Saving threads for vBulletin!

[Erin al'Denael]

We will be transitioning to vBulletin in the near future. We will not be importing every thread on this forum; to be honest, our boards are quite large, unwieldy, and we do not need to move every single thread to our nice, clean, shiny vBulletin installation. We will be saving some forums entirely -- Site Announcements and all administrative forums. All sticky threads across the board will also be saved.

As a backup, I would like anyone in control of a forum aside from SA/admin (be they moderator or administrator) to please email me (technology@tarvalon.net) with the threads they want saved. For each thread you want saved, I need to know the following three things:

• forum name[/*:m:8fe6qsdg]
• thread title[/*:m:8fe6qsdg]
• link to the thread[/*:m:8fe6qsdg]

Again, please email this information to me at technology@tarvalon.net. We'll be doing our final backup pre-move this upcoming weekend. So if you want anything saved, I need this information from you by July 20, 2012.

 

[Keisha al'Benn]

Eek that doesn't give us much time....I will go get on it right away, thanks for the announcement!

 

[Lilli O' Neeus]

Oh, wow.

Will Dorm rooms be saved automatically, or should I write you a list of each one that needs saving?

 

[Onis O'Leia]

Will we get the ability to go into these forums to get out information we want to keep, also after July 20th? Like we got to do with the previous version of php forums, that were made put on an archive.tarvalon.net address?

Also, is there a way to quickly save whole threads to one's own computer? If so, how? Saving every single page as an htm file could take a very long time.

 

[Kassina Tendar]

Oh wow, that's not much time.

Just to verify, every single thread in all the forums (except the administrative and site announcement forums) will be deleted except the ones we email you to save? So any threads (minus the stickied ones) in the forums that no one emails about will cease to exist when you switch over? Just making sure I understand. *preparing my email of threads-to-save*

 

[Mhor Blathnaid]

Wow - time to move

 

[Kitan Tataru]

Question: There are threads in several forums I'd like to have saved (White Sitting Room, Dorms, Apartments, AS). Should I contact the administrator of each of those forums about saving the threads in each of those forums, or can I just have the White HoA email you about all the threads that I'd like saved?

Thanks, Erin!

 

[Azi al'Thone]

You guys have racked up almost 700,000 posts in just over two years

(*says "you guys" like his own 6100 haven't contributed to that*)

As for the rest of your questions, I'll wait for official response

 

[Mathei Kardone]

Site Announcements
Saving threads for vBulletin!
http://www.tarvalon.net/phpbbforum/view ... 25#p756025

Thanks Erin!

 

[Azi al'Thone]

You know on our test imports usernames beginning with "Mathei" have been oddly disappearing

 

[Erin al'Denael]

Any threads that are already stickied will be imported. Typically, the stickied threads are most important and will have the data you want to preserve. These will not be lost. Do not panic. :P

Will Dorm rooms be saved automatically, or should I write you a list of each one that needs saving?

Dorm rooms will not be saved; think of it as a fresh start for your Novices, after a freak accident that demolished their previous Hall. They get a shiny new forum to build!

Will we get the ability to go into these forums to get out information we want to keep, also after July 20th? Like we got to do with the previous version of php forums, that were made put on an archive.tarvalon.net address?

Also, is there a way to quickly save whole threads to one's own computer? If so, how? Saving every single page as an htm file could take a very long time.

These old forums will go into a read-only state and be accessible for some undetermined period of time until the Archivist has gleened all that she/he will. The period of time won't be short, but it will not be forever either.

As for saving on your own...copy/paste, edit out the stuff you don't want, save as a .doc, .txt, or something else?

Just to verify, every single thread in all the forums (except the administrative and site announcement forums) will be deleted except the ones we email you to save? So any threads (minus the stickied ones) in the forums that no one emails about will cease to exist when you switch over? Just making sure I understand. *preparing my email of threads-to-save*

I used the term "deleted" previously but it is inaccurate. They just won't be moved over. We're deleting them from our import because IT IS FREAKING HUGE and we really don't need them. We are a robust enough community to generate new threads. I have faith in our membership to bounce back and spam merrily on the shiny new site.

They will not cease to exist. They'll exist on a read-only version of this forum that we're using now as reference if needed/wanted.

Question: There are threads in several forums I'd like to have saved (White Sitting Room, Dorms, Apartments, AS). Should I contact the administrator of each of those forums about saving the threads in each of those forums, or can I just have the White HoA email you about all the threads that I'd like saved?

If these threads have special significance and you can justify why they are important and must be saved rather than recreated, then let me know via email (technology@tarvalon.net) and we'll see what we can do to import them. I will not guarantee that we will move everything that is requested. But I will explain why/why not if/when you email me.

Site Announcements
Saving threads for vBulletin!
http://www.tarvalon.net/phpbbforum/view ... 25#p756025

Thanks Erin!

This thread is in SA. Already saved, no need to add extra work for me there, Adam. Thanks.

 

[Kitan Tataru]

So you're only saving threads that have justifiable importance to the community at large?

 

[Erin al'Denael]

So you're only saving threads that have justifiable importance to the community at large?

I dislike the addition of "community at large" to my previous statement. That is inaccurate. Threads can be important for many reasons, for individuals or groups or the community at large. "Justifiable importance" might be better understood with examples. I can give you that.

Example A : Member1 requests that we keep a thread full of posts about a member who has passed on. Saved!

Example B : Member2 requests that we save a thread in a public forum that's filled with discussion but nothing that cannot be recreated. Not saved!

Example C : Member3 wants to save a thread because he had loads of fun bantering with other people in said thread. However, the thread does not contain data that we might need in the future or even want to re-read. Not saved!

Example D : Member4 spies a regularly updated thread that isn't stickied in a forum, but that contains a repository of information that has taken a long time to compile and would be missed. Saved!

Hope this helps!

 

[Jenalla Selar]

Will our PM Inbox be transferred or should we be archiving any mail we want to keep?

 

[Erin al'Denael]

As per Azi, PMs will be imported.

 

[Azi al'Thone]

I also would like to add that you're user profile (including login credentials) will be imported. Hopefully avatars and sigs will be as well, but that's yet to be confirmed

 

[Onis O'Leia]

Threads that are very personal to someone, and that they have spent a long time writing in, will those go under any of those categories, or will they be brushed off as not important enough? (I'm trying to make this not sound rude, but not finding the right words, so please don't take this as negative critique. It is an honest question).

 

[Myralin al'Ser]

Just for clarification, ALL PMs will be imported? Including ones in folders other than the Inbox? I just want to make sure because I have tons of saved PMs that are really important to me and I don't want to see them disappear.

 

[Azi al'Thone]

Just for clarification, ALL PMs will be imported? Including ones in folders other than the Inbox? I just want to make sure because I have tons of saved PMs that are really important to me and I don't want to see them disappear.

I'm not sure, actually! My second import test is being completed as we speak. When I'm done work & classes today I'll check. I have several folders myself so we'll find out

 

[Erin al'Denael]

Threads that are very personal to someone, and that they have spent a long time writing in, will those go under any of those categories, or will they be brushed off as not important enough? (I'm trying to make this not sound rude, but not finding the right words, so please don't take this as negative critique. It is an honest question).

They will be looked at on a case by case basis. Please email me if there is a thread you specifically want, and I can tell you one way or the other. Any threads that carry with them strong emotional attachment and/or invested work are not likely to be left behind as long as we know about them.