Trail names - Continental Divide Trail

imported
#1

it seems there is another hiker currently going by the trail name rainman. it seems some of his posts have been deleted. i want to assure all my hiking friends that this is not the rainman you know. i have had this trailname since '89 and it saddens me that someone is doing it a disservice. i therefore from now on will change my name to rainmanvt. i am the vt rainman and all the people i know are well aware of who i am. many thanks to the real nemo (cdt07) for bringing this to my attention.

rainmanvt

#2

It’s really nobody’s fault but the webmasters’. Trail Forums is a living anachronism. The code should be updated to prevent what is essentially rampant digital identity theft, or at best benign confusion - anonymous posts should be eliminated, email-based registration and spam-block authentication codes should be added, toggle transparent email addresses as an option, even uploadable avatars are proven ways for users to hold claim to their online identities.

Complacency is a poor excuse for doing nothing. This site is surviving solely through the strong bonds and good will of the long-distance hiking community, stretching back to a simpler time when the community was first joining together online and largely defaulted to here. Otherwise Trail Forums is a turd. It’s no longer a pioneering resource and has outlived its usefulness.

Shaggy D.A.

#3

Do you realize this site is run by volunteers?!?!
It hasn’t outlived it’s usefullness at all. Where else can hikers post recent updates on water sources on a trail like the AZT for example?

Apple Pie

#4

Volunteers who accept paid advertising, mind you. Look, as long as people are forced to use it, it’d be great if the site simply worked better, no? There are plenty of other options available, but most won’t draw a large enough audience for discussion purposes. What I’m saying is the long-distance community is already heavily invested in TF and, given that the site is now showing its age, it should be incumbent on those who run the site to provide a better user experience.

Shaggy D.A.

#5

Shaggy D.A. I personally have benefitted from the kindnesses of the volunteers that have maintained and updated this web site and continue to improve it. If you are so opposed to it, why in the world are you even accessing it. I dare to say that you too have most likely benefitted from this site. So what if money/advertising is true or false, that should not concern you. My experience with this site has been positive all the way, I don’t need “better” service. This is a forum for hiking information exchange and is not an appropriate format to send zings to the administrators. If you have another site that you prefer, then go there and leave this one alone. We don’t want your kind here.

Margaret

#6

You guys are taking me totally out of contact. Re-read the first post in this thread, then my reply. I’m simply frustrated that the forums remain so unnecessarily vulnerable to identity theft and spam/troll postings. This is not a pox on the admins, but only they can address the shortcomings of the software. All we can do in the meantime is continue to grin and bear it.

“We don’t want your kind here.” Good grief. I’m one of you.

Shaggy D.A.

#7

Ah, out of context, that should say above.

Identity theft. Eliminate the “Name:” form item, for one thing. People type anything they like in there. Rainman the munificent, Rainman the Evildoer. Paul Mags the real, Paul Mags the fake. It’s ridiculous. Make it automatic already.

Shaggy D.A.

#8

“The Admins” are one of us, too. If you have ideas for improving the site, get involved and do it. Have you ever talked to Leif? Have you donated to the site? It’s easy with Paypal.

Garlic

#9

Shaggy if the sight has lost its usefulness, then dont used it. If you think the “man” has a hand in it, do to advertisment ,then send a donation.

Virginian

#10

Shaggy D.A - I agree that you are being taken out of context (but that’s language for you I guess) and I suppose you did open up a bit of can of worms with the advertising comment!! Rainman was concerned enough about his reputation that he felt he had to post - presumably that shows a potentially undesirable situation - one that in an ideal world would be better avoided. I’m sure there are reasons these enhancements have not reached the top of Leif and Zipdrives list. Hopefully they might in future - and if they do then I think no one will complain except the trolls etc. For my part I really really appreciate the site (warts and all if it must be). What I dont like is (and I’m sorry to say this) the embarrising insults (some more blatant than others) that are sometimes accomodated on it - the funny thing is I really do think we are all on the same side…

Neil

#11

I don’t know why people are complaining about advertisements on this site. I find the adverts to be very non-intrusive and we all have to recognize that running a web site does take some money. How many of those folks complaining have ever given a donation to this site?

Fora ll the complaints I have heard, I find that this web site provides an amazing service, is almost always “up” and is fairly efficient.

I don’t like trolls any more then anyone else and hope more can be done to combat these postings but lets put it in a little perspective.

jalanjalan