BEWARE - archive pages. What was right in 2011 may have changed by 2022

[whole diary]

[grahame]

This forum - and other places I have written in the past such as my blog - represent things as they were at the time they were written.  Whilst there are a few occasions where an update alert is appropriate, they ARE few and far between.

There's a post of mine from 1st May 2011 that talks about car parking prices (in Melksham) at the time.  It's got that date on the post, and it starts "This table was checked against signage earlier today (1st May 2011) ...". It shouldn't surpise the reader here in September 2022 that the prices quoted from over a decade ago have changed.  And indeed the blog pages explicitly state this:

This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

It's probably worth a reminder of the above from time to time, and this evening seems an approporiate time having received the following by email in the last few hours. I don't know who else has read it, I'm pretty sure it has been shared elsewhere. IIn any case, it asks me to make wider public response.

I am writing to you regarding the above ... posting which refers to Free Parking at the Station. As you are fully aware parking is chargeable against the posted tariff rates. The first 30 minutes only are free. You have already caused confusion with one recent user of the car park.

I do note that you refer to current charges checked 1st May 2011, but not everyone reads the ’small print’. The site seems to have been updated in 2017.

I would ask you to update or remove the posting and notify your mailing list accordingly of the error.

Hmmm ... I'm uneasy about changing history / an archive, or deleting something, especially where it's altering facts as they were at the time written. Clarification may be appropriate (but, my goodness, clarification is already there are has been for years).

For the sake of further clarity, I believe there is no error. If you want to decide for yourself, it's (here) . And there is no mailing list associated with the blog to let people know.  So if anyone feels mislead by my blog or other articles or feels they are in error, I apologise here in public.

To complete the story, car parking charges were introduced at Melksham Station in summer 2020.  I am not going to attempt to tell you current rates here - but rather refer you to https://melkshamhub.co.uk/car-parking/ which (ironically) still says "Parking charges will be introduced from 31st July" ... and that was 31st July 2020 - over 2 years ago 

[Robin Summerhill]

My initial thoughts are that your correspondent had taken pedantry to new depths

An archive is, by its very nature, a collection of historical documents, a modern day online history book. By definition it describes things at the time they were written about, and not the present day

Nobody in their right mind would, for example, argue that a rider should appear in a book about Oliver Cromwell to say that England is no longer a republic

You think up your own examples!

[grahame]

My initial thoughts are that your correspondent had taken pedantry to new depths

Thanks, Robin - I felt that too but am rather close to it. I'm relieved that others agree. 

[Robin Summerhill]

My initial thoughts are that your correspondent had taken pedantry to new depths

Thanks, Robin - I felt that too but am rather close to it. I'm relieved that others agree. 

I re-read your original post this morning and it reminded me of an experience I had when I was a Formal Complaints officer. The sentence that jumped out was:

“You have already caused confusion with one recent user of the car park.”

Now you may already know your correspondent, but I wondered why whoever it was involved a third party rather than contact you directly; means of contacting you are available on the Coffee Shop website even for non-members.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the “already confused” individual is your correspondent him/herself

The issue I was reminded of was someone who got into a taxi in central Chippenham, wanting to go to Parklands, Malmesbury Road. He asked the taxi driver to be taken to “Parklands, Malmesbury.”
The trouble was, there is a Parklands in Malmesbury and the driver took him there

The guy then concluded that it was the Housing Association’s fault because they had two places with the same name.

In my reply I pointed out that many places have “duplicate names” such as High Street, Station Road etc, and the root of the problem was him giving the taxi driver inadequate instructions. The complaint was not upheld.

The link between the two stories that I saw was two individuals who had both made a mistake and were trying to find somebody else to blame for it

[Robin Summerhill]

Talking about people in their right minds, what sort of person believes an internet post from 11 years ago to be gospel, but doesn't believe the sign currently in the car park?