The URWFRC Forum - General running

Ratbag

pirate

05/11/2002 at 11:17

As you know, there is the URWFRC forum on this site and it seems many people don't visit it or post there.

I'm curious as to why.

Is it because you believe it is a bit cliquey and that you won't be welcome or is it that you think the whole thing is mad and you don't want to join in?

Or ...why???

It's fun and a bit different. Have a go, you will be made very welcome!!! It's also full of real runners..

All the best,

RB

Mike S

05/11/2002 at 11:56

Don't think I quite fall into the categiory you have in mind RB, as I do visit the forum q regularly & add my £0.02p worth to some of the threads.

However - I go there and look at the length of some of the threads (Dark Side, socials) and get the impression there's a subset of (mainly London & SE-based?) forumites who spend far more time on the forums than I do, & have got to know each other (thru the forums & by meeting up) much better than the rest of us. This seems to be confirmed by the familiarity of the exchanges. It's this in particular which leaves me feeling in some way excluded from certain threads.

This isn't intended as a criticism - why shouldn't people with a common interest get to know each other better? - it's just the way it strikes me. Does anyone else share this view?

A Chimp Writes

05/11/2002 at 12:34

I agree Mike. I've also noticed a high proportion of doctors and teachers in there. Just think, RW could be contributing to the decline in the standards of education and health care in this country. JOKE!!!

Its true that you tend to see the same names and they are clearly all bezzie mates but I agree also that ,fair enough, I'm happy enough dickering around in General, training, events and beginners ,though would it be possible to call a halt to any more new treads on HRMs, God knows there are enough of them out there already.

Sean Fishpool, in one of his more lucid moments, compared these forums to a pub and would you really want to go into a pub where everybody knows everyone else paricularly when that pub seems like the Hayfield from the outside (Leeds joke)

DavidB

05/11/2002 at 12:39

Hi Ratbag,

I agree with Mike's comments and will add that some of the threads are more like chat rooms (due to the speed of the responses). This is fine for people who are online regularly, dare I say all the time, but for us once a day merchants it can be a little offputting. To be honest, such is the success of these forums that I find myself limiting my reading to one or two threads, e.g. the daily sessions under Training.

I used to contribute to the U.S. forums but I found that those got too big for me to feel a part of BUT I remember the early days of these forums when hardly anything of any interest was posted, so there's no pleasing me really.

As for being a clique; there is definitely a subset of forumites who have met and whose correspondence reflects this fact. Technically this forms a clique but I would not associate any of the negative connotations of the word. In fact I am hoping to get along to one of the earmarked events to meet some of you nutters in person.

ultra meerkat

05/11/2002 at 13:27

Ratbag - I agree with much of the above. I'm only online at work, so I tend to confine myself to the non URF threads. Which isn't to say I don't sneak in there from time to time. And I'm with DavidB on the clique thing - if people have met socially and/or run together, of course they're going to know each other better, but that's absolutely fine. I, too, hope to come along for a beer one day!

venom

05/11/2002 at 13:41

Hi guys - I know it's difficult to determine among the sheer weight of traffic, but we're discussing meeting up in London on the 29th Nov, 13th and/or 20th Dec. You're all very welcome.

venom

keswick1uk

05/11/2002 at 13:56

HI Ratbag,

I feel the same as some of the others. I actually spend a lot of time myself on a not disimilar type of forum where I post daily and these places do become 'cliquey' without meaning to be. I feel happier keeping a distance for a while.

As I cannot spend hours on these forums (probably due to the other one!), I tend to stick with Beginners, Events and FLM (Don't ask me why I've not even entered!)....but I have occasionally been nosey.

So, from my perspective, its nothing personal honest. Maybe I ought to change my rather odd user name to lurker ;-)

Caz

05/11/2002 at 14:00

Hey you guys, don't be put off by the familiarity between ourselves, we were all new to the forum once and some of us just recently!

Come and join us if you can!

Cheers

Caz.

