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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gizzmo,

Stand by for lift off! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF! There goes our buddy Fishman into orbit!

Fish sees this he will go off like a Saturn 5! LOL!

Does seem strange how that thread has hung around Gizzmo.

This certainly goes against everything I believe in. Curious.

Now, I'm outa here before the fish arrives!!

I noticed the same thing today... but, with a *different* thread. This One


Yeah... I'm stoking the firebox a bit more.

I've been following the deletion pattern for sometime now. It was originally thought that every 6 months threads were deleted. This is not so. It happens on a daily basis. If you go to the 3 rail forum, there is 91 pages. Click on 91 and every thread there is dated Dec. 05. 6 months ago. I believe page 90 is also full of Dec. 05 threads. We won't go into the weight of each thread.
But it shows how many threads are started on a daily basis over there. If you click on the last page of the scenery forum I'm sure you'll find the last threads are dated 12-05 as well. They won't be there tomorrow.

As for how you guys found the obviously outdated threads is a mystery to me as well, but I won't go so far as to say there's any conspiracy.

My 2 cents.

i will say, those pics from csxal are lovely! well worth a second look.

quote:

Originally posted by Vulcan:
As for how you guys found the obviously outdated threads is a mystery to me

In my case, I have a pretty good memory... and this was a thread that I have been interested in [I have always liked the Lionel Hobby Shop accessory]. When I saw it come up again, I clicked to read the new post and noticed that the thread was a bit older than the 6 month term. I didn't give it much thought past that until I saw this thread tonight. At that point, I couldn't help poking 'Fish a bit.

Sorry, I wasn't questioning how you found them, as much as why they were still there. The same as you guys.

And I've got no problem with getting 'fish stirred up.

Vulcan, I didn't think you were questioning me at all. I was just explaining how in the world I came across the one I did. Its all good.

Okay... I can't seem to let this go. LOL I've been looking at the last page posts here and on the 3-Rail side. There are a lot of threads that were originated more than 6 months ago. It almost looks like the threads are deleted when the LAST post is just past the 6-month mark. Am I looking at this right?

If this is the case... then it seems like all we need to do is to keep posting one more reply every so often to keep the meter running... so to speak.

Todd, we've already determined that doesn't work. It's when the thread was started. Not the last post.

It's funny, though, when I go to page 91 I see nothing but 12-05 posts. Do you see something different?

quote:

Originally posted by Vulcan:
Todd, we've already determined that doesn't work. It's when the thread was started. Not the last post.

It's funny, though, when I go to page 91 I see nothing but 12-05 posts. Do you see something different?

Vulcan,

Pardon me, but I think you are wrong. This one was started November 2007.

post

I believe the clock is set at the last reply. Maybe a recent update of the Eve software changed things since you last discussed this.

George

quote:

Originally posted by ToddMc:

If this is the case... then it seems like all we need to do is to keep posting one more reply every so often to keep the meter running... so to speak.

One issue is that forum TOS prohibit replying to posts for the sole purpose of "moving them to the top of the list". We need to be careful here. If there is truely something new to add, then it should be OK.

George, perhaps something has changed. There is a lot of threads still here that shouldn't be.

I am guessing that there is a nightly process that looks for any/all threads which were started more than 6 months ago. Depending on how that process works, it's not at all inconceivable that it may have left a few standing. Computer system bugs can be funny like that... it may be that all it takes is to fail to run one night, and that days' 6-month old threads could all be accidentally "pardoned".

I have no idea if this is the case, but it's not at all surprising that some exceptions occur from time to time.

That, and I'm sure the forum admins have the capability to override the process and retain certain threads at their discretion, which is an appropriate right the owners ought to keep.

John

quote:

Originally posted by JohnBoy:
That, and I'm sure the forum admins have the capability to override the process and retain certain threads at their discretion, which is an appropriate right the owners ought to keep.

no doubt, which makes their claims that the ability to "retain certain threads" is impossible and not a feature of info-pop's web-hosting software even more ridiculous.

major kudos to allan for his renewed efforts to make providing pictures for the readers rails section easier and actually worth the effort, but dealing with nine months of B.S. excuses really chapped my hide. maybe there is hope for some changes down the road.

however, to cling to the false premise heard time and time again here: "the ability to retain post life past 6 months is just not possible with infopops service agreement" is counterproductive. the fact that the kline tank engine thread was still important enough for someone to access it proves the point that these threads should have a longer shelf-life, if not the ability to be saved permanently. here lies proof that it indeed CAN be done ... and another chink in the ogrr armor of denial.

.


.......Hi folks. I dont know if this has been brought up in all the comments left by everyone.
..... I'm thinking that OGR has a monthly mag.that they sell. Thats how they make most of their money. This is a business after all .
..... Sooooo? Having a lot of the hobby info.hanging around for only 6 mos. on a free website, doesnt really conflict with profit.
..... However, having all that/this info. available to all, all the time? Well that would work against this great magazine we all love, turning a profit margin that works.
.....Now, I'm not saying thats wrong or that its even the reason of the "6 mo. purge". Its just something to think about.

