What is up with the GTA ?

[buellm2]

I'd bet half the total daily posts are from a handful of members.   When one of them leaves or passes away, it's a big loss. 

[avator]

All I have to say at this point is that the forum is alive and well. We have a great group of active members who still share their knowledge and experience freely for the asking... and that's what it's all about.

[bear air]

I've noticed the change myself. When I joined in 2019 this forum was on fire with guys building guns. Then there was the whole slug craze. One thing I'd like to personally see is the search engine upgraded. There is a ton of info here but getting it to pop up when searching is a whole nother thing. ,

[avator]

I've noticed the change myself. When I joined in 2019 this forum was on fire with guys building guns. Then there was the whole slug craze. One thing I'd like to personally see is the search engine upgraded. There is a ton of info here but getting it to pop up when searching is a whole nother thing. ,

Chris... Google is a much faster way of searching the forum. Just key in what you are looking for and include Gateway to airguns after it.

[subscriber]

Having a machine delete user names based on an algorithm is not the answer: 
It is easier to find good info posted by someone a long time ago, if that info is associated with their user name.  As soon as you delete a user, searching for their posts is impossible, even when their posts remain.  Each post has an active link.  When you see people being quoted and click on the link the forum takes you to their post, which may lead to others in a good discussion.  This mechanism does not work for anyone with a "guest" status.  No matter the reason for their departure.

No one would delete the user names of forum founders that have not visited the forum in 5 years.  But a simple bit of machine code very well might.

Post count is one measure to determine value, even though all posts are not equally valuable.  By all means delete users with a single post after so many years.  If they visit the forum after logging in to view images, then do not delete them.

If Bob Sterne stays away for 5 years, are you seriously going to delete him, and make his content hard to find?  Who would dream of deleting the content?  A machine perhaps.

A machine is good for sorting users as possibly qualifying for deletion.  But, I think the decision should be made by a human, not a machine.  If you make content harder to find, hidden or deleted, more forum members may spend less time here; or stay away completely.  Or do you want new people asking the same questions, rather than searching for existing info?  If I try to help new users, I need to search for it.  And yes, I use google search to start with.

How much memory is used up by non-active members?  If not much, why the urge to delete them?

[Rick67]

I've noticed the change myself. When I joined in 2019 this forum was on fire with guys building guns. Then there was the whole slug craze. One thing I'd like to personally see is the search engine upgraded. There is a ton of info here but getting it to pop up when searching is a whole nother thing. ,

Chris... Google is a much faster way of searching the forum. Just key in what you are looking for and include Gateway to airguns after it.

It’s what I do 👍

[Hoosier Daddy]

we are now supported by contributing sponsors.

Uhmm humm.
There is my problem.

[avator]

we are now supported by contributing sponsors.

Uhmm humm.
There is my problem.

Try naming any good thing that is not in this day and age.

[dan_house]

"Having a machine delete user names based on an algorithm is not the answer"
 agreed. It would take some thought to generate the deletion criteria, add some exceptions (bob sterne, the founders and a few others) then think long and hard before hitting the delete button.

Disc space is cheap nowadays.... so, from my perspective, no real reason to delate anybody. Subscriber makes a lot of great points for not deleting. as an ancient IT person, Id want my database(s) as lean and clean as possible. Makes searches faster, reduces having (whatever) metrics skewed a bit/a lot, reduces backup time, would help with a restore should the forum suffer a catastrophic failure, and a few others. Images, documents and videos that have been uploaded to GTA consume a magnitude more disc space than the membership list.

The time and effort to clean up the members list would be better spent elsewhere on the forum

[dan_house]

I'd bet half the total daily posts are from a handful of members.   When one of them leaves or passes away, it's a big loss. 

The top ten posters have made 282,751 posts (as of the time I grabbed that info). And you called it, about half of them I see in many threads every time I get on.   

[subscriber]

Please understand that I am not prescribing how the forum should be managed.  Only that changes should be made thoughtfully and carefully.

