Regarding site culture:
There are just a couple of things that are non-negotiable based on who I am as a person and what kind of site I want to be associated with. You can sum most of them up as be friendly, treat people, including women, with respect, don't be a jerk, and treat others how you'd want to be treated. The rockclimbing community tends to be a little rough around the edges, thrill-seeking, rules-pushing, heart-pounding awesomeness. No problems there--I was the kid growing up who drove the town roundabout backwards every so often just to feel like a rebel. But I'm not going to tolerate sexually crude remarks or slamming n00bs. People who want to do those things can go find another site. I haven't seen problems with these things so far, but just wanted to set the ground rules.

JimTitt wrote:
set up a sin-bin where the bad boys can mouth of to each other and we can watch the fun from the sidelines.

Lol. Not really cool with that--I'd like to hit reset on that part of this site's culture.

Overall, the crew here is pretty friendly (and many of you have known each other for years), but occasionally threads disintegrate into drama, and when that happens I'll delete those posts and hand out warnings/time outs. It's going to take a little bit for us to all re-calibrate so I will do my best to over-communicate and give any offenders a reasonable chance to change before perma-banning them. That said, if it becomes clear someone needs to be banned, I won't hesitate to do that.

Disagreement is totally fine (and healthy), being rude and prickly, or personal attacks or crude remarks can go elsewhere. I'm still building my "strike zone" on where the line is, so we'll just see how it goes.

Nice Python reference! Are you suggesting Jeff logged on, locked the "This is DEAD!" thread http://www.rockclimbing.com/..._latest_reply;so=ASC And then left?

Whoah........OK then.

Yes, pretty much. Jeff has other things on his plate, site updating is more difficult, time-consuming, and confusing than he anticipated.

So, changes to this website might happen, but slowly, and with uncertain time table.

Is this place still worth something to you? Then to hell with the outdated forum layout. Just start talking.

Want to turn this into a new active thread? O.K., it is Tuesday, what are you up to?

Nice Python reference! Are you suggesting Jeff logged on, locked the "This is DEAD!" thread http://www.rockclimbing.com/..._latest_reply;so=ASC And then left?

Whoah........OK then.

Jeff has other things on his plate, site updating is more difficult, time-consuming, and confusing than he anticipated.

So, changes to this website might happen, but slowly, and with uncertain time table.

Is this place still worth something to you? Then to hell with the outdated forum layout. Just start talking.

Want to turn this into a new active thread? O.K., it is Tuesday, what are you up to?

OK, just admit that you didn't read a damned word of my original post maybe past the title and I might step up and start talkin'.

Or knott.

Maybe I need to copy paste my own post so as to have it read? Shakes head.

OK, just admit that you didn't read a damned word of my original post maybe past the title and I might step up and start talkin'.

Or knott.

Maybe I need to copy paste my own post so as to have it read? Shakes head.

Just got back from climbing. A small 15 m Cliff, but with a 2 min approach (useful with current forecast). Aptly named Spinnenfels; everything was full (!) of spiderwebs. I think that climbing there would cure people of arachnaphobia as you HAD to reach through the web for the holds.

The routes itself were ok... one notices that it gets darker earlier again :-(

Quick get the Paddles....it's not dead yet! I think its still breathing,

or is this just a death gasp.

But you want to yell at someone, or argue with someone, anyway. And I responded... so now you're going to yell at me? It's O.K., I understand, I have teenagers at home.

Haha! "I have Teenagers at home"..LOL. Thanks for that.

Iknowfear: any pictures of spiders? I can tell you my Funnel Web Spider story while climbing in Australia. No photos but from Wiki: "Australian funnel-webs are one of the most dangerous groups of spiders in the world and are regarded by some to be the most deadly, both in terms of clinical cases and venom toxicity"

Haha! "I have Teenagers at home"..LOL. Thanks for that.

Well it bought Dave (Roadstead) out of hibernation, he's even older than me!! Hola Dave!!! Long long time. Teenagers, heh. Hey, my son texts me, "I'm coming home dad, do you have 70meter rope?" I replied "I'll check". Go find a brand new one hucked it on the bed he'd be saying in during the visit. It turns out that he's bringing me a 70M rope. He's been doing your guys new routes in Hells canyon and if you don't have a 70 you are hanging in space. So he got a prodeal on a 70M rope and remembered his father!!!

Anyway, I haven't been to Hell yet, not much of a bolt clipper, but probably will get over there at some point. Thanks for putting in some kick ass routes!


Iknowfear: any pictures of spiders? I can tell you my Funnel Web Spider story while climbing in Australia. No photos but from Wiki: "Australian funnel-webs are one of the most dangerous groups of spiders in the world and are regarded by some to be the most deadly, both in terms of clinical cases and venom toxicity"

Evidently there's some demand this site satisfies which others don't, or people wouldn't keep remarking on its passing or calling for its resuscitation; that demand may just be nostalgia, old bookmarks and an unwillingness to let go. The good news it seems we've reached the bargaining stage of the five stages of loss, so only two more to go to acceptance.

