Question for John (Administrator) re Scenery Thread Locks

[shark_jj]

Hi John, As you can tell from my number of posts, I am relatively new to Railwire (6 months or so).  I noticed that you haved moved all of the Scenery Threads to another Forum.  As the person who started these threads, I am a little confused and seeking some clarity.  They are all N Scale related.  When I log in, I go directly to the N Scale Forum and don't really check out the others.  Given that little bit of background I have a number of questions.  Did I place these in the incorrect Forum in the first place?  Are there rules I am not aware of as to what should be posted in the N Scale Forum?  I am not seeking to be argumentative or confrontational, simply confused.  I would appreciate any advice you can post so that I don't make similar errors in the future.

[Hyperion]

That's a new section of the Forum.  It wasn't there when those were created.  And it was apparently created as a clearinghouse for all modeling tips/hints related posts so that they're not lost in the shuffle of what goes on in this particular section of the Forum.  They're incredibly valuable threads, but would be near impossible to find buried in the archives 6 months from now.  There's nothing "N Scale" about the tips, idea, etc posted in those threads.  So there's no reason to exclude them to just this particular Forum.  Put in their own Forum, they'll be much easier to locate and browse through.

[shark_jj]

Thanks Hyperion, the filing part makes sense and in fact sounds like a very good idea.  The part I am confused about is where do you post stuff in the first place.  If I understand this correctly, if what you post is about modelling you should now put it into the Modelling Forum and not the N Scale Forum.  Or, is this an after the fact determination, i.e. if a thread develops into something considered to be of longer term value, it is then moved to the Modelling Forum.  I think there is a really good idea being promulgated here, I am just not sure I understand it clearly.

[Chris333]

I like to click the "Show unread posts since last visit" button up at the top every time I visit.

[DKS]

It's true that everything we post is essentially modeling-related. Nearly the entire Forum is about modeling. But the general N Scale Forum gets cluttered quickly with new product announcements, members' new finds, general observations, manufacturer issues, etc. This is as it should be, a place for modeling "buzz."

The new Forum was created to give certain general topics--those that have long-standing value--a place where they won't get lost in the noise. (It was challenge enough finding the earlier threads to reference.) The threads that inspired this were a great idea, because they collect and summarize a lot of modeling wisdom that is essentially timeless. And even though they may have been started with an eye toward N scale, the information can be applied to most any scale.

It's difficult to organize information such as what appears in The Railwire, and the challenge will naturally produce hits and misses. Many members tend to agree that some Forums are too "organized," with too many sub-topics. One of the appeals of The Railwire has been that it's less formal, with a flatter structure. However, over time, some information tends to suggest organization by virtue of its uniqueness, and I think John was wise to split off the results of an excellent idea into a place where it will be more readily accessible.

In the future, other topics may wind up there that may have been started in other categories. It's difficult to predict the direction some threads will take; indeed, it's one of the more interesting aspects of The Railwire to watch the unexpected directions of threads. I think that, when in doubt, just start it in the general N Scale Forum. Somebody will move it if it seems like the thing to do. Folks may not always agree where threads ought to go; we can only do the best we can. But if we don't try, we won't grow and learn.

[shark_jj]

Thanks for the explanation David.  I agree wholeheartedly that archiving information (threads) in a manner that they don't get lost sounds like an excellent idea.  I also appreciate the difficulty of running a Forum such as this and am appreciative of the volunteer time put in by so many to make it work.  So if I understand this correctly, you would continue to start a thread in the N Scale Forum, a Moderator would determine if the subject matter fit the content requirements of a Tutorial and if so, would move the thread to Modelling Tutorials and Hints.  This would restrict the clutter in Tutorials and Hints and keep the size manageable and would give the Thread the widest possible exposure while still in the N Scale Forum.  Does that sound like an accurate summary? 

[wm3798]

You can blame me... I suggested it to John as a way to keep these valuable threads "close to the top".  I have referred several non-members to take a look at a couple of these when they hit a roadblock on their layouts.  The threads you started, JJ, are very valuable, and I didn't want to see them get lost.

Also, but initiating a new section in the forum, it'll make it a lot easier for us to add updates to previous clinics.

Lee

[3rdrail]

JJ, you noticed that the entries you described as the "locks" provide directions as to where to find the topic that has been moved, so even those looking in the general N Scale forum will find their way to the tutorials if interested.

BTW, you are missing some interesting discussions if you don't look at some of the other forums, especially the weathering, proto photo, and crew lounge ones.

[shark_jj]

Having someone to blame Lee is always a good thing.  Makes the rest of us feel smug.  Humour aside, I think you have made a good suggestion.  I don't know enough about how the Forum works to know how effective the solution will be.  If the concept is "library" based, I think it is excellent.  If the concept is to split topics between separate forums then I think whether or not it is a good idea is an open question.  I remember some time ago Tom Mann posted some Tutorials in the Weathering Forum which were simply first class.  Archiving that type of material where it can be easily found sounds like a great idea.  In that context, letting a thread run its course in the Main Forum and then having a moderator or administrator make a value determination to Archive the material in a library where it can be found easily sounds like an excellent idea.  The risk with another sub-Forum is that material which is not of great value is placed there by members who think that is the appropriate location and the clutter problem has simply been moved to another place and you have in fact gained nothing.  This is one of those issues where both approaches could potentially be argued ad infinitum, I suspect we will need a little time to figure out if this solution is an effective one.

[shark_jj]

3rdRail, valid points.  I hadn't noticed the Unread Posts since Last Visit button at the top of the page before.  Just one of those things like driving the same route for 20 years and then suddenly realizing the house you have driven by 100's of time has a red door.  A forest and trees thing.  I will be utilizing that option now.