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Poll: Do allow to build a Fourom just for younger people.

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  1. #1
    Registered User YoungMoose's Avatar
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    Default Poll For Younger Peoples Forum

    This is a poll for younger peoples forum Dont vote no if your concerned for the safety of younger people from predators. I will be able to figure something out.

    yes
    NO


  2. #2
    Registered User YoungMoose's Avatar
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    Default

    If you vote no Say why Please


  3. #3
    Registered User YoungMoose's Avatar
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    comon people vote there has been 65 veiws and only 10 votes


  4. #4
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    Ok, I voted against kids. I say "send them back where they came from." They look funny because they smile too much and they think they know everything (which they might).

  5. #5
    Survivor Dave's Trail Shuttles-www.atsurvivordave.com
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    I don't think you will have a whole lot of folks around your age participating.
    I do wish you the best with you wanting to hike the AT, that's great. Talk to Kirby, he was about your age last year, a couple years older maybe.
    Georgia Shuttling Website www.atsurvivordave.com

  6. #6
    Registered User YoungMoose's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by superman View Post
    Ok, I voted against kids. I say "send them back where they came from." They look funny because they smile too much and they think they know everything (which they might).
    I agree kids think they know everything. Damn I dont know everything about everything.


  7. #7

    Default

    Well, I voted "no" and here's why:

    If the Forum is restricted to, say, people under 21, well the fact is, you're going to have very few people participating who have actually hiked the Trail and are therefore in a good position to give really solid, first-hand advice. There just aren't that many peopleof that description here at Whiteblaze.

    If you ban older olks from this forum, here's what'll happen:

    *You'll have very few folks available who are actually speaking from first-hand
    experience.
    *You'll therefore have a lot of speculation and opinions, but not a whole lot
    of commentary from folks who really know their stuff in re. to long hikes on
    the A.T.
    *You'll subsequently see folks asking questions that don't get answered, or
    worse, they'll get answered incorrectly or poorly.
    *Lastly, since the number of under 21 folks who've hiked the Trail who reg-
    ularly post here is quite small, there's a really good chance that the "expert"
    advice on the Young People's forum is going to come from a really small group
    of folks, and it'll be the SAMKE folks, and their advice will NOT always be
    good.

    What this means, unfortunately, is that by keeping older, more experienced hikers out of the Forum, the people who are in best position to answer people's questions (like, say, someone who is now 24 but hiked the Trail just a few years ago) will not be permitted to post. Is this wise? Limiting participation to younger people only means that whatever advice or counsel is given will come from the same handful of folks, and if this advice is poor, then who will be able to disagree with it or correct it?

    So anyway, I voted "No" becase I don't think a Young People's forum would necessarily result in positive results for the participants. The best threads on this site are the ones where we hear from the most people. Limiting participation here won't improve the focus of a discussion; I believe it will do just the opposite.

  8. #8

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    there is another thread w/o the poll that gives a little more detail into what exactly he was looking for in a forum.

  9. #9
    Registered User YoungMoose's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Tarlin View Post
    Well, I voted "no" and here's why:

    If the Forum is restricted to, say, people under 21, well the fact is, you're going to have very few people participating who have actually hiked the Trail and are therefore in a good position to give really solid, first-hand advice. There just aren't that many peopleof that description here at Whiteblaze.

    If you ban older olks from this forum, here's what'll happen:

    *You'll have very few folks available who are actually speaking from first-hand
    experience.
    *You'll therefore have a lot of speculation and opinions, but not a whole lot
    of commentary from folks who really know their stuff in re. to long hikes on
    the A.T.
    *You'll subsequently see folks asking questions that don't get answered, or
    worse, they'll get answered incorrectly or poorly.
    *Lastly, since the number of under 21 folks who've hiked the Trail who reg-
    ularly post here is quite small, there's a really good chance that the "expert"
    advice on the Young People's forum is going to come from a really small group
    of folks, and it'll be the SAMKE folks, and their advice will NOT always be
    good.

    What this means, unfortunately, is that by keeping older, more experienced hikers out of the Forum, the people who are in best position to answer people's questions (like, say, someone who is now 24 but hiked the Trail just a few years ago) will not be permitted to post. Is this wise? Limiting participation to younger people only means that whatever advice or counsel is given will come from the same handful of folks, and if this advice is poor, then who will be able to disagree with it or correct it?

    So anyway, I voted "No" becase I don't think a Young People's forum would necessarily result in positive results for the participants. The best threads on this site are the ones where we hear from the most people. Limiting participation here won't improve the focus of a discussion; I believe it will do just the opposite.
    I am not banning older folks from it. Im saying that this is a spot that teens know were they can put their opinions and other info. id need adults to answer it. otherwise there wouldnt be any answers.


  10. #10
    Registered User Egads's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Outwardboundbackpack View Post
    I am not banning older folks from it. Im saying that this is a spot that teens know were they can put their opinions and other info. id need adults to answer it. otherwise there wouldnt be any answers.
    Seems pretty much like the other forums
    The trail was here before we arrived, and it will still be here when we are gone...enjoy it now, and preserve it for others that come after us

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Outwardboundbackpack View Post
    I agree kids think they know everything. Damn I dont know everything about everything.
    I appreciate your enthusiasm, involvement and your youth. Be at ease and keep on keepen on.

  12. #12
    Registered User YoungMoose's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Egads View Post
    Seems pretty much like the other forums
    what ur problem on both my threads ur critizing everything.


