Thought I might share it with you:
Interesting article.
For me I apply the same psychology to coming on LondonBikers as I apply when I go down the pub - it’s a chance to have a chat with my mates - their will be shared viewpoints and disagreements - and I often learn something.
Oi Sid! It’s your round;)
as opposed to chunky for just being round:P
:D:D:D
Have you read all of that? I know business is slow right now, but wow! 
can you sum up some points as there is far too much to read…
Lol - business aint slow! thats why you just get the link and no analysis! :hehe:
My latest thoughts on forums:
I think forums take on a cyclical nature. They’ll start off small and underused, then move to being useful and helpful, then they will get larger and more popular and it becomes harder to focus the population of the forum back to the original aim. Then there is a backlash against the forum, usually spoilt by a very loud minority and then a load of people leave the forum and it could go back to being useful and helpful again.
In fact, I think forum users are the same. They’ll start off using a forum from time to time, then get engrossed in it and then it wont be what they expected it to be, they’ll become disenchanted and leave that forum for another and perhaps come back later.
I have come across disillusionment in forums several times. The anonymity of contributors is sometimes an issue and sometimes not. In fact, even when I have known who is who, some still insist on saying some nasty things and then are nice to your face. I once went on VisorDown and was immediately greeted with “oh I thought you’d fcuked off and died of cancer”. The writer clearly had social issues.
I’ve also been very open and friendly before on forums and that hasn’t particularly worked either, except for this one, where I know and have met a lot of people, so I am happy to continue to be like that on here.
It’s such a small world that most people seem to know who you are anyway. Hence I don’t seem to need to put my first name as my username. Personally I like a little bit of creativity and my username is actually me taking the **** out of myself for falling off a sidecar (which a lot of people seemed to find amusing).
Personally the worst one in my opinion is hypocrisy. There are people who are upset if anyone has an issue with them and want you to go them directly, yet aren’t willing to do it themselves when they have an issue with others. And so the backstabbing and bitching happens.
But I also think that this is part of humanity. It’s easy to be nice when things are going well, but when they aren’t, it takes a lot more to do the right thing, or to see it from someone else’s perspective, or to perhaps meet them half way. Now that I have a lot of experience of Forums, I’ll read something and if it doesn’t strike right, then I’ll try to read it until it does become right. Then if it still doesn’t, I’ll ask for clarification and if it still doesn’t again, then I’ll post what I think in response, or PM the person if I feel it appropriate, or that it wasn’t what they meant. That’s from experience.
There are a lot of people who are not very experienced on forums and will either post negatively without thinking first, or are generally just online to cause havoc because they have nothing better to do. I’m not sure that people consider that when they post, it’s not like a conversation. These words are here for as long as - well - it can be years and years. Reputations are at stake and one small issue can be incredibly damaging. As can the larger issues.
On the other hand, forums, in my opinion, are a great way to communicate and also to ease concerns that may have arisen. Being transparent and simple seems to work well - anticipation being the key. But you have to learn to read the ‘body language’ online.
Sorry if this sounds like a sermon. It wasn’t meant to be. I just like thinking about things and seeing things from different angles.
Anyone else got a comment?
Err I thought you were busy PPG :w00t:
I’m a regular user on the Aprilia Tuono forum and have made a number of good pals such as the ones that went on the recent trip to Germany and got great technical advice. However, there are a couple of people on there who are basically tossers and don’t seem to have anything positive to add apart from weak and pathetic insults. For example in 4.5 years I’ve made about 1,200 posts, one guy on there has made 13,000 in 3 and half years, and 99% of them are rubbish. On top of that he seems to have only managed to put about 3,000 miles on his bike in that time. Perhaps the forum is his life?
I always feel sorry for somebody new as they are exposed to his crap almost immediately and it must be really off-putting for them. Hopefully after a while they get used to it and still gain something from the site.
By the way, (I don’t know what the issues where in the first place), what happened to the feedback that people gave at the meet the other week.
Am I not allowed a lunch break?!
I wasnt really talking about LB in particular. In fact it is an adapted response I gave in another forum where there is a bit of disgruntlement over people anonymously posting nasty comments. However I think that forums do have common benefits as well as pitfalls and I just like analysing and commenting on them.
Forums are a new phenomenon that have become a big part of our lives (bigger for some people than others!) and I am interested in how they change society and how society is changed by them.
I don’t know, have you been working hard enough?
Loved the article, really interesting reading. I’ve often wondered about forum phenomena and thought it might be the anonymous aspect of being able to ‘hide’ behind a user name… shall research further 
Q
Yes! Today I have:
-Saved the bank from impending reputational ruin, thus keeping alive the prospect of hundreds of jobs for French and British people alike
-kept the local caff in business
-kept my accountant in business
-kept my assistant in business
-single handedly ensured that LB is getting the best deal on Breakdown Cover possible
-saved the world from Mojo Jojo
-done all of the above without my trusty lip balm which was begotten this morning
:crying:
Be good to see what you find hon (we need to catch up!!)
mmmmm breakdown cover, you need to be carefull with that, there are some really dodgy companies out there :D:hehe:
I think you need to consider the differnt forms forums take too. Some are club only forums, some are club but open and others like LB are commercial ventures. Each has a different set of problems.
Also need to consider the moderation - who does it and how it’s done.
Best forum I frequent is a club forum which is open to the public too. Posting of ads is restricted to club members. Moderation is done by club officials who are elected at the AGM. Nobody gets elected to any position in the club without being seriously active in the club and attending most of the key events. Most members are long termers which adds a sense of stability and responsibility to it.
Forums are a 2 way street, the owner gets the opportunity for some commercialisation but needs to respect the members of the forum . . . without the members the forum is nothing.
Forums aren’t really a new phenomenon.
Pre World Wide Web and Internet as we know it (and as early as late 70s), people used to talk to each other using a BBS (Bulletin Board System) computer workstation service by logging into a public message board.
The main differences were that there was mainly just text, single colour fonts and way more geek speak :laugh:
Watch any 80s hacker films for examples (remember War Games) :hehe: