whats wrong with Bcuk?

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Hoodoo

Full Member
Nov 17, 2003
5,302
13
Michigan, USA
RovingArcher said:
What's wrong with BCUK? From where I sit, not a thing. Perhaps the original poster should re-evaluate their needs and adjust their priorities accordingly.

Couldn't agree more.
 

jamesdevine

Settler
Dec 22, 2003
823
0
48
Skerries, Co. Dublin
I was going to stay out of this one but I thought I would say my peice.

I am not going to bash anyone because I have gotten tons from this forum and thanks to Tony for creating it. When I found it i was looking for info on Bushcraft a word I had only just learnt and Tony pointed me straight to Anthonio and Wild-Live in Northern Ireland. So thank Tony for that.

There have been many changes to the campfire since I first pulled up a log (I can't remeber when) not all of them I like many of them I do. I miss some friends I made here early on that no longer post or can't thats a shame put there are other ways to keep intouch.

Were am I going with this you might ask well Nessmuk sums it for me when he referes to place in the off season that outdoor folk gather around a fire and talk about kit, trails, skills and adventures a small fire in tavern some were maybe this and several other places are dose place were lovers of the outdoors come to meet and chat. (Hoodoo might provide the full quote) The are sources of information, of inspiration and thats how they should be looked at and threated. It is Tony's Tavern and he throw people out if he likes if I don't like I won't come back.

But what BCUK and other places should be doing is inspiring you too get out us it's information and only return when you need to or more importantly have something share with us or teach us.

So thank you Tony, Mods and members for coming to this campfire and sharing your knowlodge and questions and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

James

PS If don't hear from me much in 06 it's because I am out and about.
 

stuart f

Full Member
Jan 19, 2004
1,397
11
56
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Food for thought, what if Tony starts to think "well b****r this,i put all this time and effort and all i get is grief" then decides to call it a day and pulls the plug on this site,God forbid he ever feels like that.

But ask yourself a question,what if he did,where my friends would WE be then?.

This site has brought my bushcraft knowledge on leaps and bounds since finding it, as i bet it has for alot of people on here. So lets not get bogged down with de-crying this place. There is to much to loose in my eyes.
 
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Rhodri

Forager
Nov 12, 2004
152
7
53
Suffolk
I don't normally get involved in this type of 'what is our problem' posts - they tend to say more about the posters than the particular forum being discussed... But I'd like to say my piece. :rolleyes:

First, thanks Tony for a great response.

This is a fine resource and a pleasant community. It's a forum, like any other in many ways, but I feel it has risen above many largely because it is moderated - and moderated so well.

Moderators are not there to pick on people if they are doing their job responsibly. There are a small (hopefully very small) number of nutters who should be dealt with summarily (and this probably happens regularly behind the scenes). The majority of contentious posts we see publicly in the forum are there because of the medium - I suspect that in many cases the more 'plain speaking' members just come accross differently in writing. If you were looking Adamscott2 in the eye and speaking to him personally it's unlikely that those who got a bit hot under the collar at the beginning of this thread would have done so in quite the same way...

When something you don't like is allowed by the Mods you just have to behave responsibly - take a deep breath, remember you're only in 'cyberspace' and stay civil :D. It's Tony's site and his rules (and he and the mods are human too). You don't get revolutions on forums... You just get turned off.

As for the repetition, I myself don't come here as often as I used to simply because the forum does its job so well. This place has taught me many things for which I'm very grateful. And, as it grows in size and reputation more and more new people will be going through the same experience and thus asking some of the same questions. I want them to learn like I did so I don't mind the repetition and I hope I'll be around to pass on the same information sometimes.

If you've been here a long time and are worried that it's becoming a different place (I've had these thoughts myself) then you should think whether you're being elitist ;) More people want to join the community you feel a part of - be happy :grouphug:

When the place makes you so frustrated, irritated or bored (all pretty unlikely IMHO) that you might end up saying something negative to the detriment of the community... Think hard and try not to - if you want to change the place beyond the boundaries acceptable to Tony please bow out quietly. You never know, you might want to come back - so don't burn your bridges.

