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Infiltration Forums > UE Main > Is the Database dead?(Viewed 19061 times)
jeepdave location:
Anderson, SC
 
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Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 60 on 9/22/2019 10:41 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
I'm in a new area. Time to update.



Ezekiel 25:17
Kurt location:
Taxachusetts
 
 |  |  | Flickahhh
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 61 on 9/22/2019 2:43 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
I do what I can in the DB. Go through streaks when I get the time where I'll edit, update, add some new spots and galleries. I personally love the DB and it used to help me out before I joined UER when I would just lurk.

With the current state of this hobby, I don't think it matters if "good" locations are added. Some kid on IG or Reddit or whatever is cool now will get it blown up no problem. I love this website specifically, but this hobby is dead in the way we know it.



"What is your favorite thing about Belchertown?"

"...the history, man"
blackhawk
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
 
location:
Mission Control
 
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Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 62 on 9/22/2019 3:34 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by southshore
I do what I can in the DB. Go through streaks when I get the time where I'll edit, update, add some new spots and galleries. I personally love the DB and it used to help me out before I joined UER when I would just lurk.

With the current state of this hobby, I don't think it matters if "good" locations are added. Some kid on IG or Reddit or whatever is cool now will get it blown up no problem. I love this website specifically, but this hobby is dead in the way we know it.


As soon as every net connected fucktard on the block started doing "it", "it" was more like a bad pool party.
The malakas pissing in the water until most everyone said fuck it.

I was exploring decades before it was a "hobby".
Curiosity is a terrible blessing
There will always be sites to explore; it's a big wasteful country and world.

Contribute and police this site; keep IG etc maxtards off of it... and carry on.



Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in.
Samurai
Vehicular Lord Rick
 
location:
northeastern New York
 
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Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 63 on 9/22/2019 4:23 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
i was bored and a bit insomniac-ish last night... was going through old threads. I miss the banter from the people who used to frequent this forum.
Sixteen years is a long time.

it was about the 'exploring' sure, but the forum was about connecting with other people, even if exploring wasn't at the top of the list.

now, its social media, cellphones and bullshit.

I still say the DB is a digital monument to that unique point in space and time.






Abby Normal location:
Las Vegas
 
 |  |  | Mine Explorer
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 64 on 9/22/2019 6:24 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by Samurai

I still say the DB is a digital monument to that unique point in space and time.



It seems that forums like this and many others will eventually fall victim to the rapid fire venues like Facebook. We aren't much different than the mom-and-pop stores that go out of business when the Walmart moves in.

Me whining about it won't change anything, so I'll shut up now...

Abby





"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
Explorer Zero   |  |  | 
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 65 on 9/22/2019 7:33 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by Abby Normal


It seems that forums like this and many others will eventually fall victim to the rapid fire venues like Facebook. We aren't much different than the mom-and-pop stores that go out of business when the Walmart moves in.

Me whining about it won't change anything, so I'll shut up now...

Abby




I don't see that as whining. I agree in part but I would challenge anyone to use the search feature on Facebook and pull up photos of General Tire in 2005 Waco (when it was still General Tire) or the ADM cotton seed plant in Abilene (2005) browse the archives of the 746 Texas DB location entries.

Cant be done at least to my knowledge.

Sure you can be a big shot with your friends and get Instalikes or whatever from your Instafollowers but its not really searchable and most of that content gets deleted sooner than later. And most of what I have seen has little to no history recorded. Av built this database to last and, if we lose a few people to the other Instagratification venues so be it. Most probably never contribute squat anyway. They can still pretend they were the first to discover stuff though!



Samurai
Vehicular Lord Rick
 
location:
northeastern New York
 
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Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 66 on 9/23/2019 6:38 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by 2Xplorations


I don't see that as whining. I agree in part but I would challenge anyone to use the search feature on Facebook and pull up photos of General Tire in 2005 Waco (when it was still General Tire) or the ADM cotton seed plant in Abilene (2005) browse the archives of the 746 Texas DB location entries.

Cant be done at least to my knowledge.

Sure you can be a big shot with your friends and get Instalikes or whatever from your Instafollowers but its not really searchable and most of that content gets deleted sooner than later. And most of what I have seen has little to no history recorded. Av built this database to last and, if we lose a few people to the other Instagratification venues so be it. Most probably never contribute squat anyway. They can still pretend they were the first to discover stuff though!


i love you.




