The New Trains.com

[Overmod]

Convicted One

Wouldn't the fact that I've won, be considered news?

Well, it would be new to you ... so perhaps yes.  The problem comes when you try to collect your large money damages for breach of implied contract or whatever.  Don't spend it all before you get the check and it posts...

Something I never tire of, just like seeing different ways people lie with statistics, is all the different ways something 'free' turns out to have caveats, and strings attached, that are usually cleverly "disclosed" in language that does anything but.  Here they make much out of the fact that you can opt out of 'news' (about the exciting new world of the trains.com experience!) and 'offers' from the Kalmbach railroad publications -- and I'll be generous, from other Kalmbach publications as well -- but nothing is said about all those "partners" that Kalmbach so happily described in their golden future plans back in early 2018.  The partners that were going to benefit from the captive enthusiast market represented by railroad fans.  That will almost certainly be peddled the list of 'sweepstakes participants'...

I shall not be one such, not that I think it will help much.  

[Convicted One]

Overmod

The problem comes when you try to collect your large money damages for breach of implied contract or whatever

Where did THAT come from? Who said anything about suing?

I'm merely pondering the likelihood that  notification of my winning might be considered "news". And if I opt out of receiving news and updates, am I not setting up a self-excluding barrier?

[Overmod]

Convicted One

And if I opt out of receiving news and updates, am I not setting up a self-excluding barrier?

I took "news" to mean Kalmbach news, as e-mail blasted to 'everybody'.  Not a targeted communication to just one person: you, to tell you you were a winnah!

[York1]

Overmod

The partners that were going to benefit from the captive enthusiast market represented by railroad fans.  That will almost certainly be peddled the list of 'sweepstakes participants'...

 

While I agree with most of what you say ...   (How's that for a warning of words to come?)

I don't consider myself part of a captive market.  I'm here voluntarily, fully aware that my information may be used for marketing.  I know the fine print on sweepstakes entry forms says information may be used for any number of uses.

 

Off topic:  I know someone who actually won the total showcase on "The Price is Right".  Much of what he won was sold to cover and avoid the taxes.

[Overmod]

York1

I don't consider myself part of a captive market.  I'm here voluntarily, fully aware that my information may be used for marketing.

The problem is that Kalmbach is repeatedly on record as stating you're part of a captive market, one which they claimed they were going to be able to leverage with other 'partners'.  It was in that sense I was concerned, as it appeared to go far beyond what traditional use the company has made of subscriber or online-member information.

I am one of the, I suspect, very few here who does not use an ad-blocker on the forums.  I do that because I too accept that I may be used for marketing; it's an acceptable cost of 'free' forum access.  However, I draw the line at how much I will be used, and that line is short of malformed intrusive ad content crashing my browsers, or site-served code locking up my phone as the one-billionth winner or five-minute-and-counting infection with some iPhone virus.

[GERALD L MCFARLANE JR]

Electroliner 1935

 

Flintlock76

 Thanks Mod-man!

I checked the links, and honestly it still leaves a lot of questions un-answered.  

Have to wait and see, I suppose.  

I too checked the links and stopped when I saw I had to agree to accept ads. I get TOO many already. 

 

 

One huge advantage is that the new site is a secure website as opposed to the old site through Kalmbach.com, that's a huge issue when it comes to phishing and other internet issues.  So that should no longer show the site as potentially being the home of malware, etc.(I have seen that on a few occasions).

[MMLDelete]

I went to the new Trains site and navigated to this forum from there. It appears that the look and experience here remains the same.

But maybe they haven't gotten to the forums yet.

One feature I'd love to have here (and do have on all the other forums I frequent) is the abilty to go directly to the first post I have not yet seen in a thread.

[Overmod]

Lithonia Operator

But maybe they haven't gotten to the forums yet.

Forums are stage 3, remember; spring 2021, according to Steve Otte at MR.

[Paul of Covington]

Overmod wrote the following post yesterday:

 

 

Convicted One

 

Paul of Covington

 I have always felt that anonymity is a big part of the problem with the internet.

By the same measure, would you want the "foaming at the mouth' haters  to know how to easily  find you?

 

 

In fact this is not silly; I know of at least one person on Kalmbach forums who was unwise enough to leave his 'real world' E-mail unguarded and was maliciously doxxed by someone who didn't approve of some of his posts.

___________

   Now the "Add Quote to your Post" doesn't seem to work, so I copied and pasted the entry.

   "... was maliciously doxxed by someone ..."    Yes, by someone hiding behind his cloak of anonymity.

   Now I tried the "Preview Post" function on this entry and got a blank.  After adding this last line, I tried "Preview Post" again, and it worked.

   Since my answer looked lost in all that mess, I put it in bold.

   Now I wonder if the failure of "Add Quote to your Post" was temporary like the "Preview Post", but I'm not going to start over.

[Convicted One]

Paul of Covington

 "... was maliciously doxxed by someone ..."    Yes, by someone hiding behind his cloak of anonymity.

