How To Archive Eratosphere Private Messages off-server
 

Some time ago I archived two hogsheads of priceless Eratosphere PMs, and cleared up message space. I ask that Bill Lantry follow this post with detailed instructions for all to use on How To Archive Eratosphere Private Messages off-server.

Bill?

Let's make a deal. I'll promise to do my absolute best to spell your name properly - Allen, Allen, Allen, Allen - okay? - and in return you'll agree to stop behaving like a ten year old by heading all your threads with a different and colorful symbol. It's just a distraction. If everybody did that, the Board would look like a Carnival Cruise Line. What you have to say is no more or less important than anybody else's post.

Here's another way of looking at it:

I realised today that I've hardly ever deleted a PM from anyone and I have hundreds and hundreds in my inbox (I get a bigger allowance as a Moderator); and then I thought, But why am I keeping all of these?

Apart from saving a few for exceptional reasons I'd say that the majority of PMs are just history - so get rid of them! We don't hang on to telephone conversations, do we?

I get numerous PMs from members who say that someone else's inbox is full and they want to get in touch with that person, but can't. I then use some of my extra quota to contact said person to ask them to delete some messages to make room for new ones . . . (see, it's not just me who hangs on to 'em!)

But in any case, I always get an email copy of an Eratosphere PM (don't we all??) - so I have no need to archive them some other way.

Jayne

Michael, that might work. We'll see.

Lantry might be able to link to a previous thread where he outlines the archiving procedure. I'm glad for his help, since my email app went away one day and everything was lost.

What Michael said.

Allen,

Go to your private messages page. Select the ones you want to keep. On the "selected messages" menu at the bottom right of the page (the one you use to delete messages), select the "Download to TEXT" option. Press the "Go" button. You get it all downloaded in text format. Alternatively choose a different format, select a different option.

For future reference, you'll find the instructions in the board FAQ under "private messages".

Best,

Matt

Matt is correct.

Go here: http://www.ablemuse.com/erato/private.php

At the very bottom of the page, choose

Download all Private Messages as: XML | CSV | Text


Unless you're good at excel, or know how to code XML, choose text.

Presto-chango, they all come down.

Well, copies of them do. Go back up to the top of the list. See that little white checkbox, hanging out on it's own? Click it. Now go back to the page bottom. There's a drop down that says 'move to folder'

Drop it down, and choose 'delete'

Then click go. Rinse and repeat until all those nasty messages vanish

Thank you for your patience.

Best,

Bill

No, I've never received an email copy of a PM. It must be another case of one law for the privileged, and a different law for the rest of us, chiz!

Aw, shucks, Brian, I didn't realise that might be the case. But as for ''privileged'' - I had a deprived childhood (in umpteen ways!), was never a milk monitor in junior school nor a prefect in senior school . . . all together now - Ahhhhh! - so I'm revelling in earning a few privileges in later life. Who knew that one day I'd become a Moderator at Eratosphere, eh?! :D

But seriously, I'm not 100% certain but I think I've always received email notifications of PMs, even before I was a Mod.

Jayne

Well, I get 'em.

Subject: "New private message at Eratosphere" with a link to the site and a warning "do not reply to this email".

Do we not opt for these notifications somewhere on CP?

Just to further complicate things, I never receive the full text of a PM, but I sometimes - maybe half the time - receive an e-mail notification that I have one. And the on-Sphere notification of a PM usually appears when I open the Sphere, but not always - maybe 80% of the time. Alex and I went around it a few times, and basically decided that he had bigger things to worry about. And it may relate to the fact that my prodigy.net e-mail address goes back to the days of dial-up and tin cans on a string. Or possibly it's because of that awful incident with the albatross before I became a poet.

It's the albatross. That probably also explains why you're still on prodigy.net. Didn't their whole network collapse way back in the 'oughts?

You should really think twice before playing with that crossbow... ;)

Best,

Bill

Yes Ann, email notifications are switch-off-and-on-able in your user settings.

Thank you, Matt and Bill. I have very seldom, if ever, flagged posts like an infant before. There were reasons that I thought momentarily sufficient, even if I was wrong.

Ah, just ignore His Grumpiness. He's actually a good guy. If you met him in person, you'd think him witty, civilized and even debonaire. De Bon Aire... never actually thought about that word before, but it's perfect... ;)

Best,

Bill

We have met - at West Chester. Several times, I think. And it was perfect. I called him "Alan" for four days, and he heard "Allen", and we were mutually satisfied.

I lip-read quite well, Michael, and, under my tutelage and tender leadership, you came to say "Allen" almost without realising it. Today, by the way, I'm in Cambridge, England, and have learnt how to say Caius properly, almost without realizing it. It's one the keys to finding one's way about this place, where not everyone speaks American. Fortunately, perhaps.

PS : Fresh air!
In England as I am, when I go to Google News, there isn't a single word today about Hillary, Obama, or Trump! No H., no O., no T - it's so cool. Ooooh ! ! I can breathe like a human again.

Tut! Allen, why didn't you say you were coming over here?

I have organised summer gatherings of Sphereans for several years . . .

If we know in advance, anything from three or four to a dozen of us will arrange to meet in Cambridge, Oxford or London for an afternoon of eating, drinking and talking.

Next time . . .!!

Jayne