This is a members page and should be voted on at the agm.
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This is a members page and should be voted on at the agm.
I'm an infrequent poster but regular reader. Losing the history of race, big round information will be a sad thing. I'll also miss reading Mr Brightside's comeback, Trav's racing exploits and being humbled by Mike T's epic mileage...
I've emailed the FRA chair, i urge you to do the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogmonster
The way i see it nothing is guaranteed. We were told the forum would continue to be supported if it was without troublesome posts and moderators came forward, which they did, and this decision has been reneged on. I think there may be a hidden legal agenda here, in which the FRA is responsible for sentiment expressed on here, and the legal risk level has been advised to somebody as being unacceptable. Runners World have also recently closed their forum, so i think there may be some kind of legal/risk threshold lowering going on and all forums everywhere are viewed as a liability.
I'm confident this forum can continue, but it will need commercial sponsorship and adverts to offset the running and setup costs, and there is already a commitment from members to be moderators. It can undoubtedly continue, but the FRA are not now supporting it for some reason. 'Betrayed' is the word i used in my email to the Chair.
The members need to make a motion for it somehow.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogmonster
Is the main problem why it's being considered for closing down that a small number of contributions are upsetting others? If so, there are ways and means to stop that. On the whole, it seems a positive thing.
You didn't seem to want to expand, but as you quoted my comment I will while I still have a forum to do so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmian
"those who have invested a great deal of time and energy into the administration and management of the sport"
I want to focus on this part, because as someone who has been involved in several disciplines of "the sport" which is athletics, this displays to me (and anyone correct me if you like) a sort of parochial snobbery within some parts of the fell running community, which sees fell running as "the sport" separate from everything else.
It isn't. Not any more at least because it has attached itself to the national governing body of athletics and operates under UKA/IAAF rules and insurance.
UKA delegate the management of fell running to the FRA.
And volunteering for the FRA Committee is not the only way to "invest a great deal of time and energy into the administration and management of the sport" and I'm an example of that. There's plenty of us.
I've never been on the FRA Committee but just in terms of fell running I've been Lancashire AA Fell Secretary, hosted the Inter Counties Fell, supported two junior co-ordinators; Lecky and Duncan, hosted junior champs races with Jamie at the Dashers.
I've been the England representative for juniors on the UKA Mountain Running Advisory Group and hosted the UK Mountain Running Champs at the request of Sarah Rowell.
I've hosted approximately 15 fell race events, including some relays and I've also advised/supported other fell race organisers.
I've been an endurance coach for 15 years, promoted fell running within my group and club and brought through a number of junior national champions and winners of national vests at both England and GB level.
I've been on club committee, County AA Committee, 2 cross country leagues, Race Organiser of over 30 Cross Country races including Northern and English School Champs and I've also been involved with top road races, including an England 5K Championship and a I've been a track official and team manager for may teams in all disciplines.
I've also been a very ordinary runner who's declined to be at best now a potential sweeper :D
I've squeezed a lot in over the last 20 odd years, and I know there are others out there who have done more and for longer.
So take care when you do a job somewhere. Doing a much-needed job on a committee such as the FRA is commendable, the sport needs more who will do that, but it doesn't give one the right to sneer at others who you may know little about.
I used to post on here frequently and also obtain information about races / routes / results etc. However, with FB being the 'go to' medium in today's society I have hardly visited the forum in the last 3 or 4 years. So it's hardly surprising that it's soon going to be closed down, sad that it may be.
However, there is so much info on here which is categorised and easily retrieved (unlike FB) so it would be a shame to lose all that information. Let's hope the 'powers that be' will allow it to be saved somewhere for us to access.
So, as time moves on it is with some sadness that I say my last 'goodbye' to the forum.
Goodbye all - see you on FB!
Mapper
(Mark Nutter - Clayton-le-moors Harriers - for those who didn't know!)
Email sent.Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
Reply received.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
It would seem it is a fait accompli, and that the only decision to be made is which bits to keep and which bits to throw away.
All rather sad. I have had some good times on here, and learnt a lot, even from people with whom I disagreed on various issues.
It is a shame that all decent info on the Forum will potentially be lost but let’s face it why would the FRA want to continue support of this forum, I’ve been around here for quite a while, (I was Daletownrunner before I lost my original log in) a few years ago people did actually respond to ‘others’ who posted, I’ve noticed recently that most posts are ignored unless they’re posted by the ‘select few’ (not all posts, thanks Travs and Charmian 🙂) add to this some genuinely hideous divisive posts it’s clear that the FRA wouldn’t want to support this, this forum could be the first place a potential new fellrunner visits, some recent posts don’t make this a welcoming place 😒
I must've missed all these hideous posts.... i assume they're on the politics thread (which i never look at)
Yep that’s where they are 😒
Isn’t that why we have moderators?