Ciano   |  |  | Flickr
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 67 on 9/24/2019 6:14 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by blackhawk


More of a joke... you know, humor?
Meth hobos are surprisingly well connected. Very energetic.
Odessa is crawling with em.
Many live in the gaming rooms here.


Oh man speaking of meth hobos, I think it's time for me to contribute my first pics here. Recently I was at a site full of squatters, including derelict houses with heroin addicts living in them! Quite a sight.



Flickr
never_sleep location:
Foothills of NC
 
 |  |  | Abandoned NC
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 68 on 9/27/2019 5:25 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by Abby Normal


It seems that forums like this and many others will eventually fall victim to the rapid fire venues like Facebook. We aren't much different than the mom-and-pop stores that go out of business when the Walmart moves in.

Me whining about it won't change anything, so I'll shut up now...

Abby




I'm sure social media contributes, but I think there's honestly less to explore than there used to be.

At least where I am, we get farther and farther away from NAFTA, and the old mills are getting knocked down left and right for new construction or turned into luxury apartments. Old hospitals are getting the wrecking ball. The last frontier is really empty houses, and even those are being gobbled up in some areas.

After 9/11 infiltration became serious business, with risk/reward changing dramatically.

Construction has changed. You don't see the sorts of mills and factories you once did. Future explorers will have a different buffet of abandonments; strip malls, restaurants, old Kmarts.

But yeah, those explorers coming up put everything into IG or other sources now. And most of them only have a passing interest in it. They're hot and heavy for a couple weeks taking Iphone pics of old Burger Kings and then they move on to something else.

Forums as a whole have taken a hit, which is a shame, because back and forth discussion and real community is going with them.




WanderingElk   |  | 
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 69 on 9/27/2019 3:12 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by never_sleep


I'm sure social media contributes, but I think there's honestly less to explore than there used to be.

At least where I am, we get farther and farther away from NAFTA, and the old mills are getting knocked down left and right for new construction or turned into luxury apartments. Old hospitals are getting the wrecking ball. The last frontier is really empty houses, and even those are being gobbled up in some areas.

After 9/11 infiltration became serious business, with risk/reward changing dramatically.

Construction has changed. You don't see the sorts of mills and factories you once did. Future explorers will have a different buffet of abandonments; strip malls, restaurants, old Kmarts.

But yeah, those explorers coming up put everything into IG or other sources now. And most of them only have a passing interest in it. They're hot and heavy for a couple weeks taking Iphone pics of old Burger Kings and then they move on to something else.

Forums as a whole have taken a hit, which is a shame, because back and forth discussion and real community is going with them.


It's mostly because this site is obscure, i found this site when just looking up abandoned areas nearby to see if i could find anything and I've looked passed this site like 3 or 4 times before checking it out





Mr. Bitey location:
Milwaukee, WI
 
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Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 70 on 9/27/2019 3:29 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by blackhawk
The malakas


There's an insult I have not heard in a long time. It amuses me greatly



Give abandonment a reason for its sacrificial reclamation to nature. Love it. Remember it. Take a picture. Share it. Leave the decay to nature.

Lifetime member of The Anti-MyInstaTubeTweetFace consortium.
Aran location:
Kansas City
 
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Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 71 on 9/27/2019 3:41 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by never_sleep


I'm sure social media contributes, but I think there's honestly less to explore than there used to be.

At least where I am, we get farther and farther away from NAFTA, and the old mills are getting knocked down left and right for new construction or turned into luxury apartments. Old hospitals are getting the wrecking ball. The last frontier is really empty houses, and even those are being gobbled up in some areas.

After 9/11 infiltration became serious business, with risk/reward changing dramatically.

Construction has changed. You don't see the sorts of mills and factories you once did. Future explorers will have a different buffet of abandonments; strip malls, restaurants, old Kmarts.



True, a lot of the old abandonments are gone. The hospitals, asylums, and mills are getting demolished- but there are newer abandonments taking their place. Coal power plants are being decommissioned faster than ever before, while shopping malls are closing by the score. The outsourcing of blue collar jobs overseas leads to more factories being closed domestically, and there are always plenty of abandoned houses.

That being said, modern technology does reduce things. In Wisconsin, the DNR has made a serious effort to seal as many abandoned mines as possible. The massive abandoned complexes with soaring architecture are harder to find than before. Most damningly, infrared camera systems are more sophisticated and cheaper than ever before, making it significantly more difficult to infiltrate and access certain "abandoned" locations undetected. It can still be done, but it's difficult- and the unique out of the way places do get blown up on Instagram, which leads to their destruction or sealing.

