Interesting statistics

Here (link deleted) you can generate some interesting statistics. Not particularly encouraging

[Splinter]

Originally Posted by jerrye

The worth of this site must be seen in its totality: a place where pros and rank amateurs alike can meet and discuss, hang out and chat, teach and learn, and do all of this together.

Just my .02, and probably not worth much more than that!

I agree with Jerry (the above sums it up for me) and the others here. I live in an area of NC where there are not many other WWers that I know of and not many material suppliers (online ordering is my friend ). Hince this site is a wonderful thing for me. Information at your fingertips and lots of inspiration for other craftsmen/craftswomen. I have even got a few positive comments from my feeble attempts at woodworking.

That being said I want to thank Santa (Steve) and all his elfs for keeping this site going.

[Grgramps]

I have no idea what numbers would certify a "successful" forum, but I think that from what I have read and how we treat one another, this is a great forum. I too am reluctant to post a response if someone has already posted what I would have to say. Nevertheless, an average of 200 posts a day seems impressive. Just curious, does that include the "YOU SUCK" posts?

The number of active vs. passive members may be a factor of how we approach woodworking. Being an old retired guy, I have nearly unlimited time in my shop, whereas many of our younger members (not the professional woodworker) spend more time making a living, with woodworking as a pastime. (Hope that makes sense)

Perhaps a chart or graph to show growth would be revealing. I have no figures to go by, but I have the impression that as time passes we have people joining this forum in greater numbers. Is that true?

And to all of you who invest your time and efforts to make this forum possible, I say, "Job well done"

Roy

[SteveColes]

Ok, here's what I see in the numbers.

1. We have a more active membership than most forums. 50% of our total membership has posted. Almost 25% of our membership visits in any 24 hour period.

2. DaveO no longer has posted 10% of the total posts

3. As the number of "active" members grows, one would expect that the number of new posts and new threads per day would also grow. Perhaps not at the same rate, but at least grow. It isn't

Number 3 is what concerns me. It doesn't make sense to me And when something doesn't make sense, I get worried.

[SteveColes]

Just to clarify, do I think the site is not successful? Absolutely not, this site is much more successful than I ever thought it would be. You just can't believe how pleased I am.


But I want to keep it successful, so I am always reviewing things and when I see something, I try and take a look. That's what this thread is about.

[jerrye]

Originally Posted by SteveColes

As the number of "active" members grows, one would expect that the number of new posts and new threads per day would also grow. Perhaps not at the same rate, but at least grow. It isn't

Steve, have you considered that perhaps one reason some of us newbies don't post or start new threads is because a lot of you have already answered our questions or addressed our concerns? No sense rehashing something that is already settled/handled. Or maybe as I stated above some are overwhelmed at the level of expertise reflected here and are therefore wary of posting our own feeble efforts. I know I have been and somewhat still am in this group. I have made or modified three pieces of furniture for my daughter and her husband but because of the quality of the materials/work I see in them I'm reluctant to post pics of these beside some of Nick's or Dave's or Chris's or other's work. Yeah, I know that we all have to start somewhere, and I know that no one has ever made fun of other's work here (unlike some other forums I've been a member of or visited) but I still have some pride and don't want others to think I'm a COMPLETE idiot in my skills/abilities. However, I do have to say that outside of my church I've not seen a more welcoming and accepting group of people than I find here. I've personally met one member and through PM's met a few more, and I have to say I'm impressed by these people. No one can say they are not made to feel welcome here.

Just my .04 worth. (.02x2)

[yellofins]

Steve,
I'm closer to being a newbie than anything else at this site.
I lurked for a while and when I needed information I've posted.
The biggest thing for me is learning to use the resource this site offers.
Between searching old posts and perusing the pictures I can spend hours here without ever getting a post printed.
The thing I like about this site is there is no product bashing or people bashing.
The more seasoned woodworkers help the newbies...(everyone was a newbie once). On other sites it is much different.
At first I did feel there was a core group of untouchables, but learned very quickly my first assumption was incorrect.
Just like any site, if you want to be part of it you have make an effort.
The fact that the people here are social outside of the electronic realm makes it even better.
Thanks for making this resource available.
Ron

[NZAPP1]

I am with the rest of the group this is a great site I joined in June this year and I just noticed that I crossed the 1,000 mark in post. I have been a member of 3 other woodworking and turning sites some for 2 years with a total post count of 15 ( yes I checked ). The members do make newbie's feel welcome. I also like the lunch gatherings and other social events and fell comfortable having members come to the shop. I am proud to be part of North Carolina Woodworker

[jeff...]