The point I was trying to make earlier, once you surrender your anonymity, there are abundant resources available that enable some sicko to find your home address.....meaning your children's home address as well.

If you were to say something  that didn't set well with some sicko.....are you willing to gamble with how seriously he is going to take it?

But most important of all Paul, it's very misguided to believe that the sick cannot be intelligent too (meant to address your "assuming they can think twice" comment).  Often the sick command considerable intellect, yet fail to perceive "reasonable" boundries. Who knows to what length such a person might go seeking.....validation?

[Paul of Covington]

   C.O., I don't disagree with anything you just said, but the same goes with being in the phonebook or the current online equivalent.  When the Bill Of Rights was passed, freedom of speech pretty much meant shouting from a soap box.  We have seen how the internet can be used to spread disinformation, not only by individuals, but by foreign or domestic organizations.

   In the last few years, two individuals fairly high in local law enforcement and legal departments lost their jobs when they were found to be posting opinions on cases in which they were involved, but it took a bit of detective work to find them out.  We don't all have the resources of the FBI or CIA.

[Convicted One]

David raised a very good point a while ago, about  the opportunity cost of anonymity. For the most part I feel like I could sit down, kick back, and enjoy a cup of coffee with most members of this message board.  But there are a few, just based upon casual observation, who give pause for concern.

For that reason alone, I find the barrier of anonymity to be comforting. 

And not pointing a finger at anyone, I frequently find the highly excitable to be among the first to lament about anonymity...hence my comment earlier about red flags.

[Flintlock76]

Convicted One

For that reason alone, I find the barrier of anonymity to be comforting. 

So do I.  My close friends here (The few that are left!   ) know who I am, but I prefer to remain a mystery to others.  I'm more comfortable that way.

[tree68]

One of the denizens of the forum was able to find a satellite image of my truck...

If you take enough notes (even mental notes) over time, you can often gather enough snippets to piece together a pretty accurate picture.  

 

[SD60MAC9500]

 

Convicted One

 

 

Paul of Covington

 "... was maliciously doxxed by someone ..."    Yes, by someone hiding behind his cloak of anonymity.

 

 

The point I was trying to make earlier, once you surrender your anonymity, there are abundant resources available that enable some sicko to find your home address.....meaning your children's home address as well.

If you were to say something  that didn't set well with some sicko.....are you willing to gamble with how seriously he is going to take it?

But most important of all Paul, it's very misguided to believe that the sick cannot be intelligent too (meant to address your "assuming they can think twice" comment).  Often the sick command considerable intellect, yet fail to perceive "reasonable" boundries. Who knows to what length such a person might go seeking.....validation?

 

Indeed and you can find videos on youtube where exactly this has happened. Matter of fact a youtuber named boogie2988. A "fan" doxed his info and showed up to his house. Boogie responded in kind with a firearm. So it's best to keep personal info private..

 

[tree68]

SD60MAC9500

So it's best to keep personal info private..

Every now and then you'll see someone on a forum accuse other posters of hiding behind their screen nom de plume. These days there are more than enough nuts who want to settle an inconsequential disagreement face to face. 

[Convicted One]

Anyway, when they eventually do get the new forums integrated into the revitalized website, I hope they don't do something lame such as require a mobile number as part of registration. Many sites are doing that now, and I just refuse to be assimilated in that manner.

[Flintlock76]

Convicted One

I hope they don't do something lame such as require a mobile number as part of registration.

The problem nowadays is smart-phones, iphones, or whatever you want to call them, are so ubiquitous that some people, probably too many, up to and including website designers, can't imagine anyone living without one.  There's some sites I go to where you can't gain access without a temporary ID.  They do e-mail you one, but I have to do some "gymnastics," for lack of a better term, on the computer to get the ID and then apply it to the website.  Easy if I had a smart-phone, not so easy if you don't have one. 

Well I don't have a smart-phone and have no urge to get one.  My flip-phone does everything I want it to, which is make phone calls and nothing else.

[Convicted One]

Flintlock76

.  My flip-phone does everything I want it to, which is make phone calls and nothing else.

And you can hear clearly the person on the other end with one of those.

I hate the omnidirectional mics on the newer phones, have to guess about 1/4 what the other person is saying.

[GERALD L MCFARLANE JR]

Convicted One

 

Paul of Covington

 "... was maliciously doxxed by someone ..."    Yes, by someone hiding behind his cloak of anonymity.

  

The point I was trying to make earlier, once you surrender your anonymity, there are abundant resources available that enable some sicko to find your home address.....meaning your children's home address as well.

If you were to say something  that didn't set well with some sicko.....are you willing to gamble with how seriously he is going to take it?

But most important of all Paul, it's very misguided to believe that the sick cannot be intelligent too (meant to address your "assuming they can think twice" comment).  Often the sick command considerable intellect, yet fail to perceive "reasonable" boundries. Who knows to what length such a person might go seeking.....validation? 

