The "Last Updated" date at the top of each individual casino
DataBase page has been eliminated because it was confusing to
some members. Some thought that an older date meant that the
information was not current, but the date really only indicated
when a change was last made to the page.
The individual casino DataBase pages will continue to reflect
the latest the inventory information that vpFREE members have
chosen to share with others.
vpFREE Administrator
vpFREE Administrator wrote:
The "Last Updated" date at the top of each individual casino
DataBase page has been eliminated because it was confusing to
some members. Some thought that an older date meant that the
information was not current, but the date really only indicated
when a change was last made to the page.The individual casino DataBase pages will continue to reflect
the latest the inventory information that vpFREE members have
chosen to share with others.
I understand the ambiguity. However, in absence of a date there's
going to be a presumption that the data is always up to date.
Even for casinos for which there is reasonably active monitoring, I
don't know that that is necessarily the case. Perhaps it would be
better to simply to periodically update the "timestamp" whether there
are any revisions or not (perhaps with an indicator of "Current, As Of
xxx 200x"), to accurately reflect how recently the inventory was surveyed.
- H.
I agree Harry. Just removing the date is taking away useful
information!
It could be "current as of" and change the date when info is
revalidated for monitored properties even if there's no change.
I think most people on here, at least regulars, are analytical enough
to draw useful conclusions from the information given and would prefer
more vs. less.
I understand the ambiguity. However, in absence of a date there's
going to be a presumption that the data is always up to date.Even for casinos for which there is reasonably active monitoring, I
don't know that that is necessarily the case. Perhaps it would be
better to simply to periodically update the "timestamp" whether there
are any revisions or not (perhaps with an indicator of "Current, As
Of
xxx 200x"), to accurately reflect how recently the inventory was
surveyed.
vpFREE Administrator wrote:
> The "Last Updated" date at the top of each individual casino
> DataBase page has been eliminated because it was confusing to
> some members. Some thought that an older date meant that the
> information was not current, but the date really only indicated
> when a change was last made to the page.
> The individual casino DataBase pages will continue to reflect
> the latest the inventory information that vpFREE members have
> chosen to share with others.
Harry Porter replied:
I understand the ambiguity. However, in absence of a date there's
going to be a presumption that the data is always up to date.
As of now, except for a couple of exceptions (monitors haven't
gotten around to doing an update), the DataBase is up to date, in
the sense that it has been updated to include all significant
inventory information that vpFREE members have chosen to share
with others.
FWIW (as an example), I consider the "Chicken Ranch Bingo &
Casino" in Jamestown CA to be up to date, although there hasn't
been any feedback since JUN 2004. No MIA or new game reports have
been received since then (probably because no vpFREE member has
been there since 2004), so the DataBase still reflects the latest
inventory information that has been reported by vpFREE members.
Even for casinos for which there is reasonably active monitoring, I
don't know that that is necessarily the case. Perhaps it would be
better to simply to periodically update the "timestamp" whether there
are any revisions or not (perhaps with an indicator of "Current, As Of
xxx 200x"), to accurately reflect how recently the inventory was surveyed.
You're assigning a lot more significance to the "Last Updated"
date than it deserves.
In the past, the "Last Updated" date changed whenever there was
ANY change to the DataBase page. This could be a location change
for a machine, a change in hours of operation, a comment on
parking, the addition or deletion of a host etc..
And, update reports hardly ever include a status report for
all/most of the Best Games. When there is a significant status
report, it has usually been noted in the Comments section. The
normal update report is about a game(s) that is MIA (these are
documented in the Comments section) or about a new game(s) that
should be added to the DataBase.
It would certainly be better to have someone do a daily or weekly
or monthly or yearly verification of every casino's inventory for
vpFREE, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
We're still working on automating the DataBase, and it will have
a "last verified date" capability for each machine. However, we
may or may not activate this feature since it has unfavorable as
well as favorable ramifications.
vpFae
vpFREE DataBase Coordinator
The problem, Harry, is that the date reflects the last time a change was
made to the page and has zero to do with when an inventory of any kind was
made by a monitor. Currently monitors may visit their casino infrequently
or everyday, or even never. Many monitors are heavily reliant on inventory
changes reported here or privately for a timely database change. The date
of the last change may be of some academic interest, but I'm not sure it
conveys any vital information. An entry of the last thorough inventory
check might be useful, but unless that date is volunteered here it would be
unknown to a monitor.
A monitor works under the assumption that relevant vp inventory changes are
being reported. Some casinos get little traffic by serious vp players and
those reports may be less timely than those that get more traffic by vpFREE
members. I'm often able to make a guess as to current database accuracy by
how fast changes were reported in the past. I've noted that Paris and
Harrah's, the casinos recently in question, get enough traffic that changes
have been reported with some alacrity.
Chandler
-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com]On Behalf Of
Harry Porter
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 9:13 AM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: DataBase Format Change
vpFREE Administrator wrote:
The "Last Updated" date at the top of each individual casino
DataBase page has been eliminated because it was confusing to
some members. Some thought that an older date meant that the
information was not current, but the date really only indicated
when a change was last made to the page.The individual casino DataBase pages will continue to reflect
the latest the inventory information that vpFREE members have
chosen to share with others.
I understand the ambiguity. However, in absence of a date there's
going to be a presumption that the data is always up to date.
Even for casinos for which there is reasonably active monitoring, I
don't know that that is necessarily the case. Perhaps it would be
better to simply to periodically update the "timestamp" whether there
are any revisions or not (perhaps with an indicator of "Current, As Of
xxx 200x"), to accurately reflect how recently the inventory was surveyed.
- H.
vpFREE Links: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/Links.htm
Yahoo! Groups Links
I agree Harry. Just removing the date is taking away useful
information!It could be "current as of" and change the date when info is
revalidated for monitored properties even if there's no change.I think most people on here, at least regulars, are analytical enough
to draw useful conclusions from the information given and would prefer
more vs. less.
I agree, having nothing just makes it worse. I think there should be
two dates, date last visited and date information last updated. Just
assuming that something is current even though it hasnt been visited
in a year just isnt logical IMO. Paytables change on seemingly a daily
basis at some places. If I know a place hasnt been visited in 6
months, I'm not going to assume the information is correct, I'm going
to assume that things have changed and the information is wrong - how
can you not make that assumption given how fast paytables change?
So to know that its been 6 months since someone has been there and a
year since its been changed is valuable information.