The Internet and Handmade Knives: Past, Current, and Future....

SharpByCoop said:
^^^ What I wanted to spawn were ideas, not grousing. That's easy. Joe Paranee just touched into some opinions (or facts) that are inescapable:



Really? Even Joe has experienced the trend.






Whata ya mean Even :grumpy:. I feel like I'm sitting in a cave picken my teeth with a bone thanks Coop :D:D:D only playin buddy Happy Holidays
Click to expand...
 
I believe that the collectors out in the world are a finite pie.....we are doing our best to grow the pie. Luckily for the knife world, knives are man's oldest tool and almost everyone can get into knives without much help, they just need the exposure. Can't wait until Mike Snody has his own show on the Discovery Channel, then it will be game over. :D

Coop - your comment on Facebook friend requests not being responded to.....I got in trouble with Facebook because of that. They accused me of not knowing my 1200+ friends. :D
 
Last edited:
Being that I live in Anchorage Alaska and the last time I checked I didn't see hordes of knife makers coming up here to put on a show, I am happy for the internet. The internet has been good to me as I believe I would not have 3/4 of my collection if I did not have it. I just can't drive or fly down to lower 48 where most knife shows are held, so therefore it allows me to meet many different knife makers via email to see if they have any knives that interest me and thanks to all those makers I have talked with over the years I become more educated about knives. We have some custom knife makers here in Alaska and even Northern Knives which is a great knife store, and that allows me to handle some custom knives. For the rest I have to rely on the internet. I wish I could go to the knife shows in the lower 48 but that is really not feasible for me at this time. I have been lucky that most of the time I can look at a knife and if I know the dimensions of the blade and handle, I can tell if it's meant for me without even picking it up as they seem to speak to me. So therefore the internet works for me, however someday I would like to experience a big knife show.
 
Bruce Voyles: I'm pleased and glad to hear your views. Very on-target and succinct. Like a good writer... ;)

Brett: Thanks for keeping track of the original intent, and being far-sighted. Yes, we will experience new ways to integrate people with this technology. Good post.

Ian / Lorien /TLA: All prime examples of the benefits to collectors and makers on the internet, and how it's expanded their passion and interest.

Roger: GREAT point-by-point synopsis.

Snody / Earl: Sitting back and chuckling. (Please put me in touch with the guy and his CA$H on the bed. Have him send me a friendship request on Facebook... ;))

Everyone else: It's inescapable, and shows just how powerful the human interaction is. No matter what, everyone needs to confirm how important the human eye-to-eye and handshake is for them. I agree.

##################

Just as there is attrition in having too many shows, and a few shows REALLY draw out the most attendance, this begs the question for us online participants:

At what point are there too many redundant forum communities and subforums? There's a TON of them out there. Will this sort itself out as well?

How many do you visit? What's your limit?

What draws you in and what turns you away?

Thoughts please, WITHOUT naming specific forums. Thank you.

Coop
 
Good point about the multiplicity of forums - there are indeed a ton of them out there - something for everyone, no doubt.

While a great many are more than worth viewing / participating in, I don't have time to regularly contribute to more than 2 or 3. There are maybe 4 or 5 in total that I will drop in on - to check specific subforums - on a more infrequent basis.

What pulls me in / turns me away: content.

Roger
 
To the benefit of us all, the Internet’s impact on the custom knife community is certainly growing at a fast pace.
And there’s still much room for growth as the latest statistics (6/30/2010) show that less than 29% of the world’s population uses the Internet, so it’s nowhere near reaching it’s potential.

To answer Coop's question, I participate on 2 forums with any degree of regularity.
 
even though this one is at times one of the most infuriating forums for me, it's the only one which I participate in regularly. I find it the most interesting, as it seems to have a more human and less consumer dynamic going on.
I like surfing around and looking at knives, and there are certainly plenty of forums with a great deal more action when it comes to eye candy, but this one feels to me most like a community. Probably because it's the first one I became involved with.
I love it, warts and all.
 
