Discuss the changes to our forum rules here

[jon]

Feel free to discuss and ask questions about the changes to our forum rules here.

[ivan]

i'm skert too - my wife tells me EVERYTHING i say is obscene

[pink]

is g-spotter still exempt?

 

[Rad]

New policy looks fine. This is just the next step in the nice-ification you've been doing for some time. I sometimes worry that you'll be cutting out the dead wood without replanting anything to take its place. And I like Ivan and Tvash despite -nay, perhaps because of - their brash behavior.

 

Do you have a plan for attracting new eyeballs and posters? Is cleaning out the deadwood the first of many steps along that path? Here's a possible next step: add a bouldering forum. There's probably a lot more bouldering in the PNW than ice climbing, and the bouldering scene seems to be growing faster than any other aspect of our sport. Surely content on ethics, environmental stewardship, new areas, and land use issues will be of interest to readers.

 

Another idea: think about making the site more like a wiki, where people can contribute and connect content. At present it's all little dead-end threads that are not cross connected except by Google. As an aside, I've never found the search tools useful within the site and just use Google to find threads I'm seeking. Some better organization and searchability, with indexing and keywords, might make the site a better planning tool.

 

That's my 2 cents.

[astrov]

the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint.

[genepires]

Agreed........no wait. nix that.

 

[ivan]

so...what's an example of somethign that's happened here over hte past few months (that wasn't punished then) that's not gonna fly now? spray still gets to be spray, right?

[num1mc]

so...what's an example of somethign that's happened here over hte past few months (that wasn't punished then) that's not gonna fly now? spray still gets to be spray, right?

 

Name-calling.

Ad hominem attacks.

Responding to a post’s tone instead of its actual content.

Knee-jerk contradiction.

Trolling for a reaction.

 

Aren't you in violation of number 4 and 5?

[genepires]

Name-calling + Ad hominem attacks + Responding to a post’s tone instead of its actual content + Knee-jerk contradiction + Trolling for a reaction = spray

 

can we have a no rules forum? maybe a sign a waiver to verify your mental toughness to handle the name calling, attacks and trolls? A "let the reader beware" forum?

[num1mc]

Why was a change of rules even warranted?

[ivan]

i don't yet understand how it IS a change. the glory days of cumgargling n' licking sack n' cries of "ad-homo!" are looking pretty tiny in the rear-view mirror and spray is as lethargic (and civil) as i can ever remember. tvash occaisonally gets banninated for forgetting life-rule#1 but does his time and comes on back. what have i missed ('cuz dammit, i wanted in on it )

 

what we DO need is a whole new suite of emoticons - my face just doesn't look like this anymore

[olyclimber]

For now I think we'd just like to hear your comments about the change. If you have questions, we think most are answered in the post, so I encourage you to read it all the way through (yeah, I know it is a wall of text).

 

I think its important to point out that it isn't about targeting anyone specifically, so we aren't going to call anyone out. This isn't about the past, this is about the future. This is just a about raising the bar a little so we can get more people to participate. Its about becoming a little more friendly, so you don't need as thick a hide to be a part of CC.com.

 

Thats all I'll say for now, but I do encourage you guys to speak up and tell us what this site means to you and what your response is to the update Jon posted. Is there something specifically you don't like about it? We need feedback (but please keep it constructive).

[JasonG]

I guess I'm scratching my head a bit on this one, but then again I've never been accused of being sensitive.

 

Having sat through a four hour staff meeting this morning, I really hope that these proposed changes don't turn this site into a PC wasteland like I just endured. Even if the barbs here sometimes cross the line (though that is pretty much kept in Spray these days), they keep me on my toes, and that is good.

 

If folks need to be taken down a notch, I would hope that cc.com can continue to deliver, and that we don't take posts or posters too seriously. We could all use a bit more humility, and we certainly can and should learn to take some abuse.

 

Think of it as alpine training without leaving your office.

[ivan]

...tell us what this site means to you and what your response is to the update Jon posted. Is there something specifically you don't like about it? We need feedback (but please keep it constructive).

 

cc.raytard is how i've made more than half the friends i have since moving to the northwest a decade ago, so it means the world to me. when i win the lottery or the bastards in olympia finally give me my cola i'll even throw some cash into the kitty to prove it - for now it's having to settle for my klingon poetry and Award Winning Personality

 

i've nothing to add or change really - it's been working just fine

 

jason, sounds like you need to be contributing here: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1112639/Re_staff_meeting

[obwan]

Overall, I support your efforts and hard work of many on this website - where would be without it, even some of the personalities make it happen (both negative and positive).

I have worked with several decades of climbers, and the most important factor is "respect" - the whole idea is let's make it fun and a learning experience. It's the only way we'll survive. Go for it!

[JasonG]

In all seriousness though, I come here for the TRs, pretty pictures, beta, access info, and color commentary- not necessarily in that order. There isn't a better spot on the web for our local hills, at least that I've found.

[Lowell_Skoog]

I don't visit CC.com all that often. I come here about once a week to see what people have been climbing and what they are talking about.

 

I read the new forum rules and they seem fine. I mean, isn't that the way most people would prefer to interact? And if people don't prefer to interact respectfully, I'm not going to miss them.

