Spyderco Forum?
- Thread starter Jim Six
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The offer is officially extened to Sal,
I also have another idea. We could do a manufacturers forum. This would allow many manufacturers use the same forum to help their customers. We would simply say which manufacturers would be monitoring the forum. This way they would all be in one place and all could benefit from it.
We could also make a manufacturers anouncement forum to show off new products, anounce recalls, press releases and the like.
I am open to any and all suggestions.
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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
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I also have another idea. We could do a manufacturers forum. This would allow many manufacturers use the same forum to help their customers. We would simply say which manufacturers would be monitoring the forum. This way they would all be in one place and all could benefit from it.
We could also make a manufacturers anouncement forum to show off new products, anounce recalls, press releases and the like.
I am open to any and all suggestions.
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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
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Mike,
That sounds like a great idea. Although benchmade has its own forum on its website. I think a forum allows manufacturers to get input directly from customers and allows customers a means to learn more about the products.
That sounds like a great idea. Although benchmade has its own forum on its website. I think a forum allows manufacturers to get input directly from customers and allows customers a means to learn more about the products.
Mike,
I like your idea! as long as the manufacturers don't have a problem with the inevitable bleedover that may occur between threads.... it may be difficult to see product development, distribution and like issues in the same place but heck, if they're willing to post such data there ought not be any surprises for their competitors.
I can see Will, Sal and others fielding queries in such a place. It would be especially conducive to customer service "fixes".
It sounds great. How do Sal, Will and other manufacturers feel?
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-=[Bob]=-
Bald is beautiful! Rub a dome for luck today!
I like your idea! as long as the manufacturers don't have a problem with the inevitable bleedover that may occur between threads.... it may be difficult to see product development, distribution and like issues in the same place but heck, if they're willing to post such data there ought not be any surprises for their competitors.
I can see Will, Sal and others fielding queries in such a place. It would be especially conducive to customer service "fixes".
It sounds great. How do Sal, Will and other manufacturers feel?
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-=[Bob]=-
Bald is beautiful! Rub a dome for luck today!
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I mentioned it to Will tonight and he likes the idea as well. This is actually about 6 months in advance of when I planned to do it. I was going to put a bug in everyone's ear at the Shot Show and then solidify it at Blade. Paul at Columbia River Knife & Tool also likes the idea. It would also be a good thing for Benchmade to move their forum here. They would get much more traffic and free updated software and maintenance. Also Cold Steel could could get their forum revived with proper moderation and support from us. I hope the manufacturers take us up on this and having Spyderco and EDI would be a great start. We could even do it on a trial basis to let them get the feel for it.
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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
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Are the manufacturers going to play by their rules or the Forums' rules? What I mean is what if someone posts something negative about Brand X knife, etc.? Will the post be deleted, poster be banned, thread locked, etc.? Who will determine this?
Bernie
Bernie
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The rules are my rules which appear on this forum. The main rule is no personal attacks. If someone gets out of line or just gets their jollies by pissing off the makers they will be banned.
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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com
Sal Glesser
Moderator
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We would be willing to give it a test. Time to properly maintain the site would be the question. How would you set it up? We might try a test by having all posts for EDI or Spyderco begin the post with EDI: of SPY:, then list the post. It would be easier to try to stay on top of, then reading every post every day. You guys kmow more about this than I do, help me out.
sal
sal
Jim March
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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If we do the "lump it all in together" manufacturer's forum Sal's idea of "labeled posts" would be GREAT. It might take some moderation to appropriately label threads.
One thing? Moderators *can* alter thread titles, right?
Jim March
One thing? Moderators *can* alter thread titles, right?
Jim March
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Mike,
That is a fantasic idea, Thanks in advance Sal and Will.
Gus
"Sometimes middle age and a degree of wisdom win out over youth and vigor - at least on a class IV or V river
"
"but not here this time"
(some of the above quote stolen from George Forman)
That is a fantasic idea, Thanks in advance Sal and Will.
Gus
"Sometimes middle age and a degree of wisdom win out over youth and vigor - at least on a class IV or V river
"but not here this time"
(some of the above quote stolen from George Forman)
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Hello fellow Forumites,
I spoke to Mike about this idea a few days ago, and still think its a great idea. Sal is right, we should be sure to start the title[or subject as it were] with Spy or EDI or whatever is deemed appropriate. The only thing I would like NOT to see happen is the expertise from other members of the cutlery industry just being focused in the manufacturers forum. Sal's opinion of blade steel, or his insight on blade geometry, etc. is wanted/needed to help keep things interesting on the GENERAL DISCUSSION FORUM. I enjoy talking about using knives in the field, whatever brand knives, and that is what keeps me coming to this forum. A specific area[forum] for manufacturers to answer direct question and make 'press releases' would be great, but let's not all go run to our own little areas, and miss out on the sharing knowledge and fellowship.
