So Opal & Coldy had a tiff over the ever-increasing usage of “Been there, done that.” (No, I won’t link, this post is anti-link). I’ve noticed this many times - someone posts something, and others post a link to an already developed post from a few months (and sometimes years!) back. Boring. Old news, old views. What do the new folk have to add? Has no one changed their opinion on any topic? Once something is posted, is it off-limits to visit again?
Well folks, if I wanted to look up info like that, I’d buy a flippin’ encyclopaedia.
Let’s mail Cecil $1 a piece, have him get one of those Chicago techies to buy a HDD, and set up an archive:
http://www.pre_2001.archives.straightdope.com
And let’s start over. Sure, use the archive to see what others said, relive old memories, search for WallyM7 posts, etc. But let’s clean things up a bit, and come here to have fun and socialize about anything and everything under the sun. And every spring we can have a cleaning, moving stuff to the archive site.
I doubt it’ll happen, but c’mon, there are TONS of posts out there, I’m sure you could link almost anything to something if you really tried. Boring…
In fact, I question if I’m the first to think of this- anyone have a cite?
smack Ow! Quiddit!
-Tcat
Setting up an archive reportedly doesn’t help vBulletin run any faster. Supposedly, according to its makers, it should run just as well regardless of how many posts are active. The only way to get stuff to run faster would be to erase stuff. Perhaps the archives could be kept on a different server, thus splitting up the load between a busy board with the new stuff only, and a read only archive with a much larger database, but less traffic. Of course, that still requires a bit of money.
Perhaps they could make a CD of the best of the SDMB, and sell it to us to make money. Just an idea.
Shouldn’t this be in ATMB.
hmmm…I didn’t take Tomcat’s comment to have anything to do with speed…I thought it had more to do with how recurring posts should be treated…and that the need to not repeat posts (and risk some reprimand if you do) is not working. If I’m completely misinterpreting your point…I apologize, and well, it wouldn’t be a first.
I think, being new to the boards, that this question rather reflects the ethos of the site. Do you want it to be a place for well-established members and the community they’ve built (therby not tolerating repeat posts by newer members or those with short-term memory problems) -or- do you want a more open group that serves as a forum for the random question or thought?
My caveats: I do understand that it would be very annoying to have constant repetition…but it also is a bit intimidating for a conscientious new person to worry that their post is a repeat.
The Chicago Reader has said time and time again that it will not except donations or gifts of any kind toward a new server or whatnot. The problem the Reader has with the boards isn’t the speed, but the fact that we are not generating enough profit.