Out dated posts on the forum

[ericmark]

As time as gone on the BS7671 has been upgraded and Part P has altered plus links have vanished. Yet internet search can still bring up posts from 2002.

Some of the advice given is now well out of date BAS links to This Part P page repeatedly which in turn links to other out dated or deleted pages.

For any administration to keep tabs would be near impossible. But there are posts about changing a fuse box to a consumer unit posted before there was any Part P telling readers what that can do. Yes I know there is a date but when doing an internet search one does not always notice the date or realise things have changed.

Should the forum limit the old post dates available to say 2008 when there was a major change?

Also should posters be responsible for checking linked sites at time of posting. OK I know there will always be errors I have done it myself linking to IET site not realising one needs to be registered maybe even a member before one can read the page. But to continue copy and paste lists of outdated and discontinued pages is clearly wrong once it has been pointed out.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What is a Wiki?

A wiki is a website where users can add, remove, and edit every page using a web browser. It is like an encyclopedia that anyone can edit and contribute towards.

 

[ericmark]

What is a Wiki?

A wiki is a website where users can add, remove, and edit every page using a web browser. It is like an encyclopedia that anyone can edit and contribute towards.

NB The DIYnot.com Wiki is intended to provide a permanent base for DIY related information rather than linking to outside sources and like the forum, please refrain from placing advertising on Wiki pages.

Out of the 5 links on the Part P Wiki page 3 linked to outside sources.
One link is very well referenced as

At the time of writing (January 2011)

which is good.
The next says "Information relevant to Part P of the building regs in England/Wales" this time no date. So worse than the forum as anyone finding will be unaware that it no longer applies to England.
Next

The Building Regulations 2010

clearly out of date.
Next is a dead link.
So of the 5 links only one is now valid so why link to a page with 5 links rather than direct to the only valid link on that page?

 

[JohnW2]

Eric, I presume that the point BAS is making is that if (as there are) there there things in the wiki which you feel are incorrect or inadequate (or links which don't work etc.) and therefore need improving, changing or removing, then you are free to make the required changes yourself, rather than just writing about them.

Kind Regards, John

 

[riveralt]

I agree with the point Eric is making in that if you reference a particular section of Wiki in your answer or your 'cut & paste' answer then it is your responsibility to ensure that the links you give provide accurate information.

 

[ericmark]

Eric, I presume that the point BAS is making is that if (as there are) there there things in the wiki which you feel are incorrect or inadequate (or links which don't work etc.) and therefore need improving, changing or removing, then you are free to make the required changes yourself, rather than just writing about them.

Kind Regards, John

I agree I could alter a Wiki and for a small alteration yes that makes sense like changing England and Wales to just Wales.

However where the writer is still on the forum it would clearly be better is he did any alterations.

Also it's not myself who is quoting the wiki and with examples like the one I quoted to bring into line with the forum rules of not linking outside the forum for a wiki then it would mean simply deleting as it was just a list of links.

However although wiki was refereed to my main point is that some one doing an internet search can pick up threads which are well out of date. And there is a general consideration that electrics don't change with time, so a viewer could act on information now completely wrong.

To trail through all the 2002 to 2013 posts correcting where rules have changed would be a Monmouth task. So either a warning about dates or deleting posts when they reach a set age may be required.

 

[JohnW2]

However although wiki was refereed to my main point is that some one doing an internet search can pick up threads which are well out of date. And there is a general consideration that electrics don't change with time, so a viewer could act on information now completely wrong.

That it very true, and we've discussed it in the past, but the solution is far from straightforward. Whilst issues relating to rules/regulations/laws certainly do change, sometimes markedly, with time, electrical principles genenerally don't, so an arbitrary cut-off date for 'making messages disappear' would undoubtedly result in some valuable material being lost. Furthermore, given that so many messages end up containing references to, or discussions about, 'notification' rules, you could argue that we would have to have a cut-off date of April 2013, which would obviously be ridiculous.

In any event, in relation to your point about 'internet searches' much of the old material could well be in the caches of search engines, such that it would remain there even if it ceased to be accessible on the DIYnot website.

It's not simple, but nor is it unique to electrics or to this forum - the internet is full of out-of-date information, so hopefully most of those who use that as their information source will be at least a little cautious about anything which is 'old'.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

with examples like the one I quoted to bring into line with the forum rules of not linking outside the forum for a wiki then it would mean simply deleting as it was just a list of links.

It would be utter lunacy to try to have a Wiki article about the Building Regulations without links to them.

 

[SUNRAY]

As time as gone on the BS7671 has been upgraded and Part P has altered plus links have vanished. Yet internet search can still bring up posts from 2002.

Some of the advice given is now well out of date BAS links to This Part P page repeatedly which in turn links to other out dated or deleted pages.

For any administration to keep tabs would be near impossible. But there are posts about changing a fuse box to a consumer unit posted before there was any Part P telling readers what that can do. Yes I know there is a date but when doing an internet search one does not always notice the date or realise things have changed.

Should the forum limit the old post dates available to say 2008 when there was a major change?

Also should posters be responsible for checking linked sites at time of posting. OK I know there will always be errors I have done it myself linking to IET site not realising one needs to be registered maybe even a member before one can read the page. But to continue copy and paste lists of outdated and discontinued pages is clearly wrong once it has been pointed out.

Bump.