Welcome to- The Fountain Pen Community!

Come On Lurkers - I recognize a bunch of you folks. Time to step up, introduce yourselves and start posting.

Jack

-- Edited by Jack125 at 01:30, 2008-08-27

Come on.  I know (and Dennis knows) there are a lot of people out there who browse but don't post.

Tell us who you are and what you've got to write with.

I just did a count; and out of 142 current members, 94 have never posted.

Speaking for myself, I'm interested in what pens people have and their experiences - and I'm a reasonably novice collector who is learning more each time I post here.

So come on, the people here don't bite......not that I've felt anyway

Hello! + Howdy

Pavlo Shevelo

-- Edited by pavlosh at 18:02, 2008-09-17

-- Edited by pavlosh at 18:03, 2008-09-17

Hello Dennis,

If I'm not mistaken you're the founder of this site. Right?
Could you please explain, why you're so unhappy about "silent lurkers"?

I would appreciate if you will reply as meaningful (non-formal) as possible and would you please add details about what was the idea and motivation to create this site (about mid-2007 if I'm not mistaken)?

A lot of thanks in advance for your reply.

Pavlo Shevelo
 

Dennis,

I appreciate a lot (I mean that!) your reply, but let me drill a bit deeper as you explained some while I need more. Perhaps I will became very first who will express here the "word of disagreement" going my own way to voice my opinion I mean it's not so tough to have unanimous opinion when there is only "handful of those who are posting", but sooner or later somebody come who is not agree.

I will look at the topic from different sides to get really complete understanding.

OK, the "added value" that you propose to this tribe ups, this site contributors is lack of censorship and banning, which provides one with freedom to express himself/herself. Right?
In other words you're running process of tribalization calling freedom lovers to join. And as a matter of fact it appears that no more than handful of people is really interested in such attraction.

One can easily see that your last posting on messaging board XXX is dated back June 2, 2007 while your first posting here is dated June14, 2007 so its easy to guess where you personally suffered from censorship. Do you expect other newbie to stop their participation in other forums as well (as you did)?

Sorry but you left unanswered my question, so let me reformulate it using text of your posting: if the lurker bit isn't a big deal at all why youre trying so hard to attract new people to join in  - up to giveaways?

If the essence of this site members activity is to learn & use as many new pens as possible what is exactly the problem with censorship that we are talking about? Im doubt that some pen/ink brand could be forbidden to talk about or something like that. Could you please be more specific? Or you suggest that learning on this site can provide more fun than on some other? What sort of the fun youre thinking about? I hope its something more than just casualty in way of communication?

Ugh, my posting appeared to be pretty long, so I should left/pospone all other things for future. Before you ever will start to ask me about why Im interested in all that Id like to assure you that you will know that well before our discussion will come to some (whatever it will be) completion. In the meantime I will appreciate your further comments on aspects that I touched above. Apparently along further discussion I will touch some more aspects.

Sincerely (!),

Pavlo Shevelo

P.S. Im not native speaker living far from USA, so please forgive my English and please take into account 9 hours time difference between your and my location.

-- Edited by pavlosh at 20:07, 2008-09-18

heeeellooooo... posts are getting to long!!!!

BIG LOL!!!

Hi Dennis,

Remember me? :) This time let me less ask but to proceed more with voicing my opinion.

OK, now when you added very colorful details about how it was on FPN your motivation (to help your friend to create a site and then to take over after he stepped down) is crystal clear. Lets proceed about reasoning. Its quite common that you thought out not all of the aspects of new site creation as its so easy to get new site up and running ($10 per month, couple of clicks and youre on air) that almost nobody do a thorough brainstorming before acting so.

Lets look on your site in two scales: from short distance (closeup) and from above - from the heights which gives us possibility to observe whole international community of pen aficionados (users, collectors, merchandisers/retailers, pensmiths/restorers, manufacturers and infrastructure that connects them into community).

"From short distance: your site provides certain added values in competition with other sites so that added value should be examined as competitive advantage. Yes Im talking about competition as more people will post on your site (even just lurk here) less they will post/lurk somewhere else (just because there is only 24 hours a day). So if people are not collecting in crowd around your site perhaps they are not really interested in competitive advantage proposed by you. When I say 'really' I mean not to extent that will motivate them to learn interface of your site and decrease their presence (at least lurking) on other sites."
 
I'm not out to compete with or to siphon off members from other sites. 

The expression "rome wasn't bult in a day" applies here. (no I'm not trying to build a galactic fp empire with myself set up as website emperor for life...lol) This is a democratic community, not a dictatorship.

