possible subforum.

[Anonymous]

I think we're starting to see it happening.
Just look at 1st 2 non stickies.

A "Who will win the jerseys" thread, followed directly by a "Who will win the green jersey" thread.

I'm all for a TDF sub-forum, if it's possible.

was just about to say the same

and its only mid june. god knows what it will be like in july.

Whats more interesting is that one of those thread starters didnt even feel the need to mention the race. Clearly there is only ONE race a year.

I am so glad im not a moderator.

 

[Francois the Postman]

+ this many

Plus "3 and point 14" I could have coped with, but 3.14159.......?



Personally speaking, I'd rather get others to learn the ways of the Forum here, rather than let them (and/or everone) pick up habits that they would employ in our "normal" Forum, and which we would be trying to curb in the months after. Not to mention having to deal with threads that straddle a clear boundary.

I haven't checked it, but it might even impact the strength of the search engine, if we have the same race names and topics split up in 2 sub forums. Searching for a team or rider in the race thread would suddenly not bring up posts from the TdF thread. That would be weird.

I know for some here, some Tour threads and some Tour-only users are a nuisance. Maybe I don't hate this period as much as some others here. I suspect some are already coming to a boil before any actual heat is applied.

I kinda hope that we can welcome new users an help them on their way, rather than treat them as "that July bunch" the moment they touch our TdF Forum battle scars. We all started enthusiastic and blissfully ignorant at some point in our lives. Some of us still are.

We got out alive a year ago, two years ago... with all the hot potatoes included. I can't see why this year would be different.

Sure, it is obvious that TdF threads, again, will be very prominent in our race subforum when it takes place, and the Tour of Austria takes second - OK, make that fifth- fiddle. But I am sure that those that take an interest are adept enough to find it.

However, I can see good arguments both ways, some are made by the OP and others, and there other benefits too, no doubt.

But I am not as convinced that it helps the moderators though. Not that a-bit-more-cumbersome would be a deal-breaker for me (personally speaking). It would give us even more places to juggle, more threads that really should go 'in the other one', or evolve that way, as reflective threads (what-impact-it-has) tend to do. And even with the subforum in place, at least one of those threads would have to be merged or dealt with in a TdF subforum too. I also suspect that people (new and old) would then get in the habit of creating threads (too) quickly, something that we worked hard to curb.

Still, I am certainly not married to one way of doing it. Ultimately it has to be a good idea from a forum framework point of view. Something to ponder, indeed.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

I am so glad im not a moderator.

Yeah, sure, rub it in....

Susan

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, sure, rub it in....

Susan

and youre not even a volunteer....

....are you?

 

[craig1985]

Plus "3 and point 14" I could have coped with, but 3.14159.......?



Personally speaking, I'd rather get others to learn the ways of the Forum here, rather than let them (and/or everone) pick up habits that they would employ in our "normal" Forum, and which we would be trying to curb in the months after. Not to mention having to deal with threads that straddle a clear boundary.

I haven't checked it, but it might even impact the strength of the search engine, if we have the same race names and topics split up in 2 sub forums. Searching for a team or rider in the race thread would suddenly not bring up posts from the TdF thread. That would be weird.

I know for some here, some Tour threads and some Tour-only users are a nuisance. Maybe I don't hate this period as much as some others here. I suspect some are already coming to a boil before any actual heat is applied.

I kinda hope that we can welcome new users an help them on their way, rather than treat them as "that July bunch" the moment they touch our TdF Forum battle scars. We all started enthusiastic and blissfully ignorant at some point in our lives. Some of us still are.

We got out alive a year ago, two years ago... with all the hot potatoes included. I can't see why this year would be different.

Sure, it is obvious that TdF threads, again, will be very prominent in our race subforum when it takes place, and the Tour of Austria takes second - OK, make that fifth- fiddle. But I am sure that those that take an interest are adept enough to find it.

However, I can see good arguments both ways, some are made by the OP and others, and there other benefits too, no doubt.

But I am not as convinced that it helps the moderators though. Not that a-bit-more-cumbersome would be a deal-breaker for me (personally speaking). It would give us even more places to juggle, more threads that really should go 'in the other one', or evolve that way, as reflective threads (what-impact-it-has) tend to do. And even with the subforum in place, at least one of those threads would have to be merged or dealt with in a TdF subforum too. I also suspect that people (new and old) would then get in the habit of creating threads (too) quickly, something that we worked hard to curb.

Still, I am certainly not married to one way of doing it. Ultimately it has to be a good idea from a forum framework point of view. Something to ponder, indeed.

I got the idea from the fact that I used to frequent a cricket forum (my other passion) and only for The Ashes or a World Cup did we have a sub-forum, and all discussion took part in there. A sticky was made in the main cricket discussion forum a month or two before the series to inform them that a sub-forum has been created and all discussion would be made there. Nothing changed, nobody treated anybody different, and any banter that went OTT was quickly stamped down on, like what happened anywhere else on the forum.

I'm sure it would be no different here when it comes to threads in the PRC forum and doping, you use your judgment and move it to the Clinic. Perhaps it will be different now that Lance has retired and won't be racing there.

