Seattle kiter's???

WOLVERINE · Since 17 Apr 2006 19 Posts Lake Tapps Island

Who on here is from the Seattle area?

WOLVERINE · Since 17 Apr 2006 19 Posts Lake Tapps Island

anyone?

littlegus · Since 08 Jul 2005 29 Posts La Jungla

Here's a seattle kiter group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nwkite/messages/

nwkite is mainly for kiters who kite on the columbia and oregon coast.

I lived in seattle but never kited there. You can kite on lake washington and in puget sound.

Kim · Since 11 Jul 2005 21 Posts Seattle, WA

There are a few of us on here from Seattle... what did you need?

Kim

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

If any of the Seattle crew is interesting in having another group created for them on nwkite.com, let me know! Otherwise everyone is of course free to use the main forum for that as well... after all I see tons of folks from Seattle in the Gorge all summer.

brikhouse4 · Since 22 Jan 2006 13 Posts HR

I'm in tacoma for the school year and will be home in oregon this summer. Would really like to make it out to purdy before I head home.

PKH- yeah man, I'd love that. I really prefer the forum format to that email crap on the yahoo group. Would just have to see if any of the guys there would contribute.

WOLVERINE · Since 17 Apr 2006 19 Posts Lake Tapps Island

I agree. Can we have our own Forum? That would be sweet. I checked out the yahoo group but this would be much better.

Teague · Since 10 Jul 2005 114 Posts Really Windy Places Stoked

Funny how this subject comes up here, and now. Wink

You may be aware there was alot of moaning and groaning amongst the local Yahoo Groups clan when I presented a new forum format a few months ago. A format similar to this one that most people really like to use, post pics, video and web links (that actually work when clicked on), etc. Even though it was formatted and offered as a Seattle forum it was quickly rejected. Because it was hosted through Skypilotkiteboarding.com a few felt it was like outsourcing to a foreign country and was a diss on our local IT talent. That was at a time when no one else was doing anything to make things better.

I'll support any local IT talent that is willing to put together anything remotely better than Yahoo Groups! No offense to Yahoo fans out there but that BB format is like an elementary school project gone bad!

PKH, I admire you for stepping up to the plate a while back when you offered a Seattle forum before. Sorry to see that it didn't materialize like this BB has. I will, along with many others, support you 100% if you would like to set up and offer it once again. I think you have done an awesome job with nwkite!

Seattle has an already huge and fast growing kiting community and needs something better as its communication/information platform.

my 2 cents.

mikes · Since 13 Mar 2005 90 Posts B'Ham

I see both sides of the fence, I don't really like Yahoo Groups web site but do everthing thru my Gmail account since I'm in more than one YG AND email flies way under the radar where I work. Lot's of people use their email to keep up with the discussions, it's a lot easier for many others at work too. Lot's of companies monitor employees web browsing use/abuse for non work related stuff. Email is way harder since there is so much spam.

Personally I think the Seattle crew should have it's own web site, not just a forum somewhere. I have a site and forum put together, mirrored the Yahoo Group to PhpBB with email and everything, but my hosting company did not like the how the email piece hogged the server and turned it off. I tried it again and they still didn't like it. I'm on the fence about taking another crack at it, I have an idea that might fix it, but I'd rather see it on the SKA site. If people step up I'll chip in getting it going

My .02
Mike S

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Thanks for your kind words guys Teague and Mike!

One thing I have always tried not to do is split up the Yahoo NWkite group because I know it has a lot of history and a dedicated following, that is why I have always linked to it from the header menu on every page of the forum ("Seattle" link.) That will never change...

Mike - on the email thing, I'm sure there is a way to get the RSS feed in your email. In fact I know that some email clients like Thunderbird have RSS readers built in. You could also use a web RSS reader that looks like gmail (Try Google Reader.)

If anyone else is interested in moving the Seattle group over here (again I will not do this without a majority decision on the part of the Seattle kiters), then head over to the group and post your thoughts:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nwkite/

Here is what I am offering:

- A dedicated "Seattle / North Washington" category in the forums (the naming can be up to the Seattle kiters)
- All the forum features we have now: photo attachments, RSS feed, Classifieds, no advertising, etc..
- Moderation features turned over to nominated moderators from Seattle (2 or 3 individuals)
- Free hosting for any web pages that Seattle group would like to keep, I can host the domain name as well if that is desired
- Branding could be maintained (ie: Seattle could have its own header, "Seattle Kite" or something like that.)

As far as benefits I see:
- Easy setup, would take me about 10 minutes
- No cost, I get hosting for free so I have no need to charge or advertise
- Total control over the direction of the web pages and forum (if you guys want to pick up and leave, I'd link to wherever you end up.)
- Shared login support with the rest of nwkite, that means that shared areas like news and classifieds will be that much more powerful
- I am a professional web application developer, so I will continue improving things and adding features

nwkite.com's Resume:
- Several premier kiteboarding photographers post primarily here (Jim Semlor art director for Kiteboarder Magazine for one)
- Linked from Kiteboarding Magazine's web site as one of 7 forums worldwide
- Writeups in Kiteboarding Magazine and Kiteboarder Magazine
- Over 350 registered users, over 7000 posts

And all that after only a year online!

Anyway, enough preaching.... I turn it over to the kiters in Seattle to decide.

ttsurfpilot · Since 20 Apr 2006 1 Posts New Member

Purdy-SW 10-20 or more Puget Sound forecast.Tides are important.
Less than 8 feet and that's pushing it.Wading for a launch next to a busy highway.2 feet or less and you have sand.Purdy is a friendly site,but the beach eats kites! Got ikitesurf?They have the only real sensor.Or if you're in Tacoma,look up.
Farther north is almost always windier. Ex.Richmond Beach.

I love the Yahoo Seattle thing just how it is! Hi Kim.Hi Teague.Hi Mike.
Your pictures are cool though.

ReeferMadness · Since 21 Apr 2005 32 Posts Seattle

eljayo · Since 20 Nov 2005 8 Posts Seattle Kook

PKH, I certainly wouldn't mind if you set something up for the Seattle crew. I'm back in Seattle now but I spend most of my time on this site because the Yahoo interface just bugs me... This format is so much better.