PF Spring Cleaning: Help Out & Clear Out Old Threads!

[Greg Bernhardt]

Get out your gloves, your rakes and trash bags. It's time to spring clean the forums and like Game of Thrones, it's been a long 16 year winter!

You may have noticed there are several "Workshop" sub forums around. What we've done is moved all threads without a reply from the parent forum into the workshop. In this new workshop forum we are going through the threads and if it's worthwhile, adding a valuable reply, and if not, trashing it.

You can help too! Scan through the workshop forums and if you see some super junk, report it and we'll clean it out! If you see a thread where you can add a valuable reply, please do so! Sure the member is likely long gone, but 99% of thread readers are guests who come to PF with the same question. Help them out! Once we finish working through the threads in a workshop we'll move them back into the parent and we then have a clean mean super forum full of value.

We're starting with limited workshop forums and once we close them out then moving on to others. Here is the current list:
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/classical-physics-workshop.271/
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/quantum-physics-workshop.273/
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/relativity-workshop.275/
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/general-math-workshop.269/
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/electrical-engineering-workshop.272/
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/biology-workshop.270/
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/technology-workshop.274/

As we work down the thread list, you may need to click to a new page to find the threads that need to be looked at. I will update this thread when we close out forums and add new workshops! Thanks for helping PF spring clean!

 

[anorlunda]

Can you clarify Greg? If we do reply, will they then vanish from the workshop sub-forum?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Can you clarify Greg? If we do reply, will they then vanish from the workshop sub-forum?

They remain for at least a few days and then I'll move them over to the parent forum.

 

[mfb]

Let's track progress. Links are to the parent forum as we have thread/post numbers visible there.

Classical physics: 1.2K threads, 1.3K posts (checked manually: 21 replies, 2%)
Quantum physics: 979 threads, 985 posts (6 replies, <1%)
Relativity: 330 threads, 363 posts (33 replies, 10%)
Math: 622 threads, 775 posts (153 replies, 25%)
Electrical engineering: 733 threads, 791 posts (58 replies, 8%)
Biology: 90 threads, 143 messages (53 replies, 60%)
Technology: 165 threads, 182 messages (17 replies, 10%)
A bit late to the party:
General Discussion: 665 threads, 639 remaining threads (26 deleted, 4%), 641 messages (2 replies, <1%)

Not perfect as some threads have more than one reply, but a good estimate. Biology is leading, but they also accumulated the smallest set of unanswered threads.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Let's track progress. Links are to the parent forum as we have thread/post numbers visible there.

Place your bets people!

btw, a lot of threads have been removed and that isn't shown as "progress".

 

[mfb]

Yes, we should probably use the current thread numbers as denominator. Not perfect as some threads were deleted before already, but a good estimate. Threads with more than one answer will have a larger impact. Quantum physics will move to the rounded display for posts soon.

 

[mitchell porter]

Does this mean that any thread in the history of Physics Forums which never received a reply, will be deleted? Or have I misunderstood?

 

[Wrichik Basu]

Does this mean that any thread in the history of Physics Forums which never received a reply, will be deleted? Or have I misunderstood?

No, they will be answered with a good reply. Only spams and unnecessary threads will be deleted.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

A workshop in GD has been created. Lots to remove here!
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/general-discussion-workshop.276/

 

[BillTre]

Especially with the General Discussion forum, what should we do about the following cases?:

• Thread should really be in a different forum;
  like (biology --> biology homework) or (general discussion --> art, history,..sub-forum)
• Thread is OK and doesn't really need a reply. Its just informative/timely.
  Sometimes I like them (with the like button). Does that keep them from getting trashed?

 

[BillTre]

Also,

• What about broken links, that can make a post pointless?

 

[Bystander]

• Thread should really be in a different forum;
  like (biology --> biology homework) or (general discussion --> art, history,..sub-forum)
• Thread is OK and doesn't really need a reply. Its just informative/timely.
  Sometimes I like them (with the like button). Does that keep them from getting trashed?

What about broken links, that can make a post pointless?

Ditto.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Thread should really be in a different forum;
like (biology --> biology homework) or (general discussion --> art, history,..sub-forum)

Reply and we'll move later

Thread is OK and doesn't really need a reply. Its just informative/timely.
Sometimes I like them (with the like button). Does that keep them from getting trashed?

I would reply with a message that you enjoy it and maybe add what you like or why you like etc.

• What about broken links, that can make a post pointless?

