February 2011
1 post
Anonymous asked: Why are my reports sometimes cut off? I see longer ones posted, so I'm not exceeding a length limit. I just posted two in order to finish.
Terri Pauls
Terri Pauls
March 2010
14 posts
3 tags
Why The Changes?
Whoah, what’s going on with the trail reports?
Yes, there are a few changes. The Reports have been successful because they are easy to use. So I am very cautious about making changes. But here are a few new features that I think will prove very valuable, while still keeping the Reports simple.
Easier To Add A New Location Instead of having to select your location from a drop-down list, you...
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How To Add A Report
If you are a trail user, get started sharing your latest outings. I guarantee that no matter where you went or what you did, there are plenty of others who would love to hear a report. If you have your outing posted elsewhere on the web (blog, photo gallery, forum, etc.), we encourage you to post a link.
To Post:
Go to the Outdoor Reports page, either on your club website or the general site....
How It Works
Using just a few lines of code, a club can easily embed the Outdoor Reports on their website. Each club site displays only reports that are relevant to that user group. For example, Cross Country Alaska displays ski reports, Alaska Speedskating displays ice reports, etc. At each of these club sites, readers can view the latest reports, search the archives, or add a report of their own.
These...
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Sites Using the Outdoor Reports
Cross Country Alaska
Alaska Speedskating
Anchorage Skates
Want the reports on your club website? Send me an email!
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A Brief History
In 2004, I (Cory Smith) created the Alaska Ski Trails Reports on the Cross Country Alaska website. I figured the best way to get the latest conditions was to ask the people who were actually using the trails. The site quickly became the best source for the latest cross-country ski conditions in Alaska. It’s been immensely helpful to me, and I am glad that others have found it useful as...
3 tags
Can't we all just get along?
Let me start with a quote from Craig Medred on AlaskaDispatch.com:
As it is, no one seems happy. Fat-tire mountain bikers are mad at post-holing hikers. Hikers are mad at unfriendly skiers who yell at them for messing up ski trails. Dog mushers are mad at speeding, sometimes reckless snowmachiners. Snowmachiners are mad at all those “elitist” non-motorheads. Skiers are mad at, well,...
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What if my report doesn’t fit into a few...
Maybe your report is long, with lots of pictures, so you posted it on a blog or forum. Or you uploaded a GPS track to your online training log. Great! Just post a link and a few words here so people know where to find it.
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Why one site for all outdoor sports?
There are lots of places online to get conditions for outdoor recreation. Unfortunately, there are too many places. And the information is often out of date or hard to find.
Besides, how many people do you know who only do ONE outdoor activity? I don’t know anyone like that. Everyone I know is involved in a bunch of outdoor activities. And no matter which activities we enjoy, we share a...
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Are you trying to compete with local club...
Definintely not. Clubs are the backbone of our outdoor community. From the start, the intent of the Outdoor Reports has been to allow clubs to provide greater service to their members. The Reports have been specifically designed so that they can easily be embedded into a club/organization’s website and customized for their interests within a few minutes. See...
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Don’t many clubs have online forums or email lists...
Yes, but in my experience, these methods don’t work well.
In a forum, you have to dig through a bunch of pages to find the latest information. Forums are great for having multi-person conversations and saving them for future reference, but not so great for quickly finding the latest information on a specific topic.
Email lists can clog your inbox and make it hard to find the information...
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Posting Suggestions and Rules
Things to include in your report: Where you went, the weather, and (of course) current conditions.
An email address is required in order to confirm that you are who you say you are. Your address will not be published, given to anyone else, or used for any other purpose.
Do not make attacks on other people or groups.
Do not use offensive language.
Please report all inappropriate postings
...
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Moderating the Posts
I volunteer to run the forum in my spare time. I do it because I find the reports very useful. In general, I try to keep my hands off and let the forum run itself. I don’t have the time or energy to constantly monitor the site and immediately remove any post that might bend or break the rules.
Occasionally I do have to moderate certain postings. I do my best to be fair and consistent....
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Using the Map
I think the instructions on the map page explain it pretty well. If something is not working, or you have any questions about the map, send me an email.
The map shows reports from the past month.
Click any marker to see the recent reports from that location.
Zoom in or out or click and drag the map to see more reports.
Use the filters to find reports based on activity or any search term.
...
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Tsalteshi Trails - 10:00 AM, Fri Mar 05, 2010 by...
Bill I Will and
Pat in the Hat Groomed on the left and Groomed on the right and Left the trails alright like that. The Lynx, I think, is the best it’s been, Since those Gogetters with their Bettertracksetters Went up and down and round and round again. Out of habit, they groomed the Rabbit. Dagnabbit! If you care, the Bear is still there. The Goat is remote below the Coyote and the...