 Poster: A snowHead
|
I got (and still get) an awful lot of good advice from the pre-MO board and worry that newcomers to skiing are not going to find there way here.
Most people found their way onto the old-life board when seeking snow reports. I suspect that we have mostly experienced skiers here. How do we let new-to-skiing people know of our existence and fund of deep wisdom.
Should we add skiing experience to the profile?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Chris, you could try starting a new thread on the SCGB forum titled "If you want info on skiing look here first" (or something similar, though maybe more snappy) with a posting about this site. Then to keep it at the top of the list just make sure it is posted to daily. (the way things are going over there, soon you'll only have to post weekly, even monthly....)
P.S. I'm not sure this is a really good idea, but I posted my first thread today here, and was so happy when I got my first (and so far only) reply - zero looks so lonely in the replies column. You had none, so I thought I would correct that. Cheers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Attracting lots of members has plusses and minusses. The positives are obvious, but there is a danger than with lots of members (not all of whom may be genuinely interested in skiing/boarding, but could just be trolls instead) the amount of moderation required goes up in volume terms and down in quality terms.
At the moment, we have a relatively small number of moderators who do a great job. If there are five times as many posts, we'd either need more moderators (not always a good idea) or each one would have a higher workload.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Don't take that post as me thinking exclusivity is good - far from it, just wanted to point out the downsides of having an (large) influx of new blood!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Yeah! Careful masopa (where did the full stop go?), that all sounds very familiar.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Jolly right, old chap - keep all the proles out! Bloody riff-raff stole one of my deer the other day. Had to shoot the peasant. Wot, wot!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| masopa wrote: |
| (not all of whom may be genuinely interested in skiing/boarding, but could just be trolls instead) |
Stupid question time: what are trolls? I've seen a few references to 'trolls' and 'trolling' on the forum, and can only picture short bearded men hiding under bridges. Can someone put me out of my misery?! Ta.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trolls are basically people who contribute nothing positive to a forum, but instead wind up others and post unpleasantries and such like. Most trolls would have some interest in the forum in which they are participating, but will still end up with most of their posts aimed to stir up trouble...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
The modus operandi of moderating is evolving as we go along, but I hope that the T&C's and effective action against bad abuse (if there is any) will smoth the pistes for us. At the moment we must also consider the bandwidth issue for the generous guys who are hosting this site. We seem to be attracting a fair few from across the pond and elsewhere already without the benefit of a large marketing budget 
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Tue 24-02-04 21:59; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ah, thanks masopa.
Are these trolls a common feature in t'internet land? - I thought they were limited to some of the recent Council apologists on the SC forum!
Why do they do it? Is it just 'weeman' syndrome?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
If we knew why they did it Dave, we'd be on the path to rehabilitation! Some people just like winding others up I guess...
Many forums have them at some point, but the close-knit communities (such as this) tend to drive them out over time, by collectively ignoring them.
At the end of the day though, for every one troller you get, you'll have a hundred genuine contributors, so we should be looking forward to more joiners! Alan has a good point with bandwidth though - it's only a matter of time... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dave Burt, you don't remember the incident at SCGB concerning a particular person (who shall remain nameless) who came back from the pub on a Friday night somewhat worse for wear? Needless to say, the posts were not overly complimentary or suitable for a family audience!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
I found my way here via a link from the newsgroup rec.ski.resorts.europe, or it may have been rec.ski.alpine, and although I've been an SCGB member since '94, I never really used their forum, so didn't appreciate the antagonism that some here have for the SCGB. It would be fascinating to make some of the SCGB forum moderators sit through a few hours of rec.ski.alpine - they would realise what real internet bad behaviour looks like!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Thanks Skanky - that's two new things I've learnt today! If I'm allowed a follow up question (just to prove my ignorance once and for all), what piece of kit do you need to buy to increase the bandwidth? Is it as simple as the number of wires coming out of the server?!
masopa - so that's what all the references to recent bad behaviour were about! No, didn't see it (presume the thread has now been deleted?), but could have been while I was away. When was it?
I've just been off to try and learn more about trolls, and found this very informative (but worrying) FAQ page:
http://www.hyphenologist.co.uk/killfile/anti_troll_faq.htm
There's a whole world out there I knew nothing about, and didn't even know I didn't know about! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| Dave Burt wrote: |
| Thanks Skanky - that's two new things I've learnt today! If I'm allowed a follow up question (just to prove my ignorance once and for all), what piece of kit do you need to buy to increase the bandwidth? Is it as simple as the number of wires coming out of the server?! |
At an extremely fundamental level, sort of. The hardware is often all in place (the telecommunications companies and Internet service providers tend to sort that out) and you rent proportions of it. That's a very simplified version of it and it does ruin the water pipe analogy somewhat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
Hmm, all this troll stuff is new to me too Dave. Only made it about a hundredth of the way down your Trolls FAQ page before I realised I was losing the plot!! Have to say none of them were questions I've been frequently asked before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Dave - just think of bandwidth as a bank account; every month you have X Gb of data that can be transferred (both in and out) of the account. For that you pay a certain fee. The actual amount varies with hosting companies but if you exceed it they tend to charge fairly steeply for the extra - a bit like overdraft charges. If you need more the options are either to pay for a "premium" account or to move hosts to a company which offers more for the same price. The trouble with the second option is a) it can be a hassle, especially moving a site like this b) they may not offer other facilities that you need and have with your existing host.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Hmm. I originally started this thread because I was concerned that access to really good advice- of which there is plenty on here- might not get to newcomers to the sport. I understannd concerns about trolls (now I know what they are!) but still feel that we must avoid exclusivity. I asked loads of really naive questions on the old board when I was starting out and needed the info I got back. Is this just achat among like-minded equally experienced types or a genuine flow of useful knowledge?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Chris, I apologise if you feel that we may have drifted off topic but the question of bandwidth is not to be taken lightly. We have already taken steps to ensure (we hope) that Google will rank us highly. I think it is reasonable to assume that anyone using the internet to find skiing info will use a search engine.
