RichM
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Posts posted by RichM
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27 minutes ago, magnetman said:
That is interesting because on my phone if I ask for the desktop site I get the desktop site rather than the mobile version. The desktop site has more functions than the mobile version of the site.
Maybe I am special.
For example the greenie awards list is not available on the mobile version (yes I did go to bottom of page) but it is available on the desktop version viewed on the phone.
There are two different versions of the site. A mobile version with cut down functionality and a desktop version.
It is the same version but the key distinction is that it is designed to appear differently depending on your screen resolution as to make the best use of screen space. It works using clever HTML5 and CSS. It used to be that there were two separate themes or versions, one for mobile devices and another for desktops and they were entirely separate in that they were developed independently of each other, thus they were "two versions". They were optimised for a typical mobile resolution & a typical desktop resolution respectively and did not automatically scale for anything in-between. - What we have today is all maintained within the same stylesheet or version of the theme.If there were two "versions" by technical design/definition, I'd have to maintain the both - but I don't. I only have to maintain one version whenever we do any site updates.
Perhaps we are splitting hairs over the definition of "version". In the literal sense of the word, sure - it can be perceived as being two versions but technically all the code is contained with one stylesheet irrespective of the fact that it will look different depending on the type of device you're using.
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Just to reiterate, there is not a mobile version per se.
It will appear differently if scaled down to a lower resolution in that the positioning of elements will change and the menu/icons will change to suit a device with a lower screen resolution and/or screen size.
You can imitate this also by making a browser window smaller as shown in the attached screenshot but just to be clear, there is no "mobile version" as such. - The theme will just automatically adapt to whatever resolution and/or screen size you're using.
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On 27/03/2023 at 10:11, nicknorman said:
Could I suggest that as well as recruiting new mods, the list of mods be “tidied up” to remove those people who never or rarely are on the site. One hasn’t visited for 2 years and a couple of others I barely recognise.
We don't specify a minimum amount of time to commit to the site as we fully appreciate everyone has commitments outside of CWDF. As you mention though, there's a couple who have been inactive for an extended period of time. Myself and Daniel are aware of this and we will reach out to the individuals concerned shortly. It would not be appropriate to comment on specific individuals but we appreciate the feedback.
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There isn't a mobile version per se, the theme is automatically scaled depending on the device type. This has been the case since around 2017.
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800L water tank sounds reasonable. My nb. had a 600 litre water tank which would last me about a week as a solo liveaboard. I was not exactly frugal with my water usage either with a 10-15 minute long shower every morning!
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Ultimately you need to replenish whatever you take out of the battery. Running the engine for a couple hours is unlikely to suffice if you're using electronic devices which have significant drain on the battery. Electronics that generate any kind of heat were an absolute nono on my boat except when on shore-power. (I did not have a gennie or a solar set up)
I replaced my leisure batteries before they reached 3 years old. They can last longer if you have a proper battery management setup/regime. All that stuff is beyond me (hence why mine lasted less than 3 years) but is well documented on this site.
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Moderator Vacancy
Closing date: Sunday 9th April, 2023
Canal World is looking to recruit an additional volunteer moderator to join our team over next few weeks to volunteer alongside our existing team. We're particularly keen to hear from existing members who visit the forum regularly. The duties associated with this role are designed to fit around your normal forum activity.
The role requires sound judgement, a proficient level of computer literacy and a thorough understanding of the Forum Rules & Guidelines. The ability and willingness to work as part of a wider team is also key. The successful applicant will join the current site staff in front-line voluntary role after a short introductory period.
Typical tasks will include:
- Maintaining the site content and promoting healthy discussion
- Engaging with and assisting members with general enquiries
- Moving and merging duplicated topics, posts and removing spam etc
- Reviewing posts submitted for Moderator approval (Mod-queue)
- Removing inappropriate content and/or exercise disciplinary action where appropriate in accordance with the FR&G
- Escalating serious or repeat incidents to forum administrators
If you are interested and are able to contribute some of your time to help maintain our site, feel free to drop me a PM. This will be shared with the wider team. Please include a short note outlining your interest for the role along with any prior or current experience, knowledge or skills you can offer.