Lorien said:
even though this one is at times one of the most infuriating forums for me, it's the only one which I participate in regularly. I find it the most interesting, as it seems to have a more human and less consumer dynamic going on.
Click to expand...

Aren't we fortunate to have you onboard with BladeForums!

You don't know what infuriated is. Infuriating is when people who don't take knives NEARLY as seriously as you do decide to pop up with their anonymousness and spew crap in all directions(not you)....then....all the people who dislike a direct and no-nonsense approach, and prefer to blow smoke up each other's ass rat pile. That's infuriating.

BladeForums was one of the first online forums for knives, and imo, is the best. The reason that you find more community than commerce HERE is that a lot of us know each other personally, and have for a while.. We do our business offline....if we didn't have it like that, this place would be a lot more like other forums. Spark does a great job, as do the Mods.

BladeForums is where I hang, although I used to post quite frequently on SwordForums.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
SharpByCoop said:
Excellent points and counterpoints. ALL correct to a large degree.


Mike Snody doesn't have only a single photo on his site. No, he comes INTO YOUR LIFE and shakes your hand like your longest lost friend through his videos. He understands the human condition and has worked technology to support this clear foundation. It's one part genius marketing and two parts filling a need. (You GO Mike!)


Coop
Click to expand...

Thanks for mentioning me man..
SnodyWorld has huge respect for you.
I am honored and very pleased that you took time to write these words....
We have been getting paid for about a year now.
When you have the "right" video sponsors place ads and you get paid for every view...Youtube likes videos that get re-wound or paused as it shows that the video has the viewers attention.. Please pause SnodyKnives videos often and please help SnodyKnives videos go viral..We have over 240,000 views as of today... This is a message we received from Youtube today regarding a new video that is less than one week old...

Wed, November 10, 2010 1:53:30 PM
Dear SnodyKnives,

Your video Mike Snody "VH1 Behind the Music" New Money Knifemaker Reality might be eligible for the YouTube Partnership Program, which allows you to make money from playbacks of your video.
Making money from your video is easy. We will start placing ads next to the video and pay you a share of the revenue as long as you meet the program requirements.
We look forward to adding your video to the YouTube Partnership Program.
Thanks and good luck!
The YouTube Team
© 2010 YouTube, LLC
901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066


[youtube]S6ZATcvag1M[/youtube]


Thanks again for acknowledgement and thanks for your friendship...
Your words carry tremendous weight in the knifemaking community.
Respect...
 
Kohai999 said:
Aren't we fortunate to have you onboard with BladeForums!

You don't know what infuriated is. Infuriating is when people who don't take knives NEARLY as seriously as you do decide to pop up with their anonymousness and spew crap in all directions(not you)....then....all the people who dislike a direct and no-nonsense approach, and prefer to blow smoke up each other's ass rat pile. That's infuriating.

BladeForums was one of the first online forums for knives, and imo, is the best. The reason that you find more community than commerce HERE is that a lot of us know each other personally, and have for a while.. We do our business offline....if we didn't have it like that, this place would be a lot more like other forums. Spark does a great job, as do the Mods.

BladeForums is where I hang, although I used to post quite frequently on SwordForums.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

I'm with you on the no-nonsense approach thing...one of the best things about this forum are the genuine comments that are made.

I take more notice of the remarks made about my work on this forum than any other. Sometimes they're harsh, but it's always for the better.

Several times I've had things pointed out to me that I'd not even noticed, but made sense once someone told me.

I've got lots to learn, and this forum certainly helps.:thumbup:

Ian
 
Hi Coop -

I predict that the phone/pda/laptop will all meld into one device (already starting), and the user interface will be voice activated.

Already I have a phone that I can speak some words into, and it will search the web and provide context based results (i.e. if I say a business like joes pizza, the phone knows my location, driving directions to joes, the location of joes on a clickable map, with the phone number and, if available, the web site).

