Commentary By Guru4tru

[Guru4tru]

Once again I want to thank "Kitelife" for the space to talk!

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Off Topic

Anything and everything that doesn't fit anywhere else... Oddballs and all! (Underlining is my own...heehee!)

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I used the heading "Commentary By Guru4tru" so anyone who didn't want to "tune in" didn't have too. This is strictly my own opinion, for whatever it's worth. (You can hit the "back" button at any time you want!)

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I am a member of, & really like, the AKA (American Kitefliers Association), matter of a fact I signed up for, and paid my membership, for the next 3 years...as for the things they do and their "Kiting" magazine...they are great! When it comes to "INTENT" they can't be beat! But, they seem to function under an element of "fear". I'm not sure if this fear is generated from inside, with "one-ups-men-ship" and politics or if it is coming from the outside...trying to please the public. But it is there...so I don't give as much of my attention as I would like to them...although I support their "intent" 100%. They lack a sense of humor & real fun with what they are into!

And then their is the "Rev." site "www.revkites.com" also a great site and great people, but I find the same "fear" factor there , but in a slightly different form. There is the "one-ups-men-ship" that I find at the AKA, (but usually on a more personal level) and some politics, as usual, but they are very narrow-minded...if you don't fly a "Rev." you aren't worth talking to & I sometimes feel like the whole site is an advertisement to buy a Rev. of some sort. But mainly...They lack a sense of humor & real fun with what they are into!

This is why I'm a "Kitelife-er"...this is where I put my attention...because the "fear factor" isn't present at "Kitelife"....not from within or from outside. Their is no "one-ups-men-ship" or "politics" at play in the forums at "Kitelife". Any kite you fly, be it single line or dual line or quad...there all welcome here and any help you want on any of them will be freely given. And although present..."buying" a kite...is quite secondary!!

I really got into flying the Rev. I got this last Christmas. Since Christmas I've put in about 3 to 5 hours a day in practice, except for rain and no wind days, and I laugh and have fun with it all...laughing in the struggle. Well, that kind of really hard work "combined" with humility and "fun" does not find an outlet with the AKA forum nor with the Rev. forum, unfortunately, but it's at home with "Kitelife"!!

At "Kitelife" They have a sense of humor & real fun with what they are into!

Keep It Up!

Duane

[Spence Watson]

*cross posted from Revolution forum*

Your views on the AKA, I immediately agreed with. I've been competing in the AKA for a few years now, and after this year, I do not plan on competing outdoors at all. Eventually, I could see myself as an AKA member simply for the magazine. What pushes me away is how regulated it is. There are so many rules, and punishments for breaking rules. For me, in competition, these things start to take some of the fun out of something that I do purely for pleasure. I'm paying to compete, so it must be because I enjoy it right? It seems to be a bit more laid back in indoor competition, and that is something I will continue to compete in.

Your views on the Rev forum got me thinking a bit, but after pondering a bit, I grew to agree to an extent. I think the majority of the users on this forum are open minded, and are often not afraid of asking those difficult questions. The trouble seems to be that it gets censored. Now, these are just my observations. I understand that the administrators of this forum do everything that they do for a reason. There was in interesting thread not to long ago that I noticed was removed. I will not go into detail. At any rate, I think that there is a bit of that "narrow-mindedness" present through the censoring.

Now, the major difference between Rev forum and Kitelife forum is that the Rev forum is owned by a kite supplier, while Kitelife is owned by John B. and his online magazine. If discussion is going on under the domain of a particular company, it would be unwise for the company to allow content that could potentially harm the company. If discussion is going on under the domain of an individual/magazine, there is not as much content that could be potentially harmful. Does that make sense? I had to sit and think for a while to come up with this, and it is hard for me to explain.....

Thanks for the thought provoking post Duane

~Spencer "Watty" Watson

[John Barresi]

I agree with you on the AKA front to some extent, but that's not the AKA, it's the current mindset of the general speaking membership/leadership.

On the Rev front... It IS a manufacturer web site, yes - selling Revs *would be* a goal, sensible enough, same the world over.

As far as manufacturer sites go, I think you'll find it to be one of the most friendly and helpful around... Many other forums (in and out of kiting) are often RIFE with trolls and mean comments.

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While Kitelife is a place to speak plainly, there does come a point where as a publication, it doesn't behoove Kitelife to have finger pointing at other companies or organizations, especially those who see fit to generously contribute to our ongoing ability to maintain this web site when so few others do.

And yes, all moderation on Rev comes down to an executive decision by Rev... Here, it's my executive decision, pure and simple.

I would offer the idea that you've just brought politics to Kitelife by counter-posing this forum against other forums and organizations.

I'd just as soon we stand on our own here.

[Guru4tru]

Well, I don't know where "this" might go either!

