ForumsThe TavernProject Archive: A Digital Ark For AG's Treasures.

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CommanderPaladin
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CommanderPaladin
1,531 posts
Nomad

It's Coming...
AGv3 is soon to pass from looming into being, despite the concerns and objections of those among us who are opposed to some of its "improvements." According to official information, it is highly likely that during the transition the content of the forums will be lost.
While it is questionable and ultimately unknown whether the forums would be able to successfully recover from this, one fact stands out: there are some things in these forums that simply can't be replaced.

Project Archive: Saving The Best of AG's Forums for the Future.
While it is impossible, and indeed unnecessary, to keep all of the forum's contents, it would be a definite loss to AG and its denizens if certain threads were forfeited. Fortunately, there may be a way to save them.
How?
What I am proposing is simple: All of you loyal forum-dwellers who have flash drives and hard drive space, put it to use. Copy and paste the contents of certain landmark threads to word-processing documents and save it for eventual reposting once the transition cycle is completed.
What should be saved?

Only keep the best and most useful subject matter. While the erasure of the forums would take a long time to recover from, there are many threads that the forum can survive without. Thus, only the real gems should be archived: the most comprehensive and used game guides, the greatest debates, the deepest art and writing, the best and most identified-with stories, and the most popular and longest running games.
Where Do I Start?
Here is a preliminary list of candidate threads for archiving:
>Tavern: Cenere's legendary discourse on internet behavior, "Super Cool and Awesome Bunnies!"
>Forum Games: You're Banned (This one will be the hardest due to its sheer size. That size, however, is part of why it should be saved.)
>AMW: The two constant writing contests (Poetry and Haiku)
>WERP: The Introductions to Logic and Rhetoric
>Tavern: Your Most Painful Physical Experience (A lot of people can identify with this one)

This list is by far not complete. Therefore, I would welcome any serious suggestions regarding threads suitable for archiving.

Project Archive Wants YOU!
Obviously, this isn't a one-man operation; it would be physically impossible to carry this out effectively if it were. Project Archive needs volunteers.
If you are willing to help out, please report to this thread that you will help, what thread(s) you will copy and store, and if possible when you will do so. Additionally, some larger threads may have to be copied in sections by multiple people; such efforts would have to be coordinated via this thread.

Some Guidelines
When Archiving, copy and keep the pertinent information and nothing else. Usernames, date/time of post, rank of poster (optional), and of course the text of the post should be copied and stored in an organized style, preferably as close to the original forum's format as possible.


AGv3 may gut the forums in its rise, but there's no reason why we can't salvage some things and try to improve the situation.

  • 69 Replies
CommanderPaladin
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CommanderPaladin
1,531 posts
Nomad

Sorry I'm late, I've been real-world busy again. I'll get archiving again as soon as I can.

@Jefferysinspiration

Zombie Survival Club
I got this one, if you want CP?


Go for it.

@xeano321
Finished.


Good Work.

@Santi_
snipping tool?


What tool?...
xeano321
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xeano321
3,152 posts
Farmer

What tool?...


Snipping tool. It's a program that comes with Windows Vista and 7, and it allows you to capture a select part of your computer screen and saves it as a picture. I considered using it, but re-posting pictures would be a lot more work.
Jefferysinspiration
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Jefferysinspiration
3,168 posts
Farmer

On it, should be completed after the weekend - very long thread.

I considered using it, but re-posting pictures would be a lot more work.


Might be less space actually, and save the manpower of copy and pasting every little thing.
Santi_
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Santi_
1,900 posts
Nomad

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj594/The-Santi/ProjectArchivepage1test.png

Just a test of what I got using the snipping tool.
This was very rough, and took about 4-5 min.
Just had to zoom out of AG, zoom out of paint, use the snipping tool, and past it to look good.

Might be less space actually, and save the manpower of copy and pasting every little thing.


Yeah, easier for a site like photobucket to store the images for you.
xeano321
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xeano321
3,152 posts
Farmer

Yeah, easier for a site like photobucket to store the images for you.


What happens if your photobucket account gets closed? Adios to the archive(s). Also, it's a little hard to read the posts in the picture since it's zoomed out so far.

Don't get me wrong. It's a good idea, but copying the text is more efficient. The downside to copy & paste is not being able to include the BBcode...
Jefferysinspiration
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Jefferysinspiration
3,168 posts
Farmer

Yeah, i can't read it either.

think text is actually less space, since each letter is only four bytes of data, but for a picture it has to save each and every color pixel. It is a bit more complicated to work with, but it makes it easier to edit if needed and move around if necessary. Also, you can't have links.