[Stepping off soap box now]
Change is Good, lets move on...
Will Fennell/EDI Knives
I spoke to Mike about this idea a few days ago, and still think its a great idea. Sal is right, we should be sure to start the title[or subject as it were] with Spy or EDI or whatever is deemed appropriate. The only thing I would like NOT to see happen is the expertise from other members of the cutlery industry just being focused in the manufacturers forum. Sal's opinion of blade steel, or his insight on blade geometry, etc. is wanted/needed to help keep things interesting on the GENERAL DISCUSSION FORUM. I enjoy talking about using knives in the field, whatever brand knives, and that is what keeps me coming to this forum. A specific area[forum] for manufacturers to answer direct question and make 'press releases' would be great, but let's not all go run to our own little areas, and miss out on the sharing knowledge and fellowship.
[Stepping off soap box now]
Change is Good, lets move on...
Will Fennell/EDI Knives
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The forum would be brand specific. I mean that we would have a general rule that the info in the forum would not necessarily be of general interest to other areas and that the person asking the question would need the answer direct from the horses mouth, so to speak.
However Will you bring up a good point. Much of the info which would end up there would be of good general interest. The members have a good way of croosing topics into other forums so I think it would work itseld out pretty darn quick. I got the forum bug a few years ago and I think anyone participating in the forums would cross over to gain knowledge from each forum and not just the one they moderate. I know I did. Plus the manufactures would be able to talk about any subject in any forum they wish.
Tonight however Spark and I did think of a minor problem with the "all in one" forum. This software only allows one moderator. I would really like each manufacturer to have their own moderator so they can control their own forum. Or I can be the moderator and if their is any problem in any thread the maker can contact me and I will take care of it. Either way I am open to suggestions and Spark and I are thinking of a good solution for all.
I am really excited about this idea as it would allow direct contact with the manufacturer and the ELU would really benefit from this all. It also shows that we have some manufacturers willing to go the extra mile to help out the consumer.
Kudos to Spyderco and EDI for stepping up to the plate first.
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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com
However Will you bring up a good point. Much of the info which would end up there would be of good general interest. The members have a good way of croosing topics into other forums so I think it would work itseld out pretty darn quick. I got the forum bug a few years ago and I think anyone participating in the forums would cross over to gain knowledge from each forum and not just the one they moderate. I know I did. Plus the manufactures would be able to talk about any subject in any forum they wish.
Tonight however Spark and I did think of a minor problem with the "all in one" forum. This software only allows one moderator. I would really like each manufacturer to have their own moderator so they can control their own forum. Or I can be the moderator and if their is any problem in any thread the maker can contact me and I will take care of it. Either way I am open to suggestions and Spark and I are thinking of a good solution for all.
I am really excited about this idea as it would allow direct contact with the manufacturer and the ELU would really benefit from this all. It also shows that we have some manufacturers willing to go the extra mile to help out the consumer.
Kudos to Spyderco and EDI for stepping up to the plate first.
------------------
Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com
Jim March
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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It turns out moderators CANNOT alter thread titles. I tried to change the title of the "great quotes" thread over on Community, no joy, not even if I edit the first post.
Without that, thread titles that start with "EDI" or "BM" or whatever probably ain't gonna happen, at least not consistently. People will forget.
Second, you *could* have multiple moderators...if you set up a special "moderator-class" name and password and shared it among several trusted people. Sal and Will Fenell as two examples would each have their own user-level ID under which they post, but would also have the shared moderator account purely for admin functions. It would of course mean trusting all of the moderators not to abuse it AND to keep it secure, but I don't think it'd be a problem.
Hmmmmmmm...well, not *usually*. If a manufacturer used it to stifle legit negative criticism there's be trouble...and unfortunately that's exactly what Benchmade did to Dr. Walt Welch.
Sigh.
Jim March
Without that, thread titles that start with "EDI" or "BM" or whatever probably ain't gonna happen, at least not consistently. People will forget.