The site is growing, changing and attracting an even more varied membership. Grow old with it. Gracefully.

Cheers all,
Rod
 
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The Joker

Native
Sep 28, 2005
1,231
12
55
Surrey, Sussex uk
I've had a great idea.............lets leave politics to political forums.................and lets talk bushcraft in bushcraft forums....................just a thought.

If there's one thing I've learnt about all this cr*p thats gone on is...............If ya have a problem with BCUK pm Tony or a mod thats what the're there for!!!!

Now lets get on with.........gettin on :D
 
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andyn

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 15, 2005
2,392
29
Hampshire
www.naturescraft.co.uk
Rhodri said:
I don't normally get involved in this type of 'what is our problem' posts - they tend to say more about the posters than the particular forum being discussed... But I'd like to say my piece. :rolleyes:

First, thanks Tony for a great response.

This is a fine resource and a pleasant community. It's a forum, like any other in many ways, but I feel it has risen above many largely because it is moderated - and moderated so well.

Moderators are not there to pick on people if they are doing their job responsibly. There are a small (hopefully very small) number of nutters who should be dealt with summarily (and this probably happens regularly behind the scenes). The majority of contentious posts we see publicly in the forum are there because of the medium - I suspect that in many cases the more 'plain speaking' members just come accross differently in writing. If you were looking Adamscott2 in the eye and speaking to him personally it's unlikely that those who got a bit hot under the collar at the beginning of this thread would have done so in quite the same way...

When something you don't like is allowed by the Mods you just have to behave responsibly - take a deep breath, remember you're only in 'cyberspace' and stay civil :D. It's Tony's site and his rules (and he and the mods are human too). You don't get revolutions on forums... You just get turned off.

As for the repetition, I myself don't come here as often as I used to simply because the forum does its job so well. This place has taught me many things for which I'm very grateful. And, as it grows in size and reputation more and more new people will be going through the same experience and thus asking some of the same questions. I want them to learn like I did so I don't mind the repetition and I hope I'll be around to pass on the same information sometimes.

If you've been here a long time and are worried that it's becoming a different place (I've had these thoughts myself) then you should think whether you're being elitist ;) More people want to join the community you feel a part of - be happy :grouphug:

When the place makes you so frustrated, irritated or bored (all pretty unlikely IMHO) that you might end up saying something negative to the detriment of the community... Think hard and try not to - if you want to change the place beyond the boundaries acceptable to Tony please bow out quietly. You never know, you might want to come back - so don't burn your bridges.

The site is growing, changing and attracting an even more varied membership. Grow old with it. Gracefully.

Cheers all,
Rod

Rod, I don't think anyone can argue with what you just said! Nicely put and well done. I think that just about hits the nail on the head as far as I was feeling to this whole discussion. I can't believe how out of hand it got the first time.

:) :thanks:
 

george

Settler
Oct 1, 2003
627
6
61
N.W. Highlands (or in the shed!)
I missed this thread yesterday - probably just as well, so I don't know how the responses went.


I come here most days, I have done for some time but I find that I'm posting less and less. Thats got nothing to do with Tony, the other moderators or even the other members - it's quite simply that the site has moved on from where it was when I first joined - to me it seems a lot less personal now and often I feel like I would be butting in on other peoples conversations.

There are a lot of other members on here who'se opinions and knowledge I respect and I look out for and enjoy their posts like I would enjoy a letter from a friend. There are also a lot of new faces who are asking questions that have been asked so many times before that I just can't bring myself to get involved with the discussion. That's not their problem - where would we be if we didn't ask questions - but I just don't bother getting involved.

I'm sure that for all the new members a lot of this discussion will leave them puzzled - if I had just come across this place I would think it was great - it's just that it has grown, it is different from what it was when I joined and sometimes I just don't bother getting involved anymore.

