Jeff, would you consider doing an AMA?

[Anonymous]

Why do semi erotic ads from Second Life showing up this week when I go to the Political forum? I did not realize Second Life is still alive.

[Anonymous]

This was really awesome Jeff - thank you!

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Why do semi erotic ads from Second Life showing up this week when I go to the Political forum? I did not realize Second Life is still alive.

The vast majority of our ads are provided by ad networks with whom we have partnered. They use their own algorithms to determine which ads to show specific users. It is difficult to guess what reasons they had for targeting you. I haven't received those ads at all, though I saw one that a user posted in this forum to complain about it.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:This was really awesome Jeff - thank you!

Thank you! It was fun to do it.

[Anonymous]

Jeff, if you're still doing this AMA:

You mentioned that you work out for two hours a day. What is your exercise routine exactly? What kinds of exercises? How has it changed since the pandemic?

Just taking inspiration from your weight loss story.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, if you're still doing this AMA:

You mentioned that you work out for two hours a day. What is your exercise routine exactly? What kinds of exercises? How has it changed since the pandemic?

Just taking inspiration from your weight loss story.

My exercise routine changes from time to time depending on circumstances. We have a rowing machine, a treadmill, and an indoor cycle. Plus, we live in a very walkable neighborhood bordering on Rock Creek Park. So I will tend to use some combination of all of these. Recently, I have been rowing 5000 meters and then cycling for 30 minutes. Then, I go for a four mile walk outside. If the weather is bad, I use the treadmill instead. Sometimes I run, but not for a few weeks because I have a foot that has been giving me trouble. I often will hike on trails in the park, but these days those are too crowded so I avoid them. Sometimes I will also replace walking or running with outdoor cycling.

I've talked a lot before about my weight loss and exercise. My Apple Watch has been essential for providing inspiration and feedback. I am obsessed with closing my circles. One down side to this is that it doesn't allow for rest days, which I probably need but never take. In my opinion and experience, while exercise has lot of benefits, it is not the primary driver of weight loss. Cutting back eating and changing eating habits has a much greater impact.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, if you're still doing this AMA:

You mentioned that you work out for two hours a day. What is your exercise routine exactly? What kinds of exercises? How has it changed since the pandemic?

Just taking inspiration from your weight loss story.

My exercise routine changes from time to time depending on circumstances. We have a rowing machine, a treadmill, and an indoor cycle. Plus, we live in a very walkable neighborhood bordering on Rock Creek Park. So I will tend to use some combination of all of these. Recently, I have been rowing 5000 meters and then cycling for 30 minutes. Then, I go for a four mile walk outside. If the weather is bad, I use the treadmill instead. Sometimes I run, but not for a few weeks because I have a foot that has been giving me trouble. I often will hike on trails in the park, but these days those are too crowded so I avoid them. Sometimes I will also replace walking or running with outdoor cycling.

I've talked a lot before about my weight loss and exercise. My Apple Watch has been essential for providing inspiration and feedback. I am obsessed with closing my circles. One down side to this is that it doesn't allow for rest days, which I probably need but never take. In my opinion and experience, while exercise has lot of benefits, it is not the primary driver of weight loss. Cutting back eating and changing eating habits has a much greater impact.

Did you stick with this eating plan for your weight loss? Or did it evolve over time?
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/701112.page

What are you eating now to maintain?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Did you stick with this eating plan for your weight loss? Or did it evolve over time?
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/701112.page

What are you eating now to maintain?

I have pretty much stuck to variations of that routine. For instance, today I had a banana in the morning. Then some dried cherries and a cup of yogurt for lunch. Tonight we will have carnitas tacos, black beans, and rice. That will be my biggest meal and as long as I don't overdo it on the tacos, I will be fine.

I have become really good at calibrating my eating and normally have a good idea whether I will be gaining or losing depending on how much I have eaten. But if there is anything I have learned in this process, it is how little food we actually need. It is pretty easy not to eat too much as long as I stay busy. It is when I am bored that things get difficult.

