UNPIN the known problems post
- Thread starter Thom473
- Start date
BVC
Active Member
I think it's a reckless post as well. People go onto the internet to complain/find solutions/read reviews far more than they do to brag about how awesome their tires held up today in 75 degree heat on both concrete & pavement across an 8.34 mile jaunt.
Having a post like such at the top of the list that is flooded with nothing but issues = red flags to any potential buyers even tho the problems may seem minimal to us or as a whole. Let it linger around but don't showcase it.
Having a post like such at the top of the list that is flooded with nothing but issues = red flags to any potential buyers even tho the problems may seem minimal to us or as a whole. Let it linger around but don't showcase it.
Thom473
Member
Mostly I hate it because I only browse this category and look at the first post--or used to anyway since now the first post is the same expletive thing. ANN get rid of that post. PLEASE.
Suggest all who find the post annoying, "Report" the post daily until it is unpinned. I started today.
Suggest all who find the post annoying, "Report" the post daily until it is unpinned. I started today.
Thom473
Member
Don't have an issue with having such a post, I have an issue with it PINNED to the top.
BVC
Active Member
Exactly. It'll linger around, for sure. But no need for it to be pinned.
Hi @Thom473 and @pxpaulx , I chose to create and pin these issues/solutions threads to the top of every brand because my reviews are often focused on brand new products... and I don't have a lot of deep insights to share about the long term quality, common issues, and solutions that I know owners might be able to contribute to. I was alerted to this idea when speaking with shop owners who often share the challenges they face but are reluctant to speak out. It sucks to review a bike and say "this seems pretty good" and then find out that there's a common issue that people face but no one is talking about until after a sale is made.
In my opinion, there are two parts to the EBR forums... community and solutions. These pinned posts are about solutions, getting answers and sending feedback to potential customers, the people who design bikes, and hopefully the shops who carry them. I thought about creating sub-forums dedicated solely to issues/solutions for each brand but recognized that for some people, it can feel antagonistic to create a brand new thread vs. contributing to one that already exists. It's easier to "jump in" on an existing conversation without feeling so offensive and it keeps all of the "issues" in one spot. The big downside is that these threads will become long and deep, covering lots of issues that may no longer exist. It's something we plan to address in the future and of course, the date of post helps a lot. I hope that users are very specific when reporting issues and solutions so that future visitors can navigate easily and perhaps even commend companies to acknowledge and resolve issues.
@windmill and @JayVee are correct that we're trying to create a level playing field here. It took a while to roll all of these threads out and I realize that it overwhelmed the "new posts" sidebar for a short time but I'm pleased with the result. I am sorry that there are times when it feels like EBR administrators may not be so responsive... Part of what keeps this place authentic is that it's really just me trying to do everything. I have very limited funding because I try to keep ads sparse while simultaneously upgrading and improving our tools. I spent over $40k on the local shops map tool last year and it's only just about to launch next week. This "ad" is designed to be much more useful and less distracting than traditional banners. For a guy who regularly sleeps in his car... $40k is a lot. @Ann M. does an amazing job with part-time support in the forums and I pay her as best I can. All of the money that gets donated via the forums goes towards paying her.
I work pretty much nonstop on this site with the majority of time going to driving, filming, photography, editing, writing, learning about new technology and occasional responding to questions, comments and moderation. I even field phone calls for those who choose to reach out. I believe the tone would really change here if the staff and funding were different. Not necessarily in all bad ways, but it would be a lot different. By reporting legitimate posts like the issues/solutions threads, you're distracting Ann from helping new members by digging up solutions, connecting them with company representatives and cleaning up spam. Indeed, I would urge you to create your own forums or groups on Facebook if this space is frustrating you. Please do not consciously try to make it frustrating for us when it's so easy to go elsewhere. We could ban you easily, but instead I'm spending an hour drafting this message. I do my best but can only serve a limited subset of demands. Some people like the direction, other people feel frustrated with it. I do appreciate the constructive feedback, as always, but can only do so much. I'm sorry it took me a while to respond
I'm excited about the EBR forums because they are not owned by a company that sells ebikes or kits, they are not as hostile as some DIY forums and they are not covered with distracting ads. It's a beautiful balance... but it's only as good as you make it. Please pardon the minor inconveniences or distractions and contribute to the content and connections here. It's what my life has been all about for the past four years, it has cost me relationships and health at times, it's not easy, but I believe it's a positive way to spend time.
