Complaint re: Trip Reports

[SilverhawkUSA]

Well maybe this isn’t so much a complaint as an observation. :shock:

Davidfl is often asking people to contribute more and don’t just “take” information from the board. How to contribute? Not everyone has the time or opportunity to do road trips. What about some “replies” to the reports?

RHeikel not long ago did a great series on his riding in China. Info not before presented on the board, yet he had to reply to one of his own reports and ask “Is anyone reading this?” (paraphrased).

I know people are reading the trip reports, but yet it is only a select few regulars who seem to ever comment, and I don't believe they are reading the same report 200 times. I know everyone is not brain dead, so what’s up with this?

Some recent posts 237 views, 6 replies-190 views, 2 replies, 267 views, 4 replies, etc. etc.

How about some feed back? It doesn’t have to be a “pat on the back”, although those are appreciated.

Anything, “I agree/disagree” “You’re right about…./You’re full of crap about…..” “Nice photos/Learn to use a camera”. “Been there, done that-only better”, “You’re getting fat and your hair is thinning even more”. “ “ I am hard at work at my job doing something constructive and contributing to mankind while you bozos are out terrorizing the countryside”…..

Contributors put a lot of time and effort into most trip reports. I know an average report for me after sorting photos, uploading photos, writing the reports, adding the links, can take at least 2-3 hours and usually more for a complete report.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the mere fact that someone takes the time to read what I write. But let’s get some more feedback going on this site. :lol:

 

[Ally]

Guilty as charged!!

I just keep sending personal messages to the wonderful Capt Slash direct, rather than posting to the forum.

Silverhawk is right, without replies, the trip report posts seem to be just hanging there.

Can I respectfully suggest a poll facility (Rate this trip report 0-10, 30-50 80-100 etc) on this subforum, might invite folks to at least add something to acknowledge their appreciation for what they have just read.

Maybe some guys would love to remark but feel they would just be repeating themselves, because so many of the reports are just brilliant!

Ally

(Capt Slash fan club membership number with held on request)

 

[ivan the terrable]

Very interesting post Dave.
Have often wondered why there are very little replies to some reports
IE. capt slash has put some excerllent reports in here.
Must of taken him hours to load all those photos.
And yet there seems to be hardly and replies to his posts.
The immformation on this site is of great value.to those living in Thailand.and also those who are in other countries planning our next trip.
On a recent trip to Thailand, i met some very helpfull people through this site.made it easy to get around...ie.accomodation and rides.
Would be good to see a bit more reconition to the guys who are putting all the excerlent reports in here.
Just my 2 cents.
Regards KEV

ride safe

 

[BignTall]

Dave,

Brilliant point. I first started residing in Thailand last year, and penned reports documenting the rides and places polluted by my prescence. As you stated the average report would take hours. Then the post would quickly fade into oblivion.

As a poster you were never sure if they were a benefit to anyone or not. I ride with people that have mentioned they don't write reports anymore since there is often no response, so they rationalize "its not important and nobody cares". My recent trip report count diminished rapidly, not due to lack of riding, on the contrary I was riding more than ever. Sadly without a reliable internet connection I could not be bothered. In other words I became a useless member of the GT rider board and participated on the board less and less.

Hats off to David and all that pen the reports. The sad fact is, the major benefit the reports generate is later on down the road, when people are using the websight for research on an upcoming ride or destination.

Maybe we are all just whiny gits that need a pat on the back/stick in the eye or anything to let us know people are out there.

I concur with Hiekels feeling of "is anybody out there" at times.

Hell I remember the most replies on a recent trip report being generated because I was posed in my boxers :shock: . I guess we'll do anything for a response eh :wink: ?

Once again great topic Dave and Ally interesting idea!!

Now to finish that Laos report I promised DavidFL.

 

[Dougal]

Absolutely right guys. The trip reports are great and I, for one, read them all. I'm just as guilty as the rest, I've also written a couple of reports and empathise with Riekel. Just a couple of words of acknowledgement mean a great deal. A comment or two on the route, alternative routes, accommodation etc..
I did post a couple of replies to Capt Slash and he always took the time to respond to them.
Right, I'm going to read the latest trip report and respond with pithy comments.