[Anonymous]

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has your view on what you might consider a misogynist, racist, mean, defamatory, or just plain nasty post that should be deleted shifted over the years?

Yes, dramatically. When we first started I pretty much thought anyone should be able to post just about anything. I was of the opinion that words were just words and if you didn’t like them, you could ignore them. I was very much in “the cure for speech you don’t like is speech you like” camp. But then I started to understand the impact of abuse minorities and women constantly face, especially online.

It also took me a while to learn something that I don’t think is really understood about a site like this. Those that tend to use racist and misogynistic language and so on comprise a fairly large group of users — far larger than I think we like to acknowledge. Moreover, they can be among the most active users. There is a certain fear of blocking them or removing their posts because doing so can cost you a big chunk of your users. But, what I’ve found is that the negative impact of such posters far outweighs any benefit they might bring with their traffic. Moreover, their activity chases away many other users who don’t want to deal with them. So, wholesale blocking actually grows traffic to the site rather than decreasing it. It is almost counter-intuitive.

I love everything about this. I will support your site more just for this.

[Anonymous]

Do you think this site gives a good or bad impression of parents in the DMV? For someone new coming to DC, looking for schools and housing info, for example. Do you think they would be thankful or do you think they might get a bit scared?

(In case you are wondering, as someone who did move to DC recently, some of the comments and the general tone of posts made us really question if DC was the right place for us).

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think this site gives a good or bad impression of parents in the DMV? For someone new coming to DC, looking for schools and housing info, for example. Do you think they would be thankful or do you think they might get a bit scared?

(In case you are wondering, as someone who did move to DC recently, some of the comments and the general tone of posts made us really question if DC was the right place for us).

I think that generally the forum is very helpful to newcomers to the area. I continually hear from people who were helped by the forum. I also know that we are a site that is often recommended by folks whose job is to assist with relocations. But, I recognize that sometimes posts can give a bad impression as well. It is frustrating because generally the most negative posts are not reflective of things as I know them. For instance, I have seen negative comments about schools that my kids attended that did not reflect our experience. I see lots of comments about the DC government or other things in DC that are dramatically different than how I have experienced them. That does not mean the negative comments are wrong -- others' experiences could certainly be different -- but I frequently feel the negativity is exaggerated. Similarly, the mean and constantly negative posters are not at all representative of the sort of folks with whom I come into contact normally in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has your view on what you might consider a misogynist, racist, mean, defamatory, or just plain nasty post that should be deleted shifted over the years?

Yes, dramatically. When we first started I pretty much thought anyone should be able to post just about anything. I was of the opinion that words were just words and if you didn’t like them, you could ignore them. I was very much in “the cure for speech you don’t like is speech you like” camp. But then I started to understand the impact of abuse minorities and women constantly face, especially online.

It also took me a while to learn something that I don’t think is really understood about a site like this. Those that tend to use racist and misogynistic language and so on comprise a fairly large group of users — far larger than I think we like to acknowledge. Moreover, they can be among the most active users. There is a certain fear of blocking them or removing their posts because doing so can cost you a big chunk of your users. But, what I’ve found is that the negative impact of such posters far outweighs any benefit they might bring with their traffic. Moreover, their activity chases away many other users who don’t want to deal with them. So, wholesale blocking actually grows traffic to the site rather than decreasing it. It is almost counter-intuitive.

I love everything about this. I will support your site more just for this.

Me too, though it's depressing to know that so many people are so awful. Thanks for kicking them out.

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm somewhat new here. I've responded to questions, but have never asked one of my own. How do I find a link to start a new topic? Thanks so much, and I love the site.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, I'm somewhat new here. I've responded to questions, but have never asked one of my own. How do I find a link to start a new topic? Thanks so much, and I love the site.

Welcome to DCUM. Within each forum at the top of the list of topics is a button that says, "new topic". Just click that.