Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: simk on August 27, 2024, 04:07:10 am
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This was foreseeable for a long time. Now read this by PatB here on tradgang:
https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?PHPSESSID=umr2e15birrh5k5c8459rc5h96&topic=184034.0 (https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?PHPSESSID=umr2e15birrh5k5c8459rc5h96&topic=184034.0)
Up for discussion.
Good luck PA!
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That is really a sad news!
Loosing PA forum is like a fire in a library.
So many useful informations!!! Words of people that in some case are no more and continue to teach and inspire new generations.
I strongly hope the owners would consider to let PA forums live
One thing I noticed is both PA and tradgang use the same "simple machines" software for site management.
It should be quite easy to integrate PA into tradgang.
Please consider this option
Do we have a shutdown date? is there time to prepare a bailout?
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Sad indeed... I know nothing about advertising revenue, business models, income streams and production costs.
But I do know that closing BOM to non subscribers was a ridiculous decision, as it cut off a supply of good content and viewers.
Del
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...
But I do know that closing BOM to non subscribers was a ridiculous decision, as it cut off a supply of good content and viewers.
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Yes, indeed.
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Very sad. I fret for all the information that will be lost to the archery/ bowyer community. Yes the broad stuff will still exist in other forms of media, but the individual artistic detail, idiosyncrasies, and the personal perspectives, that made such a richness that made things special will disappear. The same thing happens with family photos. We take more photos than at any other time in human history, yet they don't seem to have the same value as when they were on film/negatives. It's like gross inflation of paper money, because most people take them for granted, and don't archive or preserve them, or print them out like we used to. As they don't exist physically, they will likely disappear for ever once our memories are gone.
I think cancelling print issues was the end of PA. The same pattern has occurred with many of the other magazines that I subscribed to. They rationalized their businesses during Covid and, that model didn't work out for most. I still wanted print issues for all these magazines, and even wrote to some of the editors telling them why I thought it was a mistake to go digital only, and that I wasn't going to subscribe anymore. That was even before PA went digital only. None of them listened, many ended up folding. I can't imagine that ones that continue to exist as digital only are doing as well monetarily as they did in print. They certainly aren't making more profit.
Digital only is a corporate model, that people who have no idea about the soul of an institution, promoted. I can't accuse the publishers of being like this because they obviously have a a long standing passion, and great track record of service to the community. I imagine everyone has to hang up their spurs eventually, and retire to a quieter life, for whatever reason, so I wish them all the best. Thank you for all the years of good memories, and the opportunity to encounter and interact with such wonderful people in the community.
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Oh noooo! I just finished up a bow for my son. His first bow was the first bow I ever built, and it was stolen or lost three years ago. This new bow is the best tillering job I've pulled off yet, and I was hoping to enter it into the BOTM contest, somehow get lucky enough to win, and get the magazine with its picture and story for him to have forever. Longshot, I know, but a man can dream.
But enough of my selfishness, there is so much knowledge on here and the advice and simple online camaraderie is far, far too valuable to just let evaporate. My late dear friend, brother, bandmate, and fellow outdoorsman started a website back when the infancy of the innerweb, and I know from discussions with the co-founders of the site that running a website properly costs money and is a lot of hard work. I do not know enough about computers and technology to even try to run a forum like this, but maybe someone on here does and can take over the website portion from the PA folks?
If not, maybe I can talk to the current owners of the website/forum my bud created and see if there is a way to add a Primitive Archery forum to the site with subforms. I don't know what that would entail, but maybe it could happen. The site is called SCDucks.com, and despite having a large number of members from all over, it remains a tight-knit online family with respectful members...very unlike ArcheryTalk and similar forums. The site, as is, is a great site for outdoorsmen, and I know there are a few trad bow hunters on there and even one guy who is a knapper.
I don't know if something like this could work or not. I just hope we can continue to have a place to have the discussions we currently have on here now. Let me know what you think about the possibility/feasability of someone taking over and running this website as is or moving our communications/community to an existing forum under a PA forum with sub forums, and I'll float the idea to the owners of SCDucks in the meantime.
