Poster: A snowHead
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Just registered and so am totally ignorant of what the gripe is with SCGB. Excuse my sloth in not reading all the topics and posts on this subject, but I just dont have that much time!
Can anyone answer a couple of quick questions:
Is Snowheads linked to SCGB or are there just a lot of SCGB members on the forum?
What is/are the main points of the various arguments?
From my point of view I was a member for several years, fees seemed to increase sharply and I left. This was a few years ago. The resort and weather reports are good and I use those. I am not overly impressed with the reps I have met - bit of a Do you know who I am attitude. But I haven't met many and might have just met the wrong ones. My 2p worth.
Boring first post so a gratuitous smiley to brighten it up
Dave
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dave J, snowheads can be compared to Peter Kays Phoenix Nights - it was born from the ashes of the SCGB forum.
As far as your other questions go - I suggest you take a day off work and read the lot !
P.S Welcome to Snowheads
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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?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Welcome to snowHeads Dave J!
In summary, snowHeads was initially put together unfeasibly quickly as an emergency measure when SCGB shut it's forum to the public on Feb 5th last year. This, they did with no notice at all, to the astonishment of the rather buzzing community that had congregated there.
Of the thousands of registered users, hundreds of whom were contributing regularly, few had direct contact details for any other members of the forum. Essentially about 2000 people were instantly isolated from each other. Actually no, that's a little of an exageration. There were, I believe a few hundred SCGB members registered to use the forum who still could access it. They (mostly) campaigned vociferously both there and here to have the forum re-opened.
Over the following weeks more and more people 'discovered' snowHeads and teamed up to exchange whatever clues they could muster to the identities or locations of the lost members of the community. But even as late as September we still had people turning up saying things like, "wow I'm glad I found u, I wondered where everyone was all this time".
Is snowHeads related to SCGB?
Well, perhaps in a, "Mummy, how could you leave us in the snow and walk away?" sense =>
The true irony of the whole scenario is that the SCGB had apparently been trying to address it's image of being a bit exclusive, elitist even. Many of the regular users of the forum were under the impression that the forum itself was proof of the club succeeding in this effort.
The closure and in particular, the manner of its excecution, rather swung opinion in the other direction. Unfortunately, this meant that a very large proportion of snowHeads' initial populus was thoroughly disgruntled with the SCGB and this, rather sadly, was starting to spoil the spirit of fun that had existed before.
The solution was to give discussion of the SCGB its own place at snowHeads (effectively sidelining it). This has proved to have been most effective. As u can see, the snowHeads' SCGB forum constitutes but one 30th of the total traffic over the past 11months, yet it has succeeded in drawing 76.2% of disagreement 96.4% of argument and 138% of all feelings of animosity at snowHeads. (figures: 5CGB )
SnowHeads still hosts a greater concentration of SCGB members than anywhere else on the net and that, I suppose, is a 'link' in itself. However, there are no official links between snowHeads and the SCGB.
We provide a web-link to their site on our main forum menu, as a convenience to the many snowheads/scgb members who may wish to 'pop' over there. We have suggested that they do the same in return; particularly early on when it became apparent that we were to host the large majority of users from their own deunkt forum. But, whether by policy or default, they still have not. Anyway, such a link is increasingly irrelevant as snowHeads' internet presence grows, so they've cleverly saved themselves a good 5 minutes work
As time goes on, the proportion of snowHeads who have never had anything to do with SCGB increases (after all, they do represent only a small percentage of all skiers and boarders) so I expect, in time, this forum may end up falling into disuse and being archived.
With regard to your question,
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What is/are the main points of the various arguments? |
: are u trying to start a fight?
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Fri 7-01-05 12:35; edited 1 time in total
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Dave J, welcome aboard snowHeads Flight 001 to Somewhere!
admin's given his customary astute analysis of the situation. From my perspective of a SCGB member who first joined at age 9 in 1962, and went on to be a technical writer, elected Council member and environmental activist for the Club I'd like to stress a couple of points.