Second, you *could* have multiple moderators...if you set up a special "moderator-class" name and password and shared it among several trusted people. Sal and Will Fenell as two examples would each have their own user-level ID under which they post, but would also have the shared moderator account purely for admin functions. It would of course mean trusting all of the moderators not to abuse it AND to keep it secure, but I don't think it'd be a problem.
Hmmmmmmm...well, not *usually*. If a manufacturer used it to stifle legit negative criticism there's be trouble...and unfortunately that's exactly what Benchmade did to Dr. Walt Welch.
Sigh.
Jim March
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I've been thinking about this for the past three hours, and the best solution I can come up with is that we have seperate forums for each manufacturer and have all manufacturers contribute their knowledge in the other forums as well.
The reasons for having seperate forums for each manufacturer (who would like their own forum)are as follows:
<OL>[*]Their support personnel will have less messages to wade through, freeing up time to answer their brand specific messages.
[*]The Manufacturer Specific forum can be linked to directly from the manufacturer's site, so that their customers can come post questions directly.
[*]The specific forums for that manufacturer can be bookmarked for the support personnel, making it easier for "new to the Net" people to get there.
[*]More security: There's a saying that the number of people that know a secret is equal to the square of the number of people you told. If we have 5 manufacturer's represented, and each of them has 2 people (+-) that have the moderator password, that's 100 (10 squared) people who have access, a security nightmare. Limiting the access to the administrative functions is not something we will compromise on. Having seperate forums means seperate passwords for each moderator profile, which means greater security and less chance of foul play (Hacker/Cracker or otherwise).
[*]Manufacturers will have the ability to make announcements in their own forums, hold contests, etc without getting drowned out by other traffic.
[*]Forums can be customized with specific manufacturer logos.
[*]Manufacturer specific forums have the option, at their desire, to have their support personnel notified by email every time someone posts in their forum. This will allow rapid response to topics as they come up, instead of having to check the forum every 10 minutes for traffic.
[/list=a]
The case against having one big Manufacturer Forum:
<OL>[*]The aforementioned security dilemma.
[*]Too much traffic that could just as easily be handled in the General Discussion Forum.
[*]Too much "temptation" to edit/delete a message, without anyone knowing just "who" did it.
[*]Not enough "personality". The site is a community, and each manufacturer would be able to, in a sense, have their own suburb if they had their own forum.[/list=a]
My solution to this is to have a Non-Specific Manufacturer Discussion Forum for smaller companies, or for companies who do not want their own forums, and seperate Manufacturer-Specific Forums for those companies who's traffic is high enough to warrant it.
How does this sound to everyone?
Spark
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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
Insert witty quip here
[This message has been edited by Spark (edited 08 January 1999).]
The reasons for having seperate forums for each manufacturer (who would like their own forum)are as follows:
<OL>[*]Their support personnel will have less messages to wade through, freeing up time to answer their brand specific messages.
[*]The Manufacturer Specific forum can be linked to directly from the manufacturer's site, so that their customers can come post questions directly.
[*]The specific forums for that manufacturer can be bookmarked for the support personnel, making it easier for "new to the Net" people to get there.
[*]More security: There's a saying that the number of people that know a secret is equal to the square of the number of people you told. If we have 5 manufacturer's represented, and each of them has 2 people (+-) that have the moderator password, that's 100 (10 squared) people who have access, a security nightmare. Limiting the access to the administrative functions is not something we will compromise on. Having seperate forums means seperate passwords for each moderator profile, which means greater security and less chance of foul play (Hacker/Cracker or otherwise).
[*]Manufacturers will have the ability to make announcements in their own forums, hold contests, etc without getting drowned out by other traffic.
[*]Forums can be customized with specific manufacturer logos.
[*]Manufacturer specific forums have the option, at their desire, to have their support personnel notified by email every time someone posts in their forum. This will allow rapid response to topics as they come up, instead of having to check the forum every 10 minutes for traffic.
[/list=a]
The case against having one big Manufacturer Forum:
<OL>[*]The aforementioned security dilemma.
[*]Too much traffic that could just as easily be handled in the General Discussion Forum.
[*]Too much "temptation" to edit/delete a message, without anyone knowing just "who" did it.
[*]Not enough "personality". The site is a community, and each manufacturer would be able to, in a sense, have their own suburb if they had their own forum.[/list=a]
My solution to this is to have a Non-Specific Manufacturer Discussion Forum for smaller companies, or for companies who do not want their own forums, and seperate Manufacturer-Specific Forums for those companies who's traffic is high enough to warrant it.
