Cycling UK Forum

One iritatting fact of the old board was the Staff Members and Council Members that attempted to squash any items uncomplementary to the CTC. They did this under anonymous usernames. Some were known to other posters, but some were not.

Would it not be open and add to discussions if these people who have a vested interest in keeping such matters under wraps, had to declare their status?

I notice that the "Website and Message Board" section of the old site has not been transferred over to the new system.

This contained many messages which reflected the poor attitude of CTC management towards the old system and their inaction which lead to gar having the whole thing shut down. I would like to be able to access those for a complaint I am currently following through, but am unable to do so.

It's early days yet, but I'm happy with the new system, I just want to make sure that certain key CTC people are a little more proactive in future.

FWIW I don't think those you refer to understand how wound up people get when they think they are being ignored, even if heaven and earth are being moved behind the scenes. A pretty good example is the relaunching of this forum. The old one just disappeared and everybody more or less knew why. There was a cryptic notice on the website and nothing else. Every fruitless check of the www just heightened the frustration. Even a couple of lines in the Friday newletter would have done the trick. It is now obvious that, in the meantime, those working on it were beavering away, presumably right through the holiday period to achieve such a vast improvement. The message is that you cannot do without good communication and nowadays that is so easy to achieve.

Points noted. Sadly many of the issues involved are political ones, rather than technical ones, so I can't really help

I should think that CTC staff would be relatively willing to post with some identification that they're staff members. OTOH, if they think they'll get abuse they'll probably just stay away...

I completely agree about the need for communication, even if it's a "we got your message". I have similar problems with lack of communcation in a different field, and it can be very frustrating.

thirdcrank wrote:FWIW I don't think those you refer to understand how wound up people get when they think they are being ignored...

I don't think we were being ignored TC, I know we were being ignored. The only time I got a (badly worded) response was when a Council member got involved and I threatened to launch a formal complaint. Something I have since done.

the truth about the advent of the new message boards is a little less sophisticated. Graham worked like blazes to get it ready. I was dead against announcing a date, which I would have done through ACF (most of the regulars fetched up there), because I didn't want us to get caught short if the thing didn't work properly.

I spoke to Matt on January 3rd and he said that it might be ready for the 5th Jan. In the event it was put up with the thought that it could be taken down again, and.....it worked first time.

So - if anyone is to blame for the lack of advance notice, it is yours truly. Sorry. I'm a techno-idiot, who cannot programme a central heating timer, and keeping quiet was my way of dealing with my own uncertainty.

...Oh - and it seems to me that apart from the usual reasons for squashing (libel, racism and so on) there might be some additional grounds here on the CTC forum (incoherence, general idiocy) - BUT you know where to find me.

Those of you who have watched 'CTC Corner' over the past months will have, hopefully, seen the basis of a forum which can accommodate both good humour and criticism.

And for those of you who don't know, Karen and I are CTC councillors. So you can direct all of your criticism to, (or at), us, either by PM or on the forum. I'm not going to be here every day, but, if it's urgent, my telephone number is 07776 210 731 - please don't call in the middle of the night, and please recognise that I switch it off if I'm in a meeting at work. Weekends is best (but not tomorrow - Council meeting!)