# What Urban threads would you like to see highlighted in the British Library Web Archive?



## CurateUrban (Oct 19, 2011)

Hello everyone

I’ve been a member of U75 for quite a while and I have gained a lot from the community and see it as an important resource

In my professional capacity I'm a Social Sciences curator at the British Library. At the library we run the UK web archive where we archive and preserve important cultural sites and other information http://www.webarchive.org.uk/ukwa/

Urban75 is in the archive, but the boards look like this

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20110417030711/http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/forum.php

I think that highlighting postings and threads on Urban could add a real life perspective to contemporary historical events and could also have the potential to be an oral history collection for future generations to use for academic study and family history

I have an idea for the Urban community to initially choose some threads related to the themes we have set up as special collections so that we can place them and archive them in those collections to capture posters’ perspectives around these themes.

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/ukwa/collection

As a really quick and simple example we could put this thread

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...ts-updates-and-news-only-no-discussion.50349/

 in this collection

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/ukwa/collection/100757/page/1

With this in mind, I’m asking for the urban community to curate the best and most relevant content (initially related to these collections) to add to our histories.

This may seem like I’m asking you to do my job for me, but I want to explore ideas of how to best capture now and the last decade and would like as much input as possible from contributors. In previous generations we would have to capture the stories and perspectives of people through interviews, letters and books, but we are all adding to this record everyday.

Urban is only one board and although it has many different perspectives if this works then I will look to do similar projects with other communities.

There is also a lot of work going on about how we visualize this archive in space and time as the flat text model we have at the moment isn’t a great way to research large amounts of data.

I have set up this login for this project as I want to keep a bit of separation between my personal and professional life. Quite a few of you will be able to easily guess who I am, but please be discrete. 

I'm only really at the ideas/concepts stage with this, it may not even work, so any contributions, suggestions or questions on this are most welcome 

I’ve cleared this with Editor


----------



## 8ball (Oct 19, 2011)

Boat Happy!


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Oct 19, 2011)

Dog Wanker


----------



## Jon-of-arc (Oct 19, 2011)

This thread.


----------



## smmudge (Oct 19, 2011)

Nazi lobster


----------



## CurateUrban (Oct 19, 2011)

I thought this might happen


----------



## quimcunx (Oct 19, 2011)

discreet.

 though.


----------



## CurateUrban (Oct 19, 2011)

quimcunx said:


> discreet.
> 
> though.





Yeah I'm not at the literary end of things at the library


----------



## Santino (Oct 19, 2011)

Inventing an Urban75 tube line.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Oct 19, 2011)

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/world-trade-centre.20/


----------



## Santino (Oct 19, 2011)

Porn versions of classic novels.

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/porn-versions-of-classic-novels.245904/


----------



## 8ball (Oct 19, 2011)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/world-trade-centre.20/



Being serious for a moment, this is a really good suggestion.


----------



## Santino (Oct 19, 2011)

Why the Lib Dems are shit


----------



## killer b (Oct 19, 2011)

Santino said:


> Why the Lib Dems are shit


i was just coming here to post that.


----------



## CurateUrban (Oct 19, 2011)

Santino said:


> Why the Lib Dems are shit



The thread title might need to be presented in a different way but it'd fit well in here:

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/ukwa/collection/58195984/page/1


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Oct 19, 2011)

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/9-11-media-happenings.116208/

aka "Jazzz Vs The Architect" aka "Internet pwnage, a step by step guide"


----------



## quimcunx (Oct 19, 2011)

The 11/9 offline event where Johnny went apeshit.


----------



## quimcunx (Oct 19, 2011)

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/the-grand-u75-armchair-tricycle-relay-tour.139621/


----------



## killer b (Oct 19, 2011)

that thread about unpaid interns on film productions? i seem to remember that being a good combo of useful info and brutal pwnage....


----------



## quimcunx (Oct 19, 2011)

Any of methlab's encyclopaedic drug threads.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Oct 19, 2011)

killer b said:


> that thread about unpaid interns on film productions? i seem to remember that being a good combo of useful info and brutal pwnage....


Ooooh, good choice


----------



## quimcunx (Oct 19, 2011)

A flounce thread would have to be included.


----------



## killer b (Oct 19, 2011)

shac UK. if you can ressurect it.


----------



## quimcunx (Oct 19, 2011)

The Egyptian Uprising thread.


----------



## Mapped (Oct 19, 2011)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> Ooooh, good choice



This one?

