Axis history forum down???

JoseFrancis · Post by **JoseFrancis** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 7:52 pm

I surely hope AHF will come back soon...

Commissar D, the Evil · Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:35 pm

It seems that both Feldgrau and AHF have been down a lot recently. Very annoying, no place to hang out....

By the way, I agree with Christoph. You never see a Ron Klages or a Leo Neihorster making a post that would provoke the need to moderate. In fact, it is very hard to "moderate" a factual discussion unless tempers flare--there simply isn't a need.
Now AHF has members from around the globe, speaking many languages and representing every political spectrum. Without Moderators, it would be chaos and my humble opinion is that usually those who complain about "over-moderation" (and I'm not saying this applies to Vagabond!) are those with political agendas to push.

Best,
~D, the EviL

Vagabond · Post by **Vagabond** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 3:57 am

Perhaps I should elaborate. I've never had a post edited or zapped by a moderator on the AHF and my post count is far past 1500. I have no political agenda to push - indeed, I suspect that those who do have left the AHF long ago. I have no problem with offensive and/or idiotic posts being deleted on sight by AHF moderators.

However, I've seen posts that really weren't very offensive removed by moderators, sometimes with the remark that they added nothing to the discussion - posts by people I otherwise consider good, constructive members of the AHF. That's obviously not my problem, but I do hope that the AHF leadership will not scare away any of its good members. All the loons and trolls are long gone anyway.

My gripe is more about regulation than moderation. Thread-split offs can be really confusing. If somebody tries a new approach in an ongoing discussion, the thread might well be split out to another sub-forum, meaning that you have to go back and forth all the time if you want the whole picture. The ever-expanding number of sub-fora means that it can be difficult to tell just where a new thread should go to.

For example, the 'Economy' sub-section is a really good little corner of the AHF with several really good threads. I can see absolutely no good reason why the AHF needs both an 'Axis Economy' and an 'Allied Economy' sub-section. Most economic analysis and much economic history debate is made on a comparative basis. It's as if the AHF leadership hopes to multiply a good sub-section by creating yet more sub-sections while in reality, they are actually cutting it in half. Also, the large number of sub-sections might scare potential new AHF members.

So let me qualify my original statement. I think the problem is one of over-regulation, not over-moderation.

Musashi · Post by **Musashi** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 4:01 am

Vagabond wrote: Does this make sense to anyone here? Musashi?

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Commissar D, the Evil · Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:06 am

However, I've seen posts that really weren't very offensive removed by moderators, sometimes with the remark that they added nothing to the discussion - posts by people I otherwise consider good, constructive members of the AHF. That's obviously not my problem, but I do hope that the AHF leadership will not scare away any of its good members. All the loons and trolls are long gone anyway.

My gripe is more about regulation than moderation. Thread-split offs can be really confusing. If somebody tries a new approach in an ongoing discussion, the thread might well be split out to another sub-forum, meaning that you have to go back and forth all the time if you want the whole picture. The ever-expanding number of sub-fora means that it can be difficult to tell just where a new thread should go to.

For example, the 'Economy' sub-section is a really good little corner of the AHF with several really good threads. I can see absolutely no good reason why the AHF needs both an 'Axis Economy' and an 'Allied Economy' sub-section. Most economic analysis and much economic history debate is made on a comparative basis. It's as if the AHF leadership hopes to multiply a good sub-section by creating yet more sub-sections while in reality, they are actually cutting it in half. Also, the large number of sub-sections might scare potential new AHF members.

Hi Vagabond, these are all valid concerns. As to the first issue, I can't really say anything except that moderators do make mistakes on occasion and each one has a different style or take on discussions.

The other two points have really attracted my attention in the past. AHF really covers a lot of ground with its numerous subforums. While this is probably a good thing--making the site more comprehensive--it also risks a lot of really good posts being "lost". What I'm trying to say is that compartmentalisation works if one has the inclination to check all the compartments.

I don't, many times, have that sort of dedication. I've found that, due to the format, there are many sections I just normally don't view and two months down the road, when I finally do view some subsections, I'm amazed at the Threads I've missed! I think that while the goal is to establish sub-forums that will appeal to many different interests, the practical effect is that the average Joe like me, tends to concentrate his time and effort on only a few sections at any given time.

In the old days, when forums were simply lists of questions and answers, with every topic clearly showing on a page, this was not a problem. But, I agree that this is a major downside to the growing elaborateness of forums and the switch over to the format that both Feldgrau and AHF have adopted.

Best,
~D, the EviL

Tom Houlihan · Post by **Tom Houlihan** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 3:59 pm

Commissar D, the Evil wrote:What I'm trying to say is that compartmentalisation works if one has the inclination to check all the compartments.

I've found that the best way around that is to use the "Check Posts Since Last Visit" option. That way, I can see everything that's new, and choose which ones I want to view.

Granted, I usually read the same sections, but every so often, something in a different section will catch my eye, and I'll pick up something interesting about another area.

Beppo Schmidt · Post by **Beppo Schmidt** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 3:44 pm

I can't get on AHF again.

Sam H. · Post by **Sam H.** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 2:34 pm

Its working again ... for now.

Vagabond · Post by **Vagabond** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:40 am

Is the AHF down again or am I the only one having problems?

I get 'document contains no data' and 'connection timed out' responses alternately.

Beppo Schmidt · Post by **Beppo Schmidt** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 7:24 am

I get "website not responding".

Bryson C · Post by **Bryson C** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:08 am

Not working for me two.

Paddy Keating · Post by **Paddy Keating** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 10:48 am

Oh dear, not again!

PK

xavier · Post by **xavier** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 11:06 am

E' UN COMPLOT!!! (as said by a well-known mexican politic)

(it's a conspiracy)
Xavier

Helly Angel · Post by **Helly Angel** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 12:52 pm

B Hellqvist · Post by **B Hellqvist** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:15 pm

Both AHF and the Swedish skalman.nu fora are down (both probably situated on the same server), and webmaster Marcus Wendel is currently away on holiday. I cannot remember when he is expected to be back, but I guess he will be home either on Sunday or Monday.