1 week stats, engraving forums

[Kev Williams]

The engraving forums seem be ghost towns lately. So I did some stat checking...

In the past 7 days:

New posts, 'General Engraving Topics' : 3
total replies: 27
number of older threads replied to: 1

New Posts "Engraving Hardware and Software": 5
total replies: 33
Number of older threads replied to: 3

These post numbers have been more typical on a one or two-day basis in the past. "Viewing" is down too, right now there's only 31 viewers in 'General', and only 1 in 'Hardware', which may be me, as it's open in another browser.

Maybe it's just an anomaly, and I hope it is, but this low participation rate is what I feared would happen after the engraving forums split... :(

[Scott Shepherd]

Maybe it's just an anomaly, and I hope it is, but this low participation rate is what I feared would happen after the engraving forums split... :(

So what were the numbers before the split? Hard to say splitting it is causing less activity when you don't have anything to compare it to. Forum traffic is cyclic for some reason, it might be quiet for a while, then it'll ramp up. Having said that, there is a point where people run out of questions that haven't been asked and new topics get harder to come up with.

[Doug Fisher]

One reason is I think a lot of people now are "indoctrinated" into the facebook "experience" and so they gravitate to the groups there as opposed to taking the time to find specialist forums like this one. While I don't participate in the facebook experience, a couple of the groups used to allow outsiders to read the posts. From what I saw, there are some good people there and some good posts. With that said, there are MANY posts that are bad information and lots of newbie posts. More important, searching the archives efficiently is almost impossible. So my point is to "be careful what you wish for." We may not have a lot posts here but, at least on average, they are higher quality posts.

[Bert Kemp]

I've notice the drop off too.

[Scott Shepherd]

I'm a bit confused on how splitting a forum into 2 sections would change one's desire to post.

Just for fun, let's say I have a machine that's not working, I would come to this forum and.....

A) Go to the Hardware and Software section and post "My laser isn't working, can someone help?".

B) Look at the two forums, get confused, give up, don't post anything, and leave my laser not working with my still having no idea on how to fix it.

I'm finding "B" to be a stretch on how it's working.

I'm blaming this on Bert. Bert used to be good for a number of questions per day, now a week and no questions? I say it's all Bert's fault ;) :)

Or maybe it's Kev's fault! He takes the time to decipher Chinese software and writes up what it all means, then no one has to ask any more questions. So wait, I think it's Kev's fault too! Nice going Kev and Bert :D (in case anyone reads this as anything but joking, you have read it wrong!)

[John Blazy]

Need to have more fun "display your work" threads, then you'll see a ton of posts. They are always popular, cuz everyone wants to show their latest projects. I'm on a guitar forum, and one of the threads is called "Luthiers, whats on your workbench?" and its over 150 pages of the coolest guitars you ever saw in various stages of completion. Mostly professional luthiers, and the forum knows it, so nobody is on there to spam / sell their craft, just showing cool stuff. I would post more, but it would look like I am promoting my laserable laminates, so I don't, but only post in the Lumber yard, which nobody sees. I'm in the middle of a virtual Renaissance of laser related products / projects, but no-one knows about it.

If there was a thread called "Engravers - Whats in your laser bed?" then I would post this (my new cell phone covers, molded by molds cut by my laser, then laser cut and engraved with same CAD files after laminating with said molds):
369367

[John Kleiber]

The laser forum split only bothered me because I had grown accustomed to the combined forum. I have not been posting or visiting the forum for the past 45 days.

The only thing I can attribute my lack of participation is that I have been busy with jobs and adding new equipment to the shop that is not specifically laser related.

Doug mentioned Facebook and admittedly I have spent time browsing and joining groups related to my equipment shop expansion. Facebook laser related groups I rarely participate in mainly because they seem ... well, shallow to be blunt.

There's just something about a forum that nurtures technical oriented exchanges of information that Facebook cannot match.

[Kev Williams]

I'll never know about facebook groups since I won't go near facebook with a 10 foot keyboard http://www.engraver1.com/gifs/thumbdown.gif

[Dave Garrett]

ive got to get me one of those ten foot keyboards!

[Neville Stewart]

Id have to disagree with that a little. Im involved in a Trotec laser page and the level of workmanship and assistance is impressive and its not cluttered with post about how to make my $500 laser do what a $20k one will. I know Trotec loves it because we have become our own tech support : )

One reason is I think a lot of people now are "indoctrinated" into the facebook "experience" and so they gravitate to the groups there as opposed to taking the time to find specialist forums like this one. While I don't participate in the facebook experience, a couple of the groups used to allow outsiders to read the posts. From what I saw, there are some good people there and some good posts. With that said, there are MANY posts that are bad information and lots of newbie posts. More important, searching the archives efficiently is almost impossible. So my point is to "be careful what you wish for." We may not have a lot posts here but, at least on average, they are higher quality posts.

