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Thread: Lack of activity

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO
    Posts
    1,155

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    dang now this makes me want to post something. after years of being involved with shopbot i still feel like a rookie. but most of my stuff is the same type 3-d carving just with names and dates and other personal information being different. i have one on the machine now that blends 3 different 3=d models together which is different for me but i like it.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Marquette, MI
    Posts
    3,388

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    [QUOTE=8Ball;204903]This forum appears to have lost momentum.
    This used to be a go-to place for information, but the activity has declined significantly.
    Are people moving away from this brand?
    AND:
    Thanks for pointing out the obvious. However, it isn't about myself. I have nothing to contribute, with all of the professionals that used to post on here.
    /QUOTE]

    I would say; asked and answered. I would especially note that a user that has posted 32 times in ~6 years calling out a signature line of another user that has posted near 8000 times over 15 years is beyond ludicrous, and since you for sure are not the first and only, your post may be a good indicator of WHY forum contributions are such low number and quality.

    Now my ~3800 posts over 12 years are not near Brady's ~8000 over 15 years, I can feel his pain. The pain occurs when you take of your own free time to post to assist a new guy and he wont do the same for the next new guy. You know, "pay it forward". "Pay it forward" has disappeared. When "pay it forward" disappears, so do the helpful.

    So as you ask your question, I would ask of you: Are YOU participating to be part of the solution, or does your lack of participation make you part of the problem?

    You may not like the "advertising" in some folks signatures. What you may not know that this is a form of self defense. Offering products for sale, gives a legitimate reason to no longer give away unlimited help for free. I would suppose most would look unkindly to that statement, but I doubt most know how overwhelming "helping" can get. When I was active on the forum, I received 25-30 emails a week requesting assistance. That number is down to usually under 5 now.

    Imagine that: 9 years after you sold your last ShopBot and 6 years after you left the company to join another, and a few years after you retired from that second company, I still get emails from ShopBotters looking for assistance. I am sure that someone who has chosen to post around 6 times per year can understand why I do not wish to give up my free time, or take away from my paid time to assist those that I don't know and have never heard from before, but since they have found my name associated with a possible answer to a similar problem on a forum I am honored with an email.

    One of the main reasons professionals don't post here is simple: Because they used to do it and others took their ideas and even their website pictures and info, and used them to provide lower priced versions for sale on the internet, effectively cutting the throat of those that were helpful. This forum is famous for that.

    Now for the reasons that I personally no longer post. The first is stated above, the PM and email requests for assistance were overwhelming, time consuming and of course, financially unrewarding, i.e. taking me away from paying jobs. That current paying job (part time in semi-retirement) is building CNC control boxes for those that cannot build their own. One of these products uses another brand of controller as a replacement to ShopBot's controller.

    ShopBot mgmt. has determined (correctly I might add) that I was violating the forum terms of use and sent me the following email:

    "(pleasantries removed)
    Asyou know from your years of active participation, we encourage open dialog,reviews, and even allow constructive criticism of our products on the ShopBotforum. The forum, which we make available to everyone, has pretty much alwaysbeen an open venue and with very little to no censoring of posts – we’d like tokeep it that way.

    However,there are occasions when we need to remind users that the forum is not a toolfor continual overt outside sales and promotions. Your ongoing use of theShopBot forum to market and sell the centroid/acorn product is not compatiblewith the overall function and spirit of the forum. It is not only inappropriate tocontinuously advertise a competing business on our forum, but against the rulesthat all forum users must agree to.

    Thankyou for the help you give overall on the forum, we do hope you continue helpingwith ShopBot-related questions. "

    I have chosen, since receipt of that email to no longer post here. If one were to do a search of those 2 words, Centroid and Acorn, you would find 5 threads that contain one or the other. I contributed to 3 of the 5. So, even tho I disagree and feel that they may have stretched the definitions of "continuing and overt" a bit I was promoting a competing product.

    I provide these control box products because I feel that they offer a smoother, quieter and faster cutting solution with higher cut quality at a lower price. Not just for SB machines but for others as well. A good number with OEM support and blessings.

    So obviously I have been doing more blatant advertising than Brady, as he doesn't seem to have pissed of the SB Gods, so count your blessings that he is still active here.

    I am not. This is my last post here, period.
    Gary Campbell
    GCnC Control
    GCnC411(at)gmail(dot)com
    Servo Controller Upgrades
    http://www.youtube.com/user/Islaww1


    "We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them"
    Albert Einstein


  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Hobby-Tronics, Chiloquin Oregon
    Posts
    1,356

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    In the past 11 years on this forum I am as guilty as anyone. I still 'lurk' here daily but rarely post anymore. I think back at what I used to post were my train / railroad related projects and my occasional question to the pros. After 11 years I guess I felt that youse' guys were tired of seeing stuff from Da Train Guy. As far as questions, after 11 years with my Bot I think I have 'solved' most of my issues! Maybe if 'we' all started posting to the gallery part of the forum some interest may come back. Anyhow, good thread, good answers (as always), and I hope a touch of vitamin C for this place! Russ
    AKA: Da Train Guy

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2000
    Location
    Willis Wharf, VA
    Posts
    1,764

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    Hey Russ,

    I stay pretty busy cutting and don't visit the forum as much as I should, but you inspired me to post a picture in the Show and Tell of some carpenter's pencils we engraved at SkillsUSA last week. We did close to 300 of them on a MAX over 3 days and although I'm not very 3-dimensional I think they turned out pretty nice.

    Bill
    p.s. your train stuff is VERY cool...I'm still available to be adopted :^)

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Gainesville Florida
    Posts
    128

    Default

    All,
    I apologize as I have been one of those who hasn't posted much even though I have been checking the forum nearly every day since 2004. I also wish things on the forum and the community in general were as they used to be. I have met many of the big names on the forum as well as Ted and many of his crew. I am thankful to them all for the knowledge they have shared over the years. I admit that I am mostly self-taught but the teachings of Gary, Brady, Tim M., Michael T., Michael M.,and many others has been invaluable to me. I hadn't really considered the stress it had put on them, they were just always there. I will do my best to be a bigger presence on the forum and help carry the torch of all who came before me. I have owned 2 Shopbots since 2004 and may move on to bigger and better in the near future, but I will always be a botter at heart as it was my first. Thanks.

    Mark

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    North Plains, Oregon
    Posts
    473

    Default

    In support of Brady Watson. I am somewhat amazed to see an implied criticism of Brady's tagline from another valued member of the forum whose contributions I have followed and enjoyed. But Brady's learned, complete, in depth posts have always been a value to me, sometimes just academically, sometimes practically. If anyone considers that his contributions haven't earned him a simple tagline describing his business, they should simply ignore his posts and deprive themselves of their benefits. Nuff said.

    Donn

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO
    Posts
    1,155

    Default

    here is the blended files that i spoke of earlier.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  8. #18
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Philadelphia PA
    Posts
    93

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    Great work Rick..
    Not an easy task...

    Michael

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO
    Posts
    1,155

    Default

    i learn for the best Michael, you being one of them, but i still consider myself a rookie in so many ways

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    3rd rock
    Posts
    115

    Default

    cowboy... beautiful work.

    I for one, would like to see more.

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