Inasmuch as knives are concerned, I think the big-bang has already happened. The technology is able to bring us all together - buyers, sellers, makers, historians, collectors, we are all here to discuss our fancies.

Potential exists to have virtual reality - where your device will be able to project a holographic 3d view of whatever (in this case a knife) that you can "play with" in real time.

Oh - and our wives will also be able to see, in real time, how much we are spending.....ouch.

best regards -

mqqn
 
My online time on the two forums I visit has lessened over the last six months but not because I fell out of love with knives - just some health issues that have now happily regressed.

Blade Forums has always been my primary, my mainstay - and the best forum online. IMHO.

Best,

Bob
 
Thanks Coop, I appreciate your kind words. Seriously..when you have time, would you send me a friend request on FB? :D http://www.facebook.com/UltraReef

Another thing Youtube does for you is give you all kinds of feedback on who is watching your videos and how they are watching and where they are from. One of the world's favorite video is where Mike talks about how life was in his teenage years and where he got his strong work ethic. :D

[youtube]OfLRLRI-3yo&hd=1[/youtube]




Here's a screenshot of that video and just some of the info available.

insight1.jpg
 
SharpByCoop said:
Each time I visit a maker's website one of the FIRST things I look for (and is usually missing) is a photo of THEM on their About Me or Home Page. The internet is cold and factual. By providing a photo of yourself to the world, you disarm the viewer with friendliness. I am that much more willing to read the text, if I see the person who wrote it. No photo: Lost opportunity.
Click to expand...
The first thing I look for is a link to their Facebook page and/or Youtube Channel and or/Twitter page or Flickr or Picassa......Blogspot........
Add your Facebook page link on your SharpByCoop.com page
It can't HURT...IMHO

@Alan====>
I was thinking about the free rider problem last night
If I were to look at Pat Crawford's knives at The Santa Barbara Knife Show
Then went home and bought one on EBAY
Somewhere down the line, Pat Crawford Inc. got the sale :thumbup:
I agree that the social benefit of knowledge about you and your knives outweigh the social costs of a sale loss from the free rider problem
The guy who picked up one of your knives at the knife show and walked away with put purchasing===>
It sort of whet his appetite......piqued his interest in you or, hopefully, custom knives in general


I think the camaraderie aspect IS the main draw for the knife show crowd
Especially the part about prime rib dinner and all you can drink cocktails

I'm hoping Steven Seagal is at the SB Knife show
I heard David Crosby (Solvang resident) likes to go to knife shows too
Any other star sightings at knife shows?
Any sightings of Sly hovering about Gil Hibben's table? :)
Word on the street is Angelina Jolie likes shanks also....
*************************************************************
Sooo.......I went and bought ONE taco for $3.50 tonight after work
I took home about 6 small containers of the salsa from the FREE salsa bar to use for my late night nachos and morning huevos rancheros
I think I need help for my free rider addiction......:o
 
i buy most my knives on internet.

but love the interaction with makers on shows

the one can not be with out the other,there are still very good makers who don't have websites, i bought a piece from a maker who i called to commision a knive,
he asked what kind off knive, you like, and i pointed out a dagger he made a few years ago, he said well ik can make you a good deal,
because that knive was still for sale,
he is missing big points in communication, i think a lot off makers are not salesman,
and lack the time or the computer skils to fluff up a website and keep it up to date,
for those people shows are the way to go. or use a selling point

ps. the shows need to be good ones,
 
Trent Rock said:
jmo1019l.jpg


The Internet (and EBAY) is the greatest innovation that HELPS knife collectors,sellers and buyer...IMHO
Mostly because of, obviously, information
I can price knives easier
Find maker information easier
Shipping costs are more visible
Compare and contrast knives easier
Shop for the cheapest price or the best quality
Eliminate the dreaded information asymmetry :)
And LEARN about the knife world/market
I've learned more about knife collecting from 3 years on BF than I would have ever learned buying a book here and there
Or going to a knife show here and there
(Heck...I thought it was called a BLOOD GROOVE not a FULLER!!:D )
In economic gibberish===>transaction costs are lower


http://www.tekbar.net/cost-and-investment/e-commerce-and-transaction-costs.html

I'm glad I am not the only one who thinks that having "too many" knife shows is not a bad thing :o
I pretty much only go to the Santa Barbara Knife Show (I'm going this year again) and I went to the Solvang Knife Show before it was invitational style
So I guess, for your marketing data, I'm not willing to drive long distances for knife shows
Mostly time and gas money....