We have heard "change" promoted in the US over the last two decades.  What I want promoted is improvement.

[Methuselah]

I took a bit of a hiatus and upon returning I've noticed it too...
  Used to feel like a bunch of us sitting around a camp fire talking airguns and sharing wisdom.
Not so much anymore.
Just my 2 cents but I think we've gotten too "commercial".

+1

[bear air]

Thanks Bill. I got a handful of guys around here and AGN that are great at getting my issues sorted out. I'm all about changing to improve as well. On a personal note, I could start taking pics of these projects I work on to help engage the reader better. That's the part of the GTA I miss dearly.

[Methuselah]

Thanks Bill. I got a handful of guys around here and AGN that are great at getting my issues sorted out. I'm all about changing to improve as well. On a personal note, I could start taking pics of these projects I work on to help engage the reader better. That's the part of the GTA I miss dearly.

A lot was lost when photobucket started holding picture viewing up for ransom...

[Nvreloader]

The major headache I have is attempting to find any information I am looking for,
before I post, this old search dog needs to be retired and a NEW PUP started,
I don't know how this google thing works, for searching here .....

One other problem is photo posting, for me, on an average, it takes me 2-4 hrs,
to get 1 photo posted, it may be my plastic box is very old and NOT up to date ??.
even if it has Windows 10? in it.

I have been updating and revising my pellet sizers/uniformer press and die sets,
I would like to add photo's, it saves lots of typing, but the time it takes for me,
kind'a lets the air outa my balloon and I get very frustrated and say forget it......
Photo Shop should be hung, for holding hostage on our photo's.

The how to posts have dried up also, most of the talk is buying a new Ag,
very little testing pellets, psi pressures, setting regs etc. ymmv

[Motorhead]

Folks keep telling me the info is still there  .... this after I gripe about Gates and Threads that came up suddenly missing when forum was first sold.

So to prove that I'm not total nuts ?

Show me the WAR ( Wicked Air Rifle Gate ) as well the JSAR ( Jefferson State Air Rifles ) gate.
* These two gates and the content they contained was priceless history ... where the H E L L did it go ?

[avator]

The major headache I have is attempting to find any information I am looking for,
before I post, this old search dog needs to be retired and a NEW PUP started,
I don't know how this google thing works, for searching here .....

One other problem is photo posting, for me, on an average, it takes me 2-4 hrs,
to get 1 photo posted, it may be my plastic box is very old and NOT up to date ??.
even if it has Windows 10? in it.

I have been updating and revising my pellet sizers/uniformer press and die sets,
I would like to add photo's, it saves lots of typing, but the time it takes for me,
kind'a lets the air outa my balloon and I get very frustrated and say forget it......
Photo Shop should be hung, for holding hostage on our photo's.

The how to posts have dried up also, most of the talk is buying a new Ag,
very little testing pellets, psi pressures, setting regs etc. ymmv

Don..
Bring up Google and type whatever it is you are looking for and simply add "gateway to airguns" without the quotes to you search. That will list several examples of what you're looking for.. if you don't see the exact instance it will give the option to "show more".
As for posting pictures...
The easiest way to resize (prepare a picture suitible for posting) is to email the picture to yourself. This will automatically reduce the size.
The other way with Windows is.. Windows 7 and above has the "snipping tool" found in accessories. I put a link to it on my task bar. Bring the picture up with any viewer you choose and use the snipping tool to "cut" a section of anything on your screen and save it. Now it is sized to attach to your post.
Here is a sample of wjat is on my screen right now.

[avator]

Scott..
I apologize but your question is a bit more difficult to answer and I simply can't.

[avator]

Upgrading the search function in this software would require some costly programming. It would also require permission to make changes to this proprietary software.. copyright stuff.

[subscriber]

When I use google to search GTA, this is the way I do it to minimize hits on other sites:

https://www.google.com/search?q=site:www.gatewaytoairguns.org+JSAR+Gate

Entering this in the search box:
site:www.gatewaytoairguns.org+JSAR+Gate