Venting. No need to reply.

Grizzly · Jan 1, 2008

Why did we get labelled "The Happy Place", and why do people think we're too soft? 
If I look at the range of topics today in the PRT, there are several that are harder hitting than are over at CH. 
I think I'm going to go back to my rule of not even looking, it just gets me upset.

solitude · Jan 3, 2008

GAH! Can I vent, too? 
If you can't effing stand the place, then they the hell do you come here and post? If it is that bad, then don't bother! I'm all for people going to more than one place, if they want. I came here and the CH for months before I made the transition here. But for hells sake, are they just embarassed to be seen posting here? I don't get it. :grrr: 
[/rant]

torque · Jan 3, 2008

I think Kick was labeled the "Happy Place" by those that really can't function in an environment where people are held to task for their behaviour.

Hairy Trotter · Jan 3, 2008

Labels are easy. And, accordingly, usually right in ways that don't matter and very, very wrong in ways that do.

diablita · Jan 3, 2008

On the other hand, if threads about us on other boards increase our membership numbers, that's not all bad, right?

sierra · Jan 4, 2008

ARGGGGGGG... <img alt="uhoh2.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/uhoh2.gif"> 
Just a quick generic vent.........

jcumming · Jan 5, 2008

Why do you guys continue to gaze at your navels?? 
CH Runners and PRT will be nearly identical in a short period of time. 
Some people at each place have their knickers in a knot about the other place. 
The rest of us don't give a flyin' fadoo and post at either one, or in a huge number of cases, both.

Grizzly · Jan 5, 2008

You deserve an honest answer. 
1) I think that the majority of people who aren't bi-postal don't give a damn. The only people who are stirring things up or even mentioning the CH one way or the other on the PRT or anywhere are some who are bi-postal. And they are being shit disturbers. That bothers me as a moderator because I often have to deal with the outcome of shit disturbances. Why do people who have a foot in both places have to poke at one or the other. Fun? Yeah, no thanks. 
2) I am personally bothered by people who won't see past their own particular or peculiar prejudices. The people who seem to have their girdles most in a knot about the PRT have never even been here, really. 
That's just me, I find that ignorant. Meh. Leave them to their ignorance. But it did rankle. 
As to the contention that they will be the same place? Perhaps. But I hope not. 
I think that Kickrunners is far far more than the PRT, and I am glad that the vast majority of the KR community doesn't even care that the PRT exists. Sue's board IS the CH, and that's the distinction. I wish her all the best, but also wish that people would just get over last February. 
Nobody is forcing anyone to be here, and the insults are just silly. I'm sorry that I even went there to browse.

jcumming · Jan 6, 2008

Thanks for the answer. Since I have zero to do in life at the moment, and since I was pretty much away for a week, I went over to CH Runners and looked through the thread topics to see what might have caught your eye while browsing so I could look in there to see who was insulting KR. I got to Page 8 before I got tired of it...about 5 days worth of posts and I didn't see a single topic that would lead me to believe it was going to be anti-PRT. I even checked into those big venting DieCH threads and found virtually nothing about PRT except a couple of innocuous mentions. 
Also, I don't see anything here in KR that is anti-CH Runners. Peace seems to be reigning, but maybe I am just naive. 
That is quite different from before when several people (not a large group by any means)from both the old CH and PRT seemed to delight in letting everyone know how superior the one they posted on was to the other site. I found it rather silly myself and a few of us would have mock battles with ourselves from one site to the other to perhaps point out the silliness of it all. It sort of became an inside joke. I'm not sure if it rankled you the same when people here crapped on CH, but it pretty much bugged me equally. 
As for your contention that Sue's site is just a replacement for CH and nothing else, that may be true, but perhaps not. This site was a moribund place for you, tig and I to report our daily runs and there really wasn't anything much else here for many months. Now we are looking at some 25-odd forums and perhaps it will be 50 by summer. I'm not certain that wanting to be all things to all people is necessarily going to make it more successful, but it surely is growing. Her site had a leg up when it started because of the demise of CR so we will have to wait and see what happens. I really believe lots of people would be happy with a run and race report section, a training section, a food section and a PRT-like section. However, a good running log is clearly essential to most runners. 
I believe a great many of us will have tabs for both sites open and flip back and forth depending on what we find interesting. 
Right now I know that if I want sex topics then this is the place, if I want politics then CHRunners is the place. Everything else...it's a toss up. The topics look pretty much alike to me. I post in threads I find interesting. 
You say that you are glad that the vast majority of the KR community doesn't care that PRT exists. However PRT threads make up approximately twice as many as all the other 20-odd forums put together, so I do believe it will continue to be the engine that drives the site. Besides, many of the other forums really are just PRT/Race Report combos in a separate forum. Just look at the topics. Many are extremely general in nature and really have nothing particularly to do with that forum. People just like it as a place to hang out. 
I call it finding their niche, much as some people who had been running for 35 years liked hanging out in Newbie on CH. 
...and that is far more than enough of me gazing into my own navel. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif">

