I don't get much use out of our archives and I wonder how many of you do. We often refer others to the archives, but I suspect that's owing to our recalling a particular discussion we had here rather than from actually visiting the archives.
Archived threads represent the entirety of rcw's history; roses and warts, useful and misleading, polite and rude, calm and shrill, but we are a 'fast food' group. It's easier to ask for or repeat, maybe correct and update, archived info with a new post here rather than going to the trouble of visiting the archives. Besides the trouble, like the opinions brayed by tv's talking heads, just because a thread is archived doesn't make it true.
What trouble? Well for one thing our threads often depart from the subject line with the first response and subsequent posts ricochet off and on the captioned topic. That's ok for the forum and often the serendipity is 'better' than the subject, but it's not a good thing for the person looking to the archives for specific info. Try it, I bet you won't like it!
Posting humorous retorts or 'similar experiences' which aren't at all similar or OT alternate suggestions or inappropriate url references, etc. are diversions that may be entertaining and are often very helpful. IMO they should continue, they will anyway. Not mutually exclusive of course, but for most contributors to rcw the give and take is as much for amusement as for teaching or learning something specific about the craft.
For the sake of making the archives more user friendly, should we at least wait for the first two or three posts or a day without a response before detouring from the op's subject? For that matter, should a subject line ever be changed within a thread? I'm flailng my keyboard and shouting "Mea Magna Culpa!" to both. :)
We have had some good housekeeping suggestions in the past, but they had very short half lives, ex; listing our locations. Rcw just keeps rolling along as is and undoubtedly will stay the same regardless of any changes anyone might suggest.
Do any of you truly find the archives useful except as a referral for someone else? How? why? what? If you do, any ideas for making the archives even more worthwhile? You know of course, that nothing will change, but I'm just musing.
Two will getcha ten that the first response to this mush if any, will either be a joke or a suggested url re the price of tea in China. So what! Nothing wrong with that. This ng is to enjoy as well as to learn or help. Shame that the archives can't be edited, but who can can I trust to agree with me? :)
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter