whats wrong with Bcuk?

[nameless]

K lads simple question whats wrong with Bcuk? i now whats annoying me when, I came here when Bcuk was only starting and when genuine people filled its pages from head to to and information was always moving foreward but it seems to have become like another run of the mill outdoor website.

Balls in yer court :BlueTeamE

Cheers
Scott

 

[Tony]

I’ve removed all the posts to this thread, it went down hill fast and people (myself included) took things a bit to personally, for which I apologise.

The Question is not stated as well as it could be but I think that it’s worthy of some discussion. I think in a round about way Adam is saying that Bushcraft UK has lost it’s small community feeling, it’s a big site now and with that has come changes.

He’s right it’s not the same site it was and it’s something I’ve struggled with over the years, it was great when we knew everyone on here, I no longer PM every new member ( I gave up after the first thousand odd!) and I miss doing that, making that first contact. Those that I’ve spoken to say it’s the nature of the beast and I suppose it is, it becomes less personal, although I think that many new friendships are born here.

I think the questions saying, how do you feel about the changes and have you got any ideas for making Bushcraft UK better and keeping ti out of the ‘same as any other outdoor website category’

Many thanks for your question Adman and I hope I’ve interoperated it correctly, if not let me know and I’ll change it or feel free to give us a bit more detail yourself.

 

[nameless]

Hi,

No comment was meant to attack anyone personally but my post was meant to invoke a reaction ( not so intense though). Clearly from the the arguement we established something is wrong just look at the response the thread got especially about my lack of participation ( so what i keep my mouth mostly shut becasue what i have said has already been said or i dont have anything to add) or the fleetness of my response.

I am a blunt person, but what about the next person who asks this?? will everyone be so gung ho?? I hold no grudges never have, never will But i do ask is understanding. Understanding thatr not all people are the same, some blunt some dance around the bush some peole come across wrong or dont think (me) . But lets get back on point no matter how much you love Bcuk their must be somthing whiuch you dont like? somthing which could be changed to get things running more smoothly?

Lets not debate weather somthing is or isnt wrong because clearly it isnt. Now i know that nothing can please eveyone all of the time. Finay i would like to say that me making a comment of genuines of people was not a dig, it was aimed at understanding each other and sometimes just becasue we dont like someones points or veiws we dont go mental at them.

Cheers
Scott

 

[Fire Starter]

I replied to this post 15 minutes ago and the whole thread has disappeared into a black hole/ Exterminated. As mine was the final contribution I hope it was nothing I said?

In response to Adams original post "Whats wrong with BCUK"

Where has the bushcraft gone? there are a small number of very knowledgeable people who go out, practice bush craft and share their experience on the forum. For example there are some fantastic tutorials to go out and practice your own skills.

I think, as I have said before there is too much talk about Kit. comparing kit, comparing knives, bigger knives, axes, hammocks, Gortex sleeping bags, smaller knives, knives with teeth, my choppers bigger than your chopper nonsense. I have even seen people on here using the site as a market place trying to SELL kit that was imported for the job. Surely thats not what was intended when the site was first set out.

On a daily basis, almost without exception 80% of posts are about Kit, kit and more kit. Kit is not bushcraft if you dont know how to use it. and maybe thats were Adam is coming from. I do hope he comes back on explain his frustrations.

He did so once and was shot down in flames for it.

My suggestion for making the site better would be to rename it Bush Kit UK to appeal to the wider audience

 

[Platypus]

Ok,

Lets see if we can make a positive critique.

For me there seems to be too much seperation between the main site and the Forum, I spend much more time here than I do there. Mostly this is because the forum is much more dynamic, but the recent competition sent me scurrying back "over there" to find the answers . and I must admit I spent an enjoyable afternoon looking at that stuff (please don't tell the boss ) Perhaps more articles would help?

Also as an aid to newbies and to help prevent too many repeat questions, could there be a FAQ?

Meetups... There are several sub groups forming along the natural north/south divide and the east/west camps. Would it be worth setting up meeting sub-sections for each of these four main areas and possibly one for overseas?


Anyway I've got to go and refill the wineglass now, if I think of anything else I'll come back later

 

[nameless]

Fire Starter,

I agree though kit is a evil nesscesity of bcuk. What could we do about it? Make a list of basic kit and its wereabouts? And i want to help to change whats not right not just talk about it, which i think is very important.

Cheers
Scott

 

[Platypus]

Some like all the kit talk (they are the one talking about kit )
Others only want to talk about it when they are buying etc.
Still others not at all.

And the same goes for many other topics.

How about if there could be a way of setting your preferences to only display the sections you were interested in? I'm sure I've seen this done elsewhere.

 

[Fire Starter]

Fire Starter,

I agree though kit is a evil nesscesity of bcuk. What could we do about it? Make a list of basic kit and its wereabouts? And i want to help to change whats not right not just talk about it, which i think is very important.