[Gary Hair]

Id have to disagree with that a little. Im involved in a Trotec laser page and the level of workmanship and assistance is impressive and its not cluttered with post about how to make my $500 laser do what a $20k one will. I know Trotec loves it because we have become our own tech support : )

I think the difference between the Trotec laser page and the majority of the rest is the type of laser and typical user - Trotec lasers are not cheap and tend to attract a business user vs a hobbyist user and the questions are usually not what you would expect from someone buying a $3k laser.

[Neville Stewart]

Agree with you entirely. Did you actually tow that compressor from Oregon to Ga? : )

I think the difference between the Trotec laser page and the majority of the rest is the type of laser and typical user - Trotec lasers are not cheap and tend to attract a business user vs a hobbyist user and the questions are usually not what you would expect from someone buying a $3k laser.

[Bert Kemp]

Display your projects page would be nice, but it seems most here want to keep what they do secret or it just industrial related work that is boring to most or they are not allowed to share. I'm a hobbyist and I give most things I make away, but when ever I've shown stuff people say its nice but the interest to share back is low to non existent.I'd love to see a Heres what I lasered today page :)


Need to have more fun "display your work" threads, then you'll see a ton of posts. They are always popular, cuz everyone wants to show their latest projects. I'm on a guitar forum, and one of the threads is called "Luthiers, whats on your workbench?" and its over 150 pages of the coolest guitars you ever saw in various stages of completion. Mostly professional luthiers, and the forum knows it, so nobody is on there to spam / sell their craft, just showing cool stuff. I would post more, but it would look like I am promoting my laserable laminates, so I don't, but only post in the Lumber yard, which nobody sees. I'm in the middle of a virtual Renaissance of laser related products / projects, but no-one knows about it.

If there was a thread called "Engravers - Whats in your laser bed?" then I would post this (my new cell phone covers, molded by molds cut by my laser, then laser cut and engraved with same CAD files after laminating with said molds):
369367

[John Kleiber]

I wouldn't mind posting the items I laser, but it would be double work for me to strip out my domain name and add a personal copyright watermark instead.

[Gary Hair]

Agree with you entirely. Did you actually tow that compressor from Oregon to Ga? : )

Nope, sold it before I left - thankfully!!

[David Sharp02]

ive got to get me one of those ten foot keyboards!

Personally I've only got two feet, and I find typing with them to be challenging. I can't imagine trying to type with ten feet.

[Keith Outten]

If your looking for more great laser engraving information and projects all you have to do is search this forum and you can be entertained for weeks and months. We host thousands of pictures, Corel drawings, Skype sketches, and a whole host of file attachments here in our archives.

Shortly I will have the updated numbers on our current file attachments though and including 2016. I have been adding 2015 and 2016 to the file attachments library, I used to offer these in DVD format but we have outgrown the storage capacity of DVD's. You can't imagine how long it takes me to review all of the file attachments at SawMill Creek every year. Its a major task that has to be done for every forum.

Note that SawMill Creek will celebrate our 15th anniversary this February and we are planing some events to make our anniversary a special day. Watch for our new Hall of Fame Wall, your name and one of your projects might be celebrated big time :) I have just begun to put together a list of companies that I will ask to sponsor another major list of FreeStuff Drawings for our anniversary as well.
.

[John Blazy]

I have just begun to put together a list of companies that I will ask to sponsor another major list of FreeStuff Drawings for our anniversary as well.
.

Hi Keith,
I would be happy to donate several panels of my color-changing laserable acrylic to your FreeStuff Drawings.

[Keith Outten]

Thanks Jon,

Send me a Private Message or an email with the details and any contact information, pictures, etc you would like me to publish and I will put you on the list. Your number two on the list right now just below Trotec.

[Matt McCoy]

Keith: Always a pleasure to contribute to the Free Stuff drawing. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything.

I purchased the DVD years ago. I can't imagine how much goes into putting that collection together -- so thanks.!

[Dave Garrett]

369913This is what I made today: 369912

[David Takes]

I only check in here occasionally and have always had this forum bookmarked, so this is where I end up 100% of the time. I find it an inconvenience to have to jump over to another forum related to the same topic. I preferred everything under the same roof.

[John Blazy]

This is what I made today:

Wow - is that some sort of speaker cabinet / amplifier? Or a portal generator to wormhole yourself into the Andromeda galaxy?

[Jeff Body]

Here's my last project. It's my most famous work now because it's hanging in the Lake county sheriff's office.
370127

[Mark Taylor2]

You guys are way out of my league. Here's latest I've done... cannon carriages for a model wooden ship I'm scratchbuilding.

[Bert Kemp]

Box I made for a friend who helped me out with some work on my car370177370178370179

[Dave Garrett]

close, it's a kabaa flux thruster temporal phase unlocker. Okay, it's really one of a pair of side tables with a skinny shelf and all-over engraving that wraps across both tables. The coordinates are of my shop where it was made in south chicago. It does look like a bass cabinet tho! :)