My problem - not the sites.

just my 2p worth.

george
 

tomtom

Full Member
Dec 9, 2003
4,283
5
38
Sunny South Devon
george said:
I missed this thread yesterday - probably just as well, so I don't know how the responses went.


I come here most days, I have done for some time but I find that I'm posting less and less. Thats got nothing to do with Tony, the other moderators or even the other members - it's quite simply that the site has moved on from where it was when I first joined - to me it seems a lot less personal now and often I feel like I would be butting in on other peoples conversations.

There are a lot of other members on here who'se opinions and knowledge I respect and I look out for and enjoy their posts like I would enjoy a letter from a friend. There are also a lot of new faces who are asking questions that have been asked so many times before that I just can't bring myself to get involved with the discussion. That's not their problem - where would we be if we didn't ask questions - but I just don't bother getting involved.

I'm sure that for all the new members a lot of this discussion will leave them puzzled - if I had just come across this place I would think it was great - it's just that it has grown, it is different from what it was when I joined and sometimes I just don't bother getting involved anymore.

My problem - not the sites.

just my 2p worth.

george

i pretty much agree with all you are saying it seems a different community to what it was and even though the questions asked may often be the same the following talk often gleens new information or different points of view so i read anyway, either way i dont see there is anything wrong as others have said, Tony and the team, you've done a fantastic job you are doing a fantastic job and i have no doubt you will continue to do so!
 

Martyn

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 7, 2003
5,252
33
58
staffordshire
www.britishblades.com
Platypus said:
The other thing that has been mentioned is about the mods bieing heavy handed sometimes. Well, I think that it's sometimes necessary, but I would like to see a full explanation when this happens, just to let people know. For example if an entire thread is removed, leave a placeholder post, with the reason it was removed clearly stated, that way we can all learn from it.

That's a fair request and one I hear often. This probably wont sit well, but I'll try and explain why moderators shouldn't explain thier actions. It's basically as Tony mentioned a few posts ago. When a forum has 1000's of members, it's impossible to please everyone. Some people will agree with moderators actions, some wont. Some people will have personal allegiances and wont see the "reason" no matter how it's explained. There will NEVER be agreement that the moderator did the right thing. Often the only people who will comment, will be a small minority, but if they shout loud enough, it can give the impression of a majority view - so you cant even reliably guage majority opinion. The moderator ends up being answerable to the forum members and in effect, working for 3000 bosses, instead of working for the one bloke who owns the place. To offer an explanation, is often to invite criticism from people who wont or dont want to grasp what is actually involved and it's a road to destruction.

A good example is recently, a well known member was banned for using a dual identity to promote his business. The moderators had extensive discussion about what to do and agreed unanimously that a ban was the right thing. We posted an explanation and all it served to do was create an argument. I think in that case, an explanation was appropriate because the member was so high profile, but we knew it would cause all sorts of problems and it did. I think eventually, the thread got locked.

Now it may sound like we are not answerable to anyone, but we are. We police each other - not publically, but privately. We often argue and debate fiercely, before comming to an agreed course of action, but once done, we do it and we dont generally offer an explanation. We do what we think is right and hopefully, we are right most of the time - I think we are. Ultimately, we are all answerable to Tony - he makes the rules and if we dont act in the way he wishes us to, he will remove us.

It's not a perfect process, it's certainly not a democratic one, but it does work. In fact I think it's the only way of doing things that actually does work on a big forum.

Again, some will see the wisdom in this, some wont.
 

elma

Full Member
Sep 22, 2005
608
10
62
Ynysddu south wales
1 The forums are ok
2 The moderators do a good job
3 Without Tony there would be NO BcUK
So come on fellers lets put the bitching and pettyness behind us and have ago at what we are really here for you know that bushcraft thing. How we go about it does'nt really matter what matters is that we enjoy what we do, does it matter if you use a carbon space age bow with all the bells and whistles or something more primetive, both has something to offer.

