Paucity of Posters

So, where have all the posters to this forum gone? For the last several months I’ve been surprised by the inactivity on this forum. I struggle to explain why this might be the case. Is it because the associated Facebook groups have drawn away future and current cyclists or has the trail closure outside Pittsburgh limited interest in the GAP/C&O during this touring season?

If someone knows why or has some thoughts, drop a note. This website still provides a single source of valuable information for those planning for or making a trip along this popular trail.

Rivnuts, you are right, there have been fewer posts this summer, although the number of posts through winter and early spring were pretty typical.

It may just be a slow season - these things do fluctuate - but the causes you suggested (Facebook groups and trail closure) no doubt have some effect.

But there's also another factor at play: AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, etc. Some people now simply do their trail research and pose their questions to these AI tools, when in the past they would have delved deeper into actual search results and visited the websites like BikeCandO.com. So fewer people end up here, because they started by asking their questions to AI tools and went no further.

This is a documented issue at many websites: fewer website visitors over the last couple of years due to people getting their answers directly from AI tools, without spending as much time in actual websites. It's espcially happening at websites offering travel info, product reviews, news, "how to" and other info-based sites.

This is ironic because the AI tools have "learned" much of their data from these very websites -- and now AI is drawing visitor traffic away from those sites, resulting in less traffic and therefore less advertising revenue. In other words, AI is choking out a lot of the very sources that provide its data.

I'm not saying AI tools are bad - I use them all the time myself. But it's the new reality that websites need to deal with: lower traffic / lower revenue due to people using AI instead of the websites in Google results.

But you can't beat the human touch, and I appreciate those of you who come here to discuss the trail! The information you share is extremely helpful to lots and lots of trail users.

Good point. I hadn’t considered that potential cause even though I, too, used AI to help plan my trip earlier this year across Illinois. However, there wasn’t a trail forum associated with the route I was considering.

This summer has slipped away... Its been a crazy time ... I check here periodically ...Your right it has slowed way down. It seems all my questions are answered completely... Its great to talk with others with similar interest.. Rivnuts you have been instrumental in quit a bit of my questions ..along with a few others..Hope you had a safe trip through Illinois. Looking forward to 70 degree days and cool nights..

Thank you for raising this question, RivNuts. And thanks for the proposed answer. I check here all the time - to ask a question or offer a comment AND to learn from what others are bringing up. The lack of traffic has been disappointing. I also follow related FaceBook pages, but I always include this page when I am seeking info. I am grateful to everyone who keeps sharing.

Thanks for asking the question Rivnuts. I think like Ray said AI has a lot to do with it. Also I notice a lot of discussion on a facebook page I follow. I frequently direct people on facebook to this site. And I am noticing others doing the same. This forum is much more effective at assisting people planning trips on the GAP or C&O, in my opinion. And I hate to expose my fuddy duddy mindset, but I hate AI. If I google something I try to go to Wikepedia instead of getting sucked into the AI info. Anyway, I won't go down that rabbit hole. I hope this site survives the AI tsunami. And as Doug mentioned, this summer has flown by, I haven't gotten to ride or check in here as much as I would have liked to. But fall is here, and I hope to get back out on the trail.