FWIW I'm off work until the 7th of July so I'm prepared to put my money where my mouth is and assist in moving threads and discussion over to a subforum if the people in charge decide that a TDF subforum is the way too go. You know how contact me on here.

 

[VeloGirl]

What are the chances of ever having a TDF sub-forum? I don't see how hard it is to get one set up, it would make things a whole lot easier with the increased volume this site will have. Aside from the stage threads, we do have threads that offer discussion (eg "When is a good time for Andy Schleck to take the yellow jersey" ), or to cover a controversial incident (like Cancellara on stage 2 when the Schleck's crashed, when Renshaw got kicked out, or chain-gate), but a lot of threads that cover the same subject, or pointless ones (eg "Armstrong just gave Andy Schleck a yellow bracelet"), and everything is several pages back.

And besides, I do think there is other things to talk about (like the Tour of Austria) aside from the TDF. You simply create a sub-forum, just before the Tour (say a week before), move all threads there, leave until a week or so after the Tour has ended, lock it and archive it, so people can read it, reference posts back there, but can't post in it.

I asked for this when the forum first went up. This is an excellent idea. We could also have team threads, and a pics thread, etc...

I actually think the 3 grand tours should have their own sub forum. Like you said, archive it later on so it could be accessed and read at a later date.

 

[jobiwan]

Dear Mods,

On the first page of the road racing forum, there are these threads about the Tour:

Hardest MTF in Tour de France 2011
le Tour 2011 top 10 GC contenders and pretenders
Can Levi Win the Tour de France
TdF TTT - GC winners & losers
le Tour team thread
The Race for Green: The Points Classification.
Andreas Kloden's Final Bid For Another Coveted Top 10 Tour Finish, 'Official' Thread
A French Contender?

Now I should note that TeamSkyFans had a clear purpose for the Levi thread

(purely starting this before we have a sudden influx of new levi threads)

And the Kloden thread was made a long time ago.

But, in my opinion this is the best argument for a separate TDF subforum as myself and others asked for on the last page. All these threads don't seem warranted IMO.

More than likely after each stage of the Tour, there will probably be a thread about each subject. You'll get the standards like a:

Contador shouldn't be here thread
Schleck is a baby thread
I hate Phil and Paul/Kirby/Harmon/every commentator known to man thread
Tony Martin hype/fail thread
Dutch hype/fail thread
Why did (whoever) do (whatever they did) thread
Who will win the (insert color) jersey after (insert stage) thread


Not that these threads are unjustified, but we'll probably see one after one stage, and the same one 3 stages later.

Having as many of these threads, as I noted at the beginning of this post (and this is in June), will IMO make this forum a tad unreadable (and I'm not going to mention the Clinic ).

To have a readable forum, I believe the number of threads started has to be limited. Otherwise we get a mob of threads that either have to merged or closed, and that takes all the Mods time.

I believe that a TDF subforum is probably the best way to handle this, but I do understand all the points that Francois made a page back.

Maybe not even a subforum, but perhaps a couple of catch-all threads (aside from the stage threads) and a sticky like in the Clinic. There are Lance and Contador threads, and a sticky that says if it's not big enough to start another thread (and to use common sense to dictate what big means) it doesn't need a thread. And this seems to work okay.

Maybe that would be a better idea, but I will understand and appreciate any decisions the Mods take, as it is your time at stake here

Thanks,
jobiwan

BTW: I joined this forum near the end of last year's "Silly Season" as TeamSkyFans likes to call it , so if I appear to be a little naive or hypocritical, I apologize!

 

[pmcg76]

I am adding my name to the list of people who would like to see a sub-forum for the Tour, the threads are already starting to mushroom. I understand it might be more work but if there is a seperate forum for the Tour, how many people would actually be left posting in the regular racing section. I mean there is only the Tour of Austria and one or two other races to follow during that time. I would say 95% of traffic in July will be Tour related meaning the regular racing secction shouldnt be hard to moderate. A sub-forum has been created for competition's(which I have never frequented)it shouldnt be that difficult to have a Tour one.

I dont think it will discourage new users either as most will come to post about Le Tour and will be able to do so regardless of sub-forum's.

 

[Echoes]

I would like to see a cycling history sub-forum here.

If I'm starting one on sub-forum #6, there's a pretty good chance that I find it back on Page 2 at my next visit.

Certainly now that there is overdose of uninteresting (let's say what is) "climbbybike"/profile/gradient threads.

Thanks in advance,

Echoes

 

[Anonymous]

Im still all for closing the forum for 5 weeks from late June each year.

 

[nickel999]

I asked for this when the forum first went up. This is an excellent idea. We could also have team threads, and a pics thread, etc...

I think Team threads is an excellent suggestion +1

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

I think there should be a stickied index thread that has links to threads that commonly get added to even though they are old.

At the top of the list should be my Giro pictures thread so it can continue to do better than ACF94's Vuelta pictures thread. Even though we are handily winning, there is no reason not to run up the score.

 

[Boeing]

a no holds bared pure Cussing and fighting forum. anything goes enter at own risk with disclaimers abound

 

[nickel999]

I would also vote for an update to the message board software as a whole.

I don't believe CN is running the latest V-bulletin software.