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I hope something happens to keep it going. I’d hate to lose all the great info and people on here. It’s probably the only site I get on, and do so daily, if for nothing else just to see what others are building or watch their progress. I’ve learned a lot from the great people on here. If it happens , a big thank you to all that have given help, advice and encouragement.
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Will the site be archived? Can we crowd fund to finance it to keep running? This page has done so much to advance archery and build friendships, as well as archive the communications of those no longer with us, how can we lose it?
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Yup the thing to do is to at least archive it so we don’t lose it all like sleek says. We then need to be proactive in finding a solution like ssrthim says and have someone manage the site and forum and discussion pages. There is too much valuable information here with the community here on pa. I’ve been to other sites over the years and this one for me is the one I go to and visit daily. Good bunch of guys and gals! Please count me in for any crowd funding options and or discussion.
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These old school blue pages have taught me much. Horrible news.
So long.
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Yup the thing to do is to at least archive it so we don’t lose it all like sleek says. We then need to be proactive in finding a solution like ssrthim says and have someone manage the site and forum and discussion pages. There is too much valuable information here with the community here on pa. I’ve been to other sites over the years and this one for me is the one I go to and visit daily. Good bunch of guys and gals! Please count me in for any crowd funding options and or discussion.
Ditto from me
Del
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losing this forum would be a huge set back to any new bowyers who are trying to understand how to build their own arrow launchers, such as myself :'(
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If someone is interested in taking over PA and/or the PA forum they can contact Monroe Luther, the owner on Primitive Archer, about this. Monroe is the only one that could make this decision if it is possible.
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Sure hate to see this, but figured it was coming. I wish I had the time and expertise to take it over; it sure would be worth doing. It has always amazed me that, in the era of dying forums, this place has stayed so active. It's a testament to the quality of the people who make their own bows. Monroe and Marie, if you're reading this, thanks for all you've done. It's been a heck of a good run and for all our griping and "suggestions," we appreciate all you've done.
If somebody can figure how to make it work, I'd sure be willing to throw a few bucks in the pot to keep things going...
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A while back I suggested us non-subscribers should subscribe just to help keep the site afloat, I subscribed for 2 years and put my money where my mouth was. I found I didn't care much for the mag but the subscription fee only worked out to a buck or so a month and I had gotten ten times that amount of enjoyment out of this site.
All of you guys who angerly dropped your subscription for one reason or another may have sunk this ship. For me it is not about the magazine, it is about the first site I go to every day, I eat breakfast and drink coffee in front of my PC while I read what is new on the PA site.
Being a flintlock guy I have two other primary B/P sites that I go to multiple times a day, from these sites I went from a being complete dummy about shooting B/P to building some mighty fine rifles, scratch builds, no kits, just a block of wood and a pile of parts. These sites are owned by individuals and get by with member donations. The M/L Forum has 40K members, I bet less than 1% donate. The suggested rate is $12 a year, I set up an automatic payment with this site to help keep it afloat, what I have learned there would fill volumes.
The American Longrifle site runs on donations, every now and then I sent them $100. The best gun builders in the world are on this site and readily share their information with pictures to wood hacks like myself.
The old adage "you get what you pay for" applies to the site closure, no support, no site. I am not upset with anyone for their choices because after almost 77 years on this planet I understand human nature very well. I personally don't believe in the concept of a "free lunch", what others chose to do is none of my business.
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If we could set up a running list of those here willing to “put their money where their mouth is” in either the form of a subscription fee or donations whatever is needed to make it all work then let’s just be proactive and start a list. Let’s not just wait till after it officially closes. I’m will like I said already and I know a few others have in this thread. Let’s get a running list going! What was done was done and we shouldn’t let it be the end. We do have a way to keep this great thing going.
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I'd be happy to pay an annual subscription/donation for the forum.
R.D.
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ive learned alot from this forum. i never had a subscription to the magazine but the amount of guys on here both deep into the art and just starting offer such a unique perspective. id easily pay $10 a month to keep this forum running. i still have alot to learn and now that i have a son i hope he takes up the art too. its rewarding to work with your hands and learning another persons way of working a problem is invaluable. just let me know when and if we are going to proceed with this.
