New Forum For Philmont

[Eagle732]

Is there a need for an online public forum to discuss Philmont related topics?

I have an acquaintance who owns WHITEBLAZE.NET, the largest online forum for backpacking/hiking. WB has forums for all the major trails including the AT, PCT, CDT, LT etc.

I suggested that WB create a forum for Philmont. Considering over 20,000 Scouts and Scouters go to Philmont each year I think this would be a great opportunity to create a community to share experiences and information. I know that when I was preparing for Philmont a few years ago I visited BackpackingLight.com. However that site is a pay to join site where as WB is free.

Let me know your thoughts and I'll forward them to the site owner. If we get enough interest he will consider opening another forum on WB just for Philmont.

You can visit WB at: http://whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php

Thanks,

[NJCubScouter]

We have an online forum to discuss Philmont related topics right here, and people do discuss them. We have a "Camping and High Adventure" forum and there have probably been Philmont-related discussion in "Open Discussion" as well.

[Eagle732]

OK, so you don't think that having a forum on the largest, most visited backpacking site is worthwhile?

 

I know there are other places to go but none have the traffic that WhiteBlaze has. They have over 62,000 members, have over 100,000 threads and have almost 2 million posts.

 

Seems to me just to get a spot on that sight is a huge opportunity.

Edited August 17, 2016 by Eagle732

[Ankylus]

 

OK, so you don't think that having a forum on the largest, most visited backpacking site is worthwhile?

 

I know there are other places to go but none have the traffic that WhiteBlaze has. They have over 62,000 members, have over 100,000 threads and have almost 2 million posts.

 

Seems to me just to get a spot on that sight is a huge opportunity.

 

 

 

Well, if you see how slow the traffic is in the "Camping and High Adventure" forum, I would think another forum with a narrower topic might not be so useful after all.

[meyerc13]

I'd say, why not?  It's a good way to get those who may have been Scouts re-interested in Scouting; a way to get the word out to non-Scouts that we do cool stuff, and finally sometimes one forum is a good fit for a person and another may not be.

[Beavah]

Yah, hmmm...

 

Whiteblaze is an Appalachian Trail site.  Last time I looked, Philmont was a fair ways away from da AT. 

 

There's a Philmont email list already managed by USSSP, and a Philmont forum at BackPackingLight.  Pretty sure there's a Yahoo group as well, plus da lists run by Philmont staff.

 

As yeh say, it's unclear whether there's enough traffic to merit independent forums on the subject.  Folks generally are interested only prior to or perhaps right after a trip.

 

Beavah

[qwazse]

And, although 20,000 sounds like a big number, every year millions of youth-weeks are spent hiking and camping everywhere else.

Tagging this and other similar topics "Philmont" should be sufficient to distinguish this location from all of the other equally astounding locations for big-ticket scouting.

[Eagle732]

Yah, hmmm...

 

Whiteblaze is an Appalachian Trail site.  Last time I looked, Philmont was a fair ways away from da AT. 

 

There's a Philmont email list already managed by USSSP, and a Philmont forum at BackPackingLight.  Pretty sure there's a Yahoo group as well, plus da lists run by Philmont staff.

 

As yeh say, it's unclear whether there's enough traffic to merit independent forums on the subject.  Folks generally are interested only prior to or perhaps right after a trip.

 

Beavah

 

Beach,

I suggest you visit White Blaze again. The site, although primarily an AT site has individual forums for all the major long trails, some of which you've probably never hear of and some which are shorter than the typical Philmont trek.

 

These trails have individual forums on WhiteBlaze.net :

 

Colorado Trail

Long Trail in VT

Pacific Crest Trail

Continental Divide Trail

Arizona Trail

Florida Trail

Ice Age Trail

John Muir Trail

Benton McKaye Trail

Mountain to Sea Trail

New England Trail, and several others. 

[NJCubScouter]

We have an online forum to discuss Philmont related topics right here, and people do discuss them. We have a "Camping and High Adventure" forum and there have probably been Philmont-related discussion in "Open Discussion" as well.

 

and Eagle732 responded:

 

OK, so you don't think that having a forum on the largest, most visited backpacking site is worthwhile?

 

I know there are other places to go but none have the traffic that WhiteBlaze has. They have over[/size] [/size]62,000 members, have over 100,000 threads and have almost 2 million posts.[/size]

 

Seems to me just to get a spot on that sight is a huge opportunity.

I didn't say that. I expressed no opinion on the site you mentioned. I merely mentioned that this very forum is a place where you (or anyone else) can discuss Philmont.

 

I'll also say that it's a little unusual to have a thread in this forum discussing what the owners of a different web site should do or not do, or to (essentially) "gather signatures" on a sort of "petition" to be presented to the owner of a different web site. But we have no rule against it, especially since the other site in question does appear to be a free, volunteer-driven web site (like this one) and the topic is so closely related to Scouting.

[Eagle732]

NJ, If you review my statement you will notice I was asking if you didn't think it was worthwhile. It was a question, not a statement of what you said. 

 

The owner of WB, at my suggestion, offered at his expense, to provide a place on his website for Scouts and Scouters to discuss Philmont. There are already thousands of posts on Philmont already on WB (Google "Philmont" specific to" whiteblaze.net" to see yourself). I was thinking it would be helpful to have all those posts in one forum dedicated to Philmont.

 

I now see that there is no interest so I'll withdraw the idea.  

[qwazse]

Don't give up on account of us five crumudgeons!

 

Something that doesn't make sense to us generalists might resonate with a specific audience. In fact, there may be folks who don't post about particular HA bases here because many of the replies will be way off base.

 

I'm not sure how you can find out for sure if there's a niche among WB readers except to have your friend open he forum and see what comes of it. Best case scenario, a few new readers get drawn to your friends site, worst case: there's now a tidy bin for existing WB fans who want to talk Philmont.

 

For my part, I find it refreshing to be able to type those initials and not be referring to Woodbadge.