Canal World is owned by DHutch as a non-profit online community and is operated by a Team of Volunteers who kindly provide their time to help maintain the site.
We are extremely grateful to those who help make Canal World what it is today for the benefit of its members and guests alike. If you have any questions or would like to know more about the role, feel free to send me a message or reply to this topic.
Thank you
RichM
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My boat had some plant pots filled with concrete in the engine bay to help keep it level. Didn't look like much but without them, it would rock far more easily to the point where the fridge door would spring open!
I replaced them with old dumbbell weights as they took up less space and looked neater.
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We regret to advise that CWDF suffered a lengthily outage today due to an issue with the domain name renewal. Unfortunately the domain registration for canalworld.net did not automatically renew despite being configured to do so. As a result the site was offline for a period of time. Some users may still be unable to access CWDF while DNS re-propagates but we expect this to iron out overnight.
We have since paid the fee to renew the domain until 2031 as to prevent a recurrence of this issue. This is of course a monetary cost to CWDF. As such, we're grateful for all donations made to the site. All monies received go towards paying the ongoing maintenance & running costs, which include domain renewal fees, server & storage capacity, software & licensing etc etc. You may make a donation if you wish by clicking here.
Apologies for any inconvenience.Thank you
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13 hours ago, MtB said:
I wonder if know we are more aware of it happening, we can format our posts to show they were separate by starting the second post with a manually typed line. I'll try it now.
----------------------------------------------
And this is my second post with a line inserted at the top.
How does it look?
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New post.
And this is a third, separate post, with a heading to show its a new post.
And I've inserted a few line breaks too.
Or like this
______________________________________________________________________________________________________Nice
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lines
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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23 minutes ago, Willonaboat said:
Fightng spam was/is a cat and mouse game. No one solution will solve the spam or bot problem as you already know. I'm not familiar with this forum's software but I assume you can block ranges of IP addresses not just individual ones - it's easy to block Russia, China, etc at the registration stage and posting stage. We also used a forum addon (can't recall the name now) which regularly automatically updated a list of known email addresses used by spammers and bots and blocked all access to the main URL and forum. Also, if you use a long list of 'prove you're human' questions/answers that are automatically rotated a failed answer database query will reveal the bots inputting the right answers to the wrong questions. I digress, and I'm providing advice when it wasn't asked for...
But restricting functionality for bone fide members isn't, in my opinion, the right path. But you're the Admin not me... I've said my piece. From experience I know I'm not wrong, but whatever. Good luck - it's a thankless task at times, I know. I wouldn't want to do it again. Anyone reading this that hasn't been an Admin or Mod, you'll probably have no idea how much time running a busy forum can at times take. Muchas gracias.
You're spot on in that it is a cat & mouse game but that's not to say we shouldn't do anything about it. If we're targeted by a spam attack, we take time to look at how they circumvented the existing measures in place. Naturally we will make necessary changes to prevent a recurrence but unfortunately it's always a compromise in one form or another.
You mention "Restricting functionality for bone fide members isn't the right path" but also suggest we could block entire countries such as Russia or China. - What about the legitimate individuals in China who may wish to visit Canal World to research information about a possible boating holiday? (or whatever it may be) We'd definitely be restricting their their functionality in doing that! You could argue that they are few and far between but the point remains. - Pretty much any anti-spam measures put in place involve some form of compromise to user functionality and of course it's about finding a balance. Unfortunately we don't always get that right first time.
We can block IP blocks for entire countries or chunk it down into smaller subnets but we find in current times, spammers tend to either spoof their source address or use compromised servers and/or botnets to achieve their objective. The most recent attacks originated from the USA but I suspect indirectly through one of the methods mentioned.
We appreciate your feedback though. When making any changes of this nature we do evaluate the impact it may have on members/guests and do review member feedback and make adjustments wherever feasible. - as we have done as a result of this very topic.