Ha, i just mean all comments etc being in one forum post. If it's 144 pages of comments, it won't all fit on one page.
soccerdude2
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soccerdude2
1,673 posts
Shepherd

Sorry everyone... Haven't been on really this past week because I'm pretty busy. So I don't think I'll be able to archive anything except maybe on this extended weekend once I finish all of my homework.

Also for the snipping tool I don't really get it because I have Mac but it seems like a screenshot to me...

acmed
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acmed
3,518 posts
Nomad

Noob over here.

Just wondering, how does archiving all of the winners for the haiku contest. Each winning haiku? Total number of wins for each participant?

Santi_
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Santi_
1,900 posts
Nomad

I could zoom it in, but if everyone thinks it's impractical, then I can't argue.

xeano321
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xeano321
3,152 posts
Farmer

I could zoom it in, but if everyone thinks it's impractical,


It's not impractical, it's an excellent idea. There might be some instances where it would be more efficient they copy & paste. In threads with a lot of pictures, it would probably be easier then trying to copy the links to the pictures, then having to add the BBcode.
CommanderPaladin
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CommanderPaladin
1,531 posts
Nomad

Update:
I have successfully archived the Tavern thread "Your Most Painful Physical Experience", and will look for updates to it to be copied.

@Santi_
Re: Clipping Tool
Not all of us are running Windows, so that isn't always an option. Additionally, The aforementioned argument that the clippings are too small is valid.
However, please continue experimenting with the settings; if you get results that prove to be viable for this kind of work then we might be able to use it.

@Acmed
Re: Haiku Contest
The goal is to archive the selected threads in their entirety, so ideally all entries and posts would be copied and saved.

@myself
Re: BBcode

Okay, I admit it: Certain features regarding posting stuff still escape me. Like BBcode. What exactly is this? How does it work? What should be done with it? And is this why some stuff copied and pasted to AG from external sources gets filled with alien characters?


We still need specific threads to copy and save!

Cenere
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Cenere
13,658 posts
Jester

We still need specific threads to copy and save!

Mhmm.
Let's see. There was the fetish/philia discussion in the WEPR, which was rather enlightening, then there was the first few homosexual threads in the same section, but especially the one with Asherlee in it from back in the days. It's filled with idiots, but it was amusing none the less.
There's the old merit guide in the... I think there is both one in the S&S and the Newcomer's, it was rather fancy. Oh, and that one thread where people kept dumping something to discuss it, but they weren't coming up with anything new. Can't remember what it was about, though.
In the pop med, there was Strop's thread on Kung Fu Panda, he wrote while being drunk, that should be reason enough to keep that.
The first count to 100, as well, if no one has taken that.
In the AMW, there was this cool thread called the Mixed World Tournament, which was the spiritual predecessor of the WoM. And I am not going to save it myself anyway. Then, as mentioned, the original ACS, the GFX(?) battle as well, which I think is still there somewhere, the original "draw that pokemon" contest, possibly any other art contest that got to manage a few rounds, but perhaps not.
What else...
A few tutorials might be worth it, especially the legendary ones. Can't name any right now, though. Oh, and Ian's stickied thread in the AGv3 section, the one with all the suggestions that had already been made. Because that will be fun when the AGv3 comes out.

Other than that, I can only recommend going through the Tavern in search for the most generically named threads to find the many jokes on people that think the threads is about A, when the OP is actually about B (and yet they still reply to A, because they can't read OPs).
Oh, and the Mod April's fool thread. Both the official one, and the one discussing what was going on (and had several banned users circumvent to complain about the mods).

Good enough for ya?
acmed
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acmed
3,518 posts
Nomad

The goal is to archive the selected threads in their entirety, so ideally all entries and posts would be copied and saved.


Oh. Well, I thought I could do a sort of Microsoft Excel thing. The categories show the judge, the theme, the page number, the winning haiku, the winner. All of that stuff. But we have to do screenshots?
xeano321
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xeano321
3,152 posts
Farmer

We should archive Xbox 360 vs. Wii vs. Playstation 3. It's a pretty interesting thread.

I can get started archiving it, but I might need some help to get it done. (480 pages) Any volunteers?

GhostOfMatrix
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GhostOfMatrix
15,620 posts
Herald

It's a pretty interesting thread.

Not really. It's just there so that section isn't filled with console war spam. It redirects it all into one thread.
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