Many years ago i found this forum. It was my first and last woodworking forum i needed to find.
Why?
1) name one other where the forum is run and managed entirely by volunteers for and on behalf of the members.
2) where civility rules.
3) where there is no commercial influence distorting posts or comments on service.
4) where you are not graded as a "elite" because you a contributor or where you are treated differently if you financially contribute
5) where the only requirement to join is that you use your own name and be a real person and respect a code of conduct so well thought out (in my opinion) that many organizations even governments could do withreading it.
6)where you are not required to pay dues.
7)where you are not required to post or comment yet will actually get access to an incredible group of people that in my opinion i could never and have never been able to meet in my 56 years and after travel to 1/3 of the worlds countries.
The knowledge and intellect people have here inspires me beyond what i can muster in words to describe.
8) Where if you ask for help to a problem, no matter how often you do, and no matter how difficult you find it to grasp the solution, you will keep getting help.
9) where if you not a single minded person with no other interest other than woodworking and wish to share one of your other interests and inspire others to try something else you can do it feely nd before you know it you actually might have inspired an entire new category of interest others may find just as interesting as woodworking.
Do woodworkers that have such narrow interest so as to only have a singular woodworking interest feel their interest is so fragile and under threat that it cannot compete for participation against something like cooking? Do these woodworkers eat sawdust each day, have no desire to say hey you tried this my family has been making it for three generations, or is this too human for you.
To those that dont want the social side i am at a loss then as to your purpose of participating and posting on a medium that is essentially an element of social media. Are you only interested in self promotion? Are you afraid you may end up making a new friend? Will that shatter your world? Give it a try it may put a rainbow of color back in your grayscale life.
I personally only spend time here. Its my only internet point of social contact. Despite setting up a facebook page, i do not use it. From time to time i may accept a friend request from a woodworker here simply because i do not wish to offend them.But i dont do anything else there.
So am I chatty do i post long posts YES. I can type with tools that allow me to converse rather that blurt a sounbite of 100 characters. I cannot stand a mere "atta boy" after the person posting has taken the time and effort to share there build. I reach out as best i can as a human being with a bit of grey matter and a voice.
To those that feel there are clicks well i challenge that point. If click means;
you are part of a group of people that value the real friendships it is possible to establish here,
You post regularly and try as hard as humanly possible to make everyone feel equally as welcome as you yourself experienced that first day you joined
If click means you value meeting human beings and hey giving a grown man a bear hug when you finally get to meet them for no other reason than the fact that you both are overjoyed at finally meeting each other and without words a hug is highly human and appropriate
If click means spending in excess of $1000 to get to meet people you never met before and travelling to another country to do it.
If click means opening your door to a stranger your kids dont understand why you doing it,
If click means you make the effort to find out the history of a forum like this and how it came about
If click means you ask hey what does it mean to be a mod, what do i have to do to do my part to keep the roof up
If click means being allowed and tolerated to have a life rant about something thats got to you and you need to let off some steam with your buddies in the club
If click means sharing some humor and allowing those with a good sense of it to lighten your day
If click means carring and being of comfort to someone going through severe loss and obviously needing some support from friends to get through a tough period
If click means being welcome to participate even when your health has meant you have had to give up woodworking
Then my friends click it is. But i would prefer the word Member of the family woodworking forum.
I only speak for myself, but i have learnt from members here more than i can possibly describe. More than info on woodworking or beer making or techie stuff or musical instruments or cooking. I have met people here that i consider to be of incredible value to me to be able to converse with. To ask questions of both publicly and privately that have personally helped me look at some issue whether it is practical as in woodworking problem or a life outlook and value issue and form an alternative way of looking at that problem. In short i feel these same people have permitted me to overcome some of the incredibly damaging effects of growing up in a screwed up place.
The only criteria that is needed in my opinion is that one needs to be prepared to venture out of the door and your comfort space and well be honest .
So when you find someone that you observe a uncanny connection with on the forum, reach out you might just find your world changes for the better and you experience something very special.
Acceptance of you for who you are as a normal part of the human race. No need to try be perfect or better than the next.no need for false pride just put you hand out as you would when introduced to someone and let the rest take its course, you just might find your life changes so much you cannot believ the impact a place like this can have.
Thats my heartfelt 2cents and sermon for the day
Chatty Rob
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
) but, I'll give it a go. I did not respond to the call for mods this time around since I have been one a few times and wanted to let some new blood in. I do come here for the woodworking. I know we have started metal working, music and even food sub-forums and that's fine. I feel there are more focused forums for those things (I take pictures of my work but, don't want a "camera" sub-forum here for example . . . maybe we already have one???) however, I do tend to sort those out of my visits so my appearance there, as in wood turning, would be minimal. 
. . . . and then I will post something that I think is totally incidental and get 137 responses 
