Survival Skills is making the switch to Ko-Fi

[The Spin Doctor]

I've been working hard getting the old Facebook Archive up online in one place and that place is www.ko-fi.com/survivalskills

I've been using Facebook to publish my 'better biking' posts since 2012 - and I've been using it on a regular basis since late 2013, offering two long running series of posts - TIPS on TUESDAY and SKILLS on SATURDAY - that cover everything from help for beginning riders to hints and tips for experienced riders to fine-tune their riding.

But for the last twelve months, I've been dual-posting those series - and other posts too - on my Ko-Fi page.

WHAT’S KO-FI?

Ko-Fi is a relatively new site that allows content creators to showcase their work in an ad-free and tracking-free environment. In this case, I'm using Ko-Fi to allow anyone who wants to follow my writing to sidestep Facebook's advertising and tracking altogether.

Facebook is also totally hopeless for finding old posts. There IS a search facility but Ko-Fi makes it easy to create individual posts as CONTENT MENUS.

HOW DO I KNOW THERE IS A NEW POST TO READ?

That's easy. Just register as a FOLLOWER - you'll get email alerts a new post is ready.

IS KO-FI SUBSCRIPTION ONLY?

In case you are worrying, Ko-Fi is NOT a subscription-only site. There is plenty of FREE TO READ content over there, and ALL NEW CONTENT is FREE TO READ for at least seven days - and don't forget, no tracking or ads!

BUT SOME CONTENT IS BEHIND A PAYWALL?

Many - but not all - of the archive posts are in the SUPPORTER section of the site. A one-off contribution to the upkeep of the Archive - from as little as £3 or the price of a coffee - will open up a month’s access to well over SIX HUNDRED better biking articles.

Or you can choose to become a monthly SUBSCRIBER and gain access to lots more specialist posts including DIY training articles, bike set up and rider psychology. Not bad for a little as £3 per month - and LESS THAN HALF THE PRICE of a subscription to Motorcycle News! You can cancel at any time, too.

SO IS IT ALL OLD STUFF?

Nope. It's true that most of the articles ARE from the archive - currently every TIPS on TUESDAY and SKILLS on SATURDAY post for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 are up. That's approximately ONE HUNDRED per year. Right now I'm just reaching the end of another one hundred of 2019's posts. That leaves 2020 as the final year from the archive still to be transferred. I should have finished that early next year. But many of those posts have been UPDATED and often RE-WRITTEN for clarity (and to fix the occasional typo). So even if you remember a post from eight years ago, it's worth re-reading!

But as I mentioned, there are NEW TIPS on TUESDAY and SKILLS on SATURDAY posts going up on... you guessed... Tuesdays and Saturdays - that's another 100 from 2021 and I'll be continuing to write new posts in the coming year too.

In any case, even if you are an avid follower of my page on Facebook, it's highly unlikely you've seen every single post simply because Facebook doesn't work that way - and that means there are undoubtedly hidden gems that you haven't read yet.

I CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO TRAWL THROUGH HUNDREDS OF POSTS - HOW DO I FIND SOMETHING INTERESTING TO READ?

I've already done the leg work for you. TIPS on TUESDAY and SKILLS on SATURDAY posts are indexed by YEAR. And in the SUBSCRIBER SECTION, posts are also indexed by topic. Find the index here: https://ko-fi.com/post/CONTENT-T6T87DH7L And I have many more articles to add to this part of the site too.

I'M A NEW RIDER, I FIND ALL THIS KIND OF STUFF FAR TOO COMPLICATED

All I can say that is "come over and take a look at the the content". There's plenty that is very much aimed at new riders starting out on their riding career, some aims to help with basic training issues, to fix confidence issues and help newly qualified riders cope with a first bike after passing a test, or to help build post-test skills on top of what was learned to pass the test.

I'M AN EXPERIENCED RIDER - THERE WON'T BE ANYTHING THERE TO LEARN / I DON'T BELIEVE IN POLICE-STYLE TRAINING

I have to say I have heard that more than a few times, but if you know anything about Survival Skills, you'll know that I'm not a slavish follower of the teachings of 'Motorcycle Roadcraft' (useful book though it is at times), and you'll also know I don't always agree with the IAM / RoSPA approach to training or riding. If nothing else, you're likely to encounter my very different way of thinking about riding as an ongoing exercise in managing potential disaster! Even if you don't like that approach, it's sure to get you thinking and arguing!

BUT I LIKE THE INTERACTION YOU GET FROM BEING ABLE TO LIKE, COMMENT - AND ARGUE - ON FACEBOOK

The good news is that there is also a LIKE and COMMENT facility on Ko-Fi - just read to the bottom of the post and you'll see where.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? Fire away and I'll do my best to answer them. I hope to see some of you over on the www.ko-fi.com/survivalskills page soon!

[The Spin Doctor]

This week's SKILLS on SATURDAY and TIPS on TUESDAY posts are now FREE TO READ at www.ko-fi.com/survivalskills.

The first looks at the pitfalls of coming back to biking, with my experience of running three different courses for riders returning to two wheels after a break, and the second is the third in a series of five articles all looking at roundabout technique - perfect for the newly qualified or intermediate rider. Those articles are FREE TO READ for all FOLLOWERS.

And there's new SUPPORTER content gone up too. I've just finished posting five articles from 2019 that looked at riding tips for wet roads in a variety of different environments.

You can become a SUPPORTER from as little as £3 - the price of a coffee - and get a month's access to over 600 better biking posts.

If you become a SUBSCRIBER with a monthly payment of £3 or more - less than half the price of MCN - you get unlimited access to all those articles, plus a series of more in-depth items including a series of DIY exercises to mirror my 'Performance: BENDS' one-day cornering course.

Pop over and take a look!

www.ko-fi.com/survivalskills