I’m sure FB has similar problems but perhaps that’s for Zuckerberg to sort out.
I do find it sad that people go on the forum of something they're interested in, and spend their time bickering about politics.... did anyone ever change their political views as a result of someone arguing with them about it?
This isn't unique to this forum. Its endemic everywhere.
Also equally sad that people see a few people arguing politics (or find themselves on the receiving end of an argument) and then use it to tar the entire forum with the same brush
Statement from the FRA Chairman:
The forum is a legacy system which we are unable to move to our new platform. With diminishing traffic by a small group of members (and non-members) the existing forum is unsupported in its current form. The FRA is unable to allocate a substantial amount of members funds into a new or upgraded forum when clear alternatives are available and being used.
We are currently running an audit of the threads and posts to determine which ones are to be saved due to historical importance, etc. These will hopefully be archived and available to read in the future.
The standards on the forum were not helped by some of the mods, including at least one FRA Committee having their own shadow forum in the background, only visible to them until one of them had a hissy one night, probably after a few sherberts and made some regulars folk including me moderators and we could see it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stanley
They were taking the piss out of the regular forum members privately to each other and setting up sock puppet accounts to stir up debates.
You may recall this was alluded to by FeetintheCowclaps as he resigned as a moderator.
#79 and then #104 here.
https://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/show...167#post572167
Hopefully this will be one of those that the forum auditors preserve as case study for future FRA Committee members.
We will never know how much fuel was thrown on the fire by secret FRA committee member accounts. We only know that it was.
One more thing, when I cam on to the forum many years ago, we already had the "Down the Pub" and like any thread, you come on, click "New Posts" and you can go and read those that interest you.
No one has to be a rubber-necker.
Thank you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmian
A case of ‘Who watch’s the Watchmen’ 🙂Quote:
Originally Posted by Witton Park
This is so true. It's nothing to do with fell running anymore and the stronghold of a few opinionated people. Some of them have very provocative, bigoted views and are very rude to people that oppose them. I'm sorry that it's going but its due to a few bigots who have spoilt it for all and put off people who want information and discussion on fell running. It seemed to go down hill during the Brexit debate and got much worse during Covid. I'm sorry as I was approaching entry to The Masters Lounge and was looking forward to supping Tim Taylors and talking bollox with knowledgeable fell runners. And as for allowing a Zionist strap line - I despair, but appreciated the poetry.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stanley
Quote:
Originally Posted by MattPo
Whilst it would be unwise to discount the thoughts of people like yourself and Stanley.... as its clear that to understand why popularity is dwindling, then we need to take on board your opinions.... and its clear that if you think this way, then there are doubtless many others.
But its worth mentioning that those toxic arguments are generally confined to one thread (or section of the forum).
The issue is when the forum is fairly quiet, those discussions become more prominent.
But to say it's nothing to do with fell running anymore and the stronghold of a few opinionated people. Some of them have very provocative, bigoted views and are very rude to people that oppose them. I'm sorry that it's going but its due to a few bigots who have spoilt it for all and put off people who want information and discussion on fell running is a bit harsh to the majority of us.... (well i assume its a majority....! as i mentioned earlier i don't know or care what is posted on the politics thread, and i assume its just a few people... there is no obligation to read that particular thread/section) .... the majority who don't get involved and generally only talk about fellrunning/racing on here.
Pete,
I've aired my views on the demise of the forum many times and as previously stated their has been many a post of bigoted, bullish nature that sadly with dwindling numbers are only more and more to the fore. Brexit and COVID threads (neither particularly relevant to fell running) no doubt put the final nails in the coffin.
I applaud your efforts to find a future platform to air our views but let's learn lessons from the past and make sure we have a code of conduct that we all abide by that prohibits all the abhorrent behaviour that has brought about the demise of this forum.
The ones throwing around the bigot accusations seem to be the least intolerant of the opinions expressed by others.
Come on England!!!
I probably can't really comment on the goings on over that side of the forum, as i don't really feature in any of those threads.
Frankly i don't give a toss what anyone thinks about Brexit/covid/the election, so i don't bother to read or comment on those threads. I have probably missed a lot of the "controversy".
As to the new Discord platform.... whilst i'm setting it up, and i'll keep control of things like new member invites and starting new threads initially.... i'd intend to open up those kind of admin features once everyone is used to the format....
I'm not intending to moderate it as such.... we should all be grown up enough to have some decorum (and i have a full time job and train twice a day)... and there is the feature to mute threads that you're not interested in.... but whilst i do have sole control of it, if people resort to off-topic bullshit like apparently goers on in here, i'll just boot them off (and it pains me to even hint at that, as i like to think i generally get on with everyone on here).
