The message below, regarding the Boone & Scenic, caused me to think a bit more deeply about the cause/effect of the unmoderated bb format that so many rail-related (and other) sites use. (And for the record, I don't have any information regarding the below post, but it does seem weird, at the very least)Unfortunately, the unmoderated bb format is a target for undesirable posts, including flames, unsubstantiated rumor/innuendo, and most damaging, spam. Sometimes the flame,rumor and innuendo posts do have some value, as they generally generate opposing information and opinion, however the cause and effect is usually more negative than positive (in my opinion) The spam posts however can be the death knell of many a bb.A bb I have frequented over the past 4-5 years was hosted on the Northshoreline.com site, a site dedicated to the interurban fallen flag, The Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee RR. This great site, which is totally free and available to anyone with an internet connection has a very good reputation and is a fantastic source of information on this railroad.Unfortunately, this bb became the target of literally dozens of spam attacks, each and every day. Besides the obvious aggravation, I've always felt these types of posts also serve to steer people away from an otherwise legitimate site. For example, I used to check the bb at least once per day (as I do this board), usually while at my desk at work.Imagine the surprise of a co-worker who happens by your desk while you're looking for information on your favorite interurban, and they see a screen full of postings for various sex acts, online gambling, etc.After literally months of struggling with this problem on a daily basis, sometimes even hourly, the owner of the site finally gave up earlier this week, moving the bb part of the site to a Yahoo Groups site, which allows for moderation. Given the predominately loyal following of the folks who regularly visit that site, I suspect an easy, painless migration to the Yahoo site for this feature, and then return for the rest of the site. The key to growing participation will be the succesful "marketing" of the off-site link for the bb feature, which has been one of the best things on that site.Just an example of how fragile these types of resources can be. I encourage everyone to be as supportive as they can be to sites such as this one and others. I'll simply close this opinion post by saying, think about how much information/enjoyment you get (for free!) from sites such as this,, now think back about 10-12 years ago, when this type of thing was at best, a dream. Worth protecting, I think we'd all have to agree.

I am not affliated with RYPN, this is just my two cents worth.The Interchange is different from the older BBS boards in that it requires an account in order to post. You can't have "drive by" postings for the usual junk that the open BBS boards used to get. Most boards are moving away from the old BBS software to the software used by this forum for that very reason; a person would have to sign up for an account in order to post SPAM; and they won't do it. (Even if they did, they would only get shot; then get locked out.)I am also not affilated with steamlocomotive.info; but Doug is taking another approach. Anyone can post; but Doug has to approve it first before it goes out. That takes alot more administrative overhead; that is why Doug is hoping that others can help him moderate it. But, it has the ability to capture more information from a wider group.I am the owner and moderator of a Yahoo group, and I do love it. I use the full features of the group; I even use the database portion to provide a list of surviving steam pumps worldwide. However, many people do not like signing up for Yahoo for the fear of SPAM; and you do have to tolerate the advertising while you are using it. RYPN's Interchange BBS does not have that problem.I think you are missing the point with Doug's posting. It is not the fact that it was a "drive by" posting; but the fact that someone posted something that sounds legitimate but may in fact be miss-information. Moving this forum (or Doug's system) would not help that, other than limiting the number of people who can actually post. Rather, it goes back to checking on your facts before you blast them out on the Internet, and don't spread rumors.The Internet and this forum indeed open doors to information that no one could have imagined just a decade or two ago. And anyone can get involved. But, you have to take what you read with a grain of salt; some may be mistaken information; other may be wrong, other may be miss-information. I appreciate Doug's efforts to get it right before posting it for the world to see.-James Hefner Hebrews 10:20a Surviving World Steam Project

James,I agree with all of your points.My post was intended as an opinion piece only, something that was generated by thoughts about different types of posts, not to anything specific in Doug's thread. I actually like postings such as that one, it generates (usually) a healthy response and typically gets the facts presented by knowledgeable parties.I only wanted to illustrate how other bb's fare with different formats.I agree that the downside of Yahoo is the incessant advertising, although that is what keeps it "free".If my intent wasn't clear, then I apologize, I should have written it better.

Mr. Cloos;Please forgive me if I sounded critical. That was not my intention at all.Instead; I was just trying to "hone in" on what the issue was. It wasn't really the forum that the note was posted to; it was note itself. And changing forums may help to limit to number of individuals who are posting information; but that has a downside as well.I know that managing the RYPN Interchange is labor intensive. By deciding not to let Yahoo Groups host it, but rather host it themselves; that places an added responsibility on the RYPN staff for the content. They can't point to Yahoo.com for the actions of an individual; nor can they shift the responsibility for content to someone else.In return, they have full control over the forum itself. It is a two-edged sword; and I too tip my hat to the RYPN staff for masterfull job they have done managing this resource. I see more and more references to it in some of the other forums I belong to.In regards to Doug's posting, it just made a good "poster child" for pointing out the responsiblities that come with sharing information. Doug is also to be commended for making such a great resource available for free to the general public. I know it is also a lot of work, and he has also managed it very well.-James Hefner Hebrews 10:20a Surviving World Steam Project