 

[Franz]

Dave, couldn't agree more !! Answers make the forum lively. Just take Captain Slash' reports, he could already make a book about biking in Thailand. For guys who don't find the time for extensive biking because they are working, there's always the chance to contribute other information. Hopefully we'll see more replies and infos coming in soon. Cheers Franz

 

[monsterman]

my hats off the guys who write extensive trip reports with massive photo albums, puts lazy K*nt's like me to shame.

even when I do a long run I dont take loads of photos like captain flash does and sadly due to family circumstances and work I get few chances for extended runs to interesting places these days.

but I am inspired by the people who do.
perhaps i need a different type of bike ?

jerry

 

[Pikey]

I agree with all that has been said about trip reports and am also guilty of not providing too much input lately - a crappy internet connection via my mobile is my excuse!

I hopefully get my Bonnie back this weekend and now I am working with Tony, will soon have some free time to catch up and do some miles both on and offroad.

Jerry, if Captain Slash went all over on his Wave a couple of years back, I'm sure you could do the same on the Monster? Head up to CNX when you have the time and we'll get out for a ride!

Cheers,

Pikey.

 

[daewoo]

I couldn 't agree more...

It doesn't take much effort to write 'thanks for posting' if you read a report, even if it wasn't much help...

I know I felt a little discouraged when I didn't get much of a response to my reports... maybe everyone is just too nice... Some of you may know that Danielle is still over there... when she was first investigsating a ride, I sent her a PM to tell her to make sure that she writes a report... but now sort of didn't know if I should encourage her as I am not sure if people are reading them...

That said, there has been a huge HUGE increase in the number of reports being written, I guess since google started searching inside the forum... I think our little community is growing very rapidly... no one can be reading all of them (I know I can't keep up)... but surely someone is reading them...

cheers,
Daewoo

 

[E3L0]

Ally wrote:
Can I respectfully suggest a poll facility (Rate this trip report 0-10, 30-50 80-100 etc) on this subforum, might invite folks to at least add something to acknowledge their appreciation for what they have just read.

I think this is a great idea.

 

[SilverhawkUSA]

E3L0 wrote: [quote quote=Ally]
Can I respectfully suggest a poll facility (Rate this trip report 0-10, 30-50 80-100 etc) on this subforum, might invite folks to at least add something to acknowledge their appreciation for what they have just read.

I think this is a great idea.
Thanks for all the responses and ideas. This is what we need. I am not in favor of rating the posts. This is not school. Some are writers and some not. Some are good photographers and some not. Some have good info and........well you get the idea.

All the reports usually have something useful to contribute. If someone gets a poor rating for some reason, they may be discouraged and not contribute more. We will see the same situation of the same group being the only contributors.

If one wants to do a poll, maybe just rate the contributors as a whole over a period of time, Best of the Month, or Best of the Year, or something like that. But not each and every report.

Personally, I would just like to see more contributions and responses. One can form their own opinion of quality and just reply as they see fit. :wink:

 

[E3L0]

Hello Dave,

I was thinking the poll would be less serious:

click booh! or applause

or something like that. Just a way to make it more interactive and allow people to respond easily.

I think sometimes people worry that their contribution will interrupt an ongoing report.

 

[Ally]

There are just some folks that find it difficult to express their feelings. As in most walks of life, some people who are in ya face & others just wall flowers.

It might be that some people could say

• “I agree/disagree” “You’re right about…./You’re full of crap about…..” “Nice photos/Learn to use a camera”. “Been there, done that-only better”, “You’re getting fat and your hair is thinning even more”. “ “ I am hard at work at my job doing something constructive and contributing to mankind while you bozos are out terrorizing the countryside”…..

if they are familiar with the writer and maybe have shared that same experience.

The nucleus of riders that appear to know each other in this community may well say things like the examples Silverhawk makes but not every member knows another member, let alone any of the nucleus and how many visitors read the forum without being a member ( perhaps some stats from Admin will help us understand the visitor % ?).