How do you think we might be perceived as exclusive?
By profile do you mean individual profile? There's nothing to stop anyone adding some info under "Interests" or even "Occupation". Other changes might be more tricky.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alan - I arrived here by google so that appears to have worked. Wow, 1st ever post. That was scary. hello folks
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sorry! Totally don't understand the technical stuff. Rather old and not very bright I'm afaid....
Does the Google thing mean that snowheads will show up in a search? I thought you had to bribe them to list you.
I take your point about the profile thing.
The exclusive point was re the fact that everyone here seems to be regular and pretty experienced. Where are all the people asking about Bulgaria, Andorra etc? Most conversation is about "upmarket" resorts. I like showing off by advising newcomers I guess!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
scraggsy,
Out of interest, can you remember what terms you used to search which led you here? You might well be the first new member to arrive via Google!
welcome to snowHeads!!
U
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
admin, I think I either used 'ski forum' or 'skiing forum'. Thanks for the welcome its good to be here. Lots of useful stuff to be found.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Chris Bish, Google is quite rare amongst search engines in that U cannot improve your rank via bribery. It takes artfull arrangment of the relevant terms throughout the title, header and content of a page. We're just working out at the moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chris Bish, I must confess a slight element of pride flushing though cheeks when you describe us as exclusive and pretty experienced! Thank you! It's not remotely true though (well, certainly not in my case - many here are experienced, however).
Seriously though, I think the mix we have at the moment is a good broad spectrum - from complete/nearly novices to instructors and other lifelong skiers. Most of us probably fall somewhere in the middle. We even have some boarders, God forbid!
You're right that a lot of resort talk has been about Switzerland and France etc. Therefore, get posting about the others! I've never skied in Continental Europe outside of France and Switzerland, so can't comment, but if you can - then post a topic.
That's the beauty of a "free" forum such as this - it is what we all make of it. If we all start getting up our own backsides then you're right, it will end up being elitist and of limited use. However, I think a lot of us have our feet on the ground and want this place to be fun, friendly and most importantly, useful.
Forums work precisely because of your last point - experienced people tend to gain a small pleasure out of sharing their knowledge with others. So, whatever knowledge you have - none of this "oh, it's not going to be very good" or "it's not very upmarket" - just get posting!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
I think it is more likely to be me sounding stupid, Alan.
I remember seeing a kid sunburnt to the point of blisters after a fairly cloudy day at Val D. Her parents just did not realise the power of sun at altitude. As an educator I am anxious that all the precious experience and knowledge (yes even mine!) will reach people that need it. This tended to happen on the SCGB site as people went there for snow reports etc. and, perhaps luckily found loads of help and advice. I guess eventually this will happen here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
masopa, I'm sue you are right about the range of ability/experience among posters on this board. Going back to an earlier point, would it be nice to know? I'll come out as a "silver skier" hoping to be considered good enough for the intermediate plateau!
...and I suppose I'm pretty upmarket myself, having been to Kitzbuhel and 3V so far this season....
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
In that case Chris you can shut right up about us being exclusive and include yourself in that category!!! 
In terms of classifying what kind of skiers we all are though, I'm sure 90% of us would probably just wuss out and claim we're "early intermediate" even if we're ex-racers (that's not the case with me incidentally - as you'd see if you ever saw me try to ski)!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I came here via the Epicski forum in the States. On that forum there are only two moderators, and the members (well registered people) are in the 6000~....
And they are doing a jolly good job.
Same thing here, I find it nice and not boring enough.
Also, I like the Brit wit and sens of humor (never been able to learn it, though)
and, as I wrote many years ago on EPICSKI, these places do tons (metric or avoirdupoid, it doesn't matter) of good to my english.
Add to that that I love to ski and the mountains...
The ideal mix.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Matteo wrote: |
| Also, I like the Brit wit and sens of humor (never been able to learn it, though) |
I wouldn't worry, mate, nor have most of us Brits 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
quote "Matteo"
(metric or avoirdupoid, it doesn't matter)
Bloody hell Jonny Foreigner speeks better English than wot I does!
Had to look that one up
Only a joke Matteo no offence
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Slowplough
no offence was taken, don't worry
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Slowplough wrote: |
quote "Matteo"
(metric or avoirdupoid, it doesn't matter)
Bloody hell Jonny Foreigner speeks better English than wot I does!
Had to look that one up
Only a joke Matteo no offence |
Possibly because it's French?
(I hope it is French, or I'll look very silly, again)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I thought it was "avoirdupois"...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| Pete Horn wrote: |
| I thought it was "avoirdupois"... |
Good point, it is.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| masopa wrote: |
| Dave Burt, you don't remember the incident at SCGB concerning a particular person (who shall remain nameless) who came back from the pub on a Friday night somewhat worse for wear? Needless to say, the posts were not overly complimentary or suitable for a family audience!! |
not to keen on remaining nameless,but who came back from the pub on friday somewhat worse for wear? i no i didnt,and someone else sent posts in my name,it was i very easy thing to do,to log in as someone else,just ask mr goldsmith.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
All I've gleaned is that it's something that has to be paid for, and I'd be more than happy to contribute. 