While from a forum participant perspective this site may appear to be dead, from an owner perspective it's doing great and they're focusing on the right things if compete.com stats are anything to go by: unique visitors this summer are 3-4x greater than last year. Rockclimbing.com is in the top 3 non-news/non-local google results for "rock climbing", an impressive feat for a mobile unfriendly site in a post-mobilegeddon world; MountainProject and SuperTopo don't make the first three pages.

When it comes to rebuilding the site, the job is getting increasingly difficult. The number of mobile-only adult internet users exceeded the number of desktop-only internet users this year; addressing mobile is going to require more than new forum software.

Well it bought Dave (Roadstead) out of hibernation,

- you can't polish a turd.

Want to turn this into a new active thread? O.K., it is Tuesday, what are you up to?

So Jeff, you locked the thread titled This place is DEAD! In effect, eliminating one of the few remaining active topics anyone concerned about the site can offer up advice. Not sure why, unless you were feeling insecure. Let it run. Let people have discussion.

I didn't lock that discussion, not sure who did. I have no problem with you guys grousing about a situation that I agree sucks.

Possibly one of the mods thought the thread had run its course, I don't know.

Regardless, I'm still chipping away, writing code every day on the site.

I've climbed couple routes like that (spider-infested), but it seemed to have an opposite effect on me. There was one spider... I swear, I HEARD the "thunk" sound it made after it hit the ground from 50 feet up!

I have a husband/draw monkey for routes like that.

I stopped posting and lost interest when the crap posts started outnumbering the posts with actual climbing content. Geez. I think this is my first post in over a year, even.

I am still climbing - and climbing harder than ever before. I communicate with other climbers via facebook.

Maybe forums are a thing of the past. Maybe those of you who miss the former RC.com culture can connect with one another on some other form of social media.

I do not have high hopes of an RC.com comeback, regardless of what jeff does with the site. You know what they say - you can't polish a turd.

I have a husband/draw monkey for routes like that.

The other weekend I took the kids (3.5 and nearly 9) out toproping at Coopers Rock in WV. The confidence the 9-year-old has bouldering in the gym hasn't translated into roped climbing at the crag. I rigged a couple of the easier climbs and he just wasn't super into it. The younger kid wants to hold the rope rather than the rock, with predicable results. Still, we were out in the woods, I got to climb a tiny bit, and we managed to find okay Chinese food on the way home.

I also realized that all of my slings are probably 14-15 years old, so the credit card got a little exercise, too. Next I get to send off cams to be reslung, in the hopes that I can dust off the rack soon. The mountain bike has been seeing more use than the climbing gear.

Wow. One of only two or three threads in the last month that has created ANY conversation gets locked by "someone" and you just shrug your shoulders.

I continue to be shocked with what has happened (or actually not happened) to this site since October 2013. I keep on thinking it can't get any worse, but it does.

Wow. One of only two or three threads in the last month that has created ANY conversation gets locked by "someone" and you just shrug your shoulders.

Great idea, I should get one, too!

Husbands are over rated. Try to get a draw monkey with no strings attached.

...As far as achieving the site culture you said that you desired in your first post, I'd say that you have been able to successfully achieve it. The cost is to you and the site, as people were invited to leave via your invitation, and they did. Perhaps you might consider what you really wanted?

I'd say Jeff got exactly what he wanted. No more troublesome people to actually contribute interesting content to the site and, as others have pointed out, unique site visitors up 3 to 4 times versus last year. The best of both worlds for an owner.

Curt

Great idea, I should get one, too!

But... what do I pull, in order for the draw monkey to do what i want, if there are no strings attached?

I'd say Jeff got exactly what he wanted. No more troublesome people to actually contribute interesting content to the site and, as others have pointed out, unique site visitors up 3 to 4 times versus last year. The best of both worlds for an owner.

Curt

Add your name to the list by bumping this thread back to the top. Maybe we can pump a little life back in the old RC.com.

billco,
You need to go to Hell!!

Bumping and Pumping here:-) Jeff, good to hear it wasn't you. [confused] I'd suggest that you check in with whomever it was that killed the most interesting active thread on the site and have a short discourse on your expectations though.


Haha!!! I sure as hell do Dave. Last time I saw you was in Yosemite I think. My boy just came through town and was soliciting me to spend 3 weeks in Yosemite "hey dad get in shape lets climb Astroman". Uhhh, right son. I was panting like a dog just thinking about the valley with my son. I get to work all stoked, check the company calender and everyone else has vacation during that time period. Crap.




