bruce19

Recently someone in the 50 and over crowd posted a thread about high BP. If you know anyone over 50 this is not unexpected. In my opinion this is a perfectly placed post. But, the mods decided to create an entirely new forum for health & medication discussions. As a result, no one is now continuing the discussion. That's too bad because some of us who will never go to the new forum have information to contribute. I find this to be anal and infuriating. That was a robust and helpful thread and now it is dead. How does that help members?

unterhausen

sigh

Siu Blue Wind

We got too many complaints of that sub forum being filled with nothing but aches and pains. People who come for cycling content could not find any. We were left with the choice of either deleting them all , or making a separate sub forum. But perhaps you're right. I will discuss with the moderation team the possibility of getting rid of "Pills and Ills" and not allowing any medical issues in 50+ at all. This is, after all, a cycling site. There are medical forums that im sure are lively.Thank you for the enlightenment.

alo

Just a thought. Move threads as you think is appropriate, but have a page at the original location saying this thread has been moved, and have a link to it. This could be removed after some time, for example, a month.

Or maybe even better, set up the forum so people automatically get redirected.

bruce19

Thank you for elaborating. I think the idea that people who went to that forum for cycling content couldn't find any is not accurate. If they can't find cycling content how will eliminating the health posts add to the cycling related content. According to that theory, eliminating those posts will leave nothing since there's nothing but non-cycling posts there. And, why wouldn't health/medical issues that cyclist face not be cycling related? How many times have we all extolled the virtues of cycling for health? And, since no one I know on BF is a pro cyclist, aren't we all cycling for pleasure and health benefits? On the theory that health issues are not cycling related, why have a forum at all? This is a cycling site after all, no? My position is that there is plenty of cycling in that sub-forum. If there wasn't I wouldn't go there. I also think health is cycling related as I have said. If someone has no interest in a health related topic is it so hard to ignore it rather than deny the rest of us? With respect to that particular thread...I have plenty to add to the discussion but I would not go trolling in a health sub-forum to see if there was something I could add. How does that help the OP? In any event, thank you for responding and your willingness to consider the points I am trying to make.

Perhaps a way to resolve this is to have a discussion with the over 50 crowd. Have a one-time posting for people to discuss whether health issues belong in the forum. I'd be interested in the responses.

Siu Blue Wind

That could be done, yes. We used to do it when we first opened Pills and Ills but again, it clogged up the 50+ forum. I will bring this up for moderator review, pending the team does not decide to get rid of Pill and Ills and all other medical related posts altogether, thank you.

Siu Blue Wind

Since you are not a moderator, you did not see the complaints. I wish I could have screen shot how many cycling threads there were to medical threads. Frankly, I don't think its fair that people who want to know about 50+ cycling content should have to fish through the medical threads. It's not much to do one more click and have all the medical threads in one place. But again, if you honestly think that there is no cycling content, maybe 50+ should be eliminated as well?

Or maybe this place just doesnt satisfy your needs any more.

Again, there are plenty of medical forums out there....

bruce19

I think you are mis-reading my statement. I was responding to your statement..."We got too many complaints of that sub forum being filled with nothing but aches and pains. People who come for cycling content could not find any." If that was true, that would mean there is zero cycling content on that sub-forum. That is clearly inaccurate. If it was true, why would you have the forum? But, just to be clear, I think cycling for 50 and over and health issues go hand in hand. I've been a member for over 14 yrs and this has never been an issue before. I will suggest again that the issue be put out for a discussion in the sub-forum. Let's see what the membership has to say. After all this is a member drivven site.

Trakhak

Sorry to see this somewhat tense exchange. I believe that Siu Blue Wind isn't saying that there are no cycling-related threads to be found in the 50+ sub-forum but instead that members had complained about the large number of health- and illness-related postings there and the moderators felt that something had to be done to address those complaints.

Perhaps the moderators might consider moving "Pills and Ills" out of the 50+ section such that it became a sub-forum on its own (e.g., "Pills and Ills for Cyclists" or the equivalent). Injuries and illnesses are not experienced solely by 50+ cyclists, after all. I suspect that the 50+ cyclists would gravitate to that sub-forum, wherever it ends up.

