okay, so im looking at how many POSTS i have and there are SO MANY! i was gonna ask m.m. to delete some of them...maybe just keep up the ones in the last year or something but how many of you REFER to old posts and look at our old posts for your purchases? i know that forum posts give more description, sometimes have more bigger pics to look at....i just wonder just bc there is so much bandwidth taken up...im not sure if all these posts are part of that but, if i had an idea of if these older posts even need to be there, and if they do take up bandwidth, i could surely help m.m. in this aspect!

thanks for reading and thanks in advance if you answer my question! thanks!

I never refer to older posts to purchase, just skim through the store. After all, the store has the same pictures and description. It does lack the anecdotal stories behind a particular shoot that the original thread may have had but, fun and interesting as they might be, they're actually neither here nor there for me in influencing a purchase.

So yes, there might be a case for deleting old promotional posts after a year or whatever.

However, I wouldn't want to see all old posts deleted, because the replies to the threads that ask questions ("How did you get into wam?" "What does wam mean to you?" etc) can be very interesting and explain how various people, users, models and producers alike, see their fetish. I wouldn't want to see them go because they're really valuable!

Trying to find downloads by searching posts is often like finding a needle in a haystack. I did click on a picture ad on the front page recently (HotWAMHD) and it took me to the post that promoted the clip's release. This made it seem like it was new. What happened next was a bit like when you pick up a magazine in a doctor's waiting room. I was reading one particular comment/reply and thought: "This guy hasn't posted for YEARS..." and of course, it turned out to be quite a few years old.

I think most will go straight to the store. It's nice to be able to search by release date - then you get a rough idea where to start looking for that great clip you didn't buy at the time...

My post will just echo the previous two, so I won't continue it.

I would agree that there is value in the threads besides the original post. Also, if I am buying an older video, I do sometimes look at the thread advertising it to make my decision.

I actually do look at forum posts before purchasing half of the time. Sometimes producers will post more pictures in the initial forum post than in the actual download page on their site (not sure if that's intention but I've noticed that here and there). It's also nice to read both the producer's comments and the user comments about the video as you usually learn more about it than you would just by reading the video description (Messygirl will give insight on the models before/during/after the shoots from time to time for example, which is cool!).

My only real gripe with finding forum posts for older videos is that it can be challenging. The search engine often finds posts that have nothing to do with what I'm looking for and it can be time consuming to sift through the posts. Other than that it's kinda nice to be able to stay on the UMD site where everything's all in one place. That being said, it wouldn't be the end of the world if all producers started removing their posts shortly afterwards as I could always just go to their site or page. Maybe just start with deleting the really old ones or the ones that don't sell as well and see how that goes? Just my 2 cents!

Bear in mind old posts only use bandwidth if someone actually looks at them - bandwidth refers to data flowing from the server to users' browsers. So having lots of old posts available doesn't cost anything in bandwidth most of the time. Also, in terms of disk space, what takes up most space is images - one image can be the same amount of data as thousands of text posts, and as images are stored in the archive I'm not sure if deleting a thread would actually remove them or not (MM can you clarify this?).

Plus as others have said if a thread which had lots of responses is deleted, all those other people's posts are thrown in the trash, which isn't really fair to people who may have put a lot of thought into replies, and also makes it less likely they'll respond in the future if their comments are just going to get erased.

And then there's the "history of the community" aspect to consider too.

Obviously it's up to any individual whether they want to remove their own older posts, but it's something I'd not be keen on.

Excellent question, Jayce. One that I had not considered.

Don't delete the old posts. What is there to be ashamed of? Every one is a conversation with others. It really is not much space or bandwidth etc to keep the posts up. Think of it like dumping a few grains of salt out of the shaker to make it lighter. The forum posts are basically bits. Most movies are about 300 to 600 million bits. It is really not worth it.

This is a very interesting question...and I'm glad Jayce brought it up.

I have a very different take on the subject of deleting old posts...I routinely purge ALL of my internet content. Posts and pics here, and on my Tumblr, as well as stuff in my "real" social media life. No disrespect at all toward the people who have commented on my posts - I take screenshots of all so that I have them for my own sort of digital scrapbook as the comments are very meaningful to me.

I take down my content as part of what I learned in my years in advertising - practicing good internet hygiene. Once something has been posted on the internet, it is likely there forever, or a good long time, right? But you may change your mind, as a person or a corporate entity, later - about how you feel about that content and it being out there. Taking it down won't remove it from the internet but it reduces the ease with which it is found again. In advertising, sometimes they really don't want old stuff hanging around. Client agreement (has to be yanked in 6 months and you have to pay a service to scrub it from the internet), branding has changed, there's been litigation (very common), all sorts of reasons.

Well, sometimes I will look at a video or photoset and think, what the eff was I thinking??? I don't like that set!! OR I just sit back and wonder how much of my stuff is floating around out there. Also, since I don't have an active store anymore - what is the point in clogging up the forum with posts leading to things that are no longer available?
And do not get me started on the piracy thing...purging my content helps keep my stuff from popping up in places I never intended.

Here's the thing, at least for me...while I was very comfortable with posting material here on the umd - I was NOT necessarily comfortable with it being shared elsewhere. I am all over Pinterest, Tumblr, trading groups, etc. Without my permission, but since permission isn't required, it doesn't matter. And that is the chance we all take - you may pop up somewhere you never thought of before...The only control I have is to limit the amount of time my content stays live here on the umd and on my blog.

Plus, I've been around so dang long I think everyone pretty much knows my story, anyway!!


To answer Jayce's question, I don't think many rely on old posts to make purchases. But I sure would have loved to have Google Analytics enabled on my store here to see exactly what drove my sales. That could have been helpful/insightful.


Mrs. Bee

I've referred to old post pictures and descriptions for purchases in the past. The search feature has been used quite a bit on the forums. I don't know why, but sometimes I'll remember a scene from a few months or a year ago, wonder about it, then search and pick it up in the store.

this is really helpful!! and i agree mrs bee....old posts do give more for ppl to share...and they do...
as we have been talking about in the store owners forum, a few of us have been really cracking down and it seems to be making a dent! although it is taking hours out of our days we should be producing. that is quite annoying BUT, you have TIME to SAVE what is YOURS!

dixie is trying to keep her work with us very private. she signed with us to only let us share her vids on umd and vidown. fine by me. but we had to tell her that some asshats share your stuff without our permission. she called me one day and said she saw someone posted a pic of me and a link to my site on pinterest. well, they are not illegally sharing my stuff, they are actually helping me but there lies the "i didnt ask you to help me" but, im not mad about it, not right NOW. but i can see, mrs bee, since you arent running a store anymore, how you dont want your images even being on display and them sharing for promotional value. if you wanted that, you would have asked. the internet, *sigh* you can find ANYTHING.
my main thing is that i, honest to goodness am trying to help cut down on this whole bandwidth thing....maybe i can butter up to messmaster and get him to lower my percentage cut!!! lol im kidding. but really. i didnt know a THING about bandwidth and now that you all are telling me that its not a problem. that helps.i think i need to do a purge as well. not everything bc this profile is only 5 years old. ive been here almost 7. i had to change profiles years ago. i kept this one bc jilly was supposed to take over this one but never came back around to calling or answering emails until i started the store back out since the reason i quit (trying to adopt a little girl) did not work out. so, i have 5 years worth of stuff i believe!

anyway, this has all been really helpful!!

I do occasionally buy a scene because I was lost in the archives for whatever reason and its related post reminded me it existed, yes.