Urbex has surely changed with the times- but I don't think that means its dead, it just means we have to work a little harder.



"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.

Ciano   |  |  | Flickr
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 72 on 9/27/2019 4:04 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by WanderingElk

It's mostly because this site is obscure, i found this site when just looking up abandoned areas nearby to see if i could find anything and I've looked passed this site like 3 or 4 times before checking it out




Me too. Forums aren't dead, they're just on reddit now. Centralization happens on the internet, just the way she goes.

And yeah, urbex changes with the times, so does everything. That's one of the reasons we do it in the first place, and definitely a reason we take pictures.



Flickr
Steed location:
Edmonton/Seoul
 
 |  |  | Daehanmindecline
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 73 on 9/27/2019 5:41 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Two things I see fit to comment on:

1. Reddit is no replacement for message boards like this, and I would never move my UER activities to any subreddit. As far as I'm concerned there is no replacement for message boards, and things like reddit and social media sites fill other niches for me but not this one.

2. Sites disappear, but other sites are found. The Americans have lost their Kirkbrides, but found other things. In my region we've expanded our community and the territory we cover, and gotten better about doing research, and there's more to visit now than I could ever hope to see. So I don't feel like I'm running out of sites.

And while there are more people doing it, and doing it badly, I find that just drives me to get more creative and stay ahead of the pack.



Explorer Zero   |  |  | 
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 74 on 9/27/2019 8:29 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by Steed
Two things I see fit to comment on:

1. Reddit is no replacement for message boards like this, and I would never move my UER activities to any subreddit. As far as I'm concerned there is no replacement for message boards, and things like reddit and social media sites fill other niches for me but not this one.

2. Sites disappear, but other sites are found. The Americans have lost their Kirkbrides, but found other things. In my region we've expanded our community and the territory we cover, and gotten better about doing research, and there's more to visit now than I could ever hope to see. So I don't feel like I'm running out of sites.

And while there are more people doing it, and doing it badly, I find that just drives me to get more creative and stay ahead of the pack.


Liked...



Aran location:
Kansas City
 
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Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 75 on 10/1/2020 4:53 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
To resurrect a year old topic, I've been musing a little bit about the role of community and the UER DB in it, and I've come to a realization that I think is worth mentioning- the UER DB can provide a sense of community for explorers in smaller cities and rural areas.

The small handful of large cities with massive urbex communities developed a stigma against posting in places as publicly as the UER DB due to the speed at which urban abandonments get sealed and destroyed, and the amount of foot traffic a large community can bring to a location once it becomes common knowledge. In those enclaves, knowledge of locations and history becomes cultural knowledge known by the whole community.

But outside those few enclaves there really isn't any community, and most explorers act as satellite members of the large city enclaves at most. Instead of well organized and connected communities, you have loose collections of independent explorers who occasionally cross paths with each other. Knowledge of abandonments and history never becomes community knowledge because there aren't enough explorers to form a local community in the first place.

And that's where I think the value of the Database lies- in providing a community and sense of cultural history for explorers outside those large cities. Most abandonments outside the big cities don't see as much traffic in a year as some of the well known urban abandonments can see in a single day, so posting them to the UER DB doesn't really do any comparable harm. The Database can serve as a cultural memory for those thinly spread explorers, where even if urbex visits take place years apart they can be remembered and provide a sense of community history through shared experiences.


[last edit 10/1/2020 4:55 AM by Aran - edited 1 times]

"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.

Explorer Zero   |  |  | 
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 76 on 10/1/2020 10:41 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
For many years a small but vocal minority has proclaimed the DB to be the source of locations being shut down and vandalized.

I think some people want to believe they are the first to discover some location, you know the one with all the graffiti already there??

I cant pretend to understand their motives but at least you can make a DB location Full Member only if you're that worried, I know the arguments and yes just don't post it on the Internet if its that sensitive but chances are somebody else on social media already has, or will..

The alternative of posting your exploits in a public discussion forum or photo-blog with little to no moderation is much more likely to bring down the heat and get a location shut down.

Also the DB is indexed, try searching for a location in the Regional Forums or the wrong forum you saw posted under a fake name or cool bando or no name at all 1 year ago.

Don't like the DB? Don't look at it.

Then what?