Siu Blue Wind

That's actually a good idea because people of all ages get hurt or have ills. Thank you for the suggestion.

Siu Blue Wind

Is it really too much for you to click up above (it's still in 50+)?

I hope you do realize that medical issues are not just 50+ Tri athletes get them, roadies, and mountain bikers. But 50+ had a majority of the threads being taken over by medical issues. Others have gone to medical forums. Pills and Ills is a gift. I can get rid of it entirely but since people are going to be upset, I'd like to give you credit for it.

3alarmer 

....point to where it hurts you, but on the doll.

IBJoel

Our sister site, WebMD is happy to help with medical questions!

bruce19

I guess you are going to continue to misconstrue what I have been saying. I can't tell if you can't read for content or you just don't want to actually have a conversation and would rather rely on your passive aggressiveness. . So never mind.

shelbyfv

JMO but I was happy to have "Pills and Ills" separated a little from 50+. Maybe it would be good to move it to the Lounge, open it up to everyone. You'd probably have to be aggressive in moving threads for awhile, maybe forever. We old folks love to talk about our medical issues....

Siu Blue Wind

Passive aggressive? LOL okay. You just aren't understanding how medical threads took over the 50+ forum.

Please understand that not everyone is as smart as you. Maybe you'd like to take over my position (the offer is real) to give back to the community that gave you so much all these years.

And others.. they can figure out how to click a button up above and still in the same forum...

Let me know if you want to deal with complaints all day long. I'd love to have you give your time.

Siu Blue Wind

We've actually had good response to moving it, people are posting there themselves and we are not having to move much. I know that after we moved it, many messages of thanks were given. Thank you for your comment.

livedarklions

I'm not at all sure that medical topics should be discussed on the forums at all. The people who are most vocal on such threads are often pushing some form of quackery or another, much of which might be quite harmful. I don't think it's fair to expect the mods to have the burden of sorting through reams of "medical" advice in order to separate out the medically valid vs. the mostly harmless vs. the actually dangerous, and I think the risk of something very bad happening if they let everything get posted is enormous.

I'd be comfortable with a policy that said that medicine and medical advice is outside the competence of the forum, and just removing such threads entirely.

BTW, I notice that the people who identify themselves as doctors on the forum generally do not give medical advice, but are mostly answering garbage quack posts and conspiracy theory nonsense.

Riveting

I read the 50+ forum because I'm approaching 50, have my own ailments already, and I want to see my future by seeing what other things ail the 50+ crowd. I don't care about what bikes the 50+ crowd rides, nor how they perform their bike maintenance, nor whether they like tubeless or not. Their age, and the things related to age is the whole point of the forum IMHO, and if not, what is???

bruce19

I was just reacting to this quote..."People who come for cycling content could not find any." If that was hyperbole then say it.

livedarklions

Well, I'm sure not going to a forum about bicycling at any age to find out what kind of pills people approximately my age are taking. A quick perusal of the main forum topics sure makes it appear that there's plenty people want to discuss other than pills, aches and equipment.

The subforum is a compromise so people who do want to read and post about such things can do so. Is that a problem for you?

3alarmer 

.
...I prescribe locking this thread, and a 3 week course of Valium.*



*may be addictive if taken longer than prescribed. **

**who am I kidding? That stuff is addictive as hell.

Siu Blue Wind

This proves that we were doing a good job at taking care of the medical threads in 50+. Thank you Bruce.

And I ask you again, is it too much for you to click above the 50+ to go to the P and I? Because if it is, I will fix it so that it's easier for you Just give me the word.

Iride01 

I'm not sure I understand what the issue is fully.

But I do support threads being moved to a the more appropriate place. There have been a few times though that I think a thread got moved and there was no message in the original location stated where it'd been moved.

And I do like that there is a separate Pills and Ills sub-forum to the Fifty Plus.

I wish the Advocacy and Safety forum had a sub-forum for threads about vehicle hit cyclist threads which really get old quick to me.