The Ski Club is a body of around 25,000 skiers/snowusers, founded in May 1903.
snowHeads is a body of 1500 skiers/snowusers, founded in February 2004.
Numbers are important. Rates of growth of the respective communities are indicative. The two bodies are far from mutually exclusive - as admin has pointed out - i.e. there are many people like myself who belong to both.
There is - at least should not be - no hostility, since the vast majority of snowHeads have a stake in the success of both organisations, though a sense of rivalry is probably very beneficial to each. This could be a seminal time for the future of the British ski community, or more importantly global English-speaking ski community, because most skiers simply want to get the most out of the little time they actually spend on snow (even if they spend 11 months of the year obsessing about it!). There's a general thirst for information and advice, because people want to avoid making expensive mistakes, and value the advice of fellow punters who've had good experiences.
Let's see what pans out.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Fri 7-01-05 11:32; edited 1 time in total
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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.
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Dave J, I won't add anything to what has already been said, other than
Welcome to snowHeads
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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did you really type all that at 0512 this morning
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well, U know, when a thing needs doing... I'm kind of excited about where the train I'm due to get this afternoon ends up too, so sleep isn't exactly coming naturally
Some of these things were due to be said anyway. A recent event led to some questioning as to why this section was here in the first place and what justification there was in it remaining. All perfectly valid considerations.
One further aspect which I've not mentioned centres around questions like these,
Why would a non-member of SCGB have anything worth saying about it?
If SCGB members want to talk about their club, why don't they do it on the members only forum at SCGB?
Even so, why should it be snowHeads' role to provide for such discussion.
Although I have my own opinions regarding the reasons, the first two questions are somewhat irrelevant to snowHeads' organisation. Since, in answer to the third, snowHeads is here for discussing snowsports and closely associated topics eg. travel or health in respect to snowsports. Within the obvious limits of legality and general decency, this is a fully inclusive policy. I believe the SCGB still falls within that remit and will remain there unless it does something like redefine itself The "Zimmer Frame Club of Great Britain"
In recent weeks, I believe the volume of traffic in this section has been roughly on a par with the total traffic of the SCGB's own forum. Whatever their reasons for doing so, while the assembled snowHeads continue to produce significant traffic on the topic, the section needs to remain.
I hope people better understand the reasoning behind it now.
On a related note, does anyone have any opinions about any other (sub-)topics, probably currently within the Piste, that might warrant their own forum? Perhaps that's one for the Sugggestions forum
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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.
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Nick, fair points, but presumably those hyperlinks you've provided are only usable by paid-up members.
Last year, a hundred times more novel and useful threads were available ... for nothing.
I remain unconvinced by the central argument our Club advanced for shutting out non-members - the legal one (repeated at last November's AGM, but again without the legal argument actually expressed). It was also argued that the Club's site had improved its commercial performance, having expelled all non-members from the forum. Now, that was really astonishing!
Do you still support the Club's decision to draw inwards and erect the portcullis, in the face of a seemingly mythical legal problem?
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You know it makes sense.
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Hi David - I did say the links were for members who hadn't looked at the Club site lately. Except for honorary members, the membership is paid up, of course.
The 2 different forums are great. I like the Club's forum contributors using their own names - I think it helps keep down personal attacks, though the odd dig in the ribs still takes place, of course. I also like the cut and thrust over here. And this section (amongst other things) allows those, who have a theraputic need, to bash the Club without getting the Council steemed up. At home, I belong to a members' only social club - and also drop into pubs, of course. The Club's forum and snowHeads work the same for me.
So, my thoughts are that we should disregard the past, and look at whether the present serves us well. I think it does.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Dave J, see what you've started !
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Poster: A snowHead
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Oh yes, the Council certainly got steamed up!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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David Goldsmith, Do you know, I looked at "steemed", thought vaguely that it looked wrong, then let it go. I just gotta wake up this morning.
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