Ban all urban exploring photos and urban exploring stories from an urban exploring web site?


[last edit 10/1/2020 10:42 PM by Explorer Zero - edited 1 times]

becckeez location:
804
 
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Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 77 on 10/3/2020 11:41 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by Aran


The small handful of large cities with massive urbex communities developed a stigma against posting in places as publicly as the UER DB due to the speed at which urban abandonments get sealed and destroyed, and the amount of foot traffic a large community can bring to a location once it becomes common knowledge. In those enclaves, knowledge of locations and history becomes cultural knowledge known by the whole community.





While I'm not as experienced as others here, I guess I'm willing to show my age.
*blushes*

There was an intense network of folks working together here on UER in the 2000s, early 2010s. People would come from all over to meet up and explore locales, have camp outs, bonfires - you name it. I was fortunate enough to share some of my local locations and vice versa with folks from all over the East Coast. In fact, I still keep in touch with many of these people to this day. Their friendships are irreplaceable and their art and drive are still a source of inspiration.

In fact, even when I moved all the way up to Alaska, the UER network still reached out to me and offered to show me around (God Bless you, Freak).

I think 9/11 and the gradual build of the DHS really did a number. Bush armed our local cops with military-grade equipment, and then Obama doubled down. The pressure mounted. I think gentrification really did a number. Rich property owners bought up locations or got super touchy about people walking around what could be their next purchase. I think the opioid crisis really added to the pressure. The added amount of scrapping, dope dens, and the like has created even more instability to classic abandonments everywhere. I also think, something that I don't see mentioned a lot... Is that we've lost a number of explorers to the opioid crisis itself. It was incredibly painful to watch members slip away, and a lot of the folks we lost... were the glue of the community

Those folks glued a lot of the network, however, through spending casual time with one another in AvChat or at Meetups, dorkin' around the forum, etc. I'd love to see more of that here again. In fact, I've enjoyed the discord - and just recently met Aran - we've had a chance to chat beyond the confines of UER forum speak <3

In the end, the Database was a grand project we were all working with, but the real Location Database was the network of folks that made up UER.

Cursed Covid. Or I'd just throw up a DMV meet up - right - now. A cookout and some easy locations for experts and beginners to just have fun and take some photos.

Or... I mean. Masks are a pretty standard piece of exploring equipment... Hm.

Anyway. Love you guys. Stay sassy, classy, and cool af.



Derpyfingers location:
Saint Paul MN
 
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Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 78 on 12/7/2020 7:50 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Database should not exist.



With a smile and a hint of sarcasm he said "I beg your pardon, but this is my secret garden!"
Aran location:
Kansas City
 
 |  | 
Re: Is the Database dead?
<Reply # 79 on 12/7/2020 10:24 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER ForumQuote
Posted by Derpyfingers
Database should not exist.


At the risk of clashing with a prominent member of the MSP community who I definitely respect I'd have to disagree. I've had the pleasure of attending events thrown by the MSP community and its satellite communities and I've explored in MSP a few times. You guys really do have an incredible amount of stuff to explore and an incredible community built around it, but the double edged sword is that the density of explorers is insane. Thelma once told me he estimated there were over 350 urban explorers in the Twin Cities alone. Naturally a database like the UER DB would be a stupid idea for you guys, because no location can withstand the traffic that many explorers would bring to it as soon as it got posted.

But in the surrounding states outside the MSP bubble, there really isn't much of an exploring community. The only community that really exists in the entirety of Wisconsin (for example) is really just a bunch of satellite members of the MSP community, especially with the Chicago community as fractured as it is. There are less than ten explorers in the entire Southern Wisconsin area that I know of, and most locations around here are in small towns and require driving upwards of an hour or two to reach them. That means that we don't have hundreds of rookie explorers descending upon locations like you guys do- it can be years between explorer visits, and if we're being honest tagging and vandalism is largely a crime of opportunity, so those people won't bother to travel that far in all but the rarest cases even if they do look at the database to find stuff (which is unlikely- MSP is an exception, not a rule).

You guys in MSP have the numbers and density to support a community history. Outside large cities though? The Database is the best community historical record we've got, because we'll probably never meet our successors- though of course discretion should be demonstrated for what gets posted to the DB. It's just that the bar for "sensitive location" doesn't include every location in the city like a city the size of MSP requires.


[last edit 12/7/2020 10:32 PM by Aran - edited 6 times]

"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.

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