How does this sound to everyone?
Spark
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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
Insert witty quip here
[This message has been edited by Spark (edited 08 January 1999).]
Personally, I really dislike "having" to check different forums. Originally, I checked most of them. Then traffic (and my entusiasm) died down. Now, I don't check most of the forums _at all_. I can understand the pros and cons of individual forums but, I would rather the Spyderco, EDI, ... be posted on the main Blade Discussion Forum. This is purely from a poster's point of view (as opposed to the point of view of a moderator, administrator, manufacturer, ... ).
If it all goes to separate forums, there is a very real chance that I, as well as at least a few others, may not frequent or even check them at all.
Just my 2 cents,
Bernie
[This message has been edited by Bernie (edited 08 January 1999).]
If it all goes to separate forums, there is a very real chance that I, as well as at least a few others, may not frequent or even check them at all.
Just my 2 cents,
Bernie
[This message has been edited by Bernie (edited 08 January 1999).]
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Hey Mike! I think this is a great idea. You also might want to go to ar15.com and look at their forum for manufacturers. This might give you some ideas as it seems to work for them. Thanks. Donnie Pridemore "Shades and Blades"
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Actually, that is very similar to the format that I was thinking of.
Side Note: When The Firing Line was in it's infancy, I promoted it on the AR-15.com emailing list. At the time, the guy who owns it said that having a firearms discussion forum for firearms would be counterproductive, there was already the emailing lists. Now they have their own forums, imagine that! It's nice to see people open up to good ideas, I wish them the best of luck.
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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
Insert witty quip here
Side Note: When The Firing Line was in it's infancy, I promoted it on the AR-15.com emailing list. At the time, the guy who owns it said that having a firearms discussion forum for firearms would be counterproductive, there was already the emailing lists. Now they have their own forums, imagine that! It's nice to see people open up to good ideas, I wish them the best of luck.
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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
Insert witty quip here
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Bernie,
The manufacturers forum would not necessarily be one you would check anyway unless you had a specific question for that manufacturer. We would seperate the customer service type forum from the manufacturers announcement or press release forum. You may want to check that forum out from time to time. What we are trying to accomplish is allow the manufacturers to have a new way of handling customer service. They would mostly cover issues about warranty service and repair, quick fixes and other manufacturer specific issues. This would be a way of freeing up the time the customer service reps spend on the phone answering the same question over and over again. They could visit the forum look for the thread which my answer their question and if they don't find it they can ask it directly. Plus the manufacturer can go ahead and answer the most commonly asked questions right away without even waiting for them to be asked.
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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com
The manufacturers forum would not necessarily be one you would check anyway unless you had a specific question for that manufacturer. We would seperate the customer service type forum from the manufacturers announcement or press release forum. You may want to check that forum out from time to time. What we are trying to accomplish is allow the manufacturers to have a new way of handling customer service. They would mostly cover issues about warranty service and repair, quick fixes and other manufacturer specific issues. This would be a way of freeing up the time the customer service reps spend on the phone answering the same question over and over again. They could visit the forum look for the thread which my answer their question and if they don't find it they can ask it directly. Plus the manufacturer can go ahead and answer the most commonly asked questions right away without even waiting for them to be asked.
------------------
Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com
Sal Glesser
Moderator
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Spark - haven't been ignoring you, just super busy right now. I realized that I would never have the time to maintain a forum and still participatre as a member in this forum. I spoke with Michelle Espinosa today regarding commitment and who might assist in the maintenance of a Spyderco Forum.
We would need someone from sales, mktg, R & D & inventory control to be able to answer the many types of Q's that could come in. We'll be discussing this over the next few weeks. Probably won't be able to do too much until after SHOT show. In the meanwhile, I can continue to have fun here?
sal
We would need someone from sales, mktg, R & D & inventory control to be able to answer the many types of Q's that could come in. We'll be discussing this over the next few weeks. Probably won't be able to do too much until after SHOT show. In the meanwhile, I can continue to have fun here?
sal
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No problem Sal,
In all actuality I had not intended to start the Manufacurers forums until after Shot and possibly Blade but since the interest was there from several manufacturers we may go ahead once we get 3 or 4.
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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
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In all actuality I had not intended to start the Manufacurers forums until after Shot and possibly Blade but since the interest was there from several manufacturers we may go ahead once we get 3 or 4.
------------------
Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com