 

There has been some discussion recently about whether usage of CC.com has decreased and whether new climbers are getting involved here. I don't know if that's true, but it seems like I see the same posters here again and again.

 

Here's a thought: If you care about CC.com remaining a vital resource and attracting new climbers, maybe you shouldn't care whether long-term posters who just like to stir up crap drop out.

 

(I guess I'm in a feisty mood this evening....)

 

Another thing... I think CC.com is long overdue for a visual makeover. The site design is not very visually appealing. In fact, it's junky looking.

 

(I really am in a mood this evening...)

 

If you want to attract new participants, a clean design that provides an attractive setting for trip reports and discussions would help. NWHikers.net, Turns-all-year.com, SummitPost.com, and RockClimbing.com all have cleaner looking designs than CC.com. A big part of it is the huge presence of advertising here. It's over the top. Maybe it's necessary to keep the site going. But in it's current form (from a design standpoint) the over-emphasis on advertising is hurting this site.

 

Okay, enough ruffled feathers for one evening.... Keep calm and carry on!

 

 

[yikes]

April 1st is still a week away. I think you jumped the gun.

 

I agree with JasonG that I often come here for the banter. PG forums don't interest me. That's what I live with in the 23.5 hours of the day when I'm not on CC or TGR. Can we please have an over 18 forum where sexuality and violence and the lowest common denominator are condoned?

[stevetimetravlr]

I come to cc.com to read Ivan's trip reports. and to try and put a positive swing on the crazy blanket closure at Beacn Rock. Hopefully sanity will prevail and it will be scaled down. Belay on!

[Drederek]

I don't think forcing people to be civil is what the internet is all about. They should have the right to show the world what they are really like. If you want CC to be an internet guidebook like mtn proj that's fine, the tr section is very good and people are respecting that. But if you also want people to discuss contentious issues you should let them have at it. If (when) peeps get way out of line ban them publicly and state why. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater please.

[CWC01]

Changing the rules is another way of saying it is someone else's fault. A close internal examination would probably be more productive. Turning up the volume in the echo chamber won't play a new song.

 

In addition to a dated format you have stickies from 2007 and older. You're sending a message that this place is long past it's peak. If you're still having to say the same thing seven years later you're simply doing it wrong.

 

 

 

[num1mc]

In addition to a dated format you have stickies from 2007 and older. You're sending a message that this place is long past it's peak. If you're still having to say the same thing seven years later you're simply doing it wrong

 

Like this

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/317181/A_Stylish_Guide_or_some_though#Post317181

 

If you have moderators who haven't been active in a year and a half, boot them. But you may be pissing in the wind, with tweets and FB, you'll never be what once was. Kind of like lamenting the loss of the horseshoe industry in 1921

[jon]

We appreciate the comments. We'll address others later, just want to talk about the technology side right now.

 

Another thing... I think CC.com is long overdue for a visual makeover. The site design is not very visually appealing. In fact, it's junky looking.

 

In addition to a dated format.

 

The forum desperately needs both functionality and design modernizations, and we have know this for a while. And we are working on it, but it's not simple. We can't just go to App Store and downloading new software. We have to recode the TR system, migrate all the data, make sure accounts work, make sure redirects work.... it's a long list. Most importantly we have to pick something that we can stick with for a while. We almost migrated in 2005, and it would have been a disaster if we had. We put our faith in UBB and we got burned in the long run. We have two options picked out, both are solid and modern, we are just waiting for a new version on one to finalize the decision. If you want to try them out send me a PM and I'll introduce both to you.

 

Oh one other thing.

 

the huge presence of advertising here. It's over the top.

 

I'm glad you brought this up. We did get carried away a bit experimenting with different ad spaces. I apologize for that. I'm going to cut out the ones that are not performing well.

 

[Rad]

My 2 cents:

The world is rapidly shifting away from laptops and PCs to mobile devices. Probably the biggest single thing you could do is to improve the UI on mobile devices. The NYTimes and Facebook have done this nicely. Granted, they are large players. Mountainproject has also gone over. Don't get left at the desk when people go out and climb!

 

[CascadeClimber]

We put our faith in UBB and we got burned in the long run. We have two options picked out, both are solid and modern...

 

I've helped run a few sites going back to 2000. Every one got 'orphaned' by the forum software dev, going back to the original wwwboard script. Did either of your two current options exist in 2005?

 

The site's only as good as its content. For my part, I come for route conditions and some of the TRs. The socializing/banter/spray side left me behind in the heyday of Ray and that crew- the signal/noise ratio just got way too low.

 

That said, I'm sure that for as many people as there are like me, there is an equal number who come here to treat people in a way they wouldn't in person. From an ad-impressions standpoint, they count equally. The problem is the 'content' they contribute tends to chase off people posting TRs and other useful info and pretty soon it's just a bunch of trolls with no one left to troll.

 

Site design is, I think, not nearly as important as content.

 

I also think Facebook et al has taken a pretty huge toll on sites like this, across the board. What this forum did to the old message board at Marmot, Facebook is perhaps now doing in turn.