IF YOU DO'NT LIKE WHAT YOU SEE HIT THE LITTLE RED BOX TOP LEFT OF THE SCREEN :banghead:

ian
 
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ScottC

Banned
May 2, 2004
1,176
13
uk
Come on everyone it's nearly Christmas! The site has it's flaws like every place but you can't please everyone, here they are achieving a good balance so lets put this behind us.

Merry Christmas to everyone and a very happy bushcrafting new year! :)
 
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tomtom

Full Member
Dec 9, 2003
4,283
5
38
Sunny South Devon
ScottC said:
Come on everyone it's nearly Christmas! The site has it's flaws like every place but you can't please everyone, here they are achieving a good balance so lets put this behind us.

Merry Christmas to everyone and a very happy bushcrafting new year! :)

Good words Scott..

Why isnt there a 'Whats RIGHT with BCUK?' thread.. i feel there is a lot more material for that discussion!
 

Martyn

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 7, 2003
5,252
33
58
staffordshire
www.britishblades.com
ScottC said:
Come on everyone it's nearly Christmas! The site has it's flaws like every place but you can't please everyone, here they are achieving a good balance so lets put this behind us.

Merry Christmas to everyone and a very happy bushcrafting new year! :)

Well said Scott, merry Christmas. :)
 

cronos

Tenderfoot
Nov 6, 2005
52
3
54
Norfolk
I know I am knew to this site, but I have looked at many a post, one’s which are active and ones that have long lost their appeal. But one thing is clear, the site seems to be going around in loops. There are post which start, “ I don’t know if any one else has asked this” then reading down you get some crusty member who comes up with, “ well yes, read……(inserted link)…
Maybe its me, but there is nothing here which is different from any other outdoor site, and all the post are coming around again in one form or another.


Lets get more original here guys, sorry if i've plucked the life from people but its a thread and these are my views.

Cheers
Cronos
 

Ahjno

Vice-Adminral
Admin
Aug 9, 2004
6,861
51
Rotterdam (NL)
www.bushcraftuk.com
ScottC said:
Come on everyone it's nearly Christmas! The site has it's flaws like every place but you can't please everyone, here they are achieving a good balance so lets put this behind us.

Merry Christmas to everyone and a very happy bushcrafting new year! :)

Hear hear

Is this now finally sorted?
Great!!! :notworthy
Let's have a beer / brew - it's my shout. :nana:

I almost became depressed guys ... not a good idea: it's my holiday!! :rolleyes: ;)

:grouphug:
 

PatrickM

Nomad
Sep 7, 2005
270
16
Glasgow
www.backwoodsurvival.co.uk
I am not normally one for involving myself in others gripes, but after reading the "What's wrong with BCUK" thread I felt I had to speak out !

I started off young in what has now been labelled Bushcraft. In my teens, PC's weren't available and information on survival techniques was not easy to come by, certainly compared with what is available today. I only joined BCUK in Sept, so I cannot comment on the old days or past posts, but in all honesty I have to commend Tony and staff for all the hard work and effort that has produced such a wonderfull resource to learn the craft, and of course to acquire brothers in arms.

Looking back, I would have loved to have a place like this available in my early wanderings and I do feel we should all appreciate what we have here. It is always easy to criticise, but first consider how much you have learned and gained from the site since its inception. Remember that the site, like all of us, is growing and evolving as it goes, but progress takes time - and a positive attitude from the membership can only help to speed things along.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas
Patrick
 

scanker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 15, 2005
2,326
24
52
Cardiff, South Wales
I have to disagree about the openess of moderation (Martyn), but it's just my opinion. I should state that I am fully in favour of moderation, as I said in one of my earlier posts. As an example, if a thread is deleted without explaination, what's to stop someone else posting the same topic again and someone else the same topic after that? Surely that makes extra work for the mods. At least if it was clear why a subject was off limits, it could be avoided. :dunno:

But anyway, it's just a minor point for me - I'm quite happy with the site and from my seat here it all seems to tick along quite nicely, no doubt because of all the hard work that goes in behind the scenes. :)
 

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