Another way to enjoy your hobby

My answer is also simple and quite straigt forward, I am not a member of any "social media" site and what is more, never will be. No further comments will be made.

Patrick

Since this is a market research exercise by a respected organisation:

I am not a member of Facebook, Twitter etc. I see no reason to do so, I like carving lumps of metal etc, trying to make models, messing around with old vehicles and using them. This is for my own satisfaction and, if I want to, I can show the fruits of my labour by using the items or displaying them in public. I may even meet real people.

I will go as far as saying I used to have doubts about forums in general but I have found this one some use with its members giving encouragement and words of wisedom.

JA

This topic has raised so much comment that I can't resist adding my tuppence worth. Although I am a regular reader of the forum and beneficiary of the wisdom of others, I usually feel I lack the experience to contribute. However please don't go down the populist route of 'social media', particularly now that it is becoming so discredited. Most of the discussion on here is seeking or offering practical advice, not idle chatter. By all means try to involve more people in model engineering, but not by lowering your own standards and alienating your core followers. The reources would be better spent correcting the frequently mentioned snags with this website, which might of itself bring in more people.

Bill

PS Thanks to all those who continue to educate me.

Bill

Thank you - words of wisdom indeed.

Regards

Norman

Jason (replying as a forum member not a Moderator)

Way to go Jason

John S.

Posting as a bald headed, grumply old twat and not even as a forum member, let alone a moderator.

PS> Forgot the fat prefix.

Yes there seems to be a bit of confusion here where employees of the website owners are now apearing left right and centre as "moderators". In my view this is not correct and degrading the excellent work that the likes of JasonB and John Stevenson are doing for us out of the goodness of their hearts.

On other forums there is a clearer distinction made between owners/employees and moderators, maybe they should make it clearer here.

Jo

Hello Jason

I was unaware that you were not employed by the magazine publishers. That was a mistake on my part. 3000+ posts is a big community effort on your part.

I do not know Bob Aka "Springbok" personally and have never spoken to him and was simply responding to the post at hand. Yes "view members posts" should be added to the wish list.

My reason for posting was an attempt to prompt management into addressing some of the issues that were mentioned. it was not intended to attack you directly rather a wake up for the company. Unfortunately you were swept up in the argument. Knowing now that you are not connected to the company it would have been worded differently. It is surprising that the management has not addressed the failures of the website, it has generated a very large number of complaining threads over several years.

The terms and conditions in my view are not in the spirit of the site, it is a sharing place, The management make money from selling the magazine and the site advertising. I strongly believe they are symbiotic to each other, damaging one damages the other.

I fail to understand why they wish to claim unilateral ownership of users postings. Why upset the website membership and the magazine readership? Gee.... they are the companies bread and butter.
Hence my suggestion of an opt out clause. What would the loss of the value to the company of a posters material be? Particularly when you compare that perceived value (SIC); to the bad blood and enmity generated as evidenced by many forum posters posts.

Regards
John

Edited By John McNamara on 22/08/2013 14:39:08

Hi Jason,

I'm not sure that a statement like that means anything. There is no guanantee that a user of the site has read it and thus had an opertunity to agree or disagree. Besides which it is hidden away in a link in the small print that few people read.

Russell

Edited By jason udall on 22/08/2013 15:20:35

.

Russell,

Few people read the EULA [End User License Agreement] when they install software ... but that doesn't stop it being a legal agreement.

Caveat Emptor, et Caveat Utilitor

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 22/08/2013 16:41:52

Agreed, but you do usually have to tick a box to say that you agree to it.

Russell.

As a grumpy old git of well over 70 and a lot of people on this forum have met me I stick to my WW2 guns
Bob

Hi Patrick and welcome.

I only started following your thread this morning, but I bet your glad you didn't mention CNC machining in your opening post, as that would have really provoked a response!!!!!

Mick
I would love one but osts thousands
Bob

As a youthful 50 year old I'm concerned about some of the opnions being expressed here, or the way tehy are being expressed.

We are all on the same side, aren't we?

Twenty years ago we all would have mocked the idea that a forum like this might take up as much of our time as reading a magazine. We would never have believed in home cnc and 3 d printers.

I think some of us are being a bit too conservative, we might not want to use 'social media' (but if so why are we on this site?)

We are like any like-minded group and suspicious of anything that might attract in others. The odd vistor who looks for advice and stumbles in gets a good welcome, but we all would worry at the idea of hundreds of GCSE students seeking 'help with their project' suddenly descending.

Truth is, in 40 years most of us will be dead and the model engineering flame will be carried on by some of today's youngsters. I wonder what they will make, but I bet the standards will be just as high. No doubt they will be equally worried that their 3-D interactive virtual club will be invaded by spotty teenagers in 2053.

Let's all relax, look around and realise that those who get the most out of model engineering interactions on facebook are as unlikely to want to be here as we want to be there - but there will be some open minded elders and inquiring younsters who make the transition.

Neil

Jason'
If she is like the barmaid in my local she will have a verrrry welcome any time in my workshop.
Bob with a big smile. Oh do not tell the wife.
Bob

.

Russell,

Your point is very well made !!

I thought I would point you to the Join Forum page ...

BUT you are absolutely right: The Terms & Conditions are "Hidden in Plain Sight"

MichaelG.

Note to the Forum Administrators: Please update this page, to make it clear that joining the Forum constitutes acceptance of the Terms & Conditions.

Patrick, as others have said, you really have been handed a poisoned chalice here, it's hard to imagine a demographic less likely to engage with facebook and twitter than model engineers. Since you don't seem to be a model engineer yourself (apologies if I'm mistaken) it might be a good idea to get out and meet a few at your local society and at some of the exhibitions and find out what the typical grumpy old git model engineer is actually like.