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Count me in! Instead of lurking I'll pony up to support this platform of knowledge and community.
Doug
There is always this if it gets archived.
https://help.archive.org/help/using-the-wayback-machine/
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I would be willing to pay a reasonable yearly subscription rate to keep website going.
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I’m in for $200 annually. Does this mean the bow trades are closed??? Sad
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100% I'd pay....this library is worth a lot and to see it go would be heartbreaking.
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It would probably take an investment in re working the site but for $4 a month you can get a mechanic to help you work through working on your car giving you the info you need to complete your repairs or how to fix. I hate new apps and such but if I could send a check I’m in.
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just to have an idea ...
The hosting cost for a site like PA (php + mysql shared hosting) should be in the 100-200$ per year range. Where the difference is due to the size of disk to store the site (images, various media, db space..) and various other less important features offered by the host.
The price for the domain name (primitivearcher.com) should not exceed 20$ per year
The professional costs for migrating and managing the site could be quite higher tough
More than that all the cost and site responsibilities need to be charged to a specific person or organization
A full backup should be a priority (site + db) . It would be nice to know how much space this site occupy.
The backup procedure may be long but usually is not that complex. It need to be done by an administrator with access to the hosting login details.
Here is manual page of "simple machine forum" for complete backup (https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Backup)
Previously I pointed out that tradgang use the same forum software as PA.
Migrating at least part of the forum as Tradgang subforum (even migrating user logins data to retain original posts ownership) is technically doable even if i cant say how easy it would be.
I understand that business is business but maybe some type of deal is possible
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A full backup should be a priority
a look at the bottom of the page indicates the software has not been updated since the 2013 version and a backup, if made today, would be of the older version and include the advertising trash.
so a plan of action would be similar to something like.....
1. contact the owner and aquire the domain (maybe a few emails?)
2. aquire admin privileges or locate current admins in order to make a backup (a few more emails and some research)
3. set up a local machine to cleanup the site before updating ($$, time, expertise)
4. install to a new online hosting provider (the couple of hundred $ mentioned above
5. do maintence and pay bills going forward
right now, the domain is registered....
Expires On 2027-10-04
Registered On 1999-10-04
Updated On 2024-08-05
so there is time to work with the owners, before all is lost.
@glisglis do you see a better course of action?
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a look at the bottom of the page indicates the software has not been updated since the 2013 version and a backup, if made today, would be of the older version and include the advertising trash
The ads should be an option that can be turned on and off.
The database backup should not have any trace of them.
We simply have slots in our forum pages that can or cannot be filled by ads sent by an external advertising server.
I'm 99% positive that the banners are not hard coded into the pages
Once the backup is made we can consider software updates.
A backup of the site as it is now is mandatory before any other action because updating such an old version could be difficult and lead to failures
I'd pin this thread on top of the page
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This is interesting and I for one would be willing to put up a few $ to save the site, I just wished some of you guys that know about this stuff would check with Monroe and see if he is willing to let someone take it over, not sure if it would be a big money maker but feel sure a man could at least pay for it, some other sites seem to do ok like leather wall and Trad gang. I would do it myself but am just really lost when it comes to this kind of stuff.
Pappy
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Someone that personally knows Monroe should speak to him and check:
1- the actual terms of hosting (cost/y , hosting features).
This could let us check if there are better solutions and if we are ready to cover the price (this seems already set).
I'd add to the costs another 100$ one-off to buy an external disk dedicated to the backups
2- if he could be interested in maintaining the ownership of this site if the members guarantee to cover all expenses
3- if he would be interested in giving away the ownership of the site and at what terms
I'm not familiar with "simple machine software" but it should be ok and I have all the skills needed to do the backups, migration and eventually updates.
Actually my biggest problem is time.
My heart is telling me do it but I know that I'm really overworked and stressed.
More than that I reside in Europe so there could be minor problems of time or country zones.
Any member with enough internet skills should chime in so we can lay a plan
reading again i see that the domain is payed untill 2027 and that is good BUT
we need to know the expires date of the hosting !!!
if it expires we loose database and sites even if the domain exist !
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I have zero tech skills but would also contribute to the cost of saving and maintaining this site. Really hope it can be worked out.