This is still a fledgling site that's just over a year old & hasn't been very widely advertised. As I mentioned previously, I'd rather this stay a smaller site & grow very slowly. A smaller more 'intimate' group if you will.

"If you promote freedom as (part of) your site competitive advantage see above you words explaining that you suggest to pull topic which will not meet your standard to some distant dusty corner of your site, so what is the difference?"

I think you misread that part of my statement. I said I would not pull a post or thread unless it was pornographc (violent, illegal etc etc), not ones that I simply don't like. I did say I could create a forum for problem threads (disagreements, flame wars etc). 
 

From high above: if you are (and I presume that you are) the responsible member of whole community youre expected  (at least by me) to veight your personal reasoning to run a site as promotional vehicle for your ego or business (I mean things like passive marketing) or both versus reasoning of community to have more (or less) sites."
 
Yes, I am the responsible party. My ego has nothing at all to do with the operations of this site. I maintain this site primarily because I enjoy it and dont care for most of the other sites out there.

Regarding marketing. Like any member here, I'm free to post sales and references to ebay auctions, Mine or others.

"For example, if you suppose your site to accumulate some pen-related body of knowledge have you think about what is better for community: to have all knowledge concentrated in one place (or couple maximum maximorum) or to have it dissipated between tens (perhaps hundreds? more? I gave up in attempt to calculate them by myself) of sites. If you suppose your site to be a communication tool for community what gain for community you suppose from having several separated incompatible communication networks? In other words, what is better for community: to converge or to diverge into loosely coupled tribes?"

Other communities and how they are structured or affiliated are not my business, so I'll stay out of it. Consolidating all of the multiple websites out there simply isn't a viable option. Could you imagine the nuclear level flame war that would ensue if pentrace, fpn & lion & pen merged? I shudder to think about it.

Personally I like the 'loose tribes' option. The layout for this site is a generic template used on many many sites online (pen related and other). The 'gain' is with the tribes scenario, people can look around and find a site that is comfortable to them, find one that shares similar views and personality types or overall focus that works for them. (example: Lion & Pen is a research heavy site). So in my view 'tribal' communities offer more of a personalized touch than do 'mega-consolidation' sites

"Ugh, my posting is getting looooooooong again, so I will stop it.

The last item, my beloved in this discussion.

Let me reformulate it once again and one more time using your wording from your freshest posting: why you need/want this site thrive and last?

Pavlo Shevelo

"

Respectfully, why I need it to survive are reasons I'll keep to myself.

Why do I want it to survive, because IMHO there can never be too many fp sites & communities. I would rather see 1000 csite hoices than only 1 or 2 I'm forced to choose between. I want it to thrive because of the work thats been put into it so far by our members is a benefit to the FP community at large. I've said this is still a fledgling site, and as we grow, so will the volume and quality of information shared.

If information posted on this site can help even 1 person learn something, help them to apprecieate an aspect of out shared hobby more or even make a sale. Then I'm a happy man.

Dennis

Anyone else care to weigh in here? I'm interested in hearing your opinions & questions.

-- Edited by DWL at 20:26, 2008-09-19

Warning: Because of some mistake with buttons made by Dennis (see below his own explanation) my posting appered corrupted and sort of highlacked by Dennis as his replies appeared built in. I restored my wording to the best of my knowledge and content of my browser cache. So this ... frankenposting is the best that could be proposed. --pavlosh


-- Edited by pavlosh at 06:48, 2008-09-20

-- Edited by pavlosh at 06:50, 2008-09-20

-- Edited by pavlosh at 06:51, 2008-09-20

-- Edited by pavlosh at 06:54, 2008-09-20

Pavlosh,

I didn't mean to reply in your post. i think I hit the edit button rather than the reply. My apologies for that.

Aussie,

I didn't see it as an inquisition, just some direct questions I didn't mind answering. In a way i'm grateful for Pavlosh's post. It helped to bring out some of my views & opinions that I wouldn't have otherwise brought up on my own. 

I just noticed your signature. Thats pretty funny man & oddly enough my taste in women before I met the wife & got married. (fast cheap & easy she wasn't. I had to work for that love..lol)

Dennis

-- Edited by DWL at 21:23, 2008-09-19

Aussie,

No offence taken, but it was very meaningful for me to see in one and the same (your) posting both declaration that "Here, everyone gets a say" and sort of request for me to stop what I'm doing

Oh yes, and your wording "'specialise' in particular area" are just platinum words.

Pavlo Shevelo

 

-- Edited by pavlosh at 05:58, 2008-09-20

-- Edited by pavlosh at 06:31, 2008-09-20