I had a little different experience when I first joined. It was really caused by my own attitude. But despite of my attitude I decided to contribute anyways. One thing I think sets this site apart from other similar sites, is the willingness of its members to provide encouragement, guidance and direction. Skill level of the members spans from beginner to expert and I quickly noticed the vast resources and member attitude was an environment conductive to learning.

Personally I have learned 100 times more than I thought I would have when I joined. But I think the more important thing for me is my confidence level has jumped significantly. I find myself taking on new projects, I never would have thought I could complete. If I have a question along the way, I'll ask and at least one member is willing to offer advice or guidance and even sometimes use of their shop or tools.



NCWoodworker.net is about as good as the web gets.

Merry Christmas everyone


Thanks

[rcorne01]

A few thoughts come to mind from my experience.

When I joined it was primarily a curiousity thing after hearing about your site at a TWA meeting. Wanted to see what it was about.

Once on, I then turned my attention to solutions to particular problems or specific techniques. A lot of good information. I also wanted to share some of my limited knowledge, too! I was able to read every post, every day.

I did reach a point where there was more knowledge on here than I could handle, or simply put - it far exceeded my skill level for right now. I began to fall behind reading all posts, and had to get more selective.

Next bit of transistion was developing some friendships and attending a few get togethers.

Now, frankly, there is so much going on, with so many different people it is very tough to keep up to date. There are people working / discussing things I am either not ready for, have already done, I am unable to contribute anything more or in some cases I am not interested in pursuing. I look for post titles that seem to draw me in. Touches upon that "meaningful subject" thread quite a while back. Staying up to date with all posts is a pipe dream !

Now I am on a couple times a week or so - primarily to see what some of those whom I have met are up to! I have a couple projects going which I will post when done.

All that rambling - well in summary, I think the nearly 500 active members is a very good indication of the success of the site. Suggestions? I am not really sure I have any at this time. there is a good grouping of forums, I see a pretty good mix of people on. I might agree with Dave a bit about a core group having formed.

Maybe you should look at this as a reference site for the folks who do not participate very heavily. For others it is more a social gathering around a common theme.

[zimman20]

Agree with all that has been said above.

[sapwood]

Well, I joined this discussion a bit late . . . but I always have something to say. Even if the value is questionable

Steve, I see your logic about No. 3. However, it doesn't concern me since the activity level in general is so high. And as others have stated, the number of new posts per day makes it all but impossible to read them all anyway.

The most impressive stat to me was that 5,822 threads had elicited 60,236 responses. That's an average of over 10 responses to a thread. No questions go unanswered That's a great measure of success.

Roger

[walnutjerry]

Originally Posted by SteveColes

Here you can generate some interesting statistics. Not particularly encouraging

Steve-------I do not think you can measure the success of this site with statistics numbers. The longer the site is up, the harder it is to come up with new threads and replies----------a lot of information is already in archives so if it is researched first there is no need to post a question.

You can generate statistics for anything--------but what is generated on this site is a genuine interest and encouragement for the members. I do not know of anything that can measure the worth of that.

Just hope everyone enjoys and appreciates the site as much as I do-----ad free, cost free, bountiful information -------what more can you ask for in a woodworking forum?

Thanks to all that make it possible and Merry Christmas

Jerry

[Partman]

This is an good site and I've learned a lot from it. I do not have time to post offten. Get up at 5:00 am, at work at 6:45 get off at 5:00 pm some of the time, get home eat supper, try to get in shop time, get in bed by 10:00. Read and post at work when I get time.

[ChrisMathes]

Hey Steve, this is my take on the numbers you are seeing. From my perspective, I really enjoy just coming out here and seeing what people are doing. Right now, personally, I am focussing on Christmas gifts and making things that I am comfortable making. My favorite part of coming here is to see pix of what others have created...and hopefully get some ideas of designs that I would like to try. So, basically, until I start a new project that challenges my current knowledge, my postings will be limited to commenting on other's posts. I'm guessing that there are a lot of regular members who are kind of in the same boat.

hth...don't sell yourself short..this is an awesome website! I don't know what I would do without it...it's as close to being in my shop when I can't get there. When I'm away from home, it gives me a taste of where I would really like to be :0)

Cheers!
Chris

BTW, I did hear that you were considering changing the name of the website to DaveOandaHandfullofNCWoodworkers.com hahaha

[Monty]

This is the first time I have seen this thread, and I am already the 31st reply... guess I need to work harder to keep up! I have not been able to keep up with all the posts for a long time now... there are just too many every day. I think it will take more time to see if what you're observing is really a trend or not.