This website is getting old

[Roamin]

First and foremost, thank you to all of those who keep this site up and running. I applaud your effort and all that you do for the hiking community.

For me, WB is a respite. It allows me to think and “be in the woods” when I am not able. I came to the site to learn insight and gain information. Now that is complete and I come back for the entertainment and conversations. Often I will be at my desk at work sinking into the chair when the thought strikes me to come look at WB and it is refreshing. I am moved hundreds of miles to my beloved trail and I never leave my desk.

As it has already been mentioned, YouTube, Facebook and Trail Journals all are resources available to novice hikers. There is a lot of information there. YouTube also allows us to “see” the trial. When I look at a thread, I try to look at the OPs thread count. If it is low, I try to extend more grace and patience. If it is high, then I am looking for sage advice or I expect it to be an interesting question trying to gain insight. If I get a response which may be “cranky” is usually come from a more seasoned respondent. I take that into account as well. Maybe there just isn’t any joy in the site for them anymore.
I think it is important we try our very best to accommodating to all types of questions and posts.

I did find myself going back to thread #22031 and start reading forward. It is fun and can be very interesting.

And just for the record, I think in 20 thousand plus posts, most topics have been well covered!

[George]

perhaps you are getting old

[BonBon]

I love this site. I was here asking questions and sometimes getting smacked down before I ever set a boot on the trail and now I love visiting the site because it reminds me of the most awesome thing I have ever done for myself. Yeah, I still get smacked down sometimes but I usually deserve it and must like it because I just paid for the privilege. Carry on!

[Datto]

It is the Twiting of the Appalachian Trail.

"I shall now eat a pudding."

If you don't read yer meat, you can't have any puddng. How can you have any pudding if you don't read the meat?


Datto

[Diamondlil]

For those that want to b$tch and moan about the repetitiveness of questions and topics, keep in mind that while you may have become a hiking and backpacking expert, for the majority of folks the subjects are new and it's the first time they've asked the question.

If it's old for you just pass the topic on by, or better yet start your own thread that meets your standard.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MtDoraDave]

The stove question... Yeah, my bad. I actually did try to find an older thread on the subject before starting a new thread.

While I am a newbie here, I've got a little bit of experience with forums and with hiking. Literally, a little bit... maybe 350 to 400 miles? 4 1/2 week long section hikes on the AT and about a dozen overnighters locally.

Which is why I tried not to ask "which is the best stove" , but rather "what do you use, and why" - so people (like myself) can read what you use ... and why - and perhaps determine if I should spend MORE money on a different setup. I'm on my 3rd backpack, I've bought 4 sleeping bags, 3rd attempt at a sleeping pad that I can actually sleep on.... because I didn't have the knowledge and experience of this place to tap into.

[mattjv89]

I think it's natural for forums to grow old as you become more familiar with them, and this is not in any way unique to Whiteblaze. I've been involved with many other forums for past hobbies and all share some characteristics regardless of the topic. Certain threads come up repeatedly, people are told to use the search button when posting them , and when a forum has been active for a long time only a small handful of members from the early days typically remain as regularly active posters. I can certainly see a comparison to the way a thru-hike evolves. After a while the sparkle wears off and many things aren't new anymore. You either find/create something to keep you interested or go elsewhere.

I've stayed active on here, still read a lot more than I post but that's how I usually am on forums. It's probably true that my average visit time is now shorter due to some content being too familiar to bother with. If I'm skimming the new threads and see "Where do I buy trash compactor bags?" with 19 replies I figure I know what most of the replies are going to say and there is certainly nothing I can contribute about that subject that hasn't been said already. So I skim right on by and look for something else to read. But there is still enough new content to keep me coming back and sometimes I'll pop into one of those tried and true threads to answer a question if it doesn't already have two pages of response. I do agree with the sentiment that it's important to generate content beyond the basic nuts & bolts questions to keep things interesting for new and old members alike. One thing a lot of forums do is more heavily utilize sticky threads to address the most commonly asked questions in a given area and tip the balance more towards unique topics.

[shelb]

ive been on here for over 10 years, but have no idea when it started. whats the born-on date and who started this thing?

