[Tom]

Another issue I see with this is thread drift. Having a separate thread for each trip report ensures the trip report is always the first post of each thread and easy to find. Otherwise it could be a nightmare to hunt and peck thru low signal to noise trying to find the actual trip reports. BTW, while the WTA may have a good TR database, there is a lag before reports get posted, you can't edit them later, you can't delete them (unless the webmaster gets mad at you, then all your reports might disappear), you can't reply or add to them, you can't embed pictures in them, and some of us are not allowed to post there for violating one of these rules.

[Slugman]

Tom, Not only that, but there won't be a way to easily spot new reports, since they will look just like comments posted on a previous report until you actually read them. Is there a tech fix for this, like some way to spike out a post to indicate it contains a new report?

[Allison]

Slug, Any thread that has been posted to automagically bubbles up to the top.

[Newt]

I like it as is & posted with a date. Easy to see current info. If you like to search, then search and find the others. Just my 2 pennies. NN

[polarbear-]

If people only have a little to add, like "I did the same hike as psillyseudonym but my hike had mosquitoes in it" then maybe tacking it on to psilly's trip report makes sense. If not, creating a new report makes sense. I don't think a separate website for each report is a good idea because there are well more than one google trip reports for Snow Lake so at least at this point in time we do not have the technology to do a search on Snow Lake, although all the reports might be duplicated by 10 monkeys banging away on typewriters for a few years, and maybe that is the way to go (note that although we don't have the technology to search for Snow Lake reports, it is possible that one of the Eurpean countries does, since they get more vacation time than we do and have extra time to relax and think of new faster better ways to search for things).

[paps]

[MooseAndSquirrel]

Doesn't seem to me that there are nearly the amount of redundant trail trip reports here as at WTA anyway-not a big issue. We don't seem to be in the trip report business as heavily as WTA- I don't know if that's something that will or should change in the future. Tom made a good point that this site already offers a better posting system than WTA's rather basic one. I do wish folks posting over there/here had more common sense and would maybe reconsider posting the fifth report of the damn day at Granite Mtn., etc. But people want to see their name in lights as it were. If I have to see one more friggin' Pilchuck report by Scot'teryx I'm gonna ! Angela and Jacqui have at least seemingly dropped the "Hiking Babes" moniker and don't report anymore about Japanese tourists snapping pictures to their credit, though they still enjoy adding that annoying ! :O) Happy Hiking! salutation to every report.

[Tom]

We have over 550 trip report threads. If people mix and match it will make it very difficult to find the actual trip reports. As such, please create a new thread for each new trip report (within reason). Also, please title your trip reports properly. At a minimum, specify the destination and date of trip in the title. Examples of bad titles: - Playing Tourist - Shaky Hands Photo From Todays Hike - Sun + snow = SUNBURN! - Seldom Visited Peaks - East Side Trail Example of a good title: - Nada Lake #1553 - Alpine Lakes, WA (2/18/02)

[Allison]

If you want to have a unique thread for every trip, including the ones where you maybe don't have a lot to add, consider me out of TRs in general until further notice. I love a good story, but there's been a lot of chestbeating lately.

[Tom]

How does posting a trip report amount to chestbeating? This is a hiking forum. What's so bad about starting a new thread?

[---]

I can't believe marylou doesn't want to have chest beating. This is one heck of a shocking revelation. I guess this means no more gear reports in the magazines either? No more art show invites? No more trip retorts?

[catwoman]

No, don't think that's a good idea. I've done it before in the past, and what I discovered was.... 1. Sometimes a thread gets commented on and having lots of replies, thus making the thread a chore to get through to see if there was even a more current report. 2. The thread posts put the hike dates on them and I'd much rather see a list of reports and pick and choose the dates I want to see. If there's just the one thread, then I may wind up having to sift through and, god forbid, have to read through everything to even find out if there's a more current report. I don't have the time or patience to go through all that. EsPECially since so many people on here can't write anything without making it a 5000 word essay.

[Allison]

Sorry, if volunteering for WTA is chestbeating...well, I can't really say much to that, now can I? TRs...well, I don't write many any more. I think they are boring a lot of the time. The trips are fun for me...but for you? Bah. And for what it's worth, Steve, I've never seen you at one of my shows. I think I'm going to cry.

[Tom]

Just to clarify, if we're talking about a fairly minor add on to a detailed trip report that someone recently wrote up then yes, I would agree it doesn't make sense to start a new thread (which is why I said "within reason" above).

[sarbar]

Ok, so I had a bad trip report title...sheesh...pick on the little lady.... See I was going to talk about the trail, but the trail was SO boring, well, the bear was WAY more intresting!! I'll be sure to go back to doing what I used to do which is put where it was, and the date BTW: What I can't stand is when people talk about a trail, but don't mention where it is! I would love it if everybody would mention what area they were in (like what ranger district?) I am sometimes clueless, and I see a gorgeous photo of where that poster has been, I want to go also!