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MartinR:
I'm not suggesting everything from the forum is copied over automatically.  There is, as you rightly point out, issues of copyright.  Published authors may want to keep their copyright material to themselves.  However, if contributors would consider using their researches to update WP it would be of benefit to a much wider audience.  As regards "Nelson's Navy"; it is just such people as yourself that have the knowledge to weigh sources and either select or report where experts disagree.  Not having a copy of either Lavery or Winfield I would not be in a position to judge.  Mocked up you might have something like:
--- Quote ---There is a dispute about where Royal William was built.  Lavery[4] suggests Woolwich but Winfield[5] (who has researched this in the Progress books held at the National Archive) gives Chatham as the dockyard.
...

[4] ^ Lavery, Brian:The Ship of the Line, vol 1, page 999
[5] ^ Winfield, Rif:British Warships in the Age of Sail, pages 99-100
--- End quote ---
Every edit on WP is tracked and timed.  There is a complete audit log and so in case of dispute it should be easy to show prior publication.  What you could not do is stop the lifting of information, you could only correct the attribution.

stuartwaters:
That's a fair comment Martin and absolutely no offence is taken. I know that back in the day, we all thought the old forum would last forever. It may well be that this one only has a limited lifespan too, nobody can see the future.


I've often thought about being a Wikipedia contributor myself, I've just never taken it beyond that. To be honest, one of the reasons I set the Forum up was because I found the technical challenge exciting. It gave me a chance to use some programming skills I haven't used in a long time.


In my researches, I've found Wikipedia to be useful, but it's far from the only source I use, particularly with the 'Nelson Navy' stuff. On some things, not all the sources agree, for example, Brian Lavery's 'The Ship of the Line  Vol 1' has HMS Prince/HMS Royal William built in Woolwich, whereas Rif Winfield's 'British Warships in the Age of Sail' has the ship built at Chatham. Winfield uses the original Progress Books in the National Archive as his source, so is more reliable in that particular case. One of the reasons I enjoy writing those stories so much is that when you get a discrepancy like that, it presents a puzzle which needs more digging to solve.


The other reason I use the Forum for my stuff is that I can exert a modicum of control over it. I found a user on an online game to do with the Nelson Navy era had openly lifted some of my material from the old forum and claimed the work as his own. It was only when I joined that site and threatened them with a DCMA Takedown Notice that the articles were properly credited. If the material he had copied been on Wikipedia, I wouldn't have been able to do that.


I know of at least two members of the Forum who are published authors. One in particular has published books I've seen on sale in WH Smiths. I've been consulted by another author of books related to the Oak Island Mystery regarding material she had found on the old forum and she got in touch via that (before it closed). So, amongst other things, I think this kind of forum can also be a useful networking tool. I'm not sure how that kind of thing would work on Wikipedia.

MartinR:
This forum (and also the old one) accumulates a lot of research.  Not just Stuart's near single-handed history of Chatham ships, but also smaller details that members dig out.  Then there are various photos that may either be clear of copyright restrictions or else the copyright owners can be persuaded to open license them.  We've had one example of a dying forum leading to a loss of data, with small fora it is always a risk (sorry Stuart).

May I encourage members to consider contributing to Wikipedia as well?  It's advisable to create a username, in part to avoid being mixed up with schoolkids and vandals.  You can then contribute to articles directly or else via talk pages.  There is even a Wikiproject just for Kent (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Kent) which is sorely in need of fresh blood and enthusiasm.  The biggest difference between contributing to the forum and to Wikipedia is WP's requirement for information to be sourced.  All that's needed is a reference/citation to where you found the information.  Syntax is relatively straight forward, but if you're unsure add the information to a talk page and another wikipedian will format it and add it for you.

If you need further help or encouragement ask here and I'll be happy to oblige.  Alternatively I can let people know my WP username and they can contact me via my talk page there.

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