TOPIC VARIETY

I suppose this is where a 'like' button would come in, although the number of views also tells the story. The thread was not diluted by random posts, you just got info from people who had previously made one. No hijacking attempts either. All in all I at least thought it was a successful thread.

br,

presumably you mean threads ABOUT lathes rather than cutting them ON a lathe?

Only leg pulling!

But where would any of us be without folk who machine?

Howard

The magazines are influenced by feedback because the Editors select and encourage particular types of material as necessary to attract paying customers. The forum is dominated by whatever members are interested in. It's largely a voluntary effort, free to read and no-one gets paid. The publisher provides the platform and links it to the magazines for commercial purposes, but the content is almost all provided by members. As such it reflects what posters are up to, and they have no obligation to do anything at all! No-one is being told what to post!

When someone calls for more models, CAD, steam locos, or whatever, or wants to crush other subjects, they are criticising the members who take the time to post, not the Magazine Editors, or the Publisher.

Rather than flouncing off in a huff when the forum fails to meet expectations, the best tactic is to lead by example. Do your* thing and report on it. It will attract like minded souls. The very best way to generate interest is to post material yourself, and to do so without expecting much feedback. Some threads get thousands of reads and hardly any comment. Demanding others dance to your tune and dismissing their efforts is unlikely to succeed - it smacks of politics, and Model Engineers are mostly doers.

More models? Yes please, most welcome. As are questions and contributions about any technical subject. But I understand busy friends may not have the time needed to make me happy by presenting their thoughts and photographs, and many prefer to keep a low profile. It's allowed, but better to share.

I don't think separate forums would help. Much of the forum's value to me is the cross-over between different engineering experiences. Just ignore topics that aren't of interest.

Dave

* By 'your' I mean people in general, not Bill!  br posts are all welcome.

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 20/02/2021 17:42:58

[This posting has been removed]

[This posting has been removed]

Please keep posting! What you said was worth discussing and it attracted a good deal of interest.

Always good when suggestions are received with applause, but it's not been my experience on the forum! If you can bear the pain, read back what's been said in response to some of my posts. You'll find I've been censored and rebuked by moderators, committed multiple schoolboy howlers and got the wrong end of the stick on many occasions. I'd be a nervous wreck if I took offence every time I fluffed - it happens most weeks!

Sometimes I'm the statue, sometimes I'm the pigeon...

Dave

Don't stop posting, just be careful what you post.

You will upset someone, anyway, even on here. Someone will be offended by the size of font that you use, if they are that way inclined.

If you think that they are being idiots, just ignore them, and don't take the bait. (Maybe I should practice what I preach! )

The Forum is a benefit, and of interest, or should be, to every one reading it.

Howard

Please keep posting Bill, I don't see anything that you've said as offensive, crikey, someone would have to be pretty thin skinned to be offended by anything that you've said in this thread. IMHO such subject matters should be aired, that's how forums grow and develop.

Regards

Pete

Colin, guilty as mentioned, I really enjoyed reading about your restoration/detective story, just as I followed DocG's V10 build but did not comment. In this case I would happily have clicked on 'like' but, tending to be a trifle verbose I rarely comment. Kudos to you and a tardy 'well done'
Appreciatively
DaveD

Edited By Meunier on 20/02/2021 18:48:43

Well that image certainly worked for me Dave!

BR - stick with us, we are a mixed bunch and the world would be far less interesting if we were all the same.

I stick things on here that I hope folk will find useful and interesting. I also know that there are others with much better/more specialist/more interesting/more knowledgeable/more experience etc (you name it) things to share.

All you can do is talk about what you know and do and hope you don't seem too silly to some of the superior intelligences that also frequent here. (Not being facetious - there are some seriously clever folk here).

I like the topic diversity. Some things are way over my head or (frankly) ones I'm not that interested in but I'll still often look at them. I might not have ventured into 3D printing without seeing some of the 3DP posts here for instance.

As Dave suggests, you just have to talk from your own perspective and hope you don't look too silly (too often). You have to post tales of your small steps forward (or back) and hope that (if no one comments) it's because they are awestruck by your ingenuity rather than dumbstruck with your stupidity.

Fortunately though, most people here are very kind.

Regards,

IanT

+ 1 for Peter S-H' s view in his post of 20.2.21 at 18.17pm, I like the variety of the posts on the forum, and discussion of the content is a useful thing to do from time to time. However it seems to me that the forum content is what the members post, there being only a few moderators' deletions, so the content is up to the members.

I had been under the impression that the forum was the MEW forum, judging from the content and Neil's input, now I know better. If others have formed the same impression for similar reasons that will have tended to shape the posts made, and perhaps also the members who choose to belong, a sort of positive feedback loop.

Those who want more posts about models can get them by making more posts about models to shift the balance? I can't see any issues for the moderators about that shift. And like when reading ME and MEW, some articles/ posts will appeal to some readers more than others. We get what we post.

Rod

Edited to make it clear which of P  S-H'  posts I was supporting

Edited By Rod Renshaw on 20/02/2021 19:15:22

.

A perfect summary, I think, Rod

MichaelG.

I've been on this forum for some years and a subscriber to MEW for nearly as long. My main interests do not include locos, or steam powered anything. I also try and bring a bit of humour to my postings. This doesn't always work and I have had to apologise for offending some readers.

However possibly because this forum covers such a broad range of topics I find it really interesting, even if I have no real interest in apple green locos, or particular makes of machine tool, overall the content here is amazing.

Please don't restrict content to only left handed widgets made on a Wednesday, before 7.45 a.m.

cheers

Bill

I agree with Rod, post more of what you want to see, this will encourage others to post similar things.

Well I've just done my usual morning visit to the usual group of forums i visit and had a count up of the actual stationary steam / IC engine type threads and we have the most here over a 24hr period so still the best site to visit if that is what floats your boat.

The fact we have far far more activity than those other forums will mean that there are other topics mixed in with what may interest people much like ME mag that I may only get a few pages of interest with the Loco/club/visit topics do not particularly interesting me*.

As for people saying they are "not interested in machining" well that is going to really limit what you want to see as virtually all a build thread is about how the parts were machined and made not just the last post or two with photos of finished model and video. People simply can't make them at a rate that would fill these pages with finished models if that is all you want to see.

* even if the subject matter may not be of interest a lot can be learnt from following a well described build as the same methods can often be used for other types of model so don't just right them off, Find authors that give a good description, hints and tips and then apply that to what you actually like to make.

Everyone is welcome and most people bring something to the party

There's nothing more irritating than forums with more rules than the traffic act populated by lots of self appointed self serving traffic wardens

Forums rely upon voluntary contributors who take the time and effort to post

Skipping over stuff which doesn't interest you shouldn't be too much to ask of any reader