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This is interesting and I for one would be willing to put up a few $ to save the site, I just wished some of you guys that know about this stuff would check with Monroe and see if he is willing to let someone take it over, not sure if it would be a big money maker but feel sure a man could at least pay for it, some other sites seem to do ok like leather wall and Trad gang. I would do it myself but am just really lost when it comes to this kind of stuff.
Pappy
I'm the same as Pappy. Very a non tech guy. This site is very close to Castbollits. It runs on donations. but a subscription could work.
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Sure hate to see this, but figured it was coming. I wish I had the time and expertise to take it over; it sure would be worth doing. It has always amazed me that, in the era of dying forums, this place has stayed so active. It's a testament to the quality of the people who make their own bows. Monroe and Marie, if you're reading this, thanks for all you've done. It's been a heck of a good run and for all our griping and "suggestions," we appreciate all you've done.
If somebody can figure how to make it work, I'd sure be willing to throw a few bucks in the pot to keep things going...
So, I floated the idea (see my first reply) to the owner of SCDucks. Here is what he replied…
We would be happy to give them an interim forum as long as they have a clear exit strategy to a new space. SCDUCKS was hosted by several sites in the early days and we passed it on hosting other sites to let them get their feet under them. What we don't want is another influx of 2010ers...
A couple of folks replied that it’s more like 1860-ers than 2010-ers, and I let them know most of the posters on here are either old or old-souls.
Again, I know nothing about any of the tech aspects of the internet or computers beyond how to use the internet an participate in forums. If there is someone or are multiple people that would be interested in keeping this going, this could certainly buy us time.
I feel like the folks at SCDucks would quickly realize that having us all over there on a new “Primitive Archer” sub-section with sub-forums will be nothing but a win-win. The “2010-ers” comment is referencing a time when they did something that encouraged an influx of new posters…most of which were young, immature keyboard warrior-trolls, and the reason I suggested SCDucks in the first place is because the site is truly not like AT and other big archery boards where you have to wade thru and endure pissing matches to find anything of value. It’s a lot like this community but with a broader range of forum categories.
If anyone is interested in exploring this possibility further, PM me your phone number, and I’ll call to discuss. I can easily get direct phone communication set up with the owner over there to see what can be worked out.
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If curious, go to SCDucks.com and look around to get a feel of what the community is like. I think you can view the forums without having to sign-up.
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@ssrhythm
just checked and SCDucks.com uses vBulletin as Content Management System while PA is on Simple Machines Forums CMS.
The hosting specs are the same but the middle software is different. Contents published on a platform would not be easy to be moved to the other.
While their offer is very generous I'll use it as very last resort
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This is shocking and heartbreaking. I found PA about 10 years ago took a break from viewing and posting a few years ago but was able to connect with so much knowledge. Count me on a subscription moving forward. I'll pay close attention to whether or not this community migrates to a new forum or we can stay here!
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Someone that personally knows Monroe should speak to him and check:
Who here knows Monroe?
I'm not familiar with "simple machine software"
open source, actively maintained https://www.simplemachines.org/
I have all the skills needed to do the backups, migration and eventually updates. Actually my biggest problem is time.
Do you have time to assist others with your expertise?
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?action=mlist;sort=id_group;start=0
lists the admins, presumably with backup priviliges but maybe not with the expertise,
or were you refering to backup images of the server?
we need to know the expires date of the hosting !!!
if it expires we loose database and sites
Yes, contacting Monroe is a priority!
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if we could save the site that would be amazing, this place has been my teacher and my creative outlet for almost a quarter of my life. it would suck to lose it.
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I'm willing to help keep things going. I've learned so much here in my short time as a member. I really hope we can keep it alive.
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open source, actively maintained https://www.simplemachines.org/
yup, I meant that I never used it.
I've used other CMS so I expect it to be similar in many functionalities
Do you have time to assist others with your expertise?
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?action=mlist;sort=id_group;start=0
lists the admins, presumably with backup priviliges but maybe not with the expertise,
or were you refering to backup images of the server?
"simple machines" has a built in feature that let administrators do a database backup
Unfortunately it has known bugs and it's not reliable.