Lena - glad you are feeling better, maybe we need to have an old persons campfire wherein we all sit and bitch on our medical and health issues. I'll go first....err, second. Just wrapping up my 2nd shoulder surgery recovery (this was the right shoulder, I didn't even bother asking what was wrong with it). The surgery didn't go well, was climbing just yesterday and it still hurts but now I get occasional steroid shots in the joint. JUICE ME DOC!!!

The left shoulder was stitched up first and I had asked what was wrong with that one.


3 years before this picture, I'd slipped hiking and screwed up both shoulders. Tryed to let nature fix them. (bad idea) Couple of days before this picture, we had climbed 26 or 28 pitches that day (pain). In this shot, I could tell things were going from bad to worse as I was running P2 and p3 together. It was hurting so bad at the top of the pitch everytime I reached over my head....like a lot, and seemed to be getting worse. When we woke up I asked buddy if he wanted to lead the rest as I felt I could still jug if I kept my arms low, or if bailing was OK- thank the dear lord he said we could bail.

According to the left shoulder MRI when I got back, my suprispinatius was torn most of the way through -was hanging by a few threads, my infraspinatus tendon was half way torn through, I had a torn labrum, in the surgery they ground down the collar bone and also stitched the bicep tendon which was screwed up for some reason I was never clear about. Turned out I also had artritus and they cut out a lot of my shoulder artritus (it shows up white on an MRI they said) while they were in there.

Don't go climbing without Ibuprofen is the message :-)

Add your name to the list by bumping this thread back to the top. Maybe we can pump a little life back in the old RC.com.

Add a new photo or two.

Last weekend on the hill behind my house

Snot is the grease that lubes the channels of communications.]

Pretty snotty title.

I just wanted to be included. I have nothing to add.

ptftw's are not dead

iz troo

reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Now that we live on the same landmass are we going to climb a rock?

Sure, I'll 2 to 1 yore arse up a root. Where on teh landmass are ewe?

This thread even brought me out of retirement to add a drive by post shooting.

This thread even brought me out of retirement to add a drive by post shooting.

This thread even brought me out of retirement to add a drive by post shooting.

RC.com has been as much a scandal rant troll site as supertopo for a decade. Mountainproject won.

I'm fucking showing a autistic/compulsive streak for even writing this.

It was a yin/yang that fed the worm oroboros. but another thing that has killed it is how damn risky all this social media shee is.

People are leaving the SM or transferring to footbook the giant that eats all, the wallmart of the social self publishers. Snow white and the 7 dwarves sites.

There can only be one.

But the risk thisng is unreal. DAmn a lot of nuts in the sport, guys who want control for money. Making it, taking it. Then there are the stalkers, guys who hate what you say, no matter which side you are on, you will piss off somebody, and the wound is there in print forever.


Nobody respects the avatar as a gentlemans veil, the ficticious psuedonym that would allow people to explore TWO sides, make two arguments even for just the cause of exploring the argument. Someone has to take the less popular side, in debates the counter and the direct argument are assigned. No chpoise. Dont argue a conservative point here, you are going be lonely. The liberal perfume is still strong. But some guys will PUNISH you for honesty, much less devoious behavious.

Its like a snake or a crocodile, you can't tell if its dead, it can still bite in an instant after sitting motionless for days. Who can risk posting in an environment like this? 5 years after you post something, somebody decides you said something wrong and need to be punished?

I'm fucking showing a autistic/compulsive streak for even writing this.

And so are you, dear brother climbing zombie posters.

Hooray for drug-induced ranting! Maybe this place is making a comeback after all.

I know this because the mods told me, and clearly they know how to keep a website alive.

....... off topic, conversational, or comedic posts that do anything to make the forum less like a wiki article are BAD for the forums' activity and is what KILLS websites.....

we are either older now or wiser or none of the above

Obviously they and the site owner are taking lessons from the gunks.com site owner.

When there are ten poster repeatedly putting up asshat comments and jacking threads for sport, it may look like liveliness(especially to the asshats!) but the less excitable bread and butter users may or may not be enjoying the show.

The forums were dead in the waters when Jeff bought the site.

If you don't want to see what happened here, take a look at Supertopo, where posters have been *enjoying* the asshattery the whole time. Many of the best climbers in recent history used to post regularly there and one by one they began to leave because the nastiness and other BS made them wonder why people had to act that way.

........Trailer trash types think Corelleware is "fine china," ........

As for toxicity, I suppose it depends on one's level of taste. Trailer trash types think Corelleware is "fine china," after all.

You're right. The dates on the forum threads say it all. Mountain Project has won the battle if there ever even was one.

Actually, most of the communications among RC.com members that used to occur on the forums here have probably moved to Facebook--not MP. MP has never been particularly valued for its forums--more for its routes database and photos.

Curt