I'm kind of confused how you all are talking about the decline of the knife show industry
Yet, some are complaining there are too many knife shows?
Which is it? A decline or a proliferation?
Also, has there been a decline in the avg cost of a table at knife shows?
Avg cost of admission for attendees?
Just curious..as always....

Instead of fearing The Internet
One should embrace it
Just look at Mike Snody
His mug is all over The Net :D
I don't think his sales are lacking because of it either


One potential problem with The Internet is what is called the free rider problem

Free rider problem

This was alluded to in another thread===>


Free Rider Issues and Internet Retailing

Free Riding and Sales Strategies for the Internet

My name is Trent, and I am a free rider:cool:
I walk into a Best Buy (or whatever has the target good, locally, the cheapest...because I want the good TONIGHT...I don't want to wait to have it shipped via snail mail)
I LOOK at the pc monitor I am thinking of buying
I ask the salesman a few questions
I make my choice
Then I tell the salesman, "thanks"
And go home and try and find the target pc monitor on The Net
Cheapest of course.
I free ride off the brick and mortar..............

It works both ways
Sometimes if I decided I want to purchase a certain type of product
I will do my research online
Then walk into Best Buy
Walk right past the salesman
And go directly to the target good
I free ride off The Internet................

What is the solution to Holdus Internetous?
Only thing I can think of is charging a "holding fee"
That is make the potential buyer pay 5 bucks to hold and examine the knife on the table at the knife show
I don't think that would go over very well with the knife buying crowd though :)

What do the makers think?
Does it upset you that people free ride?
If I go to a knife show and pick up a knife, ask questions about the materials and the maker===>
And then go home and try and find it cheapest on The Net
Does that make me a bad guy?
I don't feel like a bad guy
I feel like I'm being a rational, informed knife consumer

We all free ride a little bit
Admitting your addiction is the first step they say....hehehehehe



Resale Price Maintenance: The Internet Phenomenon and 'Free Rider' Issues
Click to expand...


Outstanding Post..
There is a wealth of valuable information contained in your words..
You should have to pay for this type of insight..
You should consider writing a small column for SnodyWorld..
Thanks for showing some love and mentioning my name...
We need all the love we can get..$$
Chunking the Duece...
Much Respect...
 
Photo-Fog-Test.jpg


Snody said:
Outstanding Post..
There is a wealth of valuable information contained in your words..
You should have to pay for this type of insight..
You should consider writing a small column for SnodyWorld..
Thanks for showing some love and mentioning my name...
We need all the love we can get..$$
Chunking the Duece...
Much Respect...
Click to expand...
All the discussion about pricing and the difficulties in attaining the "proper" price for a knife got me thinking
You have a unique tool with your Snodyworld.com page
It's pretty much permission marketing at it's finest
They have already "expressed interest" in your products
Now you have to TARGET them
And hopefully, you will command a higher price from their brand loyalty
As I posted before, brand loyalty is one of the reasons goods become more price inelastic
Look at the Busse Knives For Sale section
If you raise the price of a 2001 Battle Mistress from 500 dollars to 600 dollars
The Busse Hogs don't care
They are willing to pay pretty much anything for a 2001 Battle Mistress
At least in my observations....No offense to The Busse Hogs
You guys are VERY brand loyal....that is nothing to be ashamed of.

