On the subject of lasting value, it was my understanding that this forum inherited from the Greenspun forum the philosophy of providing a permanent record of knowledge as a resource for later searching. That is why in some threads I will post to fill in some gaps in case someone a year from now finds the thread and needs a more complete answer than the ones provided in the original thread.
If that's the case, then it seems to me that any picture used to illustrate technique, equipment, or a narrative should be hosted persistently.
Maybe I understood that wrong.
Photos posted in the image sharing threads are a different matter. Those only illustrate the photographer's vision at the time, and the photographer can eliminate them because they no longer represent his vision (or for some other reason). Those threads are there for inspiration more than instruction and if a photographer believes his images no longer suit that purpose then that is his choice.
I have left all my old images linked for many years now, even the ones I would like to do again today. The reason is that they still represent the views I expressed at the time they were linked, and I'm not particularly afraid of stupidities I have expressed in the past. But then I don't write stuff for Internet forums that are related to grocery money, and if I did, my strategies might be different.
I don't know why this discussion needs to challenge a persons validity or role in the forum.
Rick "who may have been a member for only a couple of years, but who has read many threads going back to the Greenspun days" Denney
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