Anon Ready to Tap Out of CB...

[txgymfan]

Interesting thread ...and I must be showing my age because I had to google "thot" as well. I have been on and off as of late and actually didn't realize the age limit was 13...until I read a couple posts by kids that identified themselves by age and weren't banned. I agree with a poster about mostly staying on the parent forums because I'm not looking to fraternize (even on line) with a middle schooler who may or may not have a parent's permission to be on the site. I get that CB is pretty safe but 13 is middle school.,,,maybe like the "parent forum" , there could be "young athlete 13-17 yo forums" ? Not trying to give the mods more work but I preferred the 16 yo age limit. I still stick around and comment here and there.

That’s an idea. We will think about adding it.

 

[JBS]

First off... why is this all anonymous? It's a bit strange that this is all posted anonymous.

Sorry all... I was busy doing gymnastics... running a big gymnastics meet and being a head coach.

I'll read through each and every one of these and give answers... but I can say right now... the answers may not be what everyone is looking to hear. The internet and social media has changed... so if you are looking for what was... I doubt you are going to find that anywhere. With that being said... I'm sure there are things that can be done to make this place better.

 

[gym_dad32608]

First off... why is this all anonymous? It's a bit strange that this is all posted anonymous.

Sorry all... I was busy doing gymnastics... running a big gymnastics meet and being a head coach.

I'll read through each and every one of these and give answers... but I can say right now... the answers may not be what everyone is looking to hear. The internet and social media has changed... so if you are looking for what was... I doubt you are going to find that anywhere. With that being said... I'm sure there are things that can be done to make this place better.

Keep doing what you're doing! I dont know why some people still think its the early 2000s.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Social media now sucks. And so does this board owners attitude. I'll keep happily living in the past & be showing myself the door.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Social media now sucks. And so does this board owners attitude. I'll keep happily living in the past & be showing myself the door.

Substantive criticism, like most of the posts in this thread, is something I respect because it potentially helps us improve.

Posts like this, on the other hand, I don't respect at all.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

 

[JBS]

Social media now sucks. And so does this board owners attitude. I'll keep happily living in the past & be showing myself the door.

I'll answer this one first.

Social media influences that amount of traffic to this site. Not taking the modern internet and social media into account would be a huge mistake. Forums used to be "social media"... this is just not the case anymore. Without modernizing the site... there would just be no traffic here. Modernizing sometimes causes negative effects... it's just the way it works. When it happens we make changes and move into the future.

Welcome to the future.

 

[TheXcelMom]

First off... why is this all anonymous? It's a bit strange that this is all posted anonymous.

As you prob know better than I do, if the OP is anon, replies default to anon. I accidentally posted a reply (in another thread) as anon because I forgot to uncheck.
Maybe that's the reason in some replies?

 

[JBS]

1. I think the age limit for kids should be raised. I'm not very comfortable being part of a group where kids are receiving advice on sensitive topics from strangers. We don't know what's going on in the lives of these kids but you start to wonder when you piece together information shared from different threads. No matter how articulate they are, a 13 year old is still a kid. I personally feel some responsibility as a parent to tread lightly or not engage at all.

This is a very valid point. I have nothing to add on this at this time as I must think about this and open a discussion with the staff.

2. Confusing and sometimes inconsistent 'policing' of threads. Sometimes threads are shut down for seemingly innocuous reasons and sometimes they are allowed to continue. Recent examples - a thread of a kid asking about NCAA chances was shut down quickly. Threads asking about weight, body image and diet have been allowed to proceed. The most shocking is the Livy Dunne post - the pictures posted are not the issue, the issue is the negative comments surrounding the posted pictures (one picture referenced 'thot' with a photo of an athletic pose. Seriously, how did this get approved?).

Thank you for your comment. The staff works very hard to try to do what is best for the site and more so... the safety of all. I was not available this weekend as I was at a meet (running it too). I support the actions of the staff... however... this does not mean that we will not have a discussion in the back office about future policies and such.

I shut down the recent thread about chances of making to the NCAA as the thread was answered fully in the statement...

With your current skill set it would be a 0% chance.

No one here can say what a person may achieve in the future… anything is possible.

I would say that the moderation of this particular thread is not about your point #2... it is actually more about your point #1 and that is why things are getting confusing. Here is the thread...

WAG - NCAA - NCAA Chances?

I'm currently an Xcel Gold, though I could probably compete Platinum bars and vault if I wanted to. If I were able to learn to flip my vault before my Junior year of high school would there be a shot of making NCAA? I'm pretty confident I could learn a Tsuk. I currently do a Tsuk entry...every...

chalkbucket.com

Threads about weight... body image... and diet would have to be talked about specifically as to what went on in each thread... but those topics are actually things that I encounter in discussions with parents of gymnasts on a regular basis as a head coach.

Overall... as the past has proven... when I personally moderate... things go much worse. So I just want to take this opportunity to say "thank you" to the CB Staff for all that they do.

We will work through this... I'm going to keep reading.

 

[Madden3]

First off... why is this all anonymous? It's a bit strange that this is all posted anonymous.

Sorry all... I was busy doing gymnastics... running a big gymnastics meet and being a head coach.

I'll read through each and every one of these and give answers... but I can say right now... the answers may not be what everyone is looking to hear. The internet and social media has changed... so if you are looking for what was... I doubt you are going to find that anywhere. With that being said... I'm sure there are things that can be done to make this place better.

It's not all anonymous. Some of us purposefully did not post anonymously. Also, the anonymous feature here defaults to anonymous, so some may have inadvertently posted anonymously. Also, the anonymous feature permits/encourages anonymous posting.

I understand that you and all the moderators work very hard to make this site as good as it can be, and that it is not your job but your passion. I know I am not alone in how truly grateful I am for the mods and this site.

