KB or Sticky

[E-HP]

I thought I had asked my last question about stickies, but now I have another. What makes a sticky? Originally I thought it was just the placement of a thread at the top of a subforum. Somewhere along the way, I had assumed that they couldn’t be edited, or had a small subset of folks who could. Now I’m finally noticing some are still open for replies while others are locked down. Is there an in between, or just open or closed? Is the “sticky” simply placement?
I started thinking about this when a thread popped up recently on the build thread forum, with the subject of stolen e-bike registry. I thought it sounded like a good idea, but a thread that gets buried deep in the subforum over time, even though that subforum is less active than general, for instance. If a thread like that could be an editable sticky in the general subforum, it could be useful. It may also send the right message that we don’t condone ebike theft and support their recovery, if that’s the case.
Personally I don’t like supporting any part of the sale or purchase of stolen property, or even “post theft” support. I’ll tend to bow out, unless it’s a case where the stolen bike was recovered by the owner. But that’s just one perspective.
A sticky with clear guidance on what details to include would be better than a non sticky thread. A form might be nice, but that’s probably more work.

 

[neptronix]

A moderator or admin can make something sticky.
Like any thread, sticky can be open or closed. That's up to moderator choice.

The problem with stickies is that only the OP can edit it... forums do not have a concept of selective access to edit a post. Also, you can't organize stickies.

I'm not sure how useful this stolen ebike registry thread could be. I've seen people try to put together something like that on ES facebook, here, and elsewhere.. haven't seen anyone successfully recover a bike. I think the thread may give some people false hope that it's possible. It might be useful for a local forum but not one that's global in nature.

In addition to this, most users here don't fill out their location, or mention it in the post. it would take some extensive software modification to make a post in a certain thread require that a form be filled out. It may not be worth the hassle because of other issues.

 

[99t4]

Why not direct folks to bikeindex.org? It's already set up, functioning, and enjoys some measure of success. No rules against ebikes.

 

[neptronix]

Any other services out there that are like that? I swear i've seen a few. don't know which are best.

Maybe we have a sticky thread with that, and let them take this function away from us

 

[slaphappygamer]

Some city police have a dedicated registry area. Here is an example, at https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/police/bicycle-license-registration

 

[kauaicycler]

Any other services out there that are like that? I swear i've seen a few. don't know which are best.

Maybe we have a sticky thread with that, and let them take this function away from us

I'm registered with Project 529. You can also report and check if a bike is stolen.

 

[neptronix]

Okay there's at least two organizations.

E-HP, want to kick off a thread in ebike general? i'll sticky it for ya.

 

[E-HP]

Okay there's at least two organizations.

E-HP, want to kick off a thread in ebike general? i'll sticky it for ya.

I can, but I need to understand the mission. At a high level, provide guidance toward external resources regarding bike theft. We want to raise awareness to members of various registry options exist, to pre register their bikes to aid in recovery if stolen, and provide links to some examples (or possibly a running list to be updated over time?)
I don’t know much about the registries, how they work, or any ties to law enforcement, in the US or other countries or if the info might be used for other purposes. I’d hate to see folks register, then have the bikes deemed illegal confiscated by the local authorities (not here, but some of those highly regulated countries). Are we endorsing registration or just raising awareness?
Im starting to see that depending on the approach, it could be a slippery slope. If my ebike were stolen, Im not sure if I’d report it to the police .
My original thought was something like “post a pic of your stolen ebike” with a time and location, like the non sticky thread. Since a sticky can be open for replies, it would mainly manage itself.

 

[neptronix]

That is kind of hard.

No way is someone a sole expert on ebike registries in different countries. We'd ideally want a knowledgebase article instead so multiple people can edit it, or someone taking suggestions from the public and keeping it updated.

I made an article in the KB anyway, maybe someone can contribute global information.

As far as the other idea.. i'll leave the route on that up to you!