Running Mania

hey everyone!

I've just moved us to a new server, upgraded the forum, and implemented a wordpress site.

The wordpress site gives us a lot of flexibility and room to grow OUTSIDE of the forum.

At one point we had dreams of articles, resources, etc. This is a lot easier to do now with wordpress. I can set it up so that people besides myself can add to the website.

The site as a whole has been pretty quiet lately... just you core group posting regularly. I'd love to see things grow and build again.

What do y'all think? What would you like to see? How can we make RM better?

Who wants to contribute? And what would you like to contribute?

While we're on the topic, the following forums are rarely used:
Routes
Reviews
Classifieds
Member Profiles
Resources


Do we need to keep them?

i really liked reading the member profiles when I first joined. Like you said though, it hasn't been used for a long time so I'm not sure it would even be missed.
As to the other ones, we probably don't need them.

Just my opinion.

I can leave the Member Profiles one and merge the other ones elsewhere (probably into the GRD).

I think there are other better places online that people go for things like classifieds and running routes. And some of the other ones just seem to attract a lot of spam. I'm all for getting rid of those sub-forums.

It would be nice to expand the resources and articles though. I would be willing to contribute if we get something going.

Jwolf wrote:It would be nice to expand the resources and articles though. I would be willing to contribute if we get something going.

What I'd love to have is a handful of regular contributors who can post blogs, articles, and commentary on the main site blog, which we could then discuss in the forum. It would draw in more people and add more value.

Also it'd be cool to have an "Ask the Coach" feature (ian? ;)

I think an "Ask the Coach" in principle is a good idea, but implementation may be a bit difficult unless there were specific rules of who can answer. There are as many different opinions as to what is "right" as there are members of the forum. People like to advocate their way of doing things and I can see the advice being given out as being contrary unless that advice is limited to only a few being able to give it. On an open/public forum that would be difficult to control.

Does that make sense?

Habs4ever wrote:I think an "Ask the Coach" in principle is a good idea, but implementation may be a bit difficult unless there were specific rules of who can answer. There are as many different opinions as to what is "right" as there are members of the forum. People like to advocate their way of doing things and I can see the advice being given out as being contrary unless that advice is limited to only a few being able to give it. On an open/public forum that would be difficult to control.

Does that make sense?

My thought was not to have that part open to general input, but to have one specific (and qualified) person to do it.

I never look at "the main blog site"

Who would be the coach? How would that change normal relations. Like Ian and IC offer advice freely, but that would change if we had an "ask the coach" requirement. It would no longer be a free gift of their choosing but an obligation (maybe). I don't know how they would see it of course; but the dynamic would change for sure.

ultraslacker wrote:

Habs4ever wrote:I think an "Ask the Coach" in principle is a good idea, but implementation may be a bit difficult unless there were specific rules of who can answer. There are as many different opinions as to what is "right" as there are members of the forum. People like to advocate their way of doing things and I can see the advice being given out as being contrary unless that advice is limited to only a few being able to give it. On an open/public forum that would be difficult to control.

Does that make sense?

My thought was not to have that part open to general input, but to have one specific (and qualified) person to do it.

Sort of like Dear Abby.....
Got it!

Spirit Unleashed wrote:I never look at "the main blog site"

That's the point. Hardly anyone does. How can we add more value there?

Who would be the coach? How would that change normal relations. Like Ian and IC offer advice freely, but that would change if we had an "ask the coach" requirement. It would no longer be a free gift of their choosing but an obligation (maybe). I don't know how they would see it of course; but the dynamic would change for sure.

Doesn't change anything for the forum. It would be adding to the main site, not the forum.

Wow--thank you Holly for the effort and thought you've put into these changes. I think you can drop the sub-forums you listed, although there still may some use for the Classified (maybe just "Announcements" instead?) on occasion.

I didn't even know there was a blog part of the RM site before.

I think Facebook my be replacing the role that RM once played for many users and former users. I hope it doesn't completely succumb to FB, and the changes you've proposed may help with that. I shall think how I can contribute more, for I do value this forum.

I could write about how to stick with it when one is an old and decrepit, injury-prone runner.

Avis wrote:I didn't even know there was a blog part of the RM site before.

That's cuz we've never had one! If we do it, it's new.

I think Facebook my be replacing the role that RM once played for many users and former users. I hope it doesn't completely succumb to FB, and the changes you've proposed may help with that. I shall think how I can contribute more, for I do value this forum.

The problem with fb is you can't have the threaded discussions like we do here, or keep the discussions as a future resource as we do here. FB is good for social, but not for information archiving.

I could write about how to stick with it when one is an old and decrepit, injury-prone runner.

That would be awesome, actually.