To do a backup we need access to the host cPanel (or whatever database management software it provides) and have Ftp access to save all the media (images, documents...).
These information are usually kept secret by the owner of the site and maybe by a trusted administrator/webmaster because with these you can completely wipe out the site.
As far as my involvement I'm still trying to decide
I'd really like to see if someone who personally knows Monroe chimes in and can answer the above basic questions
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Unfortunately I know next to nothing about servers but I think amateurhour has some knowledge about the PA forum but he hasn't been on for nearly a month
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I frequent this sight more than once a day, and this is sad news. I hope that it can survive. Their is a world of bow building knowledge on this forum that is help full for any one interested in making wood bows.
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I assume everyone has gotten the e-mail/PM I received and read it. It talks about the PA magazine closing and why. It also has an office phone number I assume you could call and get answers to any questions about what the owner may or may not be willing to do.
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open source, actively maintained https://www.simplemachines.org/
yup, I meant that I never used it.
I've used other CMS so I expect it to be similar in many functionalities
Do you have time to assist others with your expertise?
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?action=mlist;sort=id_group;start=0
lists the admins, presumably with backup priviliges but maybe not with the expertise,
or were you refering to backup images of the server?
"simple machines" has a built in feature that let administrators do a database backup
Unfortunately it has known bugs and it's not reliable.
To do a backup we need access to the host cPanel (or whatever database management software it provides) and have Ftp access to save all the media (images, documents...).
These information are usually kept secret by the owner of the site and maybe by a trusted administrator/webmaster because with these you can completely wipe out the site.
As far as my involvement I'm still trying to decide
I'd really like to see if someone who personally knows Monroe chimes in and can answer the above basic questions
Agreed! Someone who personally knows the Monroe’s should reach out and have a conversation like GlisGlis says. I would be willing to make the time to manage the site but I do not have the expertise to do so. I’d be willing to learn but my tech/computing skills are very basic. Certainly not sufficient to run a site.
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Ok. So I just spoke to Monroe on the phone! What a great guy! He took the time generously to explain the basics of what would be needed to have a person or group to take over the site and run it. He said it would involve and transfer of ownership firstly and then discuss price for the data and archives ecetera. He stated that they are open to a transfer and not going to just shut everything down without warning. They are just very preoccupied with their Labour Day sale they a running now to get rid of extra inventory. They will deal with the site stuff after the sale.
On that if anyone is interested in back issues hard copy volumes now is the time to save some money. http://shop.primitivearcher.com/
He said I could let everyone know here about the sale.
So some good new then on the site front and that they will entertain a group even to take it over.
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Good move Dave
i sent an email to Monroe and Calendargirl but did not have an answer yet
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Ok. So I just spoke to Monroe on the phone! What a great guy! He took the time generously to explain the basics of what would be needed to have a person or group to take over the site and run it. He said it would involve and transfer of ownership firstly and then discuss price for the data and archives ecetera. He stated that they are open to a transfer and not going to just shut everything down without warning. They are just very preoccupied with their Labour Day sale they a running now to get rid of extra inventory. They will deal with the site stuff after the sale.
On that if anyone is interested in back issues hard copy volumes now is the time to save some money. http://shop.primitivearcher.com/
He said I could let everyone know here about the sale.
So some good new then on the site front and that they will entertain a group even to take it over.
Dave, did Monroe mention if he intends to keep his store online longer than the forum? He has quite a few mags in inventory I presume, both electronic and print.
I also wonder if there is a way to keep the site info and pics in some electronic format besides a database on a server? As far a maintaining a server goes, there is quite a bit of difference in maintaining static read-only site and one open to posting and new members.
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First of all thank you all for recognizing what a wealth of information and community this forum is. Yes we are working to figure out how to keep the forum, the information and the community going despite Primitive Archer Magazine closing its doors.
PatB has been in contact as has GlisGlis and a few others. There are some hurdles and what has been our biggest concern over the years is loss of information . We had a big loss of information with some technical issues I think around 2007. Monroe would love for this forum to continue on more than anything. We have to follow a protocol and also figure out the logistics technically etc.