Unfortunately it's a fact of life that if you put a lot of effort into something, you are the only person who really knows what you did. To actively seek recognition for what you achieved may be interpreted as reflecting insecurity.

Conversely, to receive appreciation without asking for it makes it all worthwhile.

The point we are discussing here is not really about making the trip report writers feel satisfied by saying 10/10 or Well done , it is surely about increasing the community spirit of members of this forum. It is about participation in the forum. It is about relating to each other in a common interest.

Not a rant but a reasoned post!

Ally

 

[SilverhawkUSA]

The point we are discussing here is not really about making the trip report writers feel satisfied by saying 10/10 or Well done , it is surely about increasing the community spirit of members of this forum. It is about participation in the forum. It is about relating to each other in a common interest.

Well said. Agree completely.

 

[PICO-PICO]

I drove up from Phuket to CM, going zickzack, often using tiny country roads.

But I have no idea how to turn this into a trip report worth the readers time. I dont think anyone will do the same same trip again, simply because riding is such a deeply personal experience.

I was part of the group instigated by Danielle. And I am most grateful for John, who suggested Nan - Mea Sai instead of Me Hon Song.
What a dream of a trip,
I would not have enough superlatives for expressing the stunning scenic beauty of Thailand. No digital internet photo will do this nature justice.

I read all reports about China, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc. reports that make me dream because they are out of my reach.

In the beginning I read many Thai riding reports. Now less frequent.
Because that particular ride must be me very own experience, my little adventure. no one can feel what I felt when I rode up Doi Mea Salong or was drunken by the lush green in Chiang Dao so I stayed for 4 days.

In short = what is it that catches your interest ?

And please do not underrate the value of the exchange on the thousanda of other subjects under dicussion here. That make the board more lively than reports.

Pico

 

[SilverhawkUSA]

And please do not underrate the value of the exchange on the thousands of other subjects under discussion here. That make the board more lively than reports.

My observations and comments are directed specifically at the trip reports. It does not seem to be a problem to get replies regarding the latest gadgets or the problems with gasohol. And yes they are valuable. But the website has it's roots as "Thailand / Laos Motorcycle Touring Forum" (look at the upper right hand corner).

Already there have been a number of very good exchanges and replies to this topic, including yours. That is what I am trying to encourage. You just wrote quite a nice little trip report of your experience and perhaps didn't even realize it. :lol:

 

[tropicaljohno]

PICO-PICO wrote: And I am most grateful for John, who suggested Nan - Mea Sai instead of Me Hon Song.
What a dream of a trip,
Pico

Pico, I haven't ridden to Nan yet, what road numbers did you take,

Did you ride the 1148 which everyone says is the best road in Thailand

surley you must have taken some fotos for us all to share, (especially as photography is your hobby..)

How many guys in the ride, what bikes were they on, any funny experiences happen on the way...

There now, if you answer those questions, there is the start of your trip report.

 

[KZ]

I'm "guilty", too. I have read and posted hundreds of posts for years without contributing even one trip report. I love to surf gt-rider, I tried to answer where I could, I posted my opinion, discussed with others and of course had my questions answered. Thanks a lot for that!
I don't want to shift the blame around, but I really wanted to post a report after my last trip to Sihanoukville. I took lots of pictures of the bridges under construction and more and wanted to write about the conditions of the road, which route I took and what happened on the trip; but when it came to posting pictures, I ran into problems and finally gave up. I'm not a total greenhorn when it comes to computing but it is simply not possible for me to post a picture here. I posted pics for my bike for sale on www.bahtsold.com and it was a snap - click "post a picture", go to "Browse", find the pic, attach it and "Bingo" - there it is. And what's a trip report without pictures?
Sorry for coming up with a "complaint" - I know keeping this site up and running must be a lot of work and be very time-consuming (and nerve-wrecking dealing with certain replies)... It's still my favorite site!

 

[E3L0]

It's easy peasy to post pics if you upload them to www.photobucket.com first. They give you the code that you can then copy and paste into the forum.

