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Post 08 Jan 2023, 09:06 • #1 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
Another thread inquired about a bamboo rod and our sister site Classic forum was referenced. It gave me to pause and marvel at all the current and historical information both this and the bamboo classic contain. Honestly the information is quite staggering if you think about it (kudos to Tom for this site).

For example, the history of Fisher and linkage (perceived and real) with Scott, Tom Morgan, Golden gate casting club, Hardy, 3M, etc... is just one example. The anecdotes, documents and heck, even relatives joining in to clarify understanding is nothing short of amazing in search for truth. Again, just amazing. A qualitative researcher's dream.

This led me to ponder whether there a project that archive sites like these when they cease to exist? Sad to think all this is lost when (not if) plug gets pulled eventually.


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Post 08 Jan 2023, 14:20 • #2 
Guide
Joined: 08/19/16
Posts: 314
Location: Brazil
The Internet Archive has something they call "The Wayback Machine". Out of curiosity I just checked and found the edition of this website from a day in January, 2012. Perhaps it is something like that you are talking about.


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Post 09 Jan 2023, 07:28 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
Thank you! Wow..2012 seems long ago. Will check this out.


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Post 11 Jan 2023, 11:18 • #4 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
hmm, 2012 doesn't seem that long ago - you must be young, Eric.
Wayback can be really useful. One site I've visited more than once is J Austin Forbes, to identify the names they gave to last-run JW Young fly reel models.
Without question, the internet archive gets smaller every year, as more groups move to social media.
TKF is another great site that our buddy Josh, neumie, and his sister Nina have saved from the internet grave. The coast fishing and kayak-rigging archive there is invaluable.


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Post 12 Jan 2023, 03:07 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
I think that the only way a site or a part of a site ends up in the Internet Archive Wayback is if some puts a copy there, at least all the pages I've found there were like a snapshot of one date. not of all the site. I know that a lot of information that was on the internet 10 years ago is not now.


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Post 09 Feb 2023, 17:42 • #6 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine captures periodic website snapshots. In many ways those snapshots are woefully incomplete. I don't know of a service that archives entire forum sites like ours*.

This morning our hosting provider updated our site databases. It didn't go well. The forum crashed for a couple of hours, until the updates were rolled back. We're running customized phpBB software with no records of what was customized. While I will try to bring the site up to the current standards, php programming is not intuitive. Hopefully I can upgrade it before something breaks for good.

Finally, there is the staff issue. I had a routine health problem blossom into a week of hospital stay last year**. While I have tried to quietly recruit some younger moderators to help whirlpool and I, no one accepted the offers. Long term, expect the forum to close when we aren't here to run it.


Tom

* I receive occasional requests to sell the site, but so far I'm resistant to the idea.
** Briefly, I'm more concerned with succession planning now.


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Post 14 Feb 2023, 11:30 • #7 
Sport
Joined: 05/03/14
Posts: 38
Location: Jämtland - Sweden
Succession seems to be a very pressing matter. I don't know idea how competent they are, but how about reaching out to the Fly Fishing Museum or some other archival institution with regards to preserving the site?


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