Just where did National Railway Museum director Steve Davies go?

That is the question that everyone has been asking since his sudden departure from the museum a few weeks ago.
If yow want to know the answer, visit Heritage Railway Magazine | Facebook now!

 

Robin, are you ever going to take a more active role in this forum than just showing up and trying to get us all to go to another website in order to find anything out. 14 of your last 25 posts have been to start new threads just asking us to go to Facebook to find something out; and 9 of the others have been replies mostly in your own threads asking us to go to FaceBook to find stuff out. You've also started new threads (such as all the various ones you started about the A4s) when there havs already been a thread on that subject you could have contributed to.

There are only two posts that don't fit that pattern: one in the "Latest Issue" thread where you say "I have taken notes of your comments" and - holy of holies - one in the LMS Crab thread where you actually contribute something useful.

From any other user, one useful post out of 25 would look like spam.

Please - either tell us the answer here or don't post.

Tom

 

and was your post on this thread because its steam traction related ? or because this is the most looked at thread, or because the mods watch the NRM Section carefully for the Muck rakers and Mud slingers that would otherwise make hay there... just do one.

 

Do you think that Robin might quote your post in the next edition of HR?!

 

I get the feeling that Robin does not care one way or another, he has a thick skin IMHO.

The old adage that, "There is no such thing as bad publicity", springs to mind with this man. You will never get a straight answer out of him so my advice for what it is worth it to ignore him and do not bite when he posts his shameless blogs.

At one time I though better of him than this.

Regards
Chris:

 

Like Tom, perhaps like yourself and many others, I've found his approach frustrating and wish it wasn't tolerated. The much reviled Danny Hopkins at least engaged with us on the forum for a while.

 

Thread moved to "Heritage Railway" area where it belongs ...

Richard

 

I'm disappointed, I thought it was going to be a competition!

 

ah the antidote to "Wheres Wally!"

 

Seeing as I raised the initial question, I'll answer.

NatPres is a discussion forum and a community of like-minded people sharing a common interest. We may have our little spats and tiffs with each other, but fundamentally we visit because we want to discuss matters around railway preservation (and occasionally beer, apparently).

Although technically the forum can host photos, it isn't a photo-sharing site by design and I suspect most serious photographers wouldn't use it as such for more than teh occasional photo.

So when a photographer uploads photos to Flickr and then posts the link here, they are adding to the NatPres community: we can all have a discussion about the photos, their relative artistic merit or an interesting story they tell. That seems to me right and proper, and almost certainly what the person posting the photo intended.

Whereas with Robin's posts, they are not adding anything to the community: indeed, in some sense they are taking away. He seems not interested in having a discussion about his stories here, but instead trying to get us to go elsewhere. That seems to me to be destructive of the sense of community, and certainly not promoting the discussion which a forum is designed to allow.

If he considers that Facebook is the best online location for his magazine to engage with readers - great. But if so, his posts here, and his wilful refusal to engage in conversation here, can't be seen as anything other than advertising spam. If all he is interested in doing is posting links to another site, and not engaging in a conversation here, than at the very least he should have the courtesy only to post in the "Links" sub forum. As it is, I feel he is abusing the forum by the way he posts.

Tom

 

I post plenty of links to my Flickr site but I'm not trying to sell anyone anything. Neither do I duplicate threads to publicise my own efforts (outside of the Photography subsection either) nor do I try to manipulate the flow of information by trying to get people to read 'news' on my facebook page or website instead of just posting the details on the forum. I join in on other threads. But perhaps most of all, I don't try and aim all my posts at one particular object like Robin does - every post is themed around Heritage Railway magazine by getting people to look at it!

I think people also want to see notable figures in the heritage railway movement, such as Robin, actually interact and participate in forums like this rather than just trying to up their hit count on their websites. The best figures from within the movement that post here are the ones who actually interact with others! If Robin were to step a bit further out of the Heritage Railway bubble he's created for himself then perhaps people would respect his input.

 

Look at it another way - currently Robin posts on here to attract you to his Facebook page/website in the hope that you will then buy his magazine. Why should he be treated differently from the advertisers on the site who are paying for the privilege?

Keith

 

As it turns out the article is well worth a read so thanks Robin for bringing it to our attention, and apologies for being rude, but theres a time and a place for everything

 

Realised I hadn't answered all your points. This is not anti-Robin: I have never met him and don't suppose I would know him from Adam if I did.

Nor am I against linking, as I outlined above, when - for example - a photographer posts photos elsewhere and then the discussion takes place here.

Rather, what I am concerned about is posting a link when the objective is simply to draw readers away. NatPres is a commercial entity: it is in the site owners interest to increase readership and members. That in turn means making this site a valuable resource, the "go to" destination for railway preservation enthusiasts. But Robin's posts go against that aim : they decrease the signal to noise ratio, not improve it.

If that style of posting is what collectively we want for the forum - fine. But I see Robin taking and not giving anything back. If that continues, it does nothing to attract new members and everything to drive existing ones away. Is that what we want?

So what is the collected viewpoint of the mods? Is that style of parasitical post OK or not?

Tom

 

Or then again how can he reply to criticism when the posts in media section are deleted by the mods, unless of course he does not want to answer valid comments about the magazine or unless they are removed at his request ? . Thankfully freedom of speech reigns on other forums.

 

The problem is that if you follow Robin's link, it takes you to Facebook but only allows access if you "sign in" - i.e. have a Facebook Account. For reasons of security I choose not to have a Facebook Account and - therefore - am denied the privilege of access to something which is becoming increasingly common as a source of communication.

Question : Is the fault Facebook for having a poor security for the data it holds or me for refusing to give secure information to a site which fails to protect it. ?

 

Nail - head!

People who post photo links are not after commercial gain and whatever one thinks their photo's are a record of what is happening in the steam scene.

But these constant postings provide nothing to the forum and instead are using in in an underhand way to sell a product for free, why should other advertisers pay if another person or organisation which provides nothing gets a freebie, whats to stop us all advertising our businesses on here?

At least the much attacked Danny Hopkins was prepared to engage with the forum and through that I felt he bought much insight, this approach is merely commercial and doesnt even give the courtesy of engagement.

I am sorry but to me its just morally wrong.