If a post is rendered useless by a broken link, report it and likely it will be removed.

 

[Bystander]

report it and likely it will be removed.

"Report" is also good for the spring cleaning; there are a couple items I've noticed that will stir up trouble if "replied" to directly?

 

[Evo]

"Report" is also good for the spring cleaning; there are a couple items I've noticed that will stir up trouble if "replied" to directly?

Some items shouldn't be replied to, you are correct. Report them and suggest deletion.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

I am currently using the phrase "Spring clean - <name> workshop" at the beginning of each report so as to make it clear to the moderators that they are looking at an old thread. the moderation team already has lots of responsibilities, just to make their work a bit easier...

 

[mfb]

The reports include the forum name anyway.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

The reports include the forum name anyway.

Then I'll remove the latter part and keep it to "(Spring clean)" only.

 

[mfb]

36 hours after the first statistics:

Classical physics: 1200 threads originally, 1200 left, 1300 posts, 1145 unanswered, 5% done
Quantum physics: 979 threads originally, 968 left, 987 posts, 949 unanswered, 3% done
Relativity: 330 threads originally, 295 left, 336 posts, 254 unanswered, 23% done
Math: 622 threads originally, 613 left, 785 posts, 441 unanswered, 29% done
Electrical engineering: 733 threads originally, 729 left, 801 posts, 657 unanswered, 10% done
Biology: 90 threads originally, 82 left, 141 posts, 23 unanswered, 74% done
Technology: 165 threads originally, 135 left, 172 posts, 98 unanswered, 41% done
General Discussion: 665 threads originally, 363 left, 366 posts, 360 unanswered, 46% done

Quite some progress in just 1.5 days. Sure, the easiest threads get answered or removed first, over time things will get slower.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

One important thing in the technology workshop is to determine whether the question is still relevant today or not. I reported a number of threads that were on obsolete topics. But this would generally not apply to most other forums.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Quite some progress in just 1.5 days. Sure, the easiest threads get answered or removed first, over time things will get slower.

Really incredible results so quickly! We want to keep things fresh and moving and we don't need to be perfect. After some time we'll keep opening new workshops and close those that look like we've exhausted efforts.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Have another couple passes on the Biology and Technology Workshop. We'll close them down, move the threads back over to the parent, and open two new Workshops in the next day or two.

https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/biology-workshop.270/
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/technology-workshop.274/

Awesome job @jim mcnamara @Ygggdrasil @BillTre @Pythagorean @Drakkith @jedishrfu @Mark44 @Wrichik Basu and others!

 

[mfb]

The unanswered threads could stay a bit longer. We'll still deal with a few more of them over time.

Progress:
Biology: 90 threads originally, 78 left, 144 posts, 12 unanswered, 87% done
Technology: 165 threads originally, 115 left, 170 posts, 60 unanswered, 64% done

Actually checked the forums: 25 unanswered threads in biology, 87 unanswered threads in technology (this thread screwed up the counting), so biology is 72% done and technology is at about 50%.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Biology workshop is closing today and we'll open a new workshop up for Mechanical Engineering and one for Astronomy.
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/biology-and-medical.82/

Great job everyone!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Astronomy is now open!
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/astronomy-workshop.277/

 

[anorlunda]

I need help on this one. Fiber optic interferometer.

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/single-mode-to-multi-mode-back-to-single-mode.210367/

 

[anorlunda]

This thread is also beyond me. It is about a frequency division multiplexer with some optical elements.

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/problem-with-ofdm-optical-multiplexer.443667/

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Added two more workshops
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/programming-workshop.278/
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/general-physics-workshop.279/

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Last call on https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/technology-workshop.274/

 

[Wrichik Basu]

Last call on https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/technology-workshop.274/

What are you going to do with the unanswered ones? Delete?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

What are you going to do with the unanswered ones? Delete?

Just move them back over

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

General Discussion workshop closed up! Well done!

Added a workshop in Mechanical Engineering
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/mechanical-engineering-workshop.283/

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Math software workshop added
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/math-software-workshop.284/

 

[Wrichik Basu]

One small thing: can you change the default sorting order in the workshops, so that it matches the other forums? That is, the threads that have been replied to, will appear at the top.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

One small thing: can you change the default sorting order in the workshops, so that it matches the other forums? That is, the threads that have been replied to, will appear at the top.

The mentors decided that by views is most useful.

The relativity workshop is almost done!
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/relativity-workshop.275/