State
of the Rivendell Bicycle Works Owner's Bunch Mailing List
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February 2009 - #8
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It
seems as though the list has hit a pretty good tempo of late.
It's nice to continue seeing a broader set of names adding their
comments and questions to the conversation, and bringing new thoughts
and ideas to the discussions.
Obviously,
some of the upswing has a bit to do with the winter conditions
of the northern hemisphere, which has many of us enjoying significantly
less cycling miles than we would like. A few extra hours inside,
another email or two, and all of a sudden, we're spiking the traffic
over one thousand emails a month for two months in a row.
It's
gratifying to see everyone continuing to be polite and respectful
on this list. As I've said before, this time of year brings out
the cabin fever, and on other lists, some less than honorable
behavior. Thanks to everyone who has continued to make this list
a positive place.
One
thing I think we could be a little more mindful of would be the
focus of this list. It is important as we grow to honor the relatively
narrow focus, even though it's tempting to have more general topics
discussed here. Clearly, it's a bit of an imperfect border.
I
guess the corollary to that is that the topics begin to swing
a bit more broadly in follow up posts. A slight tangent of a slight
tangent from a slight tangent and all of a sudden, we're talking
about muffin recipes. (Well, we haven't yet, but I don't want
to pick on any specific thread...)
If
it's a strong and viable topic that isn't really part of the Subject
of the original post, it's not a bad idea to start a new post
(don't just rename it as it will still thread with the original).
As
I've said before, letting discussions end as they creep toward
more general topics, not having to have the last comment (or needing
to "win" the argument) and, above all, maintaining the respect
for one another within the group is what makes this list special.
And as always, thanks again for contributing to or simply enjoying
the discussions.
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Projects and Features
============================
Despite
the dire reports of the economy, there have actually been quite
a few new items popping up on the Rivendell Bicycle Works website,
bringing with it the optimism of spring - many of which have been
discussed or noted on the group. The new Sam Hillborne and Betty
Foy, a new line of saddlebags, a few clothing odds and ends (like
the cool wool cap I got).
Just
because of a bunch of stuff with work, I haven't had a chance
to finish too much in the way of feautres and upgrades.
However,
I did push a tiny raft onto the swirling tides of Facebook by
creating the "Rivendell Bicycle Owners Bunch on Facebook"
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=127003115064
Now,
I'm not pushing Facebook* at all, and in no way do I see it as
a replacement for this group. But, since (finally) signing up
a few months ago for unrelated-to-bicycle reasons, I've bumped
into quite a few folks there. It seemed like it might be a useful
platform for coordinating rides in specific areas or for more
quick-pinging type of communications. Cyclotourist has been using
Flickr in a similar manner for the SoCal RBW Riders, which (IMO)
has a good deal of the same functionality with the added benefit
of much, much better photo sharing/interface.
http://flickr.com/groups/1007917@N22/
*In
fact, I've more or less stayed away. You can search about previous
issues with private user information, internal viruses, etc. Of
course, some of that's life in the online world, but it's worth
being aware of.
============================
More
General Topics (From Previous Issues)
============================
-
Broader technical questions and non-Riv stuff are well covered
by the iBob list, the 650B list and others hosted by alex wetmore
on bikelist.org - http://www.bikelist.org
- This is also where you can find the pre-March '07 archives to
the RBW list. Peter White runs the "Bicycle Lifestyle" google
group, which is here - http://groups.google.com/group/bicyclelifestyle
-
Resources get put onto the RBW-Owners-Bunch pages here:
http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch/web
Most are either mirrored or enhanced here: http://www.cyclofiend.com/rbw
-
The Official RBW Gallery is on Flickr -
http://www.flickr.com/groups/rivendell
Of course, my feelings get hurt if you don't send photos to the
Current Classics (or other) Galleries ;^) http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc
-
Our FAQ continues to exist! The FAQ has one Q which was A'd enough.
http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch/web/rbw-group-requests
-
Posts from new members (or old members changing their email) are
moderated. So, it means that if someone joins, their first messages
will have to get my (or an acting list admin's) OK before being
sent to everyone. If you want to bypass this or speed it up a
bit, send me an email so I know you aren't a spammer.
-
Posts to the list are by default distributed to everyone. That
means if you wish to make a private comment, you need to change
the "TO:" information. It's also easy to make that mistake, so
please don't jump on folks who do so.
- Bug reports for the Rivendell website should be sent to rbw-feedback@610systems.com
You
should include the browser, system and specific issue in the email.
============================
Statistics & Housekeeping
============================
List began: March 26, 2007
Members: 857 (Up from 789 on 11/12/08)
Activity: Medium activity (Unchanged)
January 2009 was our highest traffic month so far, with 1279 posts.
Our first month with more than 1000 posts was December, 2008.
In
addition to email delivery, the list can be viewed via the web
at -
http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch
If
you wish to turn off or restart email delivery, change to digest
mode, update your profile or make other changes, simply log in
at the page above and make the changes you desire.
Unsubscribing
is as easy as an email. But, don't send it to the group or to
me - All posts (including this SOTL message) contain a footer
with the appropriate address.
The
Rivendell Owners Bunch list is "dedicated to the discussion of
Rivendell Bicycles and products, you don't need to own one - just
an interest in RBW designs is enough to join in. Ride reports
encouraged, as is a respectful, supportive and polite tone in
all posts. This group is not endorsed by Rivendell Bicycle Works."
As
stated, this list is a discussion of things Rivendellian in nature
and is not associated with Rivendell Bicycle Works or its employees
and staff. If you have specific questions for Rivendell Bicycle
Works regarding customer service or other issues, you should contact
them directly.
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Ending Note
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I'd be more than happy to continue the discussion on any of the
topics mentioned above, but in the interest of clarity, it might
make sense to either email me directly or to create a new topic
thread specific to your comment.
Thanks
again for your contributions and enjoyment of the list.
Your
list admin,
--
Jim
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