You could create a "auction" module or section on your webpage
I believe Busse Knives has such setup:confused:
You could put your latest greatest knife up for auction
You have already filtered out the NON brand loyal customers
(They must be brand loyal to sign up for your page and pay the monthly fee, right?)
Let the auction run for a week
The final price is your "suggested retail price"
The price might be a little higher because of the "prototype" factor or the "internet only limited edition" factor
So, if the final selling price is 100 dollars
I would make the MSRP around 95 bucks
*******************************************************
You are kind of my case study in "The Effects of Social Media on Equilbrium Prices"...lol

I think your model is successful for 2 reasons:
1)You embrace the Hip Hop Culture
2)You embrace The Net

Most people shun the guys with the saggy pants and the Tupac shirts
You made them your target market :thumbup:
It's called The Cool Factor
This documentary provides rich material for classroom discussion of agents of socialization, particularly peer groups and the mass media. The Merchants of Cool is a PBS / Frontline analysis of youth culture and mass-market norms.
Click to expand...
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/persell/aIntroNSF/LessonPlans/Lesson%20PlanMerchantsOfCoolFilm022908.htm
Frontline: The Merchants of Cool

I'd be willing to bet the age demographics of your customers is lower than most knife makers
What do you think?

The term Ghetto Gear may not be PC
But who cares, as long as it increases sales and more importantly, name recognition
Now all you got to do is send out Ghetto Gear™ catalogs to the Compton and Fifth Ward zip codes....:)
Get the word on the street about Snody Knives

Regarding The Net===>
It's free advertising
Bottom line.
Cost you nothing to sign up for YouTube or Facebook
The only thing it costs is your time replying to posts or editing videos

Your persona is a throwback to Ron Popeil
I mean that in a good way
Being campy is hip now
People don't mind a showman these days
Look at Lynn Thompson
A lot of people like seeing him in his spandex pants using knives to cut things
(Now THAT is entertaining!!!)
I call him The Cal Worthington of Steel
Your videos of you chopping sides of beef is a classic example
There is cheesy/campy factor to it
It's funny and I consider it an "ode" to the impresarios of days gone by
Kind of like the mandatory cutting of the can in the Ginsu Knife commercials

I remember I used to go the Intn'l Car Show at The Moscone Center every year with my dad
Every year there would be some new guy with his "anti window fog" proprietary formula spray (or rag)
I used to watch the speil/demostrations with awe
WOW!!! The glass on the left DOES not fog up!!!:cool:
I wasn't offened by the over showmanship
It had entertainment value
Look at that show the have on Home Shopping network
Cutlery Corner or whatever they call it
I watch it
Not because I like the quality knives they showcase :cool::rolleyes::eek:
I watch it because it is entertaining watching someone pitch a piece of cr@p 440A steel knife with laminated, colored, plywood handles
It's really beautiful to watch
Marketing 101..IMHO

I went to the SF Intl Car Show 2 years ago
The anti fog peddlers were still there behind their podiums and tables...lol
They still have their spray bottles to simulate rain, too
Although I did notice there was a lack of bikini models next to the Maseratis like the old days....
*******************************************************
You need a "sonic brand" Mr. Snody
Think of the IBM tones they play at the end of the commercials
ound branding (also known as audio branding, sonic branding, acoustic branding or sonic mnemonics) is the use of sound to reinforce brand identity. Sound branding is increasingly becoming a vehicle for conveying a memorable message to targeted consumers, taking advantage of the powerful memory sense of sound.
Click to expand...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_branding
Then you insert the sound byte at the end (or beginning) of the youtube videos you upload
Or have the sound byte play when you login/loadup at SnodyWorld.com
Then they can't get the "keepin it real!!" earworm outta their head and they are forced to buy your knives to get rid of the earworm.....heheheh

I'd consider doing some articles for your website..sure Holmes
Do I have to write using paragraphs and puncuation?...lol
That is gonna cost you BANK!! (just kidding!!)
Will you hook me up with a limited edition digital urban camo tactical slingshot with the T Rock Logo on the handle???;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top