[redg8r]

I agree on some points & disagree on others.

Originally Posted by Vodkaman

Allowing the intrusive ads in would be a huge step backwards in my opinion.

Agreed, but it's a staple in many ad supported sites around the web.

The subject of new member questions has been flogged to death (a bit like the new member questions)

I think the community has handled this issue relatively well, admit it, they could be worse.

Personally, when I joined, I was overwhelmed by the expertise and knowledge of the members. Recognizing how basic my questions were that I wanted to ask, I searched rather than asking. I think in hind sight, I should have asked, as searching for the answers was difficult because I did not know the terminology, or special words to search for.

That is/was my next task, to put basic, comprehensive, & simple how-to info on the homepage for beginners.

It is largely the new members that bring life to the forum........
The new member would very quickly get the hang of how it works and come back with meaningful and more challenging questions.

That's relative, remember, "New members" don't always mean "inexperienced members" we have new guys sign up regularly who have been in the biz for years, they simply just took awhile to find us.

If you want to volunteer the next 6 years telling members where to buy Devcon, you can, but I want a better topcoat, sprayable, instant UV cure, or simply hang to dry. This is just one common topic. We have existing TU members using better products & better processes daily, but they aren't discussed because the newer members are too quick to "recycle" the same answers they received a few months prior instead of pushing that envelope & sharing their improvements, like we used to. That's fine, but there's nothing going on to entice our vets to participate anymore, unless there's something else to be learned.

I use you as an example because you are atypical to what I've just said. You bring relevant & challenging discussion to the group. It's come with your share of judgment and I've defended you publicly & privately many times because I know you are truly passionate about advancing the craft.

Rest assured, there will come a day when you no longer feel challenged, or feel like there's nothing new to be gained here @ TU & you will join the ranks of who I'm trying to save, who BTW, hold massive rewards to the new or "inexperienced" members you defend.

Some eluded to making TU an e-book, or somehow publishing our info for a fee. OK, in that respect, lets lock down the site to the first 1000 registered users, or make it invite only. We could congregate here privately & publish enough advanced info to put out a solid e-book every month, wonder how well that would go over?

Alot of you are discounting the founding members of this site. I had a chance to meet just a few of them in Missouri. The talent shown & processes discussed there in real-time blew my mind. I consider myself relatively talented in many luremaking trades, (cmon, iv'e read every topic here) but I was truly humbled.