Replies to ride reports - your chance to vote !

[border-rider]

Currently the official policy is "no replies, please" but enforcement has been a bit slack recently.  I've had PMs arguing it both ways, which is why I haven't been playing Uncle Joe, but I think perhaps the best approach now is a poll to gauge opinion on which way it should go.

Poll's open for 2 weeks

[bobb]

Are replies to this ok?!  I personally think replies are good. If someone else has undertaken the same or similar ride they can add their experiences. That's useful to others who might be thinking of doing a similar ride. Just as long as it doesn't turn into an opinion fest and people make useful comments about various aspects of a ride, it can only be good 

[Mike J]

Replies are good 

[Pancho]

Replies are good - how else do you add your own related experiences, ask for further details or just say "thanks for the read".

[Craig]

I think replies are fine if they are directly relevant to that ride report or that ride.
If they are going off on a bit of a tangent or of more general interest its probably better to start a new thread in Rides and Touring or Knowledge etc, where they can get noticed and read by a wider audience.

[clarion]

Like Craig, I think that replies are good, so long as they remain broadly on topic.

[Hummers]

Replies are welcome, as long as they are oleaginous, sycophantic and generally puff a whole load of smoke up my chocolate starfish. 

H

[Spinners]

Replies are good.

[Ian H]

Like Craig, I think that replies are good, so long as they remain broadly on topic.

Agreed, though it means the moderator has his work cut out.

[clarion]

I think maybe it's a place where we try a wee bit harder to be excellent to each other...

[border-rider]

Like Craig, I think that replies are good, so long as they remain broadly on topic.

Agreed, though it means the moderator has his work cut out.

That's part of the question - it's very hard to fish out some replies and not  others without  irritating people and/or making value judgments

One thing that has been a problem in the past is with multipart RRs - like Damon's excellent PBP tale - where people post replies between the author's own posts. 

I don't mind doing the work, but I want to do what people want.

[Chris N]

I like having the ride reports on their own, but I also like the replies.  How about a system like that used in The Library, early on in t'other place?  The Ride Report is posted (in the RR board), then any replies are split into a new thread (in Rides and Touring) with a link at the bottom of the Ride Report to the replies, and a link at the top of the reply thread to the RR.

[chris]

+1 in favour of replies.

[cometworm]

I think replies are fine, so much so in fact I'm not sure I see the point of a separate Ride Report sub-forum. Surely anyone who wants to write a ride report can make the subject "Ride Report: [brief description]" to make them easy to find.

[FatBloke]

To be honest, I feel that the restriction of replies to ride reports is a hangover from "the other place", and as such should go!

[Chris S]

Never could see the point of "No replies". I'd welcome comments on any report I make.

[Phil]

If I've written a ride report, I want to see people's comments.  If I've read one, I like to be able to comment.  It's part of the forum experience for me

[Sergeant Pluck]

I now think the ride reports should go in the main rides subforum, suitably labelled.

On topic replies are fine - especially when they wait until all of the RR is posted 

[border-rider]

I like having the ride reports on their own, but I also like the replies.  How about a system like that used in The Library, early on in t'other place?  The Ride Report is posted (in the RR board), then any replies are split into a new thread (in Rides and Touring) with a link at the bottom of the Ride Report to the replies, and a link at the top of the reply thread to the RR.

That's how it's meant to work now, but it means moving the replies out into a different board.  Which seems to me to be quite a serious thing to be doing.

[border-rider]

I now think the ride reports should go in the main rides subforum, suitably labelled.

Remember that the RR board was set up at the request of people here.  It wasn't part of the original funiture here. 

[dehomag]

Invite the OP of the RR to start the comments thread in the RR Comments board if he wants to, including the link to the RR Comments thread and not allow responses in the RR thread. Keeps the RR thread tidy which seems to have been the original intention. Puts the decision in the hands of the author of the RR if he wants comments or not.

Just an idea, I quite like the tidy reports with no drivel and chummynessing afterwards

[Chris S]

Just an idea, I quite like the tidy reports with no drivel and chummynessing afterwards

I think that's a wee bit cynical. If MV posts a RR that I'm interested in, and I want to ask him what (fixed) gear he rode, do I really need to have to do that on a different thread?

[pdm]

I think *relevant* replies are good. I.e. not those that lead to NWS or invoke Godwin's law by the end of the first page.
I would suggest that replies to ride reports containing helpful with route suggestions, comments about facilities en route as well as features to look for not mentioned in the original posting could add siginificantly to the educational resource.
Allowing others on the ride to give different viewpoints on the same listing can also improve the browsing experience!

[Oscar's dad]

I have never liked the no replies rule and was going to do something about it, i.e. start a debate like the one we're having here, but never got round to it.

Typing as someone that has filed the odd ride report it is good to get some feedback and also useful to hear other peoples experiences on the same ride or the same area.

Typing as a reader, ride reports are useful info about a ride or area and it is also useful to read other experiences that the original ride report prompts.

As others have said, I think moderation is needed, if only to hive off parts of the thread elsewhere if people start going off on tangents (not that there is anything wrong with this)

[Chris N]

That's how it's meant to work now, but it means moving the replies out into a different board.  Which seems to me to be quite a serious thing to be doing.

But at least it allows you to moderate the board without having to make a value judgement.