because there is a women's cycling interest forum....

[pjclinch]

Yes... but then again no...

The trick is finding a compromise between the two unworkable extremes of rigidly pigeon-holing everything everyone posts and having one forum area called "Stuff you want to say". I think it's very difficult to decide in advance exactly what the best use is so a bit of empirical shake-down may be the best way to proceed.

In other words you not only need some flexibility, but you need a flexible amount of flexibility and the rules to determine how much is optimum is more of an art than a science.

Pete.

[gaz]

"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!

[Bicycler]

"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!

Though I was thinking of a broad general consensus rather than something narrow and rigid. I don't accept that because it would be impossible (or undesirable) to draw strict boundaries, that there can't be some guiding principles. The "non standard, HPVs" section is a good example of a section which works well and everyone understands its purpose. It is filled with threads specific to or primarily concerning these machines or their users. Inevitably there is some overlap with other sections and yet it isn't littered with general interest threads.

[pjclinch]

The trick there being that Weird Bikes are easily demarcated things and "women's issues" are rather nebulous concepts that mean different things to different people.

I agree about a broad consensus, but am suggesting leaving it to sort itself out for a little while might be the best way to get an idea of a useful outline.

I also suspect that there is enough general traffic to keep things getting answered in general places, and if having a women's forum makes the difference between something getting asked and not then it'll have fulfilled a useful purpose.

Pete.

[Bicycler]

That had been my position and I do wish to point out that I'm not one of the people who set themselves against the women's section. I just saw that thread, posted by a regular male poster in the women's section because it was about a female cycle record holder as taking us down an undesirable path whereby the achievements of female cyclists are deemed to be predominately (or solely) of interest to women.

[Si]

The trick there being that Weird Bikes are easily demarcated things .......

Funnily enough this hasn't proved to be the case. When the weird bike forum was set up it was meant to hold discussion of 'bents, pedelects, folders, tandems, etc etc. Initially such topics were moved into there when it was felt they fitted there better. But over time the forum adapted it's own interpretation of the section and now it's very rare that anything gets moved into or out of it....even if things would fit slightly better in there than where they are put. Hopefully the Womens Issues section will develop in the same way: a haven for those that prefer to use the forum set up like that but not so strict that 'grey area' topics can happily live there or another fitting part of the forum.

[Flinders]

I was pleased to find the Women's section, as topics that are specifically of concern to me as a female, like bra fitting, tend to get lost on the main board, and you don't tend to search for things if you haven't noticed them at some time in the past.
As men can read and post on it, I don't think it's a problem in equality terms, it's just a convenient way of finding specific things, in the same way as other sections are, that's all. I wouldn't have a problem with a Men's Section either, for topics that were male-specific. I would look in on it from time to time because I try to understand things I don't know about, and some things cross over anyway.

So long as OPs make the decision n where to place a thread, that seems fine to me.

[Vorpal]

That had been my position and I do wish to point out that I'm not one of the people who set themselves against the women's section. I just saw that thread, posted by a regular male poster in the women's section because it was about a female cycle record holder as taking us down an undesirable path whereby the achievements of female cyclists are deemed to be predominately (or solely) of interest to women.

There were two threads going on the same topic, so they've been merged in the other section.

[mjr]

There were two threads going on the same topic, so they've been merged in the other section.

Meanwhile, nothing is done about other abuses of the Women's Cycling Interest board.

And even the topic about second-hand bike sales where the OP specifically asked the mods to move it to the right board, it remains on the women's board instead. Do the mods think only women have difficulty selling a bike safely?

[horizon]

Do the mods think only women have difficulty selling a bike safely?

Maybe not, but they probably wish you would sell your hobby-horse.

[Vorpal]

There were two threads going on the same topic, so they've been merged in the other section.

Meanwhile, nothing is done about other abuses of the Women's Cycling Interest board.

And even the topic about second-hand bike sales where the OP specifically asked the mods to move it to the right board, it remains on the women's board instead. Do the mods think only women have difficulty selling a bike safely?

Maybe the mods simply missed this? Next time you notice something that the mods may have missed, please use the 'report' button, instead of posting elsewhere about abuses.

[Bicycler]

There were two threads going on the same topic, so they've been merged in the other section.

After a long while... Given you moderators' usual efficiency, that uncharacteristic delay led me to suspect some uncertainty as to whether such duplicate threads should be allowed to run in the new section. I was merely advocating that such threads should be merged unless the women's section version touched upon substantially female specific issues or required a uniquely female perspective. I thought that was a sensible and constructive stance. I am glad that you moderators appear to have come to the same conclusion.

[mjr]

Maybe the mods simply missed this? Next time you notice something that the mods may have missed, please use the 'report' button, instead of posting elsewhere about abuses.

I've tried that before, with the "Notify me" set to "Yes" and not gotten anything back.

[Vorpal]

Maybe the mods simply missed this? Next time you notice something that the mods may have missed, please use the 'report' button, instead of posting elsewhere about abuses.

I've tried that before, with the "Notify me" set to "Yes" and not gotten anything back.

You should get an email at your registration email address when a report is closed. If that isn't working, it is a technical problem, and we should notify admin.

If the result is not obvious (i.e. moving a thread to the right subforum), I usually send a pm explaining what I have done.

[Edwards]

Do the mods think only women have difficulty selling a bike safely?

Maybe not, but they probably wish you would sell your hobby-horse.

Good idea but which section should it be in?

I am wondering what material the hobby-horse is made from?