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/anyone-need-a-job-editor-beware.213611/

I enjoyed that thread


----------



## Mapped (Oct 19, 2011)

dp


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Oct 19, 2011)

N1 Buoy said:


> This one?
> 
> http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/anyone-need-a-job-editor-beware.213611/
> 
> I enjoyed that thread


I'd forgotten just how much of a genius Longdog was in that thread


----------



## CurateUrban (Oct 19, 2011)

quimcunx said:


> The Egyptian Uprising thread.



In general I think we need a special collection on Arab Spring and Occupy. 'Dissent 2011' or something


----------



## magneze (Oct 19, 2011)

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/coke-problem.4323/


----------



## stuff_it (Oct 19, 2011)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/9-11-media-happenings.116208/
> 
> aka "Jazzz Vs The Architect" aka "Internet pwnage, a step by step guide"


Oh yes, yes....

How many threads are meant to go in there? Should we be making a definitive list of thread types and try to mainly stick to one or two of each type as 'examples'? Or just have threads that everyone liked?

 


CurateUrban said:


> In general I think we need a special collection on Arab Spring and Occupy. 'Dissent 2011' or something


Would this then include the London/UK Riots etc as well? Or are you lot down at the BL sticking with the party line on this one? ('feral underclass letting off steam in a long hot summer')


----------



## CurateUrban (Oct 19, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> Oh yes, yes....
> 
> How many threads are meant to go in there? Should we be making a definitive list of thread types and try to mainly stick to one or two of each type as 'examples'? Or just have threads that everyone liked?
> 
> Would this then include the London/UK Riots etc as well? Or are you lot down at the BL sticking with the party line on this one? ('feral underclass letting off steam in a long hot summer')



I just need a few examples for now and any ideas anyone may have

With the research queries I'm getting, I reckon we will need a separate riots collection. There is no 'party line' I'm just trying to get people's stories and perspectives.

Urban is generally well written and intelligent (apart from a lot of the above ) so it's a good place to start.

This is also a 2 way street. We want to know how we can serve online and offline communities better


----------



## TitanSound (Oct 19, 2011)

Foxy's Friday Quizzes.


----------



## Santino (Oct 19, 2011)

TitanSound said:


> Foxy's Friday Quizzes.


I invented that shit. I can't believe they're not called Santino's Any Day of the Week Quizzes.


----------



## stuff_it (Oct 19, 2011)

Bandwidthz!

And perhaps a chat thread?

Also at least one of the full on slanging match derails from Politics.


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Oct 19, 2011)

N1 Buoy said:


> This one?
> 
> http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/anyone-need-a-job-editor-beware.213611/
> 
> I enjoyed that thread


Definitely worth preserving.


----------



## CurateUrban (Oct 19, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> Bandwidthz!
> 
> And perhaps a chat thread?
> 
> Also at least one of the full on slanging match derails from Politics.



Bandwidthz is actually a good road to explore to get some content for our video server.


----------



## killer b (Oct 19, 2011)

disasterpaint


----------



## stuff_it (Oct 19, 2011)

CurateUrban said:


> Bandwidthz is actually a good road to explore to get some content for our video server.


If you go back through them all it's quite a good chronology of memes as well.


----------



## purves grundy (Oct 19, 2011)

tom k&e's farewell


----------



## frogwoman (Oct 19, 2011)

the Nicholas Kollerstrom pwning extravaganza.


----------



## equationgirl (Oct 19, 2011)

8ball said:


> Boat Happy!


yes yes yes!


----------



## Citizen66 (Jun 6, 2012)

Any progress reports with this?


----------



## Jon-of-arc (Jun 11, 2012)

Citizen66 said:


> Any progress reports with this?



This^

Also, do you have the latest dan brown in?


----------



## Ax^ (Jun 11, 2012)

Carrotbumwank


----------



## Winot (Jun 14, 2012)

killer b said:


> that thread about unpaid interns on film productions? i seem to remember that being a good combo of useful info and brutal pwnage....



http://www.urban75.net/forums/index...-job...-Editor-beware!!!.213611/#post-7658898


----------



## sim667 (Jun 14, 2012)

In all fairness I think the OP makes good suggestion, and will probably get pissed off with stupid suggestions and end up using his time for something else.

On a less serious not I totally think the bandwidthz thread says the most about modern day culture on urban75.


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Jun 14, 2012)

I think there should be a now and then example of Brixton gentrification threads. One from about ten years ago and one from now.


