RubenX 

IMHO, there's a lot of innapropiate material on this site. This is bad, real bad. Most of us come to this site looking for information about cycling just to find innapropiate images on our screens. There's a time and a place for everything. There are a lot of sites dedicated to that kind of content. I realy don't see the need to use innapropiate images on a bicycle forum.

Cyclist0383

Wow, you've just signed up and already are complaining. If BF offends your delicate sensibilities then maybe you shouldn't visit here.

Mr York

You kids, get off of my lawn!

Sixty Fiver

The moderators do a good job of keeping things pretty tidy and acceptable but understand that there is more to life than cycling and our interests are as varied as we are.

If you find something to be really offensive you can report the post.

Keep in mind that what you may consider offensive may not violate the forums guidelines.

East Hill

Do you have any specific examples?

As Sixty Fiver said, there are many different tastes and viewpoints here. You can use the 'report a post' button to report something anonymously.

The administrators and moderators here at BikeForums are dedicated to making this the best, most family friendly cycling site around. We like to think that our members are what make this a great place to get advice, and have fun. Your viewpoint could help us become even more so.

Welcome to BikeForums, and don't hesitate to contact us.

East Hill

twobikes

Within the last couple of months some advertising banners on the BF have featured comely young women in various alluring poses and costumes. The advertisements have nothing to do with cycling, other than it is probably assumed many cyclists are men interested in attractive young women. You can either ignore these advertisements, or you can pay to view BF without any advertising. That is why some members have a red star next to their name.

Myself, I wish BF members would not push the limits of the forum rules and of good public discourse by using abbreviations everyone understands and knows could not be written in full without censure, or use acceptable words that sound and look like unacceptable words, or spell unacceptable words with symbols replacing vowels.

800over

You don't say!

As for the foul typing....cyclists are people... this forum represents all people who ride bikes. Some who swear and some who don't, just like the rest of the world. Some rides I'm on have enough profanity to turn the sky blue (does that make sense?) and some are quite civil. Keep in mind although this is site for all, it aint church. Having said that. A solution is quite simple. Adjust your browser to about 2 cm top to bottom and whenever you come upon the top of a picture that offends (I haven't seen one) simply click the back button and the picture will magically disapear!

twobikes

The point is that we all clicked our acceptance of an agreement that said we would not thinly veil profanity with symbols, etc. No one said it should be church, but we should live up to what we said we would do. Cyclists may be people who swear in other settings, but here they said they would not. So why are they doing it?

barba

Just download the ad blocker extension for Firefox and all of the banners will disappear, if that is where the "objectionable" content lives.

800over

You actually read the agreement?

East Hill

Didn't you?

You do realise that you required to give me half of your salary by the end of May? You agreed to do so when you joined, you know.

East Hill

Rowan

The downgrading of standards hasn't been good. Unfortunately, the worst examples of camouflaged vulgarity have come from the top; from a now almost thankfully impotent group of rampaging Australians who thought they were all grown up using foul language at every opportunity; and a certain forum where using this type of language seems to be "hip".

The most offending ad is the bikerplanet one, which doesn't even apply to cycling!

It all perhaps explains why the active membership is less than 17% of the total membership here. If I was running this business as a world-wide enterprise, I would be seriously wondering why I wasn't able to retain more customers than that.

timmhaan

17% seems fairly good. you're always going to have people sign up and then wander off somewhere else. even if you had the bestest dang website in the world.

Rowan

Maybe, but I browsed through the membership list based on sign-up month, and there are a hell of a lot of respected members (at least, the ones whose opinions I respected) who are no longer active.

I have an inkling of the dynamics of a list like this, including the college and uni kids who have plenty of free time and access to campus computers, and then they get into the real world of jobs and accountability (ie, their computer access to sites like this is cut dramatically). And there are people whose interests move on, and so do they.

But there is another list that I used to browse and hadn't been to for a long time. Admittedly, much smaller than this. It was interesting to see the same names and a few additional ones still conversing -- civilly -- about their cycling topics after... five or six years. The list is very basic, and doesn't have the advertising or whizzbangs here -- and it is very fast for someone on dial-up like I am. It's also quite well self-moderated, with the owner intervening very rarely.

I frankly doubt whether the owners of this site have a clue as to why people no longer participate here, and why the people who do, remain. Yet having that knowledge is fundamental to marketing and advertising development, and assessing whether behaviour standards should be reassessed.

Brian

Some of the ads served up are certainly not reaching their target, no argument there. But that's an unfortunate result of the fact that the internet can't always be 100% free, (we have a lot of traffic) and this site is hardly run as a non-profit. The bigger irony here is that bikerplanet is probably throwing money out the window on their ads here. I guess I'd need to know what else is considered inappropriate to new users.

The Aussies (that were chased away by a former admin, and now have a new home) had the biggest and most popular thread on the site. From an advertising viewpoint, they were gold. So valuable in fact, that they were openly welcomed at another site, simply for the traffic they will provide. And they've cleaned up the language too.

As far as active users, unless you know how that figure is determined, it's rather arbitrary. In three clicks, I can easily change it to be higher or lower.

Brian

Rowan, I know we briefly discussed your employment years ago, and I'm pretty sure there was no mention of internet advertising. Not knocking your lifestyle, (a bit envious, actually) but you should no sooner practice surgery on a friend than make a statement like the quote above.

seppomadness

Rowan I have no doubt you were a lesbian in a former life.

East Hill

Could you clarify that?

East Hill

seppomadness

I'm hitting on Rowan. The smooth tone of Barry White is playing in the background. I think I'm in with a shot here. Any tips?

East Hill

It sounds as if you have far more experience with that than I do .

East Hill

seppomadness

Its a dangerous game. Lesbian's are tricky. One wrong move and you get a fist in the face. I'm taking it slow with Rowan. He is feisty.

donnamb 

Yes. Make your moves via PM. His lady might scratch your eyes out otherwise.

East Hill

And since she can outcycle you with her eyes closed, I think you will need those peepers.

East Hill

tinydr

edited...

East Hill

Just leave me an appropriate sum in your will. Or, if you ride tiny bikes, leave those to me .

East Hill