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1 hour ago, Willonaboat said:
This issue seems to be a case of techies knowing what's best for us. Or to be more accurate, thinking they know what's best for us. And, from one of the posts above, trying to solve one problem (spam) by creating another. I came to this thread after just having two of my posts merged. The problem is, my two posts were in response to two different things entirely. One was purely in jest. The other, not. So to my mind it is not appropriate to merge them, and, as someone else said, if I wanted to merge them I would have done it myself.
On a different note, having been Admin on a forum (no longer online) I found that by trying to implement 'features' that people didn't want, just because I could and I thought from a technical point of view was the best thing to do, I ended up alienating some of the members and I think (I don't know for sure) it resulting in fewer posts and forum activity. For what it's worth, if people complain, you can bet your bottom dollar that the complainants are representative of the problem and not the sum total - most people don't complain. The lesson (for me) was to listen to what people wanted and take heed of what they didn't and change things accordingly.
Sermon over.
Here is my (inappropriately merged) post(s).
Actually, we were targeted by spam attacks in recent weeks. I'm sure some of our mods & members can attest to this while for many, it would have gone unnoticed. - Fortunately it was dealt with promptly thanks to the members submitting post reports and for the great work by the Moderators who took swift action. That said, ideally we need to prevent spam attacks in the first place and as such measures have been (and continue to be) put in place. I'm pleased to report the recent spam attacks have since tapered off, but that's not to say they won't try again.
What spammers often do is send PMs knowing it will send an email to the recipient in addition to the PM itself. However, in order to send a PM, users have to meet a minimum post count requirement. (this has been the case for some time) With this in mind, if we were to make it so consecutive posts could be submitted in a very short time-frame, it will be very easy for spammers to circumvent some of the anti-spam measures in place.
Some years ago, a spammer managed to send out hundreds of emails via the PM system. As a result, our mail server got blacklisted meaning that legitimate members were unable to receive emails from us for a short period (days), which is a problem if they need to reset their password or contact us for any reason + They won't be notified about any new replies to their content and this too will likely result in reduction in forum activity!
Appreciate 24 hours was too long and as mentioned, we dropped the consecutive post threshold down to 1 hour as a result of member feedback. When taking into account the above, I hope it can be seen as a reasonable compromise. This is of course not the only measure to prevent spam attacks. As a former forum admin yourself, you will know that spammers constantly advance their methods. - it's a constant battle for us to keep on top of it.
I had a look at your post in question and with all due respect; I see no reason why using multi-quote in a single post would not suffice. I can only apologise if you see otherwise. That aside and contrary to your post; We're not doing this "just because we can". - We're doing this to help keep the forum running in a responsible manner while also ensuring it's a safe & secure environment for all.
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2 hours ago, Tigerr said:
Sold our lovely boat Compass Rose in 2019, due to family circumstances that looked like not much cruising ahead.
Bought a motorhome with the proceeds, on the basis it's more flexible. Had a fantastic time, still going strong, spending months down in Cornwall and loving it.
But, so regretted selling the boat. We'd made it our own unique space. I hope the new owners are getting as much fun as we had out of the idiosyncrasies of the toilet. Never failed to amuse us.
We've just bought our next boat and I'm delighted. Just sorting out the kit now, and then we'll be off to cruise the whole way round again.
Vaguely hoping to pass our old boat and wave but no idea where she's gone.
This will be the last time round for us so going to appreciate it all the more.
Was this a motor cruiser based on the G&S by any chance? I vaguely recall one, nice boat.
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1 hour ago, SteveCourty said:
More on the Westfield lock. This was the work party 2 weeks ago. I was back there today but unfortunately there’s been an access issue so no further digging has been done
Great video Steve! I was chatting to my Dad about this lock only a week ago. Unfortunately he is less mobile now but thanks to you he can see it for himself!Thanks again
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On 28/02/2023 at 12:29, Tim Lewis said:
you can also get to Liverpool but cannot do the rest of the Leeds and Liverpool canal east of Wigan
What is the max length for L&L?
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9 hours ago, MtB said:
All this trouble and grief inflicted on us just because it is alleged (with no evidence!) that double posting is 'frowned upon' in other, unspecified forums!
