Hey y’all,
Over the past few months we’ve noticed an increase in contention and negativity on the forum, and we want to address it.
We want our forum to be different than most internet forums. Meaning we want it to be a pleasant place where we can discuss all things bikes where we know respect will be granted and we can learn from each other’s perspectives.
This forum only has a few rules:
- Be excellent to each other
- Challenge the idea, don’t attack the person
- Contribute constructively
- Don’t break the law
- Keep it tidy
Some of those are very black and white, while others are less so. As moderators, we’ve erred on the side of leniency, expecting the community to step in at a certain level of self-governance.
The vast majority of you do an incredible job following these rules, and that’s what makes this forum so special. Thank you!!
However, what we’ve seen is that a relatively small portion of people tend to take advantage of the gray areas that exist with the rules and the lenient moderation. In some cases this is done blatantly, and in others very subtly and strategically, and this hurts the forum culture and climate. 
Moving forward, moderators and going to place greater priority on maintaining a welcoming, respectful, positive, and constructive forum climate. As a result, moderators will be using their own discretion to assess if people are exemplifying the spirit of the rules, or strategically walking the line, and this will likely result in bans being given sooner and more frequently.
With that increased moderation in mind, here’s a quick refresher on what is expected of forum members on a few of those rules in particular:
Be excellent to each other
Simply put, be kind! Treat people with kindness, respect, and patience. This includes the person you may be talking to directly, as well as anybody or group that is being discussed. This is simply not a place to not be kind to people, groups of people, organizations, etc.
Challenge the idea, don’t attack the person
Disagreement should lead to elevated understanding. In order for that to happen, we have to respect each other and debate ideas instead of attacking each other. Anytime you are debating an idea, refer to the following graphic and ask, “Does my response fall below ‘Counterargument’”?. If it does, try rewriting it. If you can’t find a way to accomplish that, don’t send the message.
Contribute constructively
This is perhaps the most “gray area” of all the rules, but it also has enormous impact. We should strive for contribution that moves the discussion forward in a constructive way. The way to do this is to check your intention. Are you aiming to tear a person or group down, or are you aiming to elevate? If your comment only serves to create dissent or inhibit conversation, please keep it to yourself. Additionally, if you are belaboring a point that is already understood, don’t post about it anymore. Continuing to do this when it is no longer helpful and not wanted is a form of harassment, and that won’t be tolerated. This rule in particular will be a focus for our moderators.
Don’t break the law
This one is seemingly black and white, but even applies to things commonly done like sharing images or links to products that have leaked through NDA violations. This happens commonly, so if what you are about to share has not been obtained directly through you through legal means, don’t share it.
A note on TrainerRoad in the forum
We have historically taken a very hands-off approach to moderating anything that attacks TrainerRoad. Some have taken advantage of this and viewed it as an opportunity to get free punches in on the punching bag with no repercussions, and these attacks have extended even to members of the company. Out of fear that if we did intervene it would be seen as excessively partial or defensive, we’ve allowed truly nasty things to be said/happen on this forum to members of our company, and that will change. TrainerRoad and its employees should be treated with the same respect any other person or group should receive on this forum.
If you don’t want to abide by those rules, or disagree with them in some way, this forum is not the place for you. If our moderators feel you aren’t following these rules, they will ban you.
Our hope is that this increased moderator action will help make the forum a more respectful and welcoming place for all of us. If you view anything that you feel violates these rules, please flag the post so our moderators are informed.
Thank you for contributing positively to make this forum a unique and welcoming place!
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