satfix · Jan 6, 2008

Actually JC: It may appear that the PRT is still the main draw, but you're looking at numbers over the last year. 
The truth is, in fact, at any given time, there are as many or more in the other forum's combined than in the PRT. Granted, the running clubs are sorta 'mini-prts'; in as much as they will talk about their own stuff - but running is a part of their conversation whereas in the PRT it isn't. 
I do not think CHrunners.net will be like KR - anymore than KR was like Coolrunning - at least in 'feel' - yeah, we're all forums' with running as the common thread, but that's where the similarity ends. I say this, but I believe you know this anyway - I don't believe we're better - or worse - just 'us'. 
As to the comment about "sex here/politics there" - to be frank - thats the crap that drives me nuts. At any given point in time, each forum will have a different focus - but by making comments like this, I feel we make a blanket statement that means - KR is fluffy and they don't talk about important things. If you want real conversation, then you need to go here.. It's not true - but by continuing perpetrating that impression - FORCES this place into that 'reality'. Why not look to contribute to the topics we 'allegedly' can't handle, instead of planting the seed of 'truth' - even in jest. 
Kickrunners.com isn't what it started out to be - and I'm THANKFUL! Excuse my selfishness, but several of us have invested a great deal of time and money in this place - and it feels great to see so many people join and now contribute to it. We're no longer the 5 member forum with one post a month - we've worked hard to get this place this way; and though much of the growth came as a result of the demise of other forums - had we not set this place up AND continued to offer a quality place for members, they wouldn't have stayed. 
As to 'here or there' - This is another bullshit comment that cause nothing but problems and 'us vs them'. From what I can tell, none of the leaders or moderators here communicate this philosophy. Certain members seemed hell bent on making those comments, but as far as the overall leadership/moderators - I think it's a disservice to even suggest we want 'loyalty' here and to not go there. IF that was the case, I sure in the hell wouldn't have PROMOTED Sues forum or allowed them to continue talking about their forum - under the guise of 'So the CHrunners want to know fi we're talkin' about them' thread - which was simply a way to keep Chrunners in the PRT so others would find it (And as a capitalist, I didn't charge for their advertising) - So, please do not further this 'myth' of "we don't want you here if you go there..." 
K.. to quote you - i'm done looking at my navel (though lately with no running and stress, it's getting DEEPER! <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"> ) 
I've not said it enough - but thanks to all of you for your hard work! 
Best, 
Rich

jcumming · Jan 7, 2008

Everything you say makes sense Rich. I understand exactly how you feel, and you most definitely should be very proud of the results considering all the hard work you have put into it. Indeed, you are absolutely correct in that a lot of the growth was due to the demise of CH, but don't sell the place short. It was growing anyway. 
As for my sex here/politics there statement that drives you nuts, I wasn't using that as an example to mean "fluffy" here "substance" there. I meant it literally...and some of the sex topics here had a lot more substance than the politics there. It's just the nature of the forums at the moment. Of course if someone on CHRunners were to announce a sex change that could alter the atmosphere quickly. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"> 
One thing that is kind of interesting is the double posts that are occurring occasionally at the moment. People just aren't sure where to go with it, so they go both places. 
Most topics I start just get posted in whatever forum I happen to have open when the brain fart hits. It's not that it's likely to be a beacon of brilliance. 
I also think that your opening up KR to the other forums as CR died was one of those "no good deed ever goes unpunished" things as some people will always see a pile of crap while others are already out riding the pony. I think it was one of those absolute win-win things for KR. It was the right thing to do AND it helped build the site. Anybody who wants to moan about that move is nothing but an idiot. 
Thanks for a great place to hang out. You have done a fabulous job. 
JC

Tithers · Jan 8, 2008

The MS folks are grateful and HAPPY! 
That forum took off with a big bang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

duckgeek · Jan 8, 2008

I will admit to being personally bothered at first by some of the stuff that Tim, Kenyan, Wu, et. al. posted, BUT I eventually figured out what they were doing, essentially mock indignation, perhaps baiting others to come forward with their negative comments. Some take the bait readily and it is sort of amusing to watch the commentary. 
I think I've noticed a trend though, in that some of same folks who dismissed KR off-hand earlier on are starting to post here with some regular frequency. Now if we could just get that Tazawa character over here where he belongs to hang out in beer threads... <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif">

Venting. No need to reply.

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