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Date Posted: 14:57:14 09/29/04 Wed
Author: z-dog
Subject: The new forum really DOES NOT SUCK!

It is however, different. I'd like to take a few to refute the complaints, tell you why I like it, and thank the DP for the new board.

Obviously, the more fragmented (or ordered if you will) nature of the new forum is a change, and it's not at all surprising to me that there are a variety of opinions on this new format, both positive and negative. The biggest change from an interaction perspective is the loss of spontaneity and scannability as compared with the old board. To be sure, it’s a loss, but what have we gained?

<b>Categories and Rules Breed Order:</b> In the new site, topics have their own place. This makes getting to useful content a bit more difficult in cases like “Riders and Teams” vs. “Racing” where there’s a lot of potential crossover between categories, and you might not want to bother to check both. But it’s sooooo much better in the case of the doping or any other potentially controversial category. Gone are the arguments about what is and isn’t appropriate to post on the board (it's clearly defined and posted), whether doping is a legitimate subject, etc. There’s a place to talk about it, talk freely, and that’s that. There is far less noise (arguing about what is and isn’t appropriate, name calling, etc.) and more substantive discussions about the topic. That’s a huge improvement. As the new board matures, topic sections that make sense will live on (I presume) and topic sections that don’t will fade away. <b>Net Result: Big Improvement.</b>

<b>Less Fuel for the Flame Wars:</b> Threads do not extend the length of the page, often with flaming titles, dominating the board for a number of days. The scannability and spontaneity which is a plus for seeing what topics are out there also unfortunately contributed immensely to the rapid-fire nature of the flame wars. Every person that looked at the board could see the flame threads. In the new world, you would have to drill into the topic that contained the (theoretical) flame war, and even then, you’d be able to pass over flame content very quickly (as you can see the full text, not just the titles) and get back into the meat of the conversation. Conseuently there has been a marked decrease in confrontational and flame-worthy posts. They simply don’t go anywhere in this new format, so their number and length is dramatically reduced. <b>Net Result: Big Improvement.</b>

<b>Community/Accountability:</b> I like that there are photos of some of the crowd! It’s cool that you can send messages to and fro. I like that on this board you have to register, and the potential for people creating flame-only usernames is greatly minimized. Reduces flaming. As does the record of all the posts you make under your user name. As does the percentage of posts you place in one topic area. All this I think serves to passively police people’s behaviors, as they have to be aware of their reputation. Much like ebay’s ratings. Nothing like this existed on the old board. <b>Net Result: Big Improvement.</b>

<b>Better users, better content:</b> Because of the specific nature of the topics and the small but notable extra effort it takes to drill down into a topic and scan it, posters tend to be a lot more interested in actually discussing cycling content. They tend to be a bit more committed to the board and the topics at hand. The old board was more conducive to people dropping in and dropping bombs. There’s much less instantly visible combustible material (to feed the flames) now. I would speculate that the total number of posters has dropped. I would also speculate that the quality of the posts and the commitment level (to the good of the site) of the average poster is higher. More quality posters and less drop-in bombers is good for business. It’s better content and a better image for the site. It’s a trade-off versus pure page hit numbers, but I think that’s a pretty easy revenue metric to make a call on. On the new board, you have to want it more. <b>Net Result: Big Improvement.</b>

I think there are some other improvements that could be made to the new site, like bolding topic headings I haven’t read since my last visit (much more direct than interpreting icons, no matter how well rendered), and I’m sure there are more. But this is a platform that seems to me to make more sense for the long run. As a user for the last few years, I wholeheartedly welcome the change, and applaud the DP for their implementation efforts so far. Thanks!!

P.S. I don't have anything to do with the DP, the forums, etc. Just offering an explanation of the pros and cons to help people understand the potential benefits as I see them.

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