In my opinion, there are two parts to the EBR forums... community and solutions. These pinned posts are about solutions, getting answers and sending feedback to potential customers, the people who design bikes, and hopefully the shops who carry them. I thought about creating sub-forums dedicated solely to issues/solutions for each brand but recognized that for some people, it can feel antagonistic to create a brand new thread vs. contributing to one that already exists. It's easier to "jump in" on an existing conversation without feeling so offensive and it keeps all of the "issues" in one spot. The big downside is that these threads will become long and deep, covering lots of issues that may no longer exist. It's something we plan to address in the future and of course, the date of post helps a lot. I hope that users are very specific when reporting issues and solutions so that future visitors can navigate easily and perhaps even commend companies to acknowledge and resolve issues.
@windmill and @JayVee are correct that we're trying to create a level playing field here. It took a while to roll all of these threads out and I realize that it overwhelmed the "new posts" sidebar for a short time but I'm pleased with the result. I am sorry that there are times when it feels like EBR administrators may not be so responsive... Part of what keeps this place authentic is that it's really just me trying to do everything. I have very limited funding because I try to keep ads sparse while simultaneously upgrading and improving our tools. I spent over $40k on the local shops map tool last year and it's only just about to launch next week. This "ad" is designed to be much more useful and less distracting than traditional banners. For a guy who regularly sleeps in his car... $40k is a lot. @Ann M. does an amazing job with part-time support in the forums and I pay her as best I can. All of the money that gets donated via the forums goes towards paying her.
I work pretty much nonstop on this site with the majority of time going to driving, filming, photography, editing, writing, learning about new technology and occasional responding to questions, comments and moderation. I even field phone calls for those who choose to reach out. I believe the tone would really change here if the staff and funding were different. Not necessarily in all bad ways, but it would be a lot different. By reporting legitimate posts like the issues/solutions threads, you're distracting Ann from helping new members by digging up solutions, connecting them with company representatives and cleaning up spam. Indeed, I would urge you to create your own forums or groups on Facebook if this space is frustrating you. Please do not consciously try to make it frustrating for us when it's so easy to go elsewhere. We could ban you easily, but instead I'm spending an hour drafting this message. I do my best but can only serve a limited subset of demands. Some people like the direction, other people feel frustrated with it. I do appreciate the constructive feedback, as always, but can only do so much. I'm sorry it took me a while to respond
I'm excited about the EBR forums because they are not owned by a company that sells ebikes or kits, they are not as hostile as some DIY forums and they are not covered with distracting ads. It's a beautiful balance... but it's only as good as you make it. Please pardon the minor inconveniences or distractions and contribute to the content and connections here. It's what my life has been all about for the past four years, it has cost me relationships and health at times, it's not easy, but I believe it's a positive way to spend time.
JRA
Well-Known Member
Brings to mind the old saying "What do you want for nothing, your money back?"
It always amazes me on forums when folks take the mods to task. Probably a good thing he is going to start his own so that he'll find out what a thankless task it is! I find this forum to be one of the more civilized of the ones that I have been a member of over the years and although i don't take advantage of the reviews much the ones I have watched are obviously well thought out and take time to produce. They seem unbiased and informative enough to allow for would be buyers to make informed choices amongst the ever expanding options being made available.
I personally don't mind ads that much because I am comfortable ignoring them and scrolling on. So not sure why Court wouldn't court a few more to help keep the lights on here. Most of the folks on here support the manufactured end of the e bike equation anyway rather than the popular site for the DIY crowd that runs well with no ads but has a totally different flavor.
As far as the known problems posts go they don't bother me in the least as like I said, easy to just keep on scrolling. I say keep up the good work!
D
Deleted member 4210
Guest
You're the first, only, and last person to actually be so easily annoyed by the Admin's post. Good luck to you starting your new forum.
Thom473
Member
And that's exactly the point, current admin's laziness forces all users of this forum to view a stupid topic at the top EVERY SINGLE TIME. I've run several forums, I would never do something so stupid.
No, it is the prerogative of the site owner, the rest of us are just guests, and it's incredibly arrogant to label it as laziness because it not only slanders the site owner, but those of us who agree with their decision.
pxpaulx
Well-Known Member
That is pretty much what I was trying to get at! I've been working with technology enhancements for a user group at work, and the more information we gather, the more clear it becomes that simplifying that collected work is the key to access and easy of use. To further my idea, I'll point to any auto enthusiast site (pretty much every brand and a ton of models have them!). stickies in those forums are used to identify specific known issues, i.e. a recall, or a bad transmission in a model year - things that come up through ongoing threads in the forum - they are typically stickied and locked for reference because people often visit the forums because of those recurring issues. If there is an open issues sticky, as @Rincon pointed out, they will just spiral into becoming a mega thread with potentially lost critical information.
To further the auto forum analogy, there are so many of them, devoted not just to brands, but to single models! It is no small feat to attempt to structure this forum, when there are just so many companies both large and small. Kudos to the work being done here - if you keep yourself open, I've no doubt there are forum contributors that would be happy to help out behind the scenes as well.