----------



## Citizen66 (Jun 14, 2012)

sim667 said:


> In all fairness I think the OP makes good suggestion, and will probably get pissed off with stupid suggestions and end up using his time for something else.



The OP makes it clear that they're a regular here (perhaps posting incognito to protect professional identity) and fully expected the range of replies they received.

I think the peak oil thread would be a good one to archive. Would be interesting in the future for people to look back and see the range of opinions discussed and solutions proposed etc.


----------



## Winot (Jun 15, 2012)

Mrs Magpie said:


> I think there should be a now and then example of Brixton gentrification threads. One from about ten years ago and one from now.



Gentrification threads are becoming gentrified.


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

Failed Thread Ideas


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

**Guns/Crack: The Commander - your opinion please?*


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

*Plane and conveyor belt problem. With poll!*


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

*The Wire comes to BBC2 (Spoiler free, please)*


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

*David Icke on 'Swine Flu'*


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

*Peak Oil (was "petroleum geolgist explains US war policy")*


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

*Ice cap disappearing 30 years ahead of schedule*


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

*Your Vagina Isn’t Just Too Big, Too Floppy, and Too Hairy—It’s Also Too Brown*


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

*The 7/7 Report*


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

*To all the Atheists who say god isn't "real"*


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

That's enough of that: I'm off to the Avengers.

[that isn't a thread title, btw]


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 15, 2012)

Nobody seems very enthused about the British Library Web Archive....


----------



## stuff_it (Jun 15, 2012)

Johnny Canuck3 said:


> Nobody seems very enthused about the British Library Web Archive....


How was The Avengers?


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 16, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> How was The Avengers?


 
Didn't go. Went to The Dictator instead.

Spoiler: movie includes anal fisting of a woman giving birth. The tone goes downhill from there.


----------



## stuff_it (Jun 16, 2012)

Johnny Canuck3 said:


> Didn't go. Went to The Dictator instead.
> 
> Spoiler: movie includes anal fisting of a woman giving birth. The tone goes downhill from there.


Ah, I may download it then.


----------



## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 16, 2012)

Watch for the 'cel phone inside the pregnant belly' scene; or the 'milking the female-khadaffi-guard-style woman like a goat' scene.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jun 16, 2012)

further to previous replies, the rational proof of god thread deserves to be preserved for posterity


----------



## oryx (Jun 16, 2012)

You should preserve the 'selling central Brixton to yuppies' thread if it's still about (from about 2003).

It has historical context even now, only about nine years later.

And, as Mrs Magpie has already said, all the threads about gentrification.


----------



## free spirit (Jun 16, 2012)

global financial system implosion begins
the global depression of 2008-??? the alternative take on it.

*Will There Be a Double Dip Recession?: With Poll*

never let it be said that nobody could have predicted the UK's double dip recession as a result of government policies.

*Peak Oil (was "petroleum geologist explains US war policy")*

Urban 75 well ahead of the internet curve on Peak Oil

*Ice cap disappearing 30 years ahead of schedule*

Thread monitoring the far more rapid than expected melting of the Arctic ice cap 


GM is it really so bad?
2002 GM debate in a nutshell, many of the concerns raised are now being seen to be happening.




ps I only just saw this thread.


----------



## Miss-Shelf (Jun 16, 2012)

"how to live with someone whos shit(but you cant leave) "  in nobbing and sobbing has many twists and turns that portrays some of the choices available to women today as well as desires expressed


----------



## 8115 (Jun 17, 2012)

One about having a cleaner.

The one about medical marijuana.


----------



## Roadkill (Jun 18, 2012)

IMO the threads covering major events as they're happening are worth preserving. I'm thinking especially of the big 7/7 thread. On a day when most of the major news websites were creaking under the strain, this place was a brilliant source of news, updates and (usually) informed conjecture about what was going on. It was also a day when the 'u75 community' showed itself at its best, with people offering accommodation to those stranded in London, meet-ups to walk back to different parts of the city when the transport was down, and so on. It was u75 at its best.


----------



## quimcunx (Jun 22, 2012)

Has anyone mentioned the office scolding email thread? 

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/the-office-scolding-email-thread.113207/


----------



## UrbaneFox (Jun 25, 2012)

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/blatantly-trolling-thread-title.163733/

I like this thread, and am furious that by the time I arrived it was just about spent. Also, "Britain's Trendiest Vicar" has reinvented himself, which is undoubtedly the mark of a troll.


----------



## bluestreak (Jun 25, 2012)

any of my threads.

HTH


----------