I simply wrote my "honest" feelings, as a commentary, as to what I personally feel about things.

And Watty, who I have the greatest respect for, expressed his "honest" feelings about things, as a follow up..

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But, there is one thing “I do know"...and that is when "honest" people express their "honest" opinions about things...many people might, and usually are, offended...but, only "Good" can come out of it!

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Everyone here, I believe, wants things in the Kiting World to be great! Honesty, open-mindedness & humility...will bring that about.

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To Everyone: Express Yourself!!! So we all can learn!

Silence is “not” Golden in the real world, nor in the future of Kiting!!

Keep It Up!

Duane

[Stephen Hoath]

My view is that you use the right tool for the job.

The Rev site is a manufactures forum and so it seems appropriate that the content is steered in certain directions and not commenting negatively on their product seems just good manners, especially as there are other places where the comments would fit better. However, i think that this is a good thing. After all, i wouldn't invite my friends round to dinner and then let them complain about my wife's cooking. (i save that for pub!)

Kitelife is aimed at a much broader kiting audience and so it seems sensible that you will get a broader range of opinions. There is another forum based in the UK which aims mostly at sport kite/trick fliers and that site has a different feel again. http://fracturedaxel.co.uk/phpbb3/

I would imagine that most kite enthusiasts visit a range of forums. Just like eating out, you visit a lot of restaurants but some you go back to more often cause you really like the food.

So i guess that was long winded way of saying I agree on the whole. I don't entirely agree about the bit about Rev fliers having no sense of humour and if you say that again i will take my ball away! ps, i prefer to think of the Rev forum as focused rather than narrow minded.

So what about the other kite forums?

[Aerochic]

And then their is the "Rev." site "www.revkites.com" also a great site and great people, but I find the same "fear" factor there , but in a slightly different form. There is the "one-ups-men-ship" that I find at the AKA, (but usually on a more personal level) and some politics, as usual, but they are very narrow-minded...if you don't fly a "Rev." you aren't worth talking to & I sometimes feel like the whole site is an advertisement to buy a Rev. of some sort. But mainly...They lack a sense of humor & real fun with what they are into!

This is why I'm a "Kitelife-er"...this is where I put my attention...because the "fear factor" isn't present at "Kitelife"....not from within or from outside. Their is no "one-ups-men-ship" or "politics" at play in the forums at "Kitelife". Any kite you fly, be it single line or dual line or quad...there all welcome here and any help you want on any of them will be freely given. And although present..."buying" a kite...is quite secondary!!

*cross posted from the Revolution Forum*

With all due respect, Duane. I have to disagree with you. Many folks who fly Revs also fly Dualies and SLKs and enjoy ALL kinds of kites. Spend any length of time with a group of Rev fliers and you'll be having fun immediately. I think quad flying lends itself to alot of social interactivity amoung it's fliers. It's also a very obcessive sport (you want to learn more). If a Rev flier is at a festival and not out there mixing it up with the SLKers it's simply because we're having too much fun flying together and don't want to stop. I know some people perceive that as snobbery or superiority, but it simply isn't true. Get us all out to the banquet afterward, and we're talking to everybody. Ask one of us how to fly and adjust your Rev and you'll get a million pieces of advice.

As for the forums, I know that you're already aware that the Rev forum is a forum for people who fly Revolution Kites. It's not an advertisement, it's a shared passion. The Kitelife Forum covers ALL kinds of kites and topics related to. I am also on the KF forum, but my obcession with Revs has taken me over so I find more interesting conversations there. If I find something that the entire kiting community would enjoy, then I post it over on the Kitelife Forum. Occasionally you'll find non quad kite related topics there (see Wufer's recent post for example), but Rev Fliers predominantly are there to talk about things that require 4 lines to fly.

As for the AKA, I'm not a member. It's not because I don't think it's a good organization, but mainly because I don't feel a need to have a membership card in order to fly. Maybe if I was a competitor, a kite builder, or a shop owner, I'd have a more vested interest in the AKA. I'm rather inline with Watty's assessment, fwiw.

I posted my commentary over here because I've been noticing an underlying attitude toward Rev fliers in recent years. I truly don't know where that's coming from, but it personally hurts me as I've gotten to meet a whole world of interesting and fun people since I started flying Revs more in depth. I think there are some ill conceived notions about us out there.

[Guru4tru]

I want to thank everyone for there comments! This may not have helped anyone else, but it has certainly helped me to better understand the uniqueness of the AKA, Rev. and Kitelife organizations. It appears that my view of things was quite shallow and “I” was suffering from a case of narrow-minded.

Thanks to your input I now am able to better see how the uniqueness of each group, with their differences, comes together to compliment each other, instead of my seeing their differences in a negative way.

Thanks again,

Keep It Up!

Duane

[John Barresi]

Related and "complete" discussion on Rev, just for posterity.