Forums → The Tavern → Project Archive: A Digital Ark For AG's Treasures.
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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
First of all, I think I might be able to help with this, however I'm not totally sure about that. With school starting again my schedule might get totally out of whack. Not to mention I have to look all over the house for my flash drive again...
Second of all, Gantic made a thread about this too, I remember Tales of the Tavern (Threads of Repute).
Also Legendaria Imaginaria.
Get certain people to manage certain sections, and work from that idea for better organization and efficiency....
Would've been nice to see Starscream's suicidal threats again; gone from the forums.
I believe the Video Games, Flash Games, and the Game Walkthroughs are still overlooked, as they have been time and time again. AG is a flash gaming site, yes? I myself have seen some at least decent threads in them, like this, this, some of these, and others I can't find/don't remember.
I don't really go in video games much.
Wouldn't it be sad to keep the poetry and haiku contests, and then forget about the old Art Skill Competition? Or the Draw That Pokemon thread, which is still a legend in the AMW.
And, well, anything mentioned in Gantic's rather nice threads about threads of repute.
Personally, I wouldn't say the thread on online behaviour is much of a novelty, it simply behaved as most of my threads of that type as, so if that is suggested, "fave food" (or whatever the name was) with a similar irrelevant title and interesting discussion should be considered as well. But I personally can't remember the actual name, nor when it was made.
I don't know where they are, but those April Fools threads are imperative to AG history.
Wow, I'm actually surprised at the response this has already gotten.
@Soccerdude
You can also use your computer's hard drive/desktop for these saves if you so choose.
Also, those threads you linked may be useful in finding good, salvable material.
@Jeol
It's good that you have a head start.
Communications will be centered in this thread, including reports of threads to be saved, who's working on what, and threads successfully archived.
@Nichodemus
It may of necessity be that certain people are only assigned certain threads. Full sections are to large for one person to handle. If we get enough manpower, we may be able to establish teams for each section. However, this would require some degree of recruiting to find people willing and able to assist. If you know any such people, please spread he word.
@Graham
...?
@Soccerdude, Cenere
Clearly, I don't know nearly all of the good forums. Anything that's worth saving, please, by all means, mention it here!
And yes, Cenere, your thread was/is significant. You're not taking enough credit for that one.
@Spikeabc
In short, they can't. There is simply too much data to "roll over" without crashing the system. You may or may not remember, but a few months ago AG tried an experiment with switching everyone's profiles to a new server. They were unprepared for the volume of data they encountered, and the result was that everyone's profiles were fried for several months.
@Tactical_Fish
Okay, you're in charge of those.
Update:
I have successfully archived the game thread "The Many Uses of OctoCan."
Being head of the OctoCan Clan, it fell to me to take care of that anyway, but I was also able to use it as a means to test the overall approach to this project.
Some tweaks:
Don't worry about getting armatars or rank insignia - it takes too much extra time, effort and file-saving space. A simple copy/paste sweep of each page should get the date/time posted, username, and comment in that order. However, you will have to remove a lot of extra spacing manually.
Additionally:
@Cenere
I would like to see about getting some Mods involved in Project Archive. Since you're a former Mod, you probably still have some pull with them, so could you help with this?
Thanks.
I'm all for this, and i don't mind helping, but can i make a suggestion?
I think this is something that would need to be talked over with the mods/admins. Why?
On the basis of the reputation system. Posts copy and pasted, although the OP will be cited - the New poster who has stored and put on AG3 will be accredited with probably a lot of reputation for something they actually didn't do..
@Jefferysinspiration
Good point; However, I don't foresee much of a problem with that for two reasons: one, the usernames of the original post authors are being kept alongside their individual posts, and two, each thread (ideally) is being kept on one document file and therefore, once re-posted, will only count as one post. Larger threads that have to be saved in sections, while possibly requiring multiple people to save, should still only come to a handful of posts.
I have already asked Cenere, who posted here yesterday, to try to get some Mods involved based on his prior experience with them. We are currently awaiting his response.
Update:
The thread "Super Cool And Awesome Bunnies" (AKA Cenere's Legendary Tavern Thread on Internet Behavior) has been successfully archived, and can be removed from the list.
Has anyone else begun archiving yet?
Additional Tweaks:
When the post author is a Mod or Admin, remember to leave the tag designating that with their name.
@Jeol
Not entirely sure what all you mean here, so I'll answer as best I can.
Archiving, at least the way I've proposed, would be accomplished using word processing documents, so there's no "text file" to be linked to.
As far as anything else goes, archiving is done on a volunteer basis, so a person's guide(s) would be up to them anyway.
Good point; However, I don't foresee much of a problem with that for two reasons: one, the usernames of the original post authors are being kept alongside their individual posts, and two, each thread (ideally) is being kept on one document file and therefore, once re-posted, will only count as one post. Larger threads that have to be saved in sections, while possibly requiring multiple people to save, should still only come to a handful of posts.
I think it'll still give a random an upperhand with the reputation system. Not that it matters to me, but i foresee it causing problems among some users. But i shall keep an eye out for a mod/admin response and i'm more than happy to help.
Would've been nice to see Starscream's suicidal threats again; gone from the forums.
Ahhhhh that was hilarious! How did I forget about that?
I have an external HDD that's not really in use right now, so I can help out with the archiving.
Like Nicho said, we need certain people to handle certain sections. This can cut down on a lot of wasted time archiving stuff that someone else has already archived.
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