selectorOh, I had forgotten that, but I have found that myself
And, I'm not unsympathetic to the gist of your earlier posts. I realize that there have been a few people seemingly dedicated to disruption, who would put forth the effort to return again and again just to amuse themselves.
And you are saying that it was particularly thought provoking when a new "player" would show up, and appear to have an encyclopedic knowledge of which old threads could provoke the most uproar.....I'm sure that I would feel the exact same way, if I had been in your shoes.
Still, even a broken clock is correct twice per day...I don't think we can completely rule out the possibility that a total outsider could have been googling for controversial topics, and simply won the lottery here.
Ban them all, and let Sergey Brin sort them out?
I agree. I like some old threads because they are often more interesting than current ones. The resurrected threads along with process ones like this one generate more posts than most recent ones. IMO, shutting down threads that stray from a pure railroad focus damages the future of the forum as participation continues to slide downhill.
Convicted One Interestingly enough, even when the "on board" search engine was disfunctional, you could find items deep inside this forum, via a routine google search. Which, ostensibly at least, would explain how a n00b might find deep treasure here. That google search may have been what brought them here in the first place. ...
Interestingly enough, even when the "on board" search engine was disfunctional, you could find items deep inside this forum, via a routine google search.
Which, ostensibly at least, would explain how a n00b might find deep treasure here. That google search may have been what brought them here in the first place. ...
Oh, I had forgotten that, but I have found that myself. A simple google search has an early result showing trains.com and an obvious quote of some kind. But with our resident search engine, I must be batting near 180.
Erik_MagAs for old threads being brought back to life - I often find them to be interesting.
Indeed. I'm not complaining - hopefully no one took any comments I may have made that way. Inevitably, some one will refer to such a thread as "raised from the dead."
As I said, I suspect that a good number of them - if not most - come from someone doing a web search on some topic and getting a post on the forum as one of the results.
Sometimes a browse through such a thread will bring to mind some posters who we don't see around any more, for a variety of reasons.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Erik_Mag SD70Dude You're senior to him by over 5 years, you must be getting close to a pension! "Convicted One" was active under another handle when I first joined the forum in Dec 2005 under another handle. Had to change when trying to update my e-mail address and got locked out of the old account. As for old threads being brought back to life - I often find them to be interesting.
SD70Dude You're senior to him by over 5 years, you must be getting close to a pension!
You're senior to him by over 5 years, you must be getting close to a pension!
"Convicted One" was active under another handle when I first joined the forum in Dec 2005 under another handle. Had to change when trying to update my e-mail address and got locked out of the old account.
As for old threads being brought back to life - I often find them to be interesting.
That's well before my time, but I do remember you as Erikem. As I recall you weren't the only one who got locked out due to IT issues around that time.
Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't mind seeing old threads revived.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Paul of Covington First of all, I don't understand why anyone would complain just because of the age of a thread.
First of all, I don't understand why anyone would complain just because of the age of a thread.
Paul, I don't get it either. I really don't understand what this brouhaha is all about.
I haven't seriously researched it, but it seems to me that when an old thread is brought up, it often is by a new member. I figure that someone new would tend to explore the site more extensively than old timers and may even start at oldest post first.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
On a trains forum, the most active thread is not about trains, but about the forum itself, moderators, and banning.
Since the topics on the forum are started and continued by the posters themselves, I don't think the moderators or the forum owners are at fault for lack of interest.
The number of "interesting" threads that are ended by moderators is very few.
York1 John
I never realized there had ever been a problem with forum bans here.
I'm surprised then that several of us, me included, didn't encounter issues in some of the old threads dealing with the now resolved troubles and tribulations around the SS Badger and EPA rules.
Maybe our moderators aren't carferry fans. :)
charlie hebdo The number of revivals of old threads is related to the lack of interest in recent ones. If you don't believe that, look at the dates and low activity levels.
The number of revivals of old threads is related to the lack of interest in recent ones. If you don't believe that, look at the dates and low activity levels.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
greyhounds I need to credit wanswheel for his excellent research. Does anyone know how I can contact him about this?
I need to credit wanswheel for his excellent research.
Does anyone know how I can contact him about this?
Credit someone for their excellent research?
Now that is a concept familiar to . . . no, never mind, please, please, don't, don't ban me!
If GM "killed the electric car", what am I doing standing next to an EV-1, a half a block from the WSOR tracks?
charlie hebdoThe number of revivals of old threads is related to the lack of interest in recent ones. If you don't believe that, look at the dates and low activity levels.
When the 'interesting thread' participants get banned for keeping the threads 'interesting' what do you expect.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Convicted OneI set up my own forum once,
I set up a chat for the EMS agency in town, along with their website. Theoretically, the crews and other members of the squad could use it to communicate non-sensitive information.
Someone found it and shared the info with their friends, resulting in page after page of nonsense. I shut it down.
zugmannDude - you ARE the old guard!
I set up my own forum once, but once I had it all organized the way I wanted it, I started contemplating the certainty of thread drift, out of context replies, and expeditionary nonsense, and consequently decided not to invite anyone else to join. It's pretty nice tho.
SD70DudeYou're senior to him by over 5 years, you must be getting close to a pension!
I get first pick of the rocking chairs.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
Murphy SidingWhy did I picture Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon from Grumpy old men?
I've a few friends who used to tease me mercilessly about the Jack Nicholson movie "About Schmidt", that I should sue for them stealing my story.
