People always ask this, usually as an aside or off-topic in some thread about something else. I'm sure if I searched, I could find a thread asking the same question this one is, but seeing as how I've never seen one, I bet it would be a pretty old thread, and maybe the reasons given no longer relevant...

So I'll ask it here: why aren't the weights in the Listings section updated? Is it because all the additions need to be looked over by a mod or something? Based on some the "optimistic" weights in the Articles section, I can't imagine it's that...

I'm guessing it's a situation where many people post additions (or used to, before they realized it was pointless), and one or two folks checking and okaying the updates are overwhelmed, so nothing gets done...

So what about automating the Listings section? Rather than having individual weights listed multiple times for the same part, you would could look up the part (with subcategories for different sizes) and there would be an "average weight" and a "most common weight"... This would not only give us a better idea of something's actual weight, it would be virtually maintinence free... Essentially a slightly more complex version of the "poll" feature seen on most chat forums...

Anybody else have any ideas? Or know why Listings has been dark so long?

I'd like to know more about this too. The data was relevant a couple of years ago when I was building bikes but I've checked recently for various product weights and there's nothing recent there

The listings have been Florians project since what seems the beginning of time. Florian has been pretty much MIA for the last year. Without him the listings just sit idle. I know he did one or two updates in the last year, but not many. Hopefully he'll find time to come back to them soon.

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Why can't someone else be added to the project? Two heads are oft better than one.

Agreed. And I would really like to see 2 or 3 heads work at a solution that eventually requires 0 heads...

The more I think about an automated system which displays weight averages and most common weight reported, the more convinced I am that this would be the most accurate way to predict the actual weight of a new part one is considering.

Of course, fail-safes would need to be added, to insure that unscrupulous manufacturers didn't flood a particular listing with hundred of fake reports and skew the average and "most common"... but that could be handled pretty easily...

You don't want to prevent someone from reporting the weight of a second identical component they may have purchased, but if they are allowed to submit it as a second, independent report, that opens the door for folks skewing the numbers with hundreds of fake reports.

Maybe a system in which you are allowed to submit a report on a specific part once, and subsequent reports for a second or third identical part (same part, same size) are added to your "personal average" for that part, which is then added as a single report to the part's overall public tally...

That way, if say, a seatpost in 27.2 and 300mm was averaging 230g when it was claimed 180g, the manufacturer couldn't submit hundreds of reports of 180g... even if he did, all his reports would be compiled as his "average" and a single report of 180g would be added to the honest public's average of 230g...

The best idea that I've seen of late is for people to stop using ridiculous subject lines when they post the weights of new parts. Using a tag line such as "X Post, X Length, weight" instead of "Check out my awesome new post!!!!" would make it easy for people to search. Add to that pictures on scales and we have a band aid for the current hold up until Florian can get back on line.

Of course, we do know that very few people take the 10 seconds to do a search before anything else, but I digress...

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The listings have been what really drove people here to begin with. Madcow is kind of nice to say that Florian was only "out" about a year. It seems in the last 2 years barely anything has been updated.

Herbert

I am willing to volunteer to help if needed.

It would be nice to have a gallery submission for each product area with photos on a gram scale.

As has been suggested elsewhere, the WW listings should adopt a Wiki system, monitored by all of WW, rather than one person who disappears for 1-2 years.

This is my other favorite idea, if the automated system proves too complex to set up, or is manufacturer/shill defeatable in some way I haven't considered.

Thanks for your concern.

4 threads down I wrote the following:

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... c&start=15

Sadly the update hasn't been made yet. And I have to say my new dayjob takes up a lot of my time atm. hopefully it will get easier on me within a few weeks so I can focus on this again.

Thanks.

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This is the best idea yet. Let the community manage and maintain the listings.

Frankie, why can't you allow others to help out as well? A few of us, including myself, have volunteered to help. If there are more people reviewing the submissions then it will make life easier on everyone.

Been suggested before, been denied/lazied before.

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the problem with a Wiki system is the manufacturers can jump in and edit the listings. Therefore we don't really favor it.

@drainyoo: the main issue is that the listings have been Florians baby for a long time. They are quite home brewn so to say. Because of that very fragile and hard to edit.

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