What makes the UK section "parochial"?

We've organised European Adventure Rider Rallies every year since 2005. For the last 3-4 UK events, there has been a foreign contingent that have travelled over. I think that spaces have been reserved for foreigners as the events are very popular & tend to be fully booked within a few days at most. Through AdvRider events, I've got friends & acquaintances in France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy & Portugal & have ridden with all these guys, not just swapped PM's via the 'net.

I don't believe you've attended an Advrider event unless it's under another name? There are plenty of UK Advriders out there riding abroad, there's a mixed group on their way back from Portugal at the moment.

I think one of the biggest differences between the two sites is that large parts of Advrider are very much offroad orientated, more so than HU. They're two similar but different sites, each offering valuable info. The "which is better" debate is pointless & possibly a little infantile IMHO as both are valuable resources of knowledge & assistance.

You're correct in that there are a lot of posters on Advrider who's politics etc may not be to everyone's taste. The answer: don't read their posts.....

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My photos: www.possu.smugmug.com

Your point about the word "parochial" is a fair one - I should have said that some parts of that section are parochial. But that could be said of many sites , I suppose.

I havent been to an ADV meet so I didnt comment on them- I dont know why you brought that up. I'm sure theyre good meets: that's fine. HU and ADV are quite different so we agree there; and The Garage is really good. Your advice (unasked for) about not reading some threads isnt really useful at all. I dont believe in being in denial about vicious threads by not reading them- and I admit that there is one US post now on HU admitting "hate" for immigrants and the poor. It's been there for a while. How anyone could post that on an international and inclusive site like HU is beyond me. The current Wanabee thread has some depressing examples which sneer at others because they dont have enough miles or mud under their wheels. The pannier thread is a bunfight, so OK, HU has some moments like that, but not too many. ADV has some really creepy stuff, and has people with 20,000 posts, some of which are simply a smiley or something. Who has the time to trudge through that?

WTF? 'parochial' We have many HUBB members where English is not their first language, do they know the meaning of this word? I am English and I had to google the word myself for its meaning, perhaps I missed the class at school when it was explained!

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'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'

Officially now in a minority living in London!

Sorry Dave for that! I am suitably slapped I wont go back and edit it now, but as you know it can mean small minded, petty, closed. It comes from "parish", I think.

On ADV this argument was locked and removed.

To get roughly on subject, that's maybe a prime difference? On here you can say what you like within the limits of polite conversation and allowing for the fact we are not all great at getting our point across, on ADV rider they get out of control and have to get the police in?

From a business point of view, and these sites are just that, I'd say having confidence in your product requires you to allow discussion about the competitors (and negative comments about the sponsors where it's a fair opinion). I'd say Grant and Co. have a much better grasp and realise they are in a different market (Truely Worldwide vs USA plus other bits), but also this is one of HU's primary products while ADVrider is there as an offshoot of a photo sharing site.

Vive La Difference (that's long live the difference to French speakers, my accent's indescribably bad )

Andy

ADV can get nasty fast and for no good reason. Think that is what went down on there thread. Many people there read the HUBB from time to time when doing any long range rides most will never say so. So the HUBB has more respect with many of the more well traveled people there some of who are mods.
The HUBB still looks down at ADV more than should. You will see people post there that are on RTW trips much more that post here. Many presenters at HU meetings have posted the trips on ADV but not here. Many ask and answer more questions on ADV than on the HUBB. As the HUBB rebuilds it self that is some thing to keep in mind.
Is the HUBB going to remain the place for information, up to date news, and how to or are we going to slowly become a place where a few old timers talk about the old days and when any one from the out side is daft to poke there head in to ask a question we yell back "Try Google and the search fool!"

ADV gets discounted by most of the people here but as we lose people they grow. ADV has more international presence than HU and more people from around the world are on ADV than the HUBB. ADV= the US and a few bits HUBB = all world? are you kidding? how many people from China, India, the mid east, S. America or even Africa do we have that post more than a "HI" ADV has them and they post a lot.

This has been a bad rant even for me but there you have it from some one who is doing what little they can to the HU word out.

i post about my new bike excited to get responses here and get NONE it even had a pic!

i post it on ADV rider (with no pic!) and in about an hour i got like 8 responses.. there's your answer

You went to a shop and bought something. Happens every day. How does that information help anyone here? What responses should there be? You'll get half a dozen types:

1. Nice bike
2. You need to imeadiately strip the....
3. Had one of those it was ....
4. I'd have got the....
5. Does yours do this...?
6. What type of garage door/drive paving is that?

Not great reading IMHO, although #5 might eventually yield somthing useful.

Totally different styles.

Andy

It ain't what you got it's what you do with it

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Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

I use the hubb for information and visit everyday I visit ADV maby once a week look at the pics. Nothing wrong with either site in my opinion its just the hubb suits my needs better and I find the info more relative to me (not so much about the US).
I think both owners of these sites could take a bit from each other to improve them and that would only mean two better sites for us. After all surely if you put the them and us too one side you can enjoy both for what they are.

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

Someone has posted one really good, detailed long post in response now!

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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

We're ALWAYS interested in hearing specific ideas that we can actually implement. Feel free to make suggestions any time, especially in the Feedback Forum.

We ARE working hard on upgrades to the system that will help us do a lot more. We have just recently upgraded the backend software, we're going to a new much more powerful server tonight, and there is new stuff in the wings.

What FEATURES / gadgets / toys / tools do you guys want? Let me know!

How can we be of more interest to more people? I'm open to ideas!

FWIW - we have no bias against ADVRider, we have our own path which is a little different, we have different approaches and different financial requirements etc, and that's all fine. Heaven forbid we're identical!

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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Imagine that ADV for some reason closed down, I think that would have been the beginning of the end for the HUBB.

To quote the old chinese curse, that would indeed be interesting times.

I think I'd imagine more of a split than the end of HUBB. Some ADVrider posts are informative and sensible and those posters would fit right in. Others , who can't always control what we type when faced with some of the trolls and Jo Momma types would have to go through an adjustment period of thinking before we type and taking the wrath of the community accordingly. I believe a majority on here are appreciative that people try and contribute and would make allowances for the odd slip of ettiquette as people switch from what goes in a backstreet bar and how you conduct yourself in a family pub. The real Jo Momma guys would I'm sure found their own little community to talk guns and soft porn until they are happy.

Until then, a big to HUBB and all who sail in her!

Andy