learn to control themselves.