Plodding Hippo

05/11/2002 at 14:19

i have to say that you lot are more fun than the boring Drs at work(golf-playing, Audi owning clones)
Roll on the demise of the NHS
I post a lot, on the unofficial site too, but do find it cliquey at times, particularly if you log on in the middle of a virtual conversation
That cant be helped i suppose
Everyone here is very friendly and supportive

drew

05/11/2002 at 14:30

When I've got time I check out all the forums, however some of the threads in the URWFRC forum move at such a pace that I often haven't a clue what's going on, but it still makes interesting reading.

Nessie

05/11/2002 at 14:31

I've never felt exluded, and never felt awkward about "butting in" on a conversation, but I REALLY would get the sack if I stayed on line long enough to read the 800 odd posts on some of the threads, so I do avoid them mostly. Also, you do get funny looks when you are sniggering at your computer screen, and I think the pretend sneezes are beginning to worry my colleagues, as they think I have a permanent cold (must be the running, it's bad for you!)

I am a club "member" as I have the vest but can't get to the pub as often as I would like. <sniff>

Dustin

05/11/2002 at 14:59

Ditto,

Limited time means that I go where I find the most info/data relative to my needs.
Hence I try to post daily on the training (as I find comparing with other regulars there useful).
Likewise the events threads.I spend Mondays reading race reports to see how people get on.
Do occasionally go to URWFRC site but echo the sentiments that some threads are way too long to be useful.I've often posted on these when I have the time but posting my favourite colour/what I had to eat last night isn't particularly relevant if I've only got a spare 20 minutes.

Some forumites seem to post almost continually,I'm amazed these people can get a job done and have time to run too but if you can get away with it......

Wolfy (iRunner)

05/11/2002 at 15:00

I'm a regular on URWFRC and do try to contribute to the more serious forums too. I have found it a great help to communicate with people who are interested in running in both a serious and non-serious manner and can fully understand how difficult it is to stay up-to-date with the URWFRC due to the pace in which it moves.

Everybody is welcome. The Dublin thread was fantastic before the event as it enabled people to discuss their anxieties pre-race and Dublin after dark enabled the drunks among us to discuss meeting place and the post race piss up!

I have just committed to running the Leeds Abbey Dash that somebody called psi has recommended and he isn't a regular on URWFRC so it isn't as cliquey as you might think!

Wicked Witch

05/11/2002 at 15:04

Reading some of the posts on the Dark Side made me think of the sketch on telly with Victoria Wood & Julie Walters doing Acorn Antiques, the one with really ham acting. I butt in now and again, and don't feel as if I'm intruding, and am very jealous of the social gatherings that are taking place. And Drew I don't think anyone knows whats going on in there.

Caz

05/11/2002 at 15:14

I think the idea with the Dark Side, is you but in whenever you need a mad 5 minutes, join in the silly sketches and hop off again.

They have regular group showers on a Friday.

A Chimp Writes

05/11/2002 at 15:24

Dustin
Run? what do you mean run??

Lazybones - The Original

05/11/2002 at 15:50

I must admit I agree with the messages about threads too long, can't spend as much time on-line as many of the others, do feel a bit as if I'm butting in on a exclusive club, etc. I also get the impression from a lot of the threads on the URWFRC that only fast marathon runners contribute. I'm most definitely not one of them and know I never will be so stick with my nice safe threads on Events, General, etc.

Bionic Ironwolf pirate

pirate

05/11/2002 at 15:53

I too agree that it's a bit of a clique, it's very obvious a group of you know each other pretty well. I don't hesitate to add a line or two but sometimes, yes I do feel left out when nobody answers my post but the conversation just continues on around me! I also can't log on at work, have to wait until I'm home like now, and with the faster-than-light movement of the thread sometimes it's impossible to pick up on what's been going on without going back pages and pages. So I just butt in!

Brooks the beast

05/11/2002 at 15:58

I just butted in. I do not know all the people but you soon get welcomed. Does seem a bit focused on the South East but doesn't have to be. As for the dark side ...well it is an acquired taste and I don't go there. Time on the forum, I usually come on during particularly boring conference calls.

A Chimp Writes

05/11/2002 at 15:59

Ironwolf!! I thought that totally blanking out only happened to me! Sometimes I think "what have I done to offend everyone" Admittedly most of my contributions are totally inane so I'd probably ignore me as well .