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Ok. So I just spoke to Monroe on the phone! What a great guy! He took the time generously to explain the basics of what would be needed to have a person or group to take over the site and run it. He said it would involve and transfer of ownership firstly and then discuss price for the data and archives ecetera. He stated that they are open to a transfer and not going to just shut everything down without warning. They are just very preoccupied with their Labour Day sale they a running now to get rid of extra inventory. They will deal with the site stuff after the sale.
On that if anyone is interested in back issues hard copy volumes now is the time to save some money. http://shop.primitivearcher.com/
He said I could let everyone know here about the sale.
So some good new then on the site front and that they will entertain a group even to take it over.
Dave, did Monroe mention if he intends to keep his store online longer than the forum? He has quite a few mags in inventory I presume, both electronic and print.
I also wonder if there is a way to keep the site info and pics in some electronic format besides a database on a server? As far a maintaining a server goes, there is quite a bit of difference in maintaining static read-only site and one open to posting and new members.
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I also wonder if there is a way to keep the site info and pics in some electronic format besides a database on a server? As far a maintaining a server goes, there is quite a bit of difference in maintaining static read-only site and one open to posting and new members.
Yes you can save pages as pure html and read them offline on any browser without the need of a server (you loose all the forum functionalities except reading and moving between pages).
There are also software known as website downloader or website copier that let you do that.
Pa is Very large tough and the process of an entire copy could take Alot of time and end up in many GBs of disk space
It can also slow down the site as the server would be requested thousands of pages (as many as a man manually visiting every single forum page)
Usually download softwares provide features like partial download based on filters but in my opinion they are not suited for our case.
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I also wonder if there is a way to keep the site info and pics in some electronic format besides a database on a server? As far a maintaining a server goes, there is quite a bit of difference in maintaining static read-only site and one open to posting and new members.
Yes you can save pages as pure html and read them offline on any browser without the need of a server (you loose all the forum functionalities except reading and moving between pages).
I've been doing that for years
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Will the site be archived? Can we crowd fund to finance it to keep running? This page has done so much to advance archery and build friendships, as well as archive the communications of those no longer with us, how can we lose it?
Those are questions I put to Pat B some time ago when I saw the writing on the wall.
There are a number of sites for many different interests of mine that are partial paywall. For general stuff it is free access, but top content and vending requires subscription. Those subscriptions are not expensive and generally are worth the effort, some as low as 2 bucks a month. But it pays for the housekeeping and mortgage.
I am willing to put up the first $200 to migrate this forum to a more enduring situation. I am sure others may be willing to chip in as well.
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Just to get this back to the top, I’d be willing to chip in too. If enough people are willing to donate it shouldn’t be to much money to keep things rolling.
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Definitely willing to help out financially. I don’t contribute as much as I used to with starting a family and my career but this forum is how I connect with the community and has such a wealth of knowledge. It’s irreplaceable even if slowing down. (W
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I'm in to donate to keep the site alive.
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I'm In as well.
Piddler
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I'm in 2. I bought a hat just to help them get their money out of their swag....hate wearing hats. Paul
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Primitive Archer forum has been more than a forum for knowledge but a family and brotherhood...one of the few internet sites void of politics, advertisement, or B.S. Lets stay in touch, knowledge is eternal.
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I am in also.
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I'm on a fixed income but will pitch in as much as I can.
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Primitive Archer forum has been more than a forum for knowledge but a family and brotherhood...one of the few internet sites void of politics, advertisement, or B.S. Lets stay in touch, knowledge is eternal.
You said it brother!
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Well this sucks! Just a thought, if the worst case scenario happens and all this info is lost, who's in on basically starting over on a whole new platform?
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Hope the forum continues; if contributions or subscriptions keep it open then I'm in as well. Been reading it since I saw the first several issues in a shop near Colorado Springs.
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It’s bugging me ! There was 369 visitors looking when I logged on. So how many different folks get on this site? Multiple that times $12 a year. Would that make this site profitable. I like the format for the most part. I know it has to change to survive. I not thrilled about that. Takes money to make money as they say. So I know there will be web design required. Investment required. Then there is the moderator requirement to keep it as close as possible to the way it is now. For the smart guys? How many paying visitors to make a reasonable profit? I hate to see it go.