I always have a read of the exploits of you Travs, Mike T and others and these are great and what the forum should be all about, after my Daletownrunner log in no longer worked I stayed away from the forum for quite a while due to the toxic nature of a lot of the posts, as Mattpo says things went downhill with COVID and Brexit, I rejoined after my AF ablation mainly for advice from others and the advice and help that I got was really beneficial, as you say as little gets posted about actual Fell running anymore the toxic posts become much more noticeable, this unfortunately makes them more noticeable to potential new people, not a good luck for any organisation, to mirror PeteS I also applaud your efforts to find an alternative, I’m sure you’ll keep things in check and all about the running 😁 there’s certainly a place for ‘other’ threads but posters need to realise that we’re all potentially representing the sport we love when we post anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Wow! About sums it all up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmian
The easiest way to save threads of historical importance is to keep a forum open, that way they keep getting added to. My main concern is with how much effort has been channelled into saving the forum, seeking sponsorship or advertising etc. after all the focus group was assured fra support. I can't help thinking we've been sold down the river a bit, and I'm really quite angry it had to end this way, in a 'sod it, we've got Facebook' kind of way. I find it very hard to forgive betrayal, it's something that hurts my soul and leaves a permanent imprint.Quote:
Statement from the FRA Chairman:
The forum is a legacy system which we are unable to move to our new platform. With diminishing traffic by a small group of members (and non-members) the existing forum is unsupported in its current form. The FRA is unable to allocate a substantial amount of members funds into a new or upgraded forum when clear alternatives are available and being used.
We are currently running an audit of the threads and posts to determine which ones are to be saved due to historical importance, etc. These will hopefully be archived and available to read in the future.
I think I take that as a compliment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Witton Park
Sadly I am out of here for good, so I shall say goodbye before it shuts down on me. I have to accept I shall no longer run on the fells nor race, not that I did much of that anyway in the previous 10 years, prefering solo running. I should add I gave up FRA membership some years ago as it was very race orientated and I wasn't.
Because of this count me out for the new discord site, it is as good a time as any for me to draw a line through fell running as I have little to offer now - other than "Back in the old days we.......".
Had some great times on this site, back when it was booming with ridiculous humour and some great characters on here, sadly times move on and the past drifts away, I feel it time for me to cut the chord rather than dangle halfheartedly forever.
I shall look in and may comment up until "shutdown", but take this is my official end, and happy days for all the rest of you and the future.
Growing old sucks.
Cheers Moley.....don't forget that without this forum we might never have met. Catch you again sometime soon xx
👍 any time you are passing.
Cheers. Hopefully bump into you when I fincally get to cycle from Rhandirmwyn!Quote:
Originally Posted by molehill
I’m out as well, although to be fair I’ve been out for ages (aside from dropping in occasionally to disagree with the brainwashed GB news zombie folk)
The forum really meant a lot to me in the glory years (which for me were probably 2007 to brexit) and I even fantastically found my now wife here (obviously in ye olde dayes when women actually joined in), but online group chat has moved on and the forum hasn’t and probably couldn’t. As I said before even Facebook with all its problems and bastard adverts still knocks the forum into a cocked hat
I’m sure I’ll continue to bump into some of you, like Mike T the other day when I limped out of the Lakeland 5 Passes, although I’m guessing some of you will be too busy building your back garden survival bunkers in readiness for the UK going Muslim :D
And so, with my insouciant and customary sprezzatura I say farewell to joyous rodomontade for ever.:(Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmian
Totally agree. I no longer look here regularly, so I have only just discovered this (although it's exactly what I thought would happen for some time)Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
The good news is that Pete has created a very good alternative and, in more of an act of solidarity than a desire to post much, I have just joined it so I can show you here what it looks like.
For those of you who haven't joined yet, here are some screenshots, (which I have clipped so you can hopefully read them), of real discussions.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5606368b_z.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4508ba67_m.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c8f2da00_n.jpg
Is it easy to use? Looking at it briefly, it looks like it is. The one thing that strikes you immediately, is that it is much, much easier to add photos on Discord - so there's a lot more of interest to see.
For members who like what they see in the above pictures, and haven't joined yet, you can send Travs a private message and he will send you a link.
To people reading this who are not a member of this forum, or who have lost their log-in details, Travs has very kindly posted an email address on the 16th post of this thread
https://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/show...ithout-a-forum
Hope to see you all on Discord
Top man, Marco!
Agreed - well done Marco - and Travs of course.
Just don't go picking on me Marco :p