Separate Gear and Footwear forums ??? (was: Forum Split)

spoonerweb

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Could we possibly have the forum split to have just a gear forum and then a seperate footwear forum? I have no desire to read through the shoe and sock posts, but I do come here for things like GPS, HR, hydration packs, and whatever else might fall under gear. I see there are new posts under this forum and I get excited only to find out the 10 new posts are only about shoes.
 
Spooner, I changed the name

Spooner, I changed the name of this thread because the original title sounded more dramatic than I think the subject really is (?).

In any case, I kind of like this idea. While it's hardly been the most pressing issue on my mind, what with all the interesting and scary things happening in the world (war/the national debt/dancing with the stars/etc), I too would like to occasionally discuss gear, but am not really interested in footwear. In fact I thought of reviewing a shirt recently but paused because there wasn't a clear place to put it.

Of course there is nothing STOPPING any member here from going to the Gear & Footwear Forum, or the Product Reviews section, to look for or post reviews of (say) shirts. But both the Gear & Footwear forum and the Product Reviews section are very oriented toward footwear. (In the case of the Product Reviews section, the whole main page is designed around rating footwear characteristics.)

We should acknowedge, though, that at this point a Gear forum wouldn't have that much in it -- this year, there have been perhaps 5-6 Gear & Footwear threads related to gear that isn't footwear. But if we started it I could add a thread or two. (Plus we could add in important historical topics like the whole excitement and then disappointment around Musher's Secret.... http://barefootrunners.org/forum-topic/dogs-feet-need-protectionwhat :) )
 
I think it seems a bit

I think it seems a bit excessive. Honestly the whole forum doesn't even get that much traffic anymore since its summer again so shoes aren't people's biggest concerns. Plus I bet most people here go other places for alot of that info anyway. If I'm curious about hydration packs I'm far more likely to go searching through ultra forums for information since there are just more people who use them. Same with hr monitors and marathoner forumns. I think thats why we end up with so few threads on actual gear that "normal" runners use and mostly about minimal shoes.
 
This site does not get enough

This site does not get enough traffic to justify it. Look at current threads in the gear section. You are lucky if you get 10 responses.

One reason why traffic is limited is that these forums fail in numerous aspects. The multiple format issues need to be fixed. No spell check so you are constantly reading things with poor grammar. Try not logging in for a while. Look how delayed new posts are when your logged out. I've never seen other forums do this. The issues are a annoyance, and should be fixed. I'm confident these issues reduce the amount of people that come use the forums. New folks see these short comings, and it makes the site look unprofessional. So why add more when the basics are not even established ? Kind of like having a sink with no soap.

Can you get the basics fixed before adding more forums sections that will hardly get used ? If you need money get a sponsor.

Just get the basics down first. Would seem to be a more reasonable request, right ??

>Rant over<
 
I was guessing it would take

I was guessing it would take the person in chrage maybe five minutes to change. Create a new forum title and maybe even move the posts about gear to the new forum. Done. My biggest complaint about the forums software is that I have to tell it to mark everything as read, it doesn't remember the last time I looked at the forums. This is the reason I stopped using Runner's World forums for a while because they did some kind of failed upgrade and it took a few months before they actually fixed it.
 
Well Stomper.  I am on a

Well Stomper. I am on a Macbook Pro. No matter what page I'm on in the forums, or other parts of the BRS.org. I only see white outside of the content. I see absolutely no ads, or sponsors of any kind. So as far as I can tell this site has established no support of ads, etc. The borders at each side are only white.
 
shock, Perhaps you have an

shock, Perhaps you have an adblocker installed in your browser? I know I do, but I have it turned off for the BRS site because I want to know what ads we are showing our members. In any case the BRS site displays a sort of pale pink background for me, on firefox and chrome, on both Windows and Linux.

Which isn't really to blame your computer. Like I said I agree with your critique and have noticed the same issues. I just am skeptical (for reasons stated earlier) about where sponsorships would lead. ???

Personally (and this is just me talking; this notion has not been vetted with TJ) I think we should just do a little fundraising campaign. If 100 of us gave $20 each that'd be $2000 in developer time. Since we already have a developer who's familiar with the site, that'd probably be a very productive little contract, fixing the kind of things you talked about. I'm in. Anyone?
 
spooner, you're right,

spooner, you're right, creating a new forum would take no time at all. It's not really a new feature. The question is basically whether there would be enough traffic in it to be useful. Abandoned forums can be rather lonely... :<
 
spoonerweb wrote:My biggest

spoonerweb said:
My biggest complaint about the forums software is that I have to tell it to mark everything as read, it doesn't remember the last time I looked at the forums.