Cheers
Scott

Hi Adam its good to see you back. I think platypus has made some very good suggestions for the site. I dont know what the site was like when you joined, I can only imagine. Maybe a small community of like-minded bush craft enthusiasts, comparing notes, exchanging tales and sharing their knowledge and skills.

I find the site difficult to navigate and find threads because of all the different topics and sub topics and some seem to merge into others.

But I dont know the answers.

 

[nameless]

Fire starter,

I wanna make it clear that i'm not trying to be elitist in sayingf i was hear near the start. Infact i dont get loads of time to practice bushcraft. I loved the old site mainly because i was always learning now i have to filter through loads of rubbish to get to information, i honestly cant think what could fix this? Can any other members think of anything?

Cheers
Scott

 

[ScottC]

Hi Adam good on you for speaking out with your concerns. In my opinion the focus needs to be taken off kit to back to basic bushcraft skills. There are whole forums out their dedicated to just one item of kit i.e Britishblades, Candlepower etc. so why the need to discuss it here, all that happens is the same question is asked over and over again. I have been at this site for a month under two years and Fire Starter is right, it is slowly becoming Bush Kit UK

 

[Doc]

I think I'm right in saying that 'Kit Chatter' has always been the most heavily posted area. The kit obsession isn't new!

Most newcomers to bushcraft will be looking to buy some basic kit: a knife, a sleeping bag, a rucksack, perhaps a tarp or hammock, a stove.......I recently trawled the archives before buying a new sleeping bag - there were rather a lot of threads. Perhaps a 'Buying a XXXXX' article would be handy. It might be difficult to keep it neutral though.

Accuracy worries me a bit too. Of course there are different opinions on some issues, but others seem to me to be pretty clear cut. An example would be tick removal. There is pretty good published scientific evidence that the longer they are attatched, the greater the risk of Lyme Disease transmission. They should be removed immediately with fine tweezers or tick removal tool. However, there have been postings advocating removal by smothering with vaseline and waiting - this is no longer recommended. Fortunately someone corrected it in a civilised way, and the original poster was grateful for the new information.

Having said that, even Wikipedia and some survival books have inaccuracies. I believe a French dictionary had to be recalled and pulped after accidentally transposing the captions for pictures of the Edible Mushroom and the Death Cap.

But we should all strive to keep it accurate and (nicely) correct things that are factually incorrect. Otherwise, misleading info ends up on file in the Archive forever.

The PM facility is a good thing for making the site more cohesive. When you PM someone, you know them a bit.

The welcome PM was a good thing, but I'm sure unsustainable for one man. Perhaps an alternative would be to offer each new member a 'mentor' or 'welcomer' in the form of an established member who could send them a welcome PM, and be a point of friendly contact for simple queries.

I wondered about a regional (Scottish) forum but overall opinion did not seem in favour.

 

[tomtom]

On a daily basis, almost without exception 80% of posts are about Kit, kit and more kit. Kit is not bushcraft if you don’t know how to use it. and maybe that’s were Adam is coming from. I do hope he comes back on explain his frustrations.

This argument has come up a LOT before, and your figures are way out! Check today’s active threads to see how many of today’s are in the kit or edged tools forums then look at how many are in the other on topic forums and community forums.. I think you will find all in the 'bushcraft' outstrips the kit chatter! However I think the kit chatter is an important part of the site, its how lots of people get to find the site, also where else do you talk to bushcrafters about bushcraft kit?? A lot of people have a lot to say about 'too much kit chatter' so why aren’t they doing something about it and filling the other forums with bushcraft philosophy and techniques I don’t understand why people complain about there being too many of any posts threads are divided in to fairly specific sub forums and no one has to read any topics which are not of interest to them.


Yes this forum a different place from what it was a year or two years ago but change is always inevitable, and not necessarily bad.

 

[falcon]

If you access the forum through the "New Posts" button on the top toolbar you will just get whatever topics are cycling around - if, however you use the Forum INDEX page (see below), anyone who gets annoyed with too much talk about kit or anything else they find tedious can avoid it.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?