......I love this forum & feel we are lucky to have it.

Jeff, no one has ever asked for all this information to be saved. you could take 99% of what gets posted on the 3 rail side and dump it in a week, with no value lost. A lot of what's posted here in the scenery section doesn't need to be archived but there is/was a lot of working going into some of the threads that only disappeared after 6 months. These threads were much more detailed and informative than any mag ever publishes. The good thing about the forum is you can ask a question and get an answer. You can't do that with a mag.

(If you do, I may be worried about you).

fellas, we've been down this road before ... quite recently with the readers rails fiasco. the info we receive versus the info that is fact is once again called into question. for months, we heard about how the editors never received any pictures for the readers rails section. turns out plenty of people had sent pictures in, time and time again heeding allan's call for quality readers shots, and again and again people sent them in. at some point, people got wise ... especially after it was the very readers who got fingered for their perceived lack of interest or concern: i believe the term 'instant gratification' was used a few times. eventually i turned out that NO ONE EVER EVEN BOTHERED TO CHECK OR RESPOND TO EMAILS! now, i hope, the process is more streamlined and now both those who take the time to send pictures AND o gauge magazine can reap the benefits.

now, the issue is with the lifespan of posts and the ability to retain certain posts of interest and importance. time and time again, we hear the same refrain: its just not possible. thats a whole lot different than: its not feasible! sure, it would be RIDICULOUS to save each and every post for eternity. however, it would help the forum and its forumites a great deal if there was an option to view saved posts of importance: product reviews, how-tos, photo tutorials, etc. perhaps the access to the saved material is only allowed for 'premium level' members, i.e. those who would be willing to pay a small yearly fee for this privilege.

you see: its the principle that matters most to me. its this culture of "instant denial" that irks me so ... an instant response that it's the readers fault for nor providing pictures for publication in the magazine, rather than actually going through the emails to see if the statement is indeed factual ... the instant response that "its not possible for posts to be saved permanently" rather than working with info-pop to actually see if there is some solution possible. i and others here have contacted info-pop personally to see if it can be done, and you're darn tootin' it can be ... just as the option to have the reader choose the number of posts displayed per page, the ability to keep pictures smaller in size in the post but allowing for the option of full size and resolution when clicked on (so we dont have to wait so long for dial-up) ... the list goes on and on.

yes, i'm grateful for this forum and am glad its free as i think it brings many more over the fence. however, there is always room for improvement and i feel that this forum could be so much more as far as a modeling resource as well as a great place to share thoughts and ideas. why not have both?

in the end, i'm a loyal forumite and will continue to share and enjoy my time here. but for crying out loud: dont piss on my shoes and tell me it sure looks like rain today ... i already had to trod in knee deep b.s. to get here!

quote:

Originally posted by VaGolfer1950:
Stand by for lift off! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF! There goes our buddy Fishman into orbit!

Fish sees this he will go off like a Saturn 5! LOL!

Houston, we have lift-off!!

(I am old enough to remember to remember Saturn V. Wow!)

George

I would like to take this opportunity to invite you all to participate in the blogs/forums I have recently set up on my website

I set this up originally to talk about product research, but I am more than willing to start a category for scenery, projects, other people's products, or anything else if someone will shoot me an email with a request. I can reasonably assure you that whatever is posted there will remain forever.

It works very much like this forum - you can even post photos (urls only; I don't host photos... yet).

Not trying to take people away from what I feel is simply the best O-gauge discussion board in the world, but if we want to post some special content that we want to keep in perpetuity, I encourage you to use my site for that.

Cheers,

John

Post are deleted after 6 mos. of not being posted to. Both threads in question had a reply within the 6 mos span of deletion. A thread could have been started 4 years ago as long as every 5 mos someone would post to it. That simple.

Marty, if that's correct, then this is new. At the end of last year we lost several threads, such as the scenery sourcelist and absolute photos that were being posted to on a regular basis.

And I should have mentioned your "how to post photos" thread.

quote:

Originally posted by MartyE:
Post are deleted after 6 mos. of not being posted to. Both threads in question had a reply within the 6 mos span of deletion. A thread could have been started 4 years ago as long as every 5 mos someone would post to it. That simple.

sorry marty i fear this is not the case, but you may be privy to more inside info than i am. i wouldnt be making such a big stink if keeping a post alive were this simple! posting to a thread does not insure its being kept alive ... clearly evident from the high number of posts i have seen get the boot even after trying c.p.r. (certain post retention) by applying your idea (i thought it would work too!)

dave's ongoing struggle to keep the scenery source list is a clear indication of this ... poor guy has to redo it every 6 months!

its simple: it doesnt