 

[SilverhawkUSA]

When you see how many photos ARE posted on here, it obviously cannot be that difficult.

Some websites can store photos on the same server the website is hosted on, but in time these become a huge number of files and must be extremely large severs and of course very expensive. This cost is usually recovered by hosting advertising and stupid popup boxes. Do you want to see this site full of advertising?

In another light, for many years trip reports were posted without photos. I know it was in 2004 that posters were able to start posting photos here. Yes, things progress, but I see nothing wrong with reports without photos sometimes. A book doesn't have photos every other paragraph! Not really an excuse for avoiding doing a report in my opinion.

 

[Pikey]

I think there used to be a sticky on how to post pics on the old version of the board. I definitely know that both Silverhawk and myself wrote pretty comprehensive instructions on how to post pics - use the forum search engine to find the relevant post.

Cheers,

Pikey

 

[DavidFL]

I could say a lot, but won't......however as a general rule almost anything is better than nothing. Just a brief summary / outline of where you went, what was good / bad / best, is enough. It does not have to be detailed.
The whole idea being to build up a touring community, sharing tips & ideas from experience.

One of the biggest problems is getting good reliable accurate info, which is why there are so many questions. "We" don't mind helping, but please put something back in - what was good / bad about your trip - share the experience. If you spend hours researching & asking for info, then after your trip make the time to contribute something.

Now I personally would like to see more trip reports from the GT Rider for whom I spent a whole afternoon uploading several hundred photos so that he could write up his trips....

 

[BignTall]

Now I personally would like to see more trip reports from the GT Rider for whom I spent a whole afternoon uploading several hundred photos so that he could write up his trips....

The ole bull has spoken.....the laos trip is report is 1/3 done as of last night. Its coming its coming I tell you .

Not only Laos but I've got bloody Cambodia to pen as well. Then all the Motrard trips on top of that. Jeez I tell you the pressure of being a GT rider :wink: .

Again a huge thanks to david for uploading photos when my internet connection went south. Where else do people chip in like that?

is there anyway of making the forum be able to load pics?
this won't alter responses but may increase reports.

Man i've seen those fingers works some magic in the nightclubs. Are you telling me with all the clutch fanning, brake feathering, and panty diddling those things do they've yet to learn to load pics to a photo host site? if so get thee to one of the members for this much needed trick.

 

[Kiwi Cruiser]

Well, when I looked at the stats on this Topic - there had been 300+ views, and 24 replies posted - so its been a popular discussion!

The question about site statistics can be answered as follows. Since;
- the main site was rebuilt a few months ago
- we upgraded the forum, and allowed search engines to index it in Nov 2007
- we allowed viewing without logging in Nov 2007

...traffic has grown dramatically! :shock:

The Jan figures continue to show steady growth... :shock:

- with an average of over 500 visitors per DAY! The Forum is the busiest part of the site. The average "visitor retention time" is currently +8 plus minutes on site...

Holy shit, in January over 500 visitors spent more than an hour online! (Either that, or the Captain made 500+ posts :shock: )
So as you can see - its become a very popular peice of web real estate!

As far as I can see, the trip reports are extrememely popular - the lack of + or - comments notwithstanding. Hell, I think most people are in awe of contributors like Captain Slash... and reluctant to speak in His Presence! :roll: Atta boy...

Cheers
Ben

 

[Ally]

The stats are a great reflection on the SEO changes to the new site, and obviously the content of wonderful posts by the Captain and others but sadly the initial question remains unanswered.

Sorry to be such a pinickity bitch (wasn't that a group in the 60's?) but the crucial answer we seek from stats is whether visitors (non-members) are responsible for the majority of hits, or members.

Obviously the former, would have a problem in posting and therefore could account for the lack of replies when viewed. The unique visitors column reflects their first hit but their subsequent visits (albeit non-members still) are lost in the volumes. Also worth noting, Bots are responsible for vast numbers of hits since the indexing was enabled.

However, if it were that members were doing all those hits, then we have the outcome we were hoping we wouldn't find!

Sorry

Ally