14 replies to this topic

[bioforum]

The recent server disaster occurred to BioForum has been a nightmare to most of our members. Many feel it's a big loss both emotionally and knowledge-wise. We managed to partially restore the forum and near completely restore all previous threads as static pages. Despite that, we lost many of our precious member accounts because the forum was restored from a 2005's backup. Amazingly, since the forum was restored on Jan. 26, we have 566 new registrations, most of them are returning members. I am truly overwhelmed by your forgiveness for our mistakes, your encouragement and dedication. We have learned a valuable lesson from this disaster about data safety and will try our best to serve the BioForum community and to ensure no such and similar mistakes occur.

Thank you, every BioForum member!  

BioForum

[Curtis]

bioforum, on Feb 3 2009, 09:03 PM, said:

The recent server disaster occurred to BioForum has been a nightmare to most of our members. Many feel it's a big loss both emotionally and knowledge-wise. We managed to partially restore the forum and near completely restore all previous threads as static pages. Despite that, we lost many of our precious member accounts because the forum was restored from a 2005's backup. Amazingly, since the forum was restored on Jan. 26, we have 566 new registrations, most of them are returning members. I am truly overwhelmed by your forgiveness for our mistakes, your encouragement and dedication. We have learned a valuable lesson from this disaster about data safety and will try our best to serve the BioForum community and to ensure no such and similar mistakes occur.

Thank you, every BioForum member!  

BioForum

I noticed the registration number too. because I and my friend registered only hours different from each other, but we have nearly 200 difference between our registration numbers.

[gebirgsziege]

Thank you again for your work bioforum! I am happy to be part of this forum! You are getting answers or suggestions to nearly every question within one or two days, no matter how strange, basic, advanced or sometimes even stupid the question might be  

I think that many people just would have given up after the server crash and I am happy that you get an immaterial reward for your troubles by the high number of returning members!

So keep on maintaining this forum!

[little mouse]

WE thank you Bioforum to give us the opportunity to share our problems and answers. It's very nice that you didn't gave up after this disaster.
I'm quite sure that soon everything will be OK again, like before.
Cheers
Little mouse

[Felipillo]

This forum, save me soime times with papers and tips, when things go bad at lab.
Thank you for go back online

[toejam]

Déjà Vu, on Feb 6 2009, 01:15 PM, said:

This forum, save me soime times with papers and tips, when things go bad at lab.

the venting subforum is great for eliminating stress generated by a series of unfortunate events in the lab

[rkay447]

I can't tell you how upset I was to think the BioForum was gone!  I am disheartened by the loss and it is going to take awhile for this forum to recover.  There just isn't as much activity or input as before but I'm sure with time, things will be back to normal.  I'll admit that I'm being driven bonkers by people suddenly replying to threads from 5 years ago.  I think that person either figured out the problem or moved on.  I would hope.

Thank you for your hard work, efforts and dedication to keep this forum going.  I've learned a great deal here.  Not only learned how to fix my lab problems but that I can help others.  It's made me a much stronger and more confident scientist!!

[cellcounter]

Remarkable indeed! But not surprising, considering the value this forum brings.

Just by reading random threads I have learned a great deal. I was just a reader for many years, almost since the beginning of my career and perhaps of this forum, that is why I decided to give back and jumped in. It is deeply satisfying.

[casandra]

I think that for many of us, logging into this forum is already part of our daily schedule that we knew almost exactly to the min when it went down and when it was restored back up again. The worst was the first days when we were at a loss and unfortunately, there was no redirection nor any kind of notification that it will come back, if at all. I guess some members have started looking for other forums that can help them. But when the site finally came back and most realise that posts and entire forums (the recent ones) got lost, membership or potential membership got hit again.

I think it’s succinctly stated in one of the spammer’s pm when he was recruiting from right under bioforum’s nose, "I lost all my posts blablabla... so I’m never gonna come back here again blablabla . So please try our Play Station- the Molecular Kind or some such non-sense….

I know that our morale is a bit down right now and many are still disappointed and some have even pointed this out but we shld just think that bioforum could have just kept it down (and where will we all be?) but he really did his best (and still doing it) to restore this forum…his efforts may not be good enough for most PIs but it’s good enough for me   ….and we sometimes think that this forum is bioforum’s but it’s not really only his …..this is the members’ forum and solely defined by its members so we make it the way we want to make it….therefore we can rebuild it…

And to get down to real business, you guys take care of the tech stuff and some of us (esp the neurotic pair )….the entertainment and comic relief (it’s just as impt for insanity control).  Really, thanks bioforum (tho you shld’ve kept the new bleeding heart avatar).

casandra

PS Bioforum, when will I ever get a smiley from you? One would think that after the crash, and the limbo state and the relief of seeing us again etc..that we'd get at least one smiley from you. I have made it a goal of my life to elicit even just half a smiley from you... GIVE ME ONE FOURTH SMILEY , you panda......(how's that for insanity control?)

Edited by casandra, 06 February 2009 - 10:04 AM.

[genehunter]

I will resume my bobbling here after some time off.

Its good to see everyone has a fresh start.

bye bye for those hundreds and thousands post numbers we had accumulated.  lol

I still remember the moment when fred had his 3000 posts, everybody congrated him!

[Telomerase]

In my first job (supposed-to-be-PhD-training-only-to-exploit-unsuspecting-MSc) I wouldn't probably do much without Bioforum. It was my main source of information; my PI wasn't much of a help, and my collegues from other labs were obviously busy with their own research. Other methods than western blotting (which I learned from an experienced technician from another lab) I had to get by trials and errors...
Now I have some experience and "the feel" of what I am doing, where I can modify the protocols.
So thank you bioforum

[GeorgeWolff]

You guys need to get out more.  Bioforum appears to be a good resource and provides access to alot of technical input - but it's just a online forum.

[Telomerase]

GeorgeWolff, on Feb 7 2009, 05:12 AM, said:

You guys need to get out more.  Bioforum appears to be a good resource and provides access to alot of technical input - but it's just a online forum.

You weren't at my first lab. Getting out is what I did.
Well, to be honest, besides my somehow lost PI, I had helpful friends. Only I couldn't bother them with every minutae.

Edited by Telomrase, 07 February 2009 - 11:56 AM.

[bob1]

I am glad the forum is back online - my only problem now is to recognise the old/respected members again, still I am sure it will all right itself in time.

Thanks to Bioforum for a great site.

[Lala]

i agree with everyone, thanks bioforum team for bringing it back!! well done. and its a shame that it crashed, but these things happen.

(i didnt realise there was a crash, wasn't a regular member) but this site and its members have already helped me tremendously.