Completed site release (The areas release)

[Farway]

If the areas exist all well and good, but we are at the point where the compass points are being used as a lazy trap for lack of local knowledge. And in the case of the example I gave is actually creating something disingenuous.

Oh how to frame this reply without annoying someone

In the case of good local knowledge, and where an area does not have a geographic name, then surely compass points would help a new visitor to the area?

I site Southsea, I have local knowledge, there are no such places a Southsea Central, or East, West or North, and nor, in the main, do the areas of the Postal district have local names, except meaningless ones to non residents, like Somerstown [roughly North area]

My point is sometimes it is not a lazy trap, but can be useful tool for visitors not familiar with area

I do take take the point about being used as a lazy trap for lack of local knowledge And I think some additions in my local area are incorrect but are submitted by members who are trying to help, it is awkward to correct these without possibly causing offence, especially as I have not the time at present to do it myself

[Conrad]

The only issue I have with what you said Farway is that we can end up creating areas that are fictional representations, it is just a bit of box ticking for self gratification, I don't see it helping anyone else (definite IMHO there). I don't see the point of having an area that wouldn't be searched for on Google. If anyone is looking for pubs in the East of a city, pull up the map and drag it right.

Anyway, Dave has given the official answer, and given my obvious prejudices I should probably give up.

[ROBCamra]

I'm still working from the principle of areas in the middle of a city where they are not in any named district should have the Central suffix. So if it is just Barnsley then call it Barnsley Central.

Where I've been seeing compass points suggested that I think are just there as a stop gap for pubs not in the shopping centre or not within the ring road then I have generally merged them into the central area. After all it made no sense to me to have an area like Barnsley West that had a number of pubs that are still in Barnsley (Gawber district) yet are west of Barnsley West.

Where I've felt there might be a name for an area I've rejected them so that someone with good local knowledge can hopefully fill us in, which is what I felt about the Leicester ones.

As to Farways issues with the the naming of Southsea Central, my take would be that if Southsea Central has a specific meaning then we should call it Southsea Town. Then anything that is just Southsea is put into Southsea Town.

Thanks for the clarification Dave.

I do have local knowledge of Barnsley. I had the good fortune to spend a few days in a Portakabin on a car park a couple of minutes from the shopping centre.

This is where Barnsley YOT (Youth Offending Team) used to be based.

Afer some digging, and help from a 1991 A - Z. I have come to the conclusion that the Barnsley West pubs that are not as far west as Gawber, should be in Old Town. At least they were in 1991. So that's where I've now put them.

Farway, I can't comment for anyone else, but if someone with better local knowledge than me thinks I've got some areas wrong then please change them. I've visited loads of places with my work over the last 20+ years and spent lots of time mooching around crap towns (Southsea excepted of course) whilst staying in hotels. But current local knowledge overrides a 2 week visit with a GBG and an A - Z 10 years ago.

[Strongers]

I'd also like to add that I have no problem with anyone changing what I've done - Unless I'm right and then I'll argue the toss!

I'll also add that a pub can have more than one area allocated to it so if it is in the middle of two places add both off them to it. If someone with better knowledge of the area comes along in a couple of years and wants to change it they can add the correct local name.

[Al 10000]

Hi Conrad, Dave & Rob,

Regarding using compass points for locating pubs,

I started using this to seperate pubs in a city from the pubs that were in the conurbation but not within the city limits,this then gave a good indication of what pubs were in said city i have to admit that this was done in some ways for my own reasons but i also think a conequence of this has made the pubs main page look better.

The reason i said that is if anyone is visiting a new city and there are lots of pubs in different areas in that city then if you look at say Nottingham North you will see all the pubs in this area and i think this will help visitors or pub crawlers when looking at the cities main page.

As for Leicester,

I know this city very well and by the mid 80s had visited over 180 pubs there, but there were some pubs that were in a sort on no mans land these were to the north of the city centre and i have visited all these pubs but still dont know what area they are in,i dont know who tried to set their areas but would have a good guess that Rob had a go at it.

I think that Rob has done a great job in trying to sort the areas out, as i have also tried to do and all we are trying to do is make the site look better for our own and others enjoyment.

I dont think putting a pub in a compass point is a cop out, it is just trying to to get the Pubs Galore site looking as good as possible, i know we all make mistakes and if there are any bad ones that i have made i would have no problem if some body altered it.

If i did start this compass point thing then i do apologise but in most cases i think it does make the site look better.

Cheers Alan

[Galore Admin]

I have just moved this thread into Requests so that it is still accessible. It is handy for me to point at as an explanation of areas (if such a thing is possible).

Conrad

[ROBCamra]

Bump.

Please correct me if I'm wrong and I'm sure you will.

My conclusion after re-reading this thread is that areas with compass points are fine until superceded by local knowledge which can allocate them to their correctly named area.

Hence East Manchester is fine until a pub is added to e.g. Openshaw when the East Manchester bit becomes redundant and can be removed.

This is the premis that I'm working on when removing pubs from compass points when I've added them to a known, named area.

This is a long thread, but worth reading as it took us quite some time to get a concensus and not all agreed even then of course.

[Al 10000]

Bump.

Please correct me if I'm wrong and I'm sure you will.

My conclusion after re-reading this thread is that areas with compass points are fine until superceded by local knowledge which can allocate them to their correctly named area.

Hence East Manchester is fine until a pub is added to e.g. Openshaw when the East Manchester bit becomes redundant and can be removed.

This is the premis that I'm working on when removing pubs from compass points when I've added them to a known, named area

All of the Manchester pubs were already in their correct areas IE Openshaw or Gorton when i added them to East Manchester so you are not putting them into the correct areas has they were already there and all of the pubs i added to Manchester which was quite a few i always put them into their correct area before adding them to either East,North or South Nanchester.

[ROBCamra]

All of the Manchester pubs were already in their correct areas

Yes indeed, I spent weeks putting most of Greater Manchester in their correct areas.

[AlanH]

Yes indeed, I spent weeks putting most of Greater Manchester in their correct areas.

So what is wrong with having BOTH correct areas and compass points. As Sheffield Hatter said, use the compass points if you find them useful but ignore them if you dont!
In some towns I would find them very useful to get a general view of the area as there are so many areas with 1 or 2 pubs in it is hard to get a general view.
As for looking at PuG maps, it is OK if your trip was planned ahead, but this is not always the case and if you dont have an i-phone or carry a lap top, you don't have access to these maps.
So lets have a sensible compromise and allow both but ignore them if you wish.