So, if you ever wonder what I might really be like in real life.....there is your template.
zugmann Convicted One I suspect part of it too, is that the "old guard" of a forum (any form, I'm not just picking on this one) often feel that new members owe them some degree of subordination. And when they don't get it, perceived threat starts to fuel their imaginations. Leading them to suspect that old adversaries are up to new tricks. Dude - you ARE the old guard!
Convicted One I suspect part of it too, is that the "old guard" of a forum (any form, I'm not just picking on this one) often feel that new members owe them some degree of subordination. And when they don't get it, perceived threat starts to fuel their imaginations. Leading them to suspect that old adversaries are up to new tricks.
I suspect part of it too, is that the "old guard" of a forum (any form, I'm not just picking on this one) often feel that new members owe them some degree of subordination.
And when they don't get it, perceived threat starts to fuel their imaginations. Leading them to suspect that old adversaries are up to new tricks.
Dude - you ARE the old guard!
Back in the day, this thread would be knocking on 100 replies, 3 people would be banned, 5 moderated, and 2 would have quit in disgust (only to sign back up the next day). Now it's like a library reading room in here.
Convicted One I suspect part of it too, is that the "old guard" of a forum (any form, I'm not just picking on this one) feels that new members owe them some degree of subordination. And when they don't get it, perceived threat starts to fuel their imaginations. Leading them to suspect that old adversaries are up to new tricks.
I suspect part of it too, is that the "old guard" of a forum (any form, I'm not just picking on this one) feels that new members owe them some degree of subordination.
SD70Dude I actually like it when people revive old threads, and I've dug up a few myself. I prefer to keep all the discussion on a particular topic in one thread, makes it easier to find later on.
I actually like it when people revive old threads, and I've dug up a few myself. I prefer to keep all the discussion on a particular topic in one thread, makes it easier to find later on.
chutton01For the "Freight on Manhatten Island" thread I jumped into it as the Phillip Goldstein Marine and Offline terminal website didn't exist in 2002 as it currently does now with a varied and in-depth information on marine-rail operations in NY Habor (originally I believe it was only focused on the BEDT operations, which is still interesting).
Sincerely, I am glad that you did revive that thread. I learned things I never knew. I just used your thread as an example, because it fit the boilerplate of what we were discussing. And believe me, we have had some people here get highly irritated in times past, over such resurrections.
I think in complete honesty, their actual grievance is with the subject matter contained in a particular thread....but preferring to avoid appearing like content control polize, they use the vintage of the thread, as a scape goat of sorts.
selectorbut buddy, with only six posts to his name, finds the one thread that seems to have it all and posts his own question or observation. Not only that, but it isn't being asked about anywhere on the past ten pages! So, it seems a lot like an intrusion. At least, that's what I think brings up the antipathy when it happens.
Which, ostensibly at least, would explain how a n00b might find deep treasure here. That google search may have been what brought them here in the first place.
I believe that at least a part of it, once a community starts to get paranoid over perceived threats from ghosts, goblins, and sockpuppets...they start shooting at shadows. We are our own best enemies in that regard, we can assemble the pieces perfectly to best fit our.... concerns. Because we know BEST what bothers us.
It's funny, because I find myself every now and then going to a community that I've never before even been to, only to get "called out" as ol so-and-so, back with a new sockpuppet to continue (their) eternal struggle. I suspect that once people become exposed to that element, they get sensitized, and start recognizing patterns that are not even there?
I'm sure it (sockpuppetry) does occur often enough to lend validation to their concerns, but at the same time I think vanity plays a role as well, in the assumption that others actually care enough to work that hard just to make them miserable.
selector"What happened to so-and-so? Hasn't posted since July."
The same question was asked when frequent (And well liked!) poster Johnny Degges, who went by the Forum name "Deggesty," dropped out of sight. Wanswheel, bless him, did some research and found his obituary. COVID got him. At least Johnnys name was known so Wanswheel (I assume) didn't have much trouble finding out what happened.
On a lighter note, I think Wanswheel's a lot like Chuck Norris, "You don't find him, he finds YOU!"
Convicted One I was surprised there were no complainers grousing over the recent ressurection of the "Freight on Manhatten Island" or "Has a GG1 Ever Been Restored to Running Order?" threads.
I was surprised there were no complainers grousing over the recent ressurection of the "Freight on Manhatten Island" or "Has a GG1 Ever Been Restored to Running Order?" threads.
I understand people's ire when an archived or severely dated thread is bumped. It stems, if I'm correct, largely because of the execrable 'search' non-function at this site, despite a number of so-called upgrades and changes of platform. We have had less than good success when we've attempted it ourselves, but buddy, with only six posts to his name, finds the one thread that seems to have it all and posts his own question or observation. Not only that, but it isn't being asked about anywhere on the past ten pages! So, it seems a lot like an intrusion. At least, that's what I think brings up the antipathy when it happens.
Still, very old threads do serve a useful purpose; they remind us that there's a lot of history here, and that some of our old friends whose names appear in the thread have long since driven their last spikes. Over in the model forum, someone asks, "What happened to so-and-so? Hasn't posted since July." about once a quarter, at which several chime in with their own questions about people who seem to have dropped off.
I don't mind old threads. The one about restoring to running order a GG1 interested me; it's something I'd never thought about.
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