Why don't all kiters read Kiteforum?

[Hugh2]

I've been surprised recently to meet many kiters who have never checked into Kiteforum, let alone visit and read regularly. Granted there is a lot of stuff any particular rider would not find relevant, but for an avid kiteboarder there is almost always a thread or two of interest. This past South African winter in Cape Town I made four new kiteboarding friends, and although at least three of them are avid riders (you have to be to ride in Cape Town in the winter!), not one had ever been on Kiteforum. Even amoung my local avid group, just one, Grigorib, regularly shows up here. Maybe I just don't have enough of a life outside of kiting and sailing!

[prop_joe]

short answer... it's boring! Unless your into hydrofoil or endlessly debating this years gear vs last years then there's not a lot here anymore. Long gone are the silly but entertaining 'footstraps are gay' type of threads, piss take is no longer allowed it seems thanks to the pc victim culture that's taken over the west. You know its bad when the top of the vids list is 'how to use your pump like a pro' lol.

[Exal]

Many weird people on forums is what I've found. Many Facebook or other type communities that are more for everyones area geographically and make forums obsolete. I like this forum the best. The german one is filled with weirdos, the australian one is completely useless since everyone is trolling and the only ones beeing serious are the shops posting. Here we only have Matteo

[juandesooka]

I agree this forum is not as fun as it used to be. But I don't think that's why it's declining in popularity: I believe facebook groups has killed most online forums, as I've seen the same decline in others (surfing, fishing, etc). Easier to use, more interactive, more present / hard to ignore. Web forums were always a relatively small % of overall kiters, but now seem to be nearly obsolete. Mostly a bunch of "old folks" left. I doubt many young newbies spend much time here.

Personally I also find the forum is not as informative as it was, but that's more about my own learning progression: no longer a beginner keener, the honeymoon is over, fully into the "advanced intermediate" plateau ... so now I am clearly in the demographic of semi-grumpy middle agers. I am at the point of reading maybe 1 thread in 20. And I've cancelled my kite mag subscriptions, tired of the endlessly repeated advertorials and same old ads. And I have been doing more sup foiling and bought a wing ... uh oh.

[jakemoore]

Maybe as the sport matures there is less need to troubleshoot or seek reviews? Locales will have enough riders to push each other and swap gears and make suggestions.

[grigorib]

I’d guess lots of great riders and designers are affiliated with vendors and have NDAs to abide. You see dealers communicate here but this forum is not where dealers want people to be, just because of lots of very opinionated people are speaking up their minds here and it might be fair but not positive, or plain not aligned with “official” brand story

[OzBungy]

short answer... it's boring! .... piss take is no longer allowed it seems thanks to the pc victim culture that's taken over the west. ...

I think the reverse is true. I look at forums for information about gear and techniques from real people. So many threads here are hijacked by moronic clowns who have nothing useful to add. Way too much "Look at me! I'm funny!"

One of the more useful forums I look at has a karma system on posts. If you get lots of negative votes then you can't post for a while. There are processes to stop people giving repeated negative votes."

You still get lots of humour and the occasional flaming war, but there's much less chance of threads being hijacked.

[Kozzie]

Many weird people on forums is what I've found. the australian one is completely useless since everyone is trolling and the only ones beeing serious are the shops posting.

I was banned for "trolling" on seabreeze and i wasnt even trolling. Have not been theyre for years and you couldnt pay me to go back.

Kitescoop was good least everyone theyre could unhook

I only use forums to learn now cant be bothered trying to teach so just a greedy lurker who doesnt contribute. Its the only safe way.

[Eduardo]

I've been surprised recently to meet many kiters who have never checked into Kiteforum, let alone visit and read regularly. Granted there is a lot of stuff any particular rider would not find relevant, but for an avid kiteboarder there is almost always a thread or two of interest. This past South African winter in Cape Town I made four new kiteboarding friends, and although at least three of them are avid riders (you have to be to ride in Cape Town in the winter!), not one had ever been on Kiteforum. Even amoung my local avid group, just one, Grigorib, regularly shows up here. Maybe I just don't have enough of a life outside of kiting and sailing!

Maybe they're lying. On kiteforum, everyone gives advice about kiteloops and handlepasses. But if you meet them in person and it turns out they can barely get their fins out of the water for a jump, well that would be embarrassing...

[Matteo V]

One of the more useful forums I look at has a karma system on posts. If you get lots of negative votes then you can't post for a while. There are processes to stop people giving repeated negative votes."

You still get lots of humour and the occasional flaming war, but there's much less chance of threads being hijacked.

The ultimate pleasure would be to have a ""social credit"" system here where those who offend others with dissent or, God forbid - the truth, would be stripped of their kiting privelges anywhere on the planet. That would show those pesky people, with differing views or actual information about kiting, that freedom of thought is a virtue of the dying evil west.