I first came to this site around 2016 iirc and Chalkbucket was a lifeline for me than. But I am a parent who does not need this site anymore, I am basically here at this point - sporadically- to "give back" - offer feedback when questions relevant to my experience with gymnastics over the last decade + comes up. I love this site for all it gave me and I still enjoy coming here and reading about gymnastics. But since I am no longer an active participant and likely to become even more inactive, maybe I feel more comfortable offering my opinions about site changes openly than those who are more invested.

I think the criticism offered on this thread has been for the most part constructively given, and well meaning.

As far as "the internet is changing." Well, it is, and it isn't. The Internet has always been a place that minors access, where access is either entirely unregulated or ineffectively regulated, and where predators seek to ingratiate/ insert themselves into communities that allow access for them to groom and harm minors, and where communities themselves can become inadvertent participants in that grooming by enabling/normalizing adult-minor communication in the first place.

Well meaning adults can either choose to not permit minor-adult interaction and adopt whatever policies and safeguards might discourage it- or do whatever they can to protect minors while permitting/encouraging minor-adult interaction. I know my preference. I am not saying my way is the only way- but dismissal of these concerns as some have done as somehow out of touch is alarming. Child safeguarding does not go out of fashion, nor do the principles of safeguarding change with the times.

 

[JBS]

This used to be a great place for parents and other adults to share advice, now it feels like you never know who you're talking to.

Could you please explain more? This place was created so people could stay anonymous... it's the nature of a forum. The anonymous feature takes it to a new level... but that is only in one part of the site... new members can stay anonymous simply by not telling others who they are.

 

[JBS]

I agree, as well. I found CB early in my daughter's journey and have been here since. Received such a wealth of information here. It seems less substantive lately, for lack of a better word. Not a reflection on the mods at all, but maybe is the influx of so many kids? Not sure.

Yes... I would agree that the younger age has changed the content a bit... however... the site has to modernize. The site must change or it will not last. I'm not saying our recent changes have been good or bad... just that we are trying to find the proper balance of everything for the future.

I would like to add that ChalkBucket was started with kids allowed on the site. Parents would have to fill out COPPA forms and mail them to us.

 

[gymgal]

Could you please explain more? This place was created so people could stay anonymous... it's the nature of a forum. The anonymous feature takes it to a new level... but that is only in one part of the site... new members can stay anonymous simply by not telling others who they are.

Not sure this is what they are referencing but the anonymous feature makes it difficult to follow a conversation because you don't know who is posting - if it's the OP or another poster, they are all labeled "anonymous". Does the platform have a way to designate by number/letter/color "which" anonymous user is posting?

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

You never knew who you were talking to to begin with. Such is the internet.

Like, yes this is a great place to talk to people who have some connection to the same niche athletic community, but you should always keep in the back of your head that this is the world wide web.

And not to put too fine a point on it, but if you were a creep, what sort of forums would you look for to hang out on? This isn't just speculation; whenever we have threads relating to puberty, or leotard fits, or body types, or undergarments, or anything relating to the development of young athletic bodies, those threads get a TON of lurker views.

Much as I hate to say it, if you're not paranoid you're naïve.

 

[gymgal]

I am OK with allowing younger members. You can usually tell by how they write as to how old/mature they are and our answers can be adjusted accordingly. I would much rather they have a place where they can ask these questions than bottle them up and never voice them to an adult who can encourage them to seek the proper guidance.

 

[TheXcelMom]

You never knew who you were talking to to begin

My account banner says “proud parent“ and I believe there is a similar banner that says “gymnast.“ Can we just assume anyone with a gymnast badge is a child? Is it possible to require that everyone have some kind of badge?

This, of course, with the understanding that a person can lie. But the kids who are well-intentioned will at least be flagged as such.

Just idea. I’m not committed to it.

 

[JBS]

Not sure this is what they are referencing but the anonymous feature makes it difficult to follow a conversation because you don't know who is posting - if it's the OP or another poster, they are all labeled "anonymous". Does the platform have a way to designate by number/letter/color "which" anonymous user is posting?

Unfortunately there is no way. All of the anonymous posts are transferred to the same anonymous member named "Anonymous Post". There is no way to show the OP as they are all from "Anonymous Post".

 

[gymgal]

You never knew who you were talking to to begin with. Such is the internet.

Like, yes this is a great place to talk to people who have some connection to the same niche athletic community, but you should always keep in the back of your head that this is the world wide web.

And not to put too fine a point on it, but if you were a creep, what sort of forums would you look for to hang out on? This isn't just speculation; whenever we have threads relating to puberty, or leotard fits, or body types, or undergarments, or anything relating to the development of young athletic bodies, those threads get a TON of lurker views.

Much as I hate to say it, if you're not paranoid you're naïve.

Maybe the creep factor is there but I think a lot of actual parents have questions about these topics but are afraid to post. I know I always read those types of posts for future preparation with my dd.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Maybe the creep factor is there but I think a lot of actual parents have questions about these topics but are afraid to post. I know I always read those types of posts for future preparation with my dd.

Agreed, there are legitimate discussions to be had and this seems like a good place to have them.

But caution is warranted.

 

[JBS]

I had to go look “thot” up - I had never heard the term before. (Getting my education from a gymnastics board…lol.) But yes that’s a problem and I can see why that was taken down. I also have noticed the responses to weight posts had changed, and I’m not a fan.

I was not aware of what this term meant either... learning about it today.

As far as responses to weight posts changing... what do you mean by that?

 

[JBS]

I thought the age for posting was 16? It seemed to change overnight?

It was changed to 13 about a year ago. Interestingly enough I just banned 3 members that have all ended being the same person that was under 13 years of age.