I am not sure that the information you inquire about is pertinent. This is a "FORUM" -meaning the content's credibility is only as valid as the poster (think "Wikipedia")

[lonehiker]

I know one thing for sure. The kinder, gentler, Whiteblaze is not as entertaining as it once was.

But to the topic. Perhaps it is repetitive. But the important question is, is it still relevant?

[Offshore]

Is that the fault of the web site or the folks who post?

Does the tail wag the dog?

Topics repeat as new hikers/backpackers come to the site and ask questions, so to some degree the repetition is unavoidable. (This ties into the great debate of "look it up" or "start a new thread with an old question" conundrum.) Even though the technology constantly changes, the topics remain fundamentally the same. How many times does one need to sit through a 101 class? As one gains knowledge and experience, there's really very little to be learned here and the site goes from being useful to occasionally entertaining as the regulars hold court over the issues of the day. The other issue seems to be that the moderators let threads go off in all directions unless its something that they personally disagree with.

[Jeff]

The site was started by Easy Hiker (Dave Bieman) who has since passed. It used to be AT Forum then was reborn as Whiteblaze.

Easy Hiker made for some lively discussions that many times was not "politically correct".

[saltysack]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hit the nail on the head! ✌️

[Marta]

What we need to liven things up is a blazing fool who announces to the world that no one else has really tried to hike the AT very fast, so they are going to do it in under 30 days.

Now what kind of shoes should I use for this?

Seriously...I'm not very interested in technical discussions much anymore, but I do perk up when there are real-time issues, such as missing hikers or records attempts or major changes to things like the rules for the Smokies, or Baxter. I also faithfully monitor the forum for my "home trail," the one I live near, the CDT.

The beauty of WB is that you don't have to read about things you don't want to read about. Just skip the whole thread--life is too short--take a hike.

[Rain Man]

Apologies in advance to the OP, chknfngrs, am not addressing this to his post at all.

As one of the "old guys" I will say it's not WB that's "getting old," but rather this thread. It's a repeat of past similar threads that come up every few years, in cycles. Like a petulant child, someone announces they are "bored" and want more "entertainment" for themselves. So, they whine and get a few who agree. The quality of the discussion goes in the toilet on some threads for a while, forced thread drift and alleged "humor" seem major objectives of that crowd, then the moderators have to spend time and effort to get WB back on the right track. And the cycle returns to WB being a valuable service to the general AT community. I've lived through at least two of those big cycles on here and hope this isn't the start of another "I'm bored, let's talk about drugs, sex, and breaking park laws and hostel rules" cycle. It's not good on the AT and it's not good on WB.

As I said, apologies to the OP because I don't think that was his intent.

Signed, one of the crotchety old boring guys, who is a part of the problem in the eyes of the "liven things up and entertain me" crowd.

Now, as Marta advises, I'll go "take a hike" (though I have to wait until this weekend).

[Don H]

I long for the good old days when we argued about hiking poles being bad for the trail and people talking on their cell phones.

[McPick]

perhaps you are getting old

Hold on there, young fella. I resemble that remark...

I long for the good old days when we argued about hiking poles being bad for the trail and people talking on their cell phones.

Ha Ha. I recalled those (heated, pathetic) hiking pole exchanges just last weekend when I came upon several acorns that had survived the winter, squirrels, etc. I drove my hiking pole into the soft earth, rolled a couple acorns into the hole and covered them with dirt. I don't even know if they are capable of sprouting, but I laughed out loud. A few minutes later I came across several deep deer hoof prints in the soft dirt beside the trail. I looked around, found a few acorns and rolled them into the hoof prints and covered them with dirt...

Good to see so many of you "golden oldies" still knocking around. I will never forget the time in New England when I decided to sit on a stump and rest for a few minutes. I looked down the trail and actually saw a 5-Leaf Clover!

Best regards!

[Furlough]

I do wish that the younger folks were more welcomed, and more likely to stick around as a result.

Well young'un you are certainly more than welcomed, and us old'ns, cranky though we may be, hope you keep your top knot and stick around a spell.

Furlough

[chiefiepoo]

Not quite as colorful since "Mathewski" departed. Nonetheless, still a very useful site when looking for recent information on the trail.

[Mr. Clean]

Mathewski and goat boy were always fun reads.

[Gambit McCrae]

This is going on my ignore list. If its old, leave