Will Numismatic Researchers of the Future Pull Their Hair Out Working on Forum Identities?

Coinosaurus · January 2, 2013 2:18PM

Fifty or a hundred years from now, if anyone wants to know what the coin guys were thinking about, it's all here. Imagine if we had such a record from a hundred years ago. Today's researchers struggle with pen names, or with initials used to sign published material in the old days. We know the identities of many of them, but there are quite a few enigmas remaining. You may think your identity is obvious from the overall context of your posts, but tomorrow's reader may not be as informed. I can easily see some future researcher completely stumped - is there anything you want to tell them now

19Lyds · January 2, 2013 2:22PM

<< - is there anything you want to tell them now

>>

Yes. Like my coins.........I am CERTIFIED!

Staircoins · January 2, 2013 11:39PM

<< 

<< - is there anything you want to tell them now

>>

Yes. Like my coins.........I am CERTIFIED! >>

Is that the same as "Certifiable"?

GRANDAM · January 3, 2013 1:35AM

OK, I have put way too much thought into this already,,,,,

GrandAm

messydesk · January 3, 2013 2:16AM

<< I can easily see some future researcher completely stumped - is there anything you want to tell them now

>>

My name is Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht.

Overdate · January 3, 2013 2:17AM

As you can see by my avatar, I just got out of rehub!

ricko · January 3, 2013 2:19AM

Secret identities are necessary for all super hero's....

Cheers, RickO

coinsarefun · January 3, 2013 2:22AM

<< Yes. Like my coins.........I am CERTIFIED! >>

There is proof, click here

lordmarcovan · January 3, 2013 3:57AM

<< Will Numismatic Researchers of the Future Pull Their Hair Out Working on Forum Identities? >>

I've actually had enough time on my hands to wonder about this, too.

In a lot of cases, they'll probably just use the forum name and stick with that.

19Lyds · January 3, 2013 4:06AM

<< 

<< 

<< - is there anything you want to tell them now

>>

Yes. Like my coins.........I am CERTIFIED! >>

Is that the same as "Certifiable"?

>>

Why ask?

I'm obviously NUTS!!

ambro51 · January 3, 2013 5:13AM

Won't be a problem at all. It will be ALL gone. Just like everything we put on computer punch cards, floppy discs etc etc all this " technology" is fleeting and unless printed out with the right ink on the right paper.....all we write will "go away".

BryceM · January 3, 2013 5:28AM

If it's really important, better to write it in stone. Paper is in pretty bad shape after 100 years. Electronic gobbley-gook in the future will be so overwhelming in quantity to defy attempts to ferret out relevant tidbits.

cladking · January 3, 2013 6:39AM

<< If it's really important, better to write it in stone. Paper is in pretty bad shape after 100 years. Electronic gobbley-gook in the future will be so overwhelming in quantity to defy attempts to ferret out relevant tidbits. >>

They tried stone and it didn't work because it could be deconstructed.

JohnHarper · January 3, 2013 8:22PM

As a researcher is 2012, I was already frustrated by the use of pen names on the CU Forum. I might like to quote from someone's comments but that is hard to justify without a name. It also may be a challenge to evaluate an observation without knowing the credentials and credibility of the writer.

PerryHall · January 3, 2013 8:46PM

<< As a researcher is 2012, I was already frustrated by the use of pen names on the CU Forum. I might like to quote from someone's comments but that is hard to justify without a name. It also may be a challenge to evaluate an observation without knowing the credentials and credibility of the writer. >>

That's the problem with using a chat room as a source for research---it's sometimes difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

CommemDude · January 3, 2013 11:02PM

I now admit publicly that I am Jean Valjean, 24601

ambro51 · January 3, 2013 11:10PM

<< If it's really important, better to write it in stone. Paper is in pretty bad shape after 100 years. >>

. Without a doubt one of the least truthful statements ever pecked out on a keyboard. Some years ago I researched a local historic site and the records and books I used were from the late 1700s and were as good as the day they were written

RedTiger · January 3, 2013 11:37PM

I think the opposite problem of too much information will be more of an issue. While not directly related it reminds me of a story. Many of us grew up in an age when photographs were scarce. A family might have a one or two rolls of film from a big vacation. Maybe 20 photos a year and that was for middle class families. My niece recently took 1000 photos during a 2-week vacation.

Any researcher that really wants to know and has some gumption probably can find a person's real name, their income, their birthday, the name of their pets and kids and more information than anyone ever wants to know about anyone. If they can't personally do it, pay a fee to some service and their software can likely dig all that out and more. There may be a short era when some online folks slip through, but with Facebook and Twitter becoming the more popular mediums, personal anonymity may be a thing of the past.

What may be more frustrating to researchers is the coming age where expert software participates in online discussions. Government agencies already use them, but automated software that looks and feels near like a live person can be programmed to participate online. If done well, very tough to tell there is no human, only software making comments, jokes, and jibes. Spam bots are the crudest of these, but the government folks already deploy sophisticated models that can fool many people.

jfoot13 · January 4, 2013 12:03AM

<< Won't be a problem at all. It will be ALL gone. Just like everything we put on computer punch cards, floppy discs etc etc all this " technology" is fleeting and unless printed out with the right ink on the right paper.....all we write will "go away". >>

Unless you're running for political office

astrorat · January 4, 2013 12:46AM

If research next century relies on information gathered from forums from anonymous or non-verifiable posters, then I weep for the future. What "fact" is provided here is little more than hearsay. It's the research equivalent of reality TV.

BryceM · January 4, 2013 1:15AM

<< 

<< If it's really important, better to write it in stone. Paper is in pretty bad shape after 100 years. >>

. Without a doubt one of the least truthful statements ever pecked out on a keyboard. Some years ago I researched a local historic site and the records and books I used were from the late 1700s and were as good as the day they were written >>

Wow. Rather abrasive today aren't we????????? Your single anecdotal example of finding a few documents in good condition is sufficient to lay it on pretty thick huh?

It all depends on how it's stored. In a decent environment it cetainly can last a very long time. I'd grant that some paper can be in excellent condition after a few centuries, but what percentage of all paper documents from 100 years ago do you think are still in good condition today? Less than 1%? The majority of it is tossed, lost, damaged by fire, humidity, theft, or otherwise unavailable. Do you think a hard copy of the contents of this forum are likely to be stored in archival conditions?

cladking · January 4, 2013 2:00AM

<< It all depends on how it's stored. In a decent environment it cetainly can last a very long time. I'd grant that some paper can be in excellent condition after a few centuries, but what percentage of all paper documents from 100 years ago do you think are still in good condition today? Less than 1%? The majority of it is tossed, lost, damaged by fire, humidity, theft, or otherwise unavailable. Do you think a hard copy of the contents of this forum are likely to be stored in archival conditions? >>

100 years ago people were still concerned about quality. Today we have a system founded on waste and driven by greed
so nothing at all can last. Paper now contains acid which will destroy it in less than a century.

I'd guess less than .00001% of the written words from 1913 survive today. The percentage of 100 year old writing surviving
a hundred years from now will be many orders of magnitude less unless the internet information survives.

ColonelJessup · January 4, 2013 3:09AM

"The world will little note, nor long remember, ...."

Will Numismatic Researchers of the Future Pull Their Hair Out Working on Forum Identities?

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