Hmm spooner that sounds like some sort of ID failure. If you are logged in to the BRS, then it should know which things you have already read. I wonder: are you blocking ALL cookies from BRS or using some other masking thing which might prevent the system from knowing who you are?

These are just speculations on my part; I did not program the site. Sorry you're frustrated.
 
Paleo and I already have the

Paleo and I already have the pages and advertisement fixed for an upcoming fundraiser, Stomper, so thanks for thinking along those lines.

We are getting ready to move to a VPS around September 1 (yes, again we are attempting this), as iJoe can no longer host us at no cost. We will be paying $600 per year for this hosting service. I want to make sure we are back up and running smoothly with most kinks worked out before we go forward with the fundraiser though.

Shock, so you'll understand, we are not some big conglomerate like Runner's World who is funded by big name shoe advertisers. (And like Stomper said, you aren't going to get REAL barefoot running conversation over there, sadly, since I started that forum as well.) We are an all-volunteer oragnization. What money we get from our ads, affiliate programs, and tee shirt sales is enough to keep the doors open, and as we can, we add improvements to the site. We just installed CAPTCHA on the site, and we are now working on the last threads/posts lists. I have asked AA Barefoot to write up a detailed description outlining the steps he takes when he experiences problems with formatting on the site, so that's next. (AA, we're waiting on you.) This does not come free. In fact, the spell checker you wish for costs approx. $800 the last time I checked, as it is not a free, open-source module.

Speaking of the other forums, they all have their problems. I remember when RW upgraded, and all of our post counts were wiped clean from the site. I remember when they had problems with their smileys. It goes on and on, so even having money doesn't fix the bugs that are introduced at the time a program is created, let alone implemented.

Do you want to contribute to this community in a postive way? Do you have any Drupal or PHP experience? Are you able to make a contribution of some kind, lead a chapter, head up a program, admin the site, make a monetary donation? If so, I'm listening. If not, we'll take the complaints and resolve them in a priority order as we receive funding and time to do so.

Spooner, let me sleep on your suggestion and get back to you. And yes, the creation of the forum and modifying the menus won't take but a few minutes, but the actual moving of the gear threads will, and time I am short on with everything else going on in and around the BRS.

BTW, we are averaging 2 million hits per month, and all of the traffic we are getting is taxing the server, so we are having to move. Small potatoes in comparison to RW, not small in comparison to the other barefoot running-related sites out there.

Keep it POSITIVE! Remain POLITE! Those are the rules.

Again, the BRS is not just a website, it's a club, and here's a list of the many resources we offer at no charge:

Forums: The most active forums going on barefoot and minimalist talk. Learn and grow with other members, new and veteran alike, as you transition to healthy running. We have forums for Barefoot & Minimalist Running; Ask the Docs; Gear & Footwear; Health, Nutrition, Injuries & Medical Conditions, Mileage Reporting, New Member Introductions, Races & Events, the Barefoot Pub, and state/country forums as well.

Chapter Clubs: Join in on group runs and races with other members in your area or head up a chapter in your area and arrange meetups.

Calendar of Events: Stay informed on the barefoot and minimalist running, racing, and meetup events taking place around the country, in your area, and where you may be traveling to.

Ask the Docs Forum: Get answers from medical professionals about your barefoot or minimalist living and running health. Each of our three doctors (MD, Podiatrist, and Chiropractor) is a barefoot runner!

Map of Barefoot-Friendly Doctors & Specialists: Find a doctor or specialist near you who won't treat you like an outcast for your running-style, or you can share those barefoot-friendly docs you learn of with the rest of us.

Member Map (Coming Soon): Put yourself on the map, and locate friends and mentors in your area to run with.

Map of Barefoot Running Instructors (Coming Soon): For those who need an extra bit of help and some one-on-one instruction.

Product Reviews: Share your experiences and rate a product you may have tested--gear & footwear--and read what others are saying about products you may be interested in buying; footwear can be rated by Weight, Flexibility, Zero Drop, Toe Box Width, etc., etc.

Course Reviews: Rate a course, trail, or race on barefoot-friendliness you have experienced, so others will know what to expect should they want to run it too.