Anyone with half a brain that knows anything about computers can find that information without you giving up any personal information at all.  With just two programs on my computer, if I were so inclined, I could easily find out your real name, address, phone number, job and any number of other personal information about you.  Just being on the internet exposes you to all sorts of bad actors(as they like to call them).  Not saying I would do that, but I know how it's done and I know people that have done it.

[Erik_Mag]

Bringing this thread back from the dead...

Got the "would you like to try the Trains Unlimited?" notice a few days ago and decided to go for it. Got signed up, tried to login and got an error message. Then tried deleting cookies, and still got an error message - using FireFox 78.0 86.0. Tried Safari, got the same error message, then sent a note to customer service. Their reply was deleting cookies or try another browser - only thing I hadn't tried was deleting cookies on Safari - which worked! Next step was trying Firefox 48.0.2, which worked nicely. Tonight I tried logging in with FF 78.0 and to my great surprise - It Worked! (hmmm)

Bad news is that the pop-ups at the bottom of the screen are still here...

Good news is that the magazine archives are sweet, seem to be a nicer experience than the DVD's. A couple of advantages are that the archives are kept up to date, and for Apple users there is no worry about the software being compatible with the latest versions of MacOS, not to mention being compatible with the M1 processors. Having a large screen is a big help when reading the archives.

One complaint about the archive is the way that fold-outs are handled.

[Convicted One]

Erik_Mag

Got the "would you like to try the Trains Unlimited?" notice a few days ago and decided to go for it. Got signed up, tried to login and got an error message. Then tried deleting cookies, and still got an error message - using FireFox 78.0. Tried Safari, got the same error message, then sent a note to customer service. Their reply was deleting cookies or try another browser - only thing I hadn't tried was deleting cookies on Safari - which worked! Next step was trying Firefox 48.0.2, which worked nicely. Tonight I tried logging in with FF 78.0 and to my great surprise - It Worked! (hmmm)

 

I suspect there to be a basic hurdle in web tech support where in order toget them to look under the hood on their end, hundreds of people have to be complaining. When only a small handful complain, they just tell you the problem is on your end., and hope you'll either figure it out, or go away.

So, what's the offer you are doing? Free trial for a plan you'll eventually have to pay for?

I never see their special offers anymore because I ditched all my burner e-mail accounts cause I was afraid Gerald might track me down. 

[Flintlock76]

I get the special-offer e-mails myself, which I usually delete quickly.

With a bookcase groaning under the weight of all my railbooks just how many more rail publications and images do I need?  Not too many, unless they're really exceptional.  And even now most, if not all my railmags go into the recycling bin when I'm done. I used to leave them on the magazine table at the gym but with COVID now that's a no-no.

[1019x]

I signed up for the 30 day free offer Saturday evening. So far I have noticed that it seems to take a long time to switch from different applications although once in the applications things seemed to be a reasonably good speed.

[Erik_Mag]

Convicted One

So, what's the offer you are doing? Free trial for a plan you'll eventually have to pay for?

That's the one.

I have a couple of ways of getting to the forum, with the favorite being cs.trains.com/f/. The other is through the main portal of the Trains.com site and that's where I got the prompt to try the "Unlimited" plan. One motivation was to get a chance to read the MR issues from the 1964-66 range, as I have 11 issues from that time frame. Been waiting almost 56 years to read the first 4 entries of the Ma & Pa series.

Other motivation is that I'm about to decommision the last computer I have that will run the Trains and Classic Trains DVD software.

One quirk of the unlimited plan is that access to all of the magzine archives has to be done from the main portal - with the exception of the magazines that one has subscriptions.

[daveklepper]

Overmod, I just wish to share your point-of-view of not using an Ad-blcker, but still having limits on what is acceptable as an ad appearance.  Thanks.

[Convicted One]

Erik_Mag

One motivation was to get a chance to read the MR issues from the 1964-66 range, as I have 11 issues from that time frame. Been waiting almost 56 years to read the first 4 entries of the Ma & Pa series.

It's good to see someone with a "happy ending" for a change.  Congrats!!

 

Erik_Mag

Other motivation is that I'm about to decommision the last computer I have that will run the Trains and Classic Trains DVD software.

 

Yikes!! Thanks for reminding me how old I'm getting.   I went out the other day to window shop new laptops, and was astounded how most of the really nice ones do not have optical drives anymore.

[Leo_Ames]

The new site briefly popped up for me about 10 minutes ago before the old site returned. Do I also have to clear cookies?

Are any of Kalmbach's shorter lived periodicals available in the archive? I'd love to see their archive for Ships & Sailing, Trains Illustrated, and Airliners International.

[Convicted One]

Leo_Ames

The new site briefly popped up for me about 10 minutes ago before the old site returned. Do I also have to clear cookies?

 

Try entering the following in your address bar   https://www.trains.com/why-join/

[Overmod]

TL;DR: $83.88 per year... billed in advance.

Actually not a bad deal if you use the content (but I'll be interested to see what happens to your Zinio Reader access to the stored copies if you let the monthly Unlimited subscription lapse!)