Announcement about RDF Part 2.

[Witticism]

Lol

Can just imagine Richard posting "Noooooooo! Stop this madness!!" and Josh going "too late! I am in charge now! *delete*"

Well it is 2010!!

[95Theses]

I note that two weeks ago the forum was useful enough to him to be posting there asking for help with a children's book he was writing.

The conspiracy theorist in me thought that perhaps he was having that removed as it hardly fits with trashing the entire place if you were only just using it for research and help with a project. But it's still there.

[CJ]

The forum is still there.

[Darkchilde]

I did ask for my posts on the RDF to be deleted, and it's been done. This was my decision.

[JimC]

I did ask for my posts on the RDF to be deleted, and it's been done. This was my decision.

I can understand that, I think...

[CJ]

I just took this screen shot of the front page



Note the post total 2,271,826

Yesterday the count was 2,400,000 AT LEAST that means that not less than 128,000 posts have gone + the ones lost in the initial deletions of approximately 30K. So I think it is safe to say that at least 160,000 posts have been deleted and I would conservatively estimate the actual total is over 200,000.

[JimC]

I just took this screen shot of the front page



Note the post total 2,271,826

Yesterday the count was 2,400,000 AT LEAST that means that not less than 128,000 posts have gone + the ones lost in the initial deletions of approximately 30K. So I think it is safe to say that at least 160,000 posts have been deleted and I would conservatively estimate the actual total is over 200,000.

Arseholes!

[Darkchilde]

I just took this screen shot of the front page



Note the post total 2,271,826

Yesterday the count was 2,400,000 AT LEAST that means that not less than 128,000 posts have gone + the ones lost in the initial deletions of approximately 30K. So I think it is safe to say that at least 160,000 posts have been deleted and I would conservatively estimate the actual total is over 200,000.

CJ, some of the mods have taken the decision to delete all of their posts. Topsy (Flora here) already said she is one, and I am another one. I had over 4000 posts, and no, it was not an easy decision to make.

[Spearthrower]

I just took this screen shot of the front page



Note the post total 2,271,826

Yesterday the count was 2,400,000 AT LEAST that means that not less than 128,000 posts have gone + the ones lost in the initial deletions of approximately 30K. So I think it is safe to say that at least 160,000 posts have been deleted and I would conservatively estimate the actual total is over 200,000.

This is highly suspicious behaviour. I wonder what they're trying to hide? Someone might want to check out some of the discussions Prof. Dawkins had a couple of months back to see if they are still on the site.

[Calilasseia]

Oh look. General Error has resurfaced on the dormant forum ... how convenient.

SQL ERROR [ mysql4 ]

Lost connection to MySQL server at 'reading initial communication packet', system error: 111 [2013]

* Twiddles thumbs & waits ... *

Ah, got in. RD is listed as logged in, although you need mod privileges to see this. Apparently Lavrenti Beria Josh Timonen hasn't revoked all the privileges yet.

[CTC]

Given the releases thus far from the goon squad, the notion that this is somehow related to a legal matter is ridiculous and ostrich-like at best. If it were monetary or related to a legal issue, there's nothing - NOTHING - to stop them from releasing a carefully-worded statement that would inform us of the need to change, and such a statement would have been a much softer blow to everyone involved. There would have been no need to say such things as "don't send members to other forums" if this nebulous 'legal problem' were the root cause. There would have been no need to change *the entire forum* if, for example, this were a simple matter of any one person cutting and pasting newspaper articles that they shouldn't have: you just *say something* to the offending member. These fanciful notions simply DON'T ADD UP.

One thing Dawkins' books are fond of is the notion of parsimony: unpleasantness is no reason to reject a good answer that is backed up by the available evidence. Perhaps not everyone took that lesson to heart as I did.

[Spearthrower]

I just took this screen shot of the front page



Note the post total 2,271,826

Yesterday the count was 2,400,000 AT LEAST that means that not less than 128,000 posts have gone + the ones lost in the initial deletions of approximately 30K. So I think it is safe to say that at least 160,000 posts have been deleted and I would conservatively estimate the actual total is over 200,000.

CJ, some of the mods have taken the decision to delete all of their posts. Topsy (Flora here) already said she is one, and I am another one. I had over 4000 posts, and no, it was not an easy decision to make.

I can appreciate that it was a harsh decision to make, but respect the notion.

Still, even with all the mods' posts deleted, it's still nothing like the 160,000 CJ thinks are missing.

[Alan B]

Serve 'em right if the new thingy doesn't take off and all 85,000 come over here.

Oh shit!

We are only a small village!

A few hundred, fine, but otherwise...

And that could be a problem.
How would this 'small village' cope with expansion to a small town?
Since there seems to be no other atheist oriented site (that I know of!) that has an influx of RDF refugees to any great degree, it may be that 'greatness could be thrust upon us'.

With this possibility in mind, it might be worth considering a plan of action for the future, e.g. duplicate the RDF format to attract the Creationists, Fundies, the undecided and those who need support, meanwhile keeping the 'more interesting' sections of Ratz intact. If this course of action is feasible, I'm sure many of us would contribute to it's viability. (Or even start another site specifically to attract RDF refugees.)
But all that might be just my withdrawal symptoms talking. (All my 2630 posts were for fucking nothing. :pissed: )

But at the moment there is NO central meeting point for all those disowned 85,000, whether they were just 'lookers-on' or active...

Perhaps this could be a separate thread open to discussion and suggestions, because in the light of the RDF shut-down things must surely change.

Think positive!

[Goldenmane]

For future reference, here's a screen-cap of my final post:


From the deleted complaint thread.

[Ilovelucy]

I just deleted all of my own posts too.