No.
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1 hour ago, PeterScott said:
Attempting to amend the post above within the 24hours gives a menu without the Edit option.
Simlarly a later Tonic post from 22 hours ago
Whereas editing this post gives the Edit option in the menu ..... Hmmmm
Is it possible to try again for me?
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- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Following the feedback, we have reduced the automatic merging of concurrent posts from 24 hours to a 1 hour threshold. I hope this is seen to be a reasonable compromise while also allowing us to prevent circumvention of some of the anti-spam measures we have in place.
Additionally, the edit window is set to 24 hours. (it was previously set at 1 hour until recently)
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20 minutes ago, Tony1 said:
I make an entry in my google calendar every time I fill the water, but it's not for the sake of having a record. I record it so that I can quickly check how many days it's been since it was last filled, and so I know when I'll need to get to a water point.
Likewise with the gas bottle- it needs changing about every 6 months, so I make a calendar entry, and then I know when it will be next due.
I also make an entry when I moor in a new location, for the same sort of reason- I can check exactly when 14 days are going to elapse, and I don't have to rely on my poor memory.
For me personally, I could estimate how much water was aboard by looking at the waterline at the bow. She would sit lower in the water with a full tank and vice versa. I could use this to guestimate how much water she had aboard. She would also rock side-to-side more easily with less water aboard which was a tale tale sign of needing a fill up pronto!
As for gas, I just ensured that I always had a spare bottle aboard and replaced one as soon as the other had depleted. It was at worst a minor inconvenience when having to swap them over but then I only used gas for cooking. With your method, I guess there is a risk you could end up replacing it prematurely?
As for ensuring you don't overstay your mooring; You could also use your phone to set a reminder as to alert you when to move on. If you have a smart phone, you could use Siri or Google Assistant to set it for you via voice command, thus negating the need to type anything. (if you prefer)
edit: Just realised I wasn't replying to the OP. Whoops, long day! Edited to fit given context.
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32 minutes ago, clunk said:
Does anyone else keep a diary, spreadsheet of fueling, water filling, emptying cassette toilet, cleaning, etc? Or is it just me, drives my other half mad.
No I didn't, but maybe I should have kept more detailed record of my expenses in relation to boating. I just had a general budget which included the maintenance/running costs of the boat and kept within that.
Do you do anything with the data you have collated? If not then perhaps maybe question whether or not it's worthy of your time. I can see why you may want to keep record of your fuel usage but everything else you mentioned seems somewhat OTT on the face of it. Each to their own though.
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Does the issue occur when using the legacy theme or the shift theme or both? Please check and confirm. You may switch themes by clicking the obscure link at the bottom left of the page.
If you can also include a screenshot that will help too.
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2 hours ago, PeterScott said:
Dear Rich,
Well, with all due respect, that's an assertion with no evidence.
Clearly, if two consecutive posts are on different issues (threads often drift to discuss many issues), then having them separately is helpful and makes the forum easier to read. There are very many consecutive posts all over CWDF which have not been merged.
In particular, I often post multiple Tonic pictures from one location and follow it up with another, consecutive, unrelated posting from some completely different time or place. Merging them makes the resulting posting unwieldy, ...
... and for my readers who like to guess the pics' location, before reading the text disclosing it, it makes it less fun by having a change of location in the middle of the post.
My point hasn't been answered. Under the previous regime an unwanted merge was a nuisance but could be undone. In yesterday evening's combined post, of which I complained, the two threshholds of 3-hrs for editing and 24-hrs for the so-called double posting combine to make me post something I didn't intend, and then couldn't control.
I don't see why that is relevant to CWDF ...
Well, CWDF is heading towards the three-millionth post (estimated for 1Nov2023), so is this a material consideration?