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Something for our techy guys to look into: I was a moderator on an aquarium forum that uses Xenforo software. According to the admin there, "We run/manage our own servers, but Xenforo now offers a cloud version where they take care of all the hosting, and I believe they even offer services for conversions as well."
Personally I find the Xenforo software a lot more intuitive and user-friendly than SimpleMachines, and I've been on several forums that use it. The admin I talked to says they have a great developer community, too, and it's easy to set it up so that people can become "supporting members" who contribute financially. Might be worth looking into. I can put you in touch with him if you have specific questions. Here's their website with pricing and other info.
https://xenforo.com/purchase/
And here's the aquarium forum if you want to see what it looks like.
https://www.fishforums.net/
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from my undestanding the main problem is not software at present.
We are waiting for Marie to tell us if we can proceed with backups and other rescue measures.
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Something for our techy guys to look into: I was a moderator on an aquarium forum that uses Xenforo software. According to the admin there, "We run/manage our own servers, but Xenforo now offers a cloud version where they take care of all the hosting, and I believe they even offer services for conversions as well."
Personally I find the Xenforo software a lot more intuitive and user-friendly than SimpleMachines, and I've been on several forums that use it. The admin I talked to says they have a great developer community, too, and it's easy to set it up so that people can become "supporting members" who contribute financially. Might be worth looking into. I can put you in touch with him if you have specific questions. Here's their website with pricing and other info.
https://xenforo.com/purchase/
And here's the aquarium forum if you want to see what it looks like.
https://www.fishforums.net/
I was a nut for aquariums for a long time. Then I went to work for an experimental indoor tilapia farm in North Dakota. Eventually got tapped to help design a hatchery system that was built in Phillip SD in an old hydroponic greenhouse that ran off 172 degree artesian water, all the free heat you could stand! At one point I had 17 tanks running in my house including 3 of them 55 gallon rigs. Got stuck out of town during a two day blizzard and when I got home I found that my furnace had crapped out. Lost every single fish I had. Kinda broke my spirit.
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Something for our techy guys to look into: I was a moderator on an aquarium forum that uses Xenforo software. According to the admin there, "We run/manage our own servers, but Xenforo now offers a cloud version where they take care of all the hosting, and I believe they even offer services for conversions as well."
Personally I find the Xenforo software a lot more intuitive and user-friendly than SimpleMachines, and I've been on several forums that use it. The admin I talked to says they have a great developer community, too, and it's easy to set it up so that people can become "supporting members" who contribute financially. Might be worth looking into. I can put you in touch with him if you have specific questions. Here's their website with pricing and other info.
https://xenforo.com/purchase/
And here's the aquarium forum if you want to see what it looks like.
https://www.fishforums.net/
I was a nut for aquariums for a long time. Then I went to work for an experimental indoor tilapia farm in North Dakota. Eventually got tapped to help design a hatchery system that was built in Phillip SD in an old hydroponic greenhouse that ran off 172 degree artesian water, all the free heat you could stand! At one point I had 17 tanks running in my house including 3 of them 55 gallon rigs. Got stuck out of town during a two day blizzard and when I got home I found that my furnace had crapped out. Lost every single fish I had. Kinda broke my spirit.
Yeah, that would do it. I've taken a few breaks from the hobby over the years, but like hunting, I always come back to it. I think it's just part of what I am.
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Wow, this is unexpected. I have no idea about the business side and model of this forum, but IMHO it's time to move on to the bigger platform like Facebook/Meta. I bet this forum has been archived somewhere, as in WayBackMachine http://web.archive.org/
http://web.archive.org/web/20240910142905/http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php
Almost one million posts, almost 1/2 million posts in "Bows" section archived in 28,000 topics.
But someone must have a backup database of the whole thing somewhere.
We need to find a way to transfer the whole contents into a new platform and run it there as a business. Good luck.
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If you move to a platform like facebook/Meta you are no more free to set the rules of your forum.
If, as an example, they decide that hunting is against their policies, they can delete or block your posts, ban users and such.