 

[elma]

Whats wrong with BcUK ?
well from what I'm looking at not a lot.
I've been involved with bushcraft off and on for many years in my early years it was suvivalism and gagets and gismos were the order of the day, my shed is full of useless scrap that the so called experts sold out of the publications of the time.
my interest was rekindled by the ray mears videos and a few months ago I discovered BcUK.
BcUK has opened up a whole new world for me, I'm learning real skills,not the gung ho survival rubbish of the past and when I start going to meets in 2006 my knowladge base will improve further and I am confident that I will meet some new friends on the way.
As for the site talking about kit all the time I know that if I need some kit there is always someone to advise me on what to buy and what to leave on the shelf, remember no matter what you do in bushcraft from making a spoon to fire to shelter you are going to need some form of kit and personally I've saved a fortune by purchasing the minimum kit that I need and good quality kit by taking the advice of those in the forums

Thumbs up to Tony and crew :You_Rock_

See you on the 21st

Ian

 

[ScottC]

Tony there's an automatic PM upon registration feature available for Vbulletin, if you are interested I will point you in the direction of it

 

[Razorstrop]

I'll stand by my original reply to this thread.
Turning the 'what may be construed as negative' into a positive and asking the honest question "what is wrong with BCUK"

My 2 cents
BCUK is for my money ( and I have paid to be here) the premier Bushcraft resource on the net. The gathering together of so much quality knowledge and experience is vital to the craft.
As has been said before, when you start to get too many people together, bad things can happen, its human nature to try to outdoo the next person and be the best or most knowledgable, or even to attack them because you disagree with them , or to cover up your own lack of understanding. People en mass are a shocking breed, but thats the nature of the beast, theres nothing any of the Mods or the owner can do about that is there?
Again as has been stated previously, duplication of threads can be a problem " what is the best sleeping bag?" will always throw you up 5 or 10 different bags, but maybe thats ok, if a stranger said to you "buy this house!" does that mean you would do it without doing a bit of your own research first? having a survey done getting professional opinions etc etc, of course you wouldnt so why would you buy a sleeping bag on someone elses say so. Thats the whole thing about Bushcraft, you learn by expereince, by doing, by trying things out. Other people can guide you but ultimatly you have to find your own path.
I'll not go on too much more, but in essence, thats whats wrong with BCUK, too many people willing to do what others tell them to, instea dof going and finding things out for them self. The owner and the Mods cant be blamed, just the people who use it.

Whats wrong with BCUK?
Think very hard about yourself before you answer

Mr Strop

 

[The Joker]

I agree with Falcon, Me personally Im not that keen on knives so I avoid edged tools, its not that I don't like them, for me they are a tool to do a job. But saying that I do appreciate the craftmanship involved.

Maybe if there was away of checking a box that when you click on "new posts" the areas your not so keen on are not displayed. Its a tricky one, at the end of the day if you don't like a subject don't read it.

 

[Tadpole]

I’m new both to the site and to the art of “bushcraft”
In my youth, what you call bushcraft was called “hedge hopping” or rough camping. The aim was the same, to get into the country and be comfortable without spending shed loads of money, money being in short supply.
Saying that, since I joined this site I have read kit threads and saved so much money even my wife has said that “camping is cheaper then she thought” This site has given me more than enough help so that my trips into the wild will be safer (very important as I have a very keen six year old daughter who will be joining me) cheaper (less evilbay mistakes, buying kit that “looks useful”) and less chance of stupid and embarrassing mistakes.

This might not be the Intent of the site, but I can only say this site works.
Despite what people think, the site will never again be the “home from home” that it was when there was only a few hundred people.

I belong to several sites and for a few years was an admin on my own site, all I can say is, if this site was elitist or like a lot of conspiracy theorist “survival” site, private, it would remain small and old time “bushcraft” right up until the site died from either lack of posts (everything that could be said having been said or the bitter infighting that eventually infect/affect all small sites (it killed both my old sites, and split up a bunch of my old friends who were at one point inseparable) An admin/owner friend of mine (who manages a site with nearly 100,000 signed up members, 3500 posts in 24 hours and 600 people online at one time.) Matt faces the very same posts every few weeks from old and new members alike, and he hasn’t found a way to keep everyone happy I don’t think it is possible. And I think that it’s a mistake to try.

I vote (were I that way inclined ) for letting the site evolve in to what it will be.

To all the staff admin mods etc,Thank you and keep up the good work, you are doing a great job.
To all the members keep asking questions and doing reviews, sharing knowledge, opinions and helping out newbie’s like me.

To all those who think the changes are happening too fast, why not help to keep the site on track, offer help, advice, and opinions.

Were I asked, I would say, we can all help. If there are old threads answering the new questions, help people by finding the old threads and post links. That way the newbies like me get answers to the questions we are after and old threads get a new lease of life. I find that you don’t have to be Staff, admin, mod or otherwise to offer help; it’s up to us all to keep the site running as we all would like it.

 

[nameless]

Tadpole,

I understand you completly, the clarity of you explanation put alot of stuff that in order for me. Though i think the site could do with a spring clean.

Cheers
Scott

 

[Tony]

Tony there's an automatic PM upon registration feature available for Vbulletin, if you are interested I will point you in the direction of it

Thanks for the offer Scott I've got the automated email welcome set up, it was the personal touch that I miss having the time for. People joining the site knew there was a human being welcoming them rather than a bit of software.