Home Page News: Stay informed on the latest in barefoot and minimalist running and the news that impacts our sport.

Blogging: Share your experiences with others or learn more about your friends&rsquo; personal triumphs and trials in an all-inclusive place.

Library: Review our Library, fast becoming THE go-to source for academic research and info on the benefits of barefoot and minimalist running, review how-to instructionals, and learn safe transitioning through Barefoot Running 101.

Mileage Clubs & Mileage Reporting: Be inspired and motivated by logging your barefoot and/or minimalist running miles and inspire and motivate others along the way. Earn a merit award at the end of the year to display proudly or keep as a memento of your hard work and efforts.

International Barefoot Running Day: Annually, barefoot runners get together all over the world to share camaraderie, express unity, and share with the world an alternative, viable way to run.

Stomp of Approval Program: The BRS&rsquo;s Stomp of Approval is given to those individuals, organizations, and running events that show support for barefoot and minimalist running to display on their sites.

Communication: Communicate with other members through private messaging.
 
I always go through -- "My

I always go through -- "My Unread", "Recent Posts" -- which concatenates all the forums and profiles and blogs. I rarely even know which forum a post came from since the forums are not identified in that format. I just use the "new" and "updated" tags and choose to click or not based on titles. As far as I'm concerned, so long as you don't get rid of this feature, you can divide the forums into as many different titles as you'd like.



Peace,

Karen
 
Thread moved to the Site Help

Thread moved to the Site Help forum to help us keep track of the Site's To-Do list.
 
Oh, and I was thinking I

Oh, and I was thinking I should add... The BRS will be two years old on November 1. We opened our doors to the public with 680 beta testers on September 6, 2010. As of this posting, we have grown to 3,076 legitimate, registered members. In the early days we received just two site-wide spam attacks and maybe only three or four single spam postings, all of which were purged from the site. A very few of us stepped up to admin the site and keep the spammers and spambots out. Since we had no funding for CAPTCHA at the time, we manually verified every single account. I will not bore you with the process, but believe me, it was very effective but not very efficient. We worked hard to make the site more visitor-friendly, and we ACHEIVED that. We will continue to manually verify all accounts who register for membership with the BRS, but now that CAPTCHA is in place, the process will go a lot smoother and a lot faster for everyone-pending members, moderators, and admins.

We want to make this site as user-friendly as is possible, and your constructive critiques and feedback are important to us. And again, we are working on the issues addressed (and some others you all don't know about), but it's going to take some time and funding.

We appreciate all of you for your support, patience, and understanding as we grow and grow.
 
Not seeing the ads has

Not seeing the ads has nothing to do with having a macbook pro. I have one and I'm sure many many others do as well. You certainly have an ad block up. Also I've never had any problems with it not remembering my visits either. It seems like this is more likely a poblem with your computer than the site. Actually I find far less problems with this site than runners world. I never ever post over there but I used to spend a bunch of time reading and I hand constant issues with slowness, and random annoyingness in general. Spell check would be sweet over here, but other than that, since the last upgrades, I think this forum is one of the best I've used in terms of glitches and such.
 
Thanks for suggesting the My

Thanks for suggesting the My Unread option, Karen. It seems like once people have used the site enough, they warm up to it and realize it's not as flawed as they first thought. It's good to have you back!!!!

You're a SWEET HEART, AJB! Thank you!!!!
 
I just checked out the

I just checked out the "Recent Posts" and it says there almost 700 pages. I really don't have the time to go through all of those. I have already gone through each forum and marked everything as read. The "Recent Posts" would be nice if I could put some sort of permanent filter on it, like choosing which forums to include and only include recent posts upto so many days old.
 
I think there is a way to set

I think there is a way to set up notifications for the only the material you are interested in. I'll check it out and post back here. The problem with this is I think you get an actual email notification whenever someone posts in your chosen area/s.
 
If you go to your account

If you go to your account profile page (My Account), and select Notifications you can manage notifications for the groups you are in (enable/disable); you can edit how notifications are handled (send method, interval), and you can autosubscribe (check if you want to be notified when someone has posted to a thread you have created); and you can create notifications based on content type (still doesn't let you choose a particular forum), thread, or author. So, I'm afraid this will just generate emails for you, and not allow you to narrow it down to what you are interested in. Sorry about that, Spooner.
 

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