Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
Perhaps the issue may be that the "good natured and acceptable banter" that you and some others find acceptable, was considered NOT acceptable by the moderators because it seemed to be excessive and mostly conducted amongst just a handful of the posters, and off putting to others not in the clique.
I don't believe I indicated that I personally found such banter acceptable or not. I think if you look at the collective history of my time here, you’ll see I’m not prone to such. Rather, I'm stating a reality of the dynamics within any forum. The fact that we are in a cycling forum is in itself participation in a clique. Given it is a 50+ forum; one would assume that most participating are over age 50, narrowing the clique even more. Does that preclude any individual from entering and starting a thread more to his or her own liking? No. Does it mean that they must open all threads and read all posts? No. Does it mean they can’t use the block function? No. I don’t think it’s reasonable to believe that any forum or sub-forum doesn’t have an element of being a clique. I also acknowledged that being a moderator requires a level of discernment, and expressed my appreciation for what they are attempting to do. Keep in mind, should I not like the character of a region of the larger BikeForums community, I can choose to attempt to change that character, or I can move on. If I choose to attempt to change the character, I’m well aware that there would be considerable resistance, and likely attempts to negate my efforts. It’s likely I wouldn’t be very welcome. Conversely, I’ve found a section of the BikeForums community that is to my liking, and I’m also prone toward wanting it to be something I continue to like. If that seems too immersed in being cliquish, then I am guilty. My overall point was that the thread being proposed or offered is likely to foster more not less unwelcoming, contentious and perhaps damaging behavior. But, perhaps I’m mistaken. Time will tell.