In any case, even the old regime objected to consecutive posts very infrequently. I always mention it in the edit-box when it happens: "Unmerge a merge" (as below), and of the first 12,330 Tonic posts, 7,253 are mine and 4,787 of those are consecutive; sadly the CWDF-search-function doesn't look in edit-comments, so an exact count of my unmerges needs to look inside the database. My impression is that the old regime, in practice, only merged late-at-night when other forum activity was light. I guessed that it was inaccurately using the post-number (eg 2902858 for my post starting this thread) rather than the thread-number (eg this is #3 in this thread)
The best solution would be to save the processing needed for the check: if not that, then ask the user whether they would prefer the current post to be merged with their earlier one.
Regards
PeterScott (confused of Sheffield)
If it's regarding two or more matters, why not multi-quote in the same post? This should make it easy to distinguish that you're replying to a different individual and thus potentially a different sub-topic within a topic. I suppose it doesn't help that topics do drift off topic but this is another matter entirely and I'm not sure the answer to this is consecutive posts.
You may use the formatting tools available to format the post in such a way to make it easy for users to differentiate between one or more entities. I'm still not sure why it warrants a new consecutive post. Please see answer to MtB's question at the very bottom of this post. This should also help in this regard.
2 hours ago, MtB said:I too find the post merging behaviour highly irritating but until now, I hadn't really consciously realised.
I take part in many forums myself as it happens, and I have to disagree it is not "frowned upon" in the other forums I use. Who here "frowns upon" it? No-one, I suggest!
P.S. Instead of a post merging, could not an inadvertent double post result in a pop-up box saying "Don't double post please. Edit your previous post instead. Thank you."
I appreciate this doesn't address Peter's complaint that the merging now happens beyond the post edit deadline.
This could risk making it less user friendly by forcing the user to edit the previous post manually instead. We've taken out the burden of this by making it so the forum system do it automatically. Members can of course edit it themselves manually if they wish to update the formatting and structure of the post.
1 hour ago, Hudds Lad said:Double posting is the act of posting the same content in rapid succession, usually caused by an iffy internet connection. This is not what Peter is doing as the content is not the same.
Flooding is what you’re trying to stop. When i used to admin many years ago it was easier to just let it happen as it was quite rare, then if it did it was just a ten min job to select and remove all the flood posts. Is it really that commonplace these days?
I can see why the board is set up this way, unfortunately Peter is being caught in the crossfire, can you enable unique permissions for individual users?
I have checked several definitions online, while there is no official dictionary definition for the term there are several that also suggest it is for more than one consecutive post regardless of intent. But yes, maybe I should have used the term "consecutive posts" as to remove any ambiguity.
1 hour ago, MtB said:The quick and dirty fix for Peter's complaint is to set the post edit deadline to the same as the post merge deadline.
Thanks for the suggestion and this highlights a good point. This is now in place.
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Typically there's no need to "double post" and it's often frowned upon on many forums. Commonly many forums frown upon or even disallow double posting by means of making it against their rules etc. We have been much more relaxed on this front but equally, facilitating double posts could potentially help bots circumvent anti-spam measures we have in place which we have been victim of recently. For this reason primarily, we have increased the threshold to 24 hours whereby the forum system will merge consecutive/double posts automagically.
It also helps keep the forum tidy by reducing unnecessary database entries by consolidating consecutive posts submitted by the same user where appropriate to do so.
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Interesting. The first paragraph in the advert is a promise of a partial refund if you change your mind...
We're recruiting! - Moderator Vacancy (Voluntary)
in Site Announcements
Posted
I can relate to that. - Many many moons ago, my English teacher once told me "you're too literal!". What I write often seems quite direct/blunt even when it's not intended to be. 🙃 I did run a poll re allowing the use of Gifs which can be great for expressing tone and sentiment but that idea did not go down very well, so it never came to fruition.
That aside, it doesn't necessarily need to hold you back from putting yourself forward.
Thanks for the suggestion, that is a good idea. I guess I created this topic as to give everyone a fair chance but each method has its pros and cons. Perhaps we can do both! Dan is quite busy outside of CWDF at present but I will put that idea to him, sounds like it's something we've done before.
If you're still keen on the idea, feel free to put yourself forward.
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Just to add as well, all applications will be shared with Dan & the team. Any questions or suggestions, do let us know