  13. #13
    Registered User Donnie's Avatar
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    I cannot see the need for a subforum dedicated to the interests of younger (teen?) hikers. In addition to the potential downsides mentioned earlier in this thread, I believe that young people will greatly benefit in taking in a little bit of more mature viewpoint. Even though I still consider myself to be young (I am 21) I believe that through engrossing myself in more "adult" activities growing up I have been able to become a more knowledgeable person instead of just another kid who thinks he knows it all. Nevertheless, to each his or her own.

  14. #14
    Registered User mtnkngxt's Avatar
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    I voted No as well. Your young and enthusiastic, and we can appreciate that, but your not being open to our views either. You are not liable if something was to happen, nor are the powers that be going to grant moderator status to a young kid. An adult would have to patrol that forum like all the others, and the questions would not be posed any diferently than in the straight forward section. If you'd like a suggestion about something then go to the Straight Forward Forum and ask away. A good way to phrase your question would be, Advice on Resupply for Young Hiker, or Question about outfitters having supplies for young hiker like shoes or shirts and shorts. Another Resteraunt and Food stops for Young Hikers. List goes on. Also since your not doing your thru until 2013 then the information us older folks talk about will apply to you when you do your thruhike. So it really isn't neccessary, and for those younger folks who plan on doing a thru before their senior summer of highschool, again the straight forward section will prove to be more than helpful.

  15. #15
    Registered User prain4u's Avatar
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    Default Sorry--but I vote "No"

    I am not against younger folks having their own hiking forum--I just don't think that WhiteBlaze is the proper place for it (sorry!!!!!!!). My reasons would probably echo the reasons already listed on this thread and on the previous thread concerning this topic. To highlight a few:

    --There are many "predators" in the world who might target young people on a young people's forum. WhiteBlaze moderators simply don't have the time or software to watch the forum closely enough and keep predators out. Having a separate "young person's forum" is like drawing a bullseye on the teens. That bullseye WOULD definitely attract predators. (Occasional young people's threads would not be so "attractive" or "obvious" to potential predators.

    --Facebook (and similar sites) have better monitoring personnel and better monitoring software to "weed out" potential sexual predators. MySpace has already banned 90,000 known sex offenders and Facebook is attempting to do the same.

    --New/additional WhiteBlaze forums are a lot of work--and the members of WhiteBlaze are already debating (on another thread) whether the "Women's Only" forum should be closed. Thus, the majority of people are probably not likely to be in favor of starting an "age-specific" forum.

    --You (and other younger hikers) are already able to start specific THREADS on WhiteBlaze regarding young people's issues. Try that approach for a while and see what happens.

    I wouldn't take any of my comments as a slap against you or against other young people. AND, I would really encourage you to keep using WhiteBlaze. I voted "no" on the poll because WhiteBlaze simply isn't equipped to deal with all the potential problems that would be associated with a forum that was dedicated to younger hikers.
    "A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world." - Paul Dudley White

  16. #16
    ultrarunner, long distance hiker, AT enthusiast
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    The hiking and backpacking communities in my opinion are a lot like the communities that form around ultra-running and bluegrass... who gives a **** how old you are, we're all in it for the same thing.

    I felt weird the first time I went on a trail run with someone who could have been my grandfather, but I learned a hell of a lot that day. I like to think that I taught him a few tricks as well.
    Check out my blog: greggoodson.com
    Friend me on Facebook: facebook.com/greggoodson
    Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/greggoodson

  17. #17
    Registered User theinfamousj's Avatar
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    I believe that Outward has solved his dilemma with a Facebook group (as seen in this post). I'm glad to see that he was able to find a venue that fit his needs and those of the others who voted, "Yes."

    For the record, I voted "no" because I already knew about his Facebook group.

    Problem solved?

  18. #18
    Registered User Desert Reprobate's Avatar
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    Default Voted No

    I have to agree with most of the above posters. There are differences between men and women and I can undertstand the ladies wanting to get away from us here sometimes. I don't see that much difference between a teen hiker and one my age. There are some physical differences but we both are hiking the same trail. I've been hiking for a long time and I've learned a lot reading this forum. Please invite your friends to join us here.

  19. #19

    Default

    I said no. Have you thought about joining boy scouts? Do you go to any kind of summer camp? Do your parents have friends who love to camp? If you want to learn more about camping and you want to talk to people your own age, but are afraid of online predators, then these are the best places to start.

    If you are looking for great information, Whiteblaze has got it. Everything you can think of has probably already been discussed before at one point or other. Do a search and read to your heart's content. I lurked around the site for a good month before I made any posts at all, just taking it all in.

    In short, if you want to relate to other people your own age, the best way to do it is (gasp!) face to face. The internet is a great tool, but you really have no way of knowing who is sitting behind the other computer. I would really hate to see whiteblaze shut down someone decides that whiteblaze is responsible for hooking up a minor with a perv or molester.
    Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool.

  20. #20
    Registered User WalkingStick75's Avatar
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    I loved to hike as a kid, started a thru hike in 1975 but between 1975 and 1990 it just was not in the plan. When I started hiking again in 1990 I told myself I better get going before I'm "too old" to hike. Well in 1990 I met a lot of hikers and quickly learned the error of my thinking. Never too old (or young) to hike and except for some physical differences no difference between hikers in their needs, problems etc.

    Enjoy the forums here at WB. Take advantage of the experience here that you would not get if it were a forum of just inexpierenced hikers. In a few years you will be one of the "expierenced" hikers.

    Take care
    WalkingStick"75"

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