I would love to have a handful of people commit to say 1 blog post per month. A variety of topics and perspectives. They could all go on the site and would draw more people in and give discussion fodder.

ultraslacker wrote:

Avis wrote:I could write about how to stick with it when one is an old and decrepit, injury-prone runner.

That would be awesome, actually.

I would love to have a handful of people commit to say 1 blog post per month. A variety of topics and perspectives. They could all go on the site and would draw more people in and give discussion fodder.

And then share the blog posts on FB/IG to draw in more people.

ultraslacker wrote:I would love to have a handful of people commit to say 1 blog post per month. A variety of topics and perspectives. They could all go on the site and would draw more people in and give discussion fodder.

I can commit to one blog post per month. I will have to think of some topics. Some things I have learned from my HR training program might work, and also cross-training while injured.

Hmm. I suppose I could write one blog a month. I can think of lots of topics; not sure how much interest they would be to others. All we can do is try; if it flops, well, we did our best!

What would be cool is if each blog-writer had a theme that they came back to each month. So that if we start to get a following for it, people can expect certain themes from certain writers.

I already have my theme:

Avis wrote:I could write about how to stick with it when one is an old and decrepit, injury-prone runner.

Avis wrote:I already have my theme:

Avis wrote:I could write about how to stick with it when one is an old and decrepit, injury-prone runner.

You can interview me!

.

Mark.AU wrote:

ultraslacker wrote:...

The site as a whole has been pretty quiet lately... just you core group posting regularly. I'd love to see things grow and build again.

What do y'all think? What would you like to see? How can we make RM better?

How can we make RM better?

Make it what it was in c2010 before it was reduced to the current pathetic shell it's become, bereft of any passion, focus or spirit; before three or four chronically offended people ruled the board; before the most active threads weren't about trashy TV shows and cookie recipes; before people like RobbieT, Ed-Fizz, BMan, Wu Wie, SteveF, Stephen, Joanne, Marg, Ironboy and Girl, El Jeffe, ROW, Jamix, Fingerboy, OrleansRunner, and a host of others who actually contributed [on topic!!] left; before Ian could run two new members off the board in the space of two weeks with condescending and overbearing comments, and before that would be unchallenged.

That would be a good start.

Riiiiiiiigggghhhhhhtttt........

Mark.AU wrote:

ultraslacker wrote:...

The site as a whole has been pretty quiet lately... just you core group posting regularly. I'd love to see things grow and build again.

What do y'all think? What would you like to see? How can we make RM better?

How can we make RM better?

Make it what it was in c2010 before it was reduced to the current pathetic shell it's become, bereft of any passion, focus or spirit; before three or four chronically offended people ruled the board; before the most active threads weren't about trashy TV shows and cookie recipes; before people like RobbieT, Ed-Fizz, BMan, Wu Wie, SteveF, Stephen, Joanne, Marg, Ironboy and Girl, El Jeffe, ROW, Jamix, Fingerboy, OrleansRunner, and a host of others who actually contributed [on topic!!] left; before Ian could run two new members off the board in the space of two weeks with condescending and overbearing comments, and before that would be unchallenged.

That would be a good start.

If it's such a "pathetic shell", why are you still here?

and what are you doing to help? throwing around insults and accusations doesn't contribute, never has, and yet you keep coming back in spite of your repeated promises not to. I don't see you offering any meaningful solutions or even suggestions.

unfortunately for RM, the reality (I believe) is that this medium is no longer relevant in today's world. It still has a place but has been largely replaced by things like facebook groups and other kinds of instant discussion media. We might have more luck focusing on social media platforms. We do have RM facebook and twitter accounts which we haven't really used, and we could, but those still would require contributors and leadership.

ultraslacker wrote:unfortunately for RM, the reality (I believe) is that this medium is no longer relevant in today's world. It still has a place but has been largely replaced by things like facebook groups and other kinds of instant discussion media. We might have more luck focusing on social media platforms. We do have RM facebook and twitter accounts which we haven't really used, and we could, but those still would require contributors and leadership.

This is definitely true-- in general message boards have outlived their utility.

But people have also moved on-- so I doubt the FB or twitter groups will really draw people back. You can't really force it.

What we do have left is lasting friendships made on this board, with smaller groups of people continuing those relationships in other places.

.

Mark.AU wrote:So, the real question is whether you, Holly, have the courage to break the current paradigm?

No, that's not the question.

I stated years and years ago that I no longer want to be at the head of RM. That is still true.

No one else ever stepped in with a new vision or direction, so it languished.

If someone who is true to the RM vision and values wants to take RM over, they can, but I would never hand it over to someone whose core values do not align with mine, and with the other key members of the group.

by the way, no one who knew me would question my supply of courage. What does NOT take courage is to be a sideline critic, handing out judgments without having any skin in the game.