What to do...

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Honestly Thomas your posts what got me interested in zt knives to begin with....you are right it is the brand that draws interest sir, however I can tell you that you draw the lion's share of the new interest to the brand, When I was contracting In Iraq and I was looking for a new blade, It was lurking your posts on the zt forum, that drew me to getting the zt 0300 which in turn drew 5 additional guys into buying a 300 series knife, let's be honest there are plenty of makers out there to choose from, but the constant desire for improvement and change for the better, support of your customers, customer service, knife giveaways and just generally putting off the vibe that you guys are listening to what your customers want.....well sir, thats the draw of the brand and sir, YOU ARE THE MEDIUM FOR 99 PERCENT OF THAT DRAW, YOU ARE WHAT MAKES IT HAPPEN. If you go the brand itself will lose alot of it's allure for new customers......of course not for established ones, and I myself will be deeply saddened.
 
I have always appreciated your info that you give to all of us,don't let a few a-holes ruin it for you or for us please stay,but obviously only you can decide that. I know it's not much consolation but at times I have thought of bailing myself from this forum because of the smart-ass,super-critical mentality of some of the posters that you find,but in the end it's just a trade off i'm willing to make to be part of this large great but sometimes very dysfunctional family-just my $.02
 
I understand that you must do what you feel is best, but just realize that you will leave a bunch of sad , lost souls here.

I'm not trying to put any pressure or anything on you, but this truly awesome forum might likely turn to shambles without your wise guidance.

With your important position with Kershaw, there must be very little time to allocate to modding this forum. Just know that a good many of us here would miss you.

Just sayin' :)
 
Its human nature to get mad at the messenger. If you leave BF, people will still get upset with whoever replaces you and tells them what they don't want to here. Maybe a better solution is to just semi retire from BF, and see how that works. I think either way your presence will be greatly missed. Thank you for all your time and knowledge you bring to the forum.
 
If you feel you need to take a vacation for your own sake, then go for it. We all get fed up with the stupid from time to time.

Load up a new, permanent mod and take some of the load off so that when you come back from vacation, you'll be able to enjoy what you do, here.

There are always going to be people that just have no decency, intelligence or respect for self or others and tend to make every contact with them as irritating as possible.
 
I hope you do stay on the forum, having you on the forums is very comforting for us kershaw/zt fans. The interaction between the company and customer is what makes this manufacture sub forum fun.

Also know that you do have a lot of supporters here, every time there is an unwarranted criticism there are tons of people that jump on and support you. I know that it gets frustrating at times, especially since you are probably doing all this on your own time, but i think i can speak for a lot of people and say that we really appreciate it.
 
Please stay. You add a perspective that is difficult if not impossible to replace. I mostly post in the Busse and Hinderer forums and just recently started posting here. Admittedly, it is the fact that employees of the actual companies actively participating in discussions that sold me on becoming a member of BF. Responses directly or indirectly from you and other industry employees are key in why I choose to share my thoughts (right or wrong) with like-minded knife/tool enthusiasts. I may be wrong but I believe you guys truly listen to your customers and it does impact the products you offer, as well as business and marketing decisions.
 
dont_let_the_turkeys_get_you_down_postcard-p239846916944520712z8iat_400.jpg
 
My opinion...I feel (and this could be weird) that I have a better "connection" with Kershaw/ZT because of how much you have participated, your opinions, thoughts, etc. You are right, the forums will go on with or without you, but it would not be the same.
The connection part comes in because we "common people" get a direct connection with one of the higher ups at Kershaw. I hardly get that at my own job! Thinking about every single other product I own, I can't say the same thing for that brand. This, at least for me, drives brand loyalty when it comes to Kershaw. I'm just one person though, so if you think it's actually hurting the company then I can see why you would not want to continue down the same path. You do know though, there are a lot of turds on forums that are louder than the people that actually count. Going through pages and pages of this Kershaw sub-forum, the amount of complaints compared to amount of praise is minuscule.
Whatever you decide, it's been great having you on the forums and I have appreciated it very very much.
 
If you like the forum stay, if it is to much BS (which I understand) it would be sad to see you go. personally as long as you don't tell someone to go foxtrot themselves then I dont see a problem with your feedback. Like somone stated you wont make everyone happy, and it seems a lot of people like having you here. i have personally bought 2 kershaws and 2 zt's because of info on this forum..... still waiting on another zt model and its decendants later to be revealed but we wont go there lol
 
Be advised. ADULT language in the video.
You tube Kat Williams Haters

I'd link but don't want any problems.
 
I hope you don't go anywhere Thomas. I value your input and you are big part of what makes the Kershaw/ZT forum what it is. As to folks you referenced giving you a hard time....if they want their butts wiped they should run home.
 
I for one, as proud Kershaw owner and member of bladeforums Would miss your presents here on this site. Dont leave because people get there panties in a twist. I feel thats there own problem. Having you here to answers questions is a very good thing. Thanks for what you do Thomas, keep up the good work here on the forum and at Kershaw.
 
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I don't post much in this forum, but I do read the posts - and have never seen you to be out of line.
there are people out there who will be unhappy no matter what you say.
there are more people out there reading your responses in agreement.
It's not your fault when someone's post is particularly obtuse or so poorly worded they are the on ly person who knows what they meant.
A significant portion of the draw in this forum is the fact that you are here both as a person and as a company rep. You supply a level of customer service with your presence that a moderator not directly affiliated with KAI/Kershaw would not be able to provide.
Add a mod to the rotation so you have the option of lurking more without feeling like the area is too unsupervised.

As some have posted - maybe you need a break. Here's an experiment for you:
Log off the Kershaw forum for a month -- if you find yourself itching to log on then you're not burnt out. If you find yourself dreading logging on, then you need a longer break.
 
Thomas W said:
I'm...leaning on a permanent retirement from the forums.
The Kershaw/ZT forum is important to us, the site would continue without me, but the modding would be slightly more limited with Jim and an unnamed person taking over. Personally I don't feel the forum would be as good, but perhaps better for the company.
Click to expand...

You have to weigh those who value the special nature of a corporate officer appearing on the forums vs loss of business from the discontented. I bet the few "rotten apples" probably don't buy much product. Maybe a middle ground where you are not the primary moderator but appear here from time to time much like Sal on the spyderco BF and on spyderco.com is not the regular mod but a special presence from time to time.

I would miss it a lot if you retired and stayed away.
 
I value your presence here Thomas. Don't leave because of a few people! I think it's best for the forum and Kershaw/ZT.
 
The loyalty to Kershaw I have is as much due to you Thomas as it is to a great product. Most of us have never met you and some of us have only spoken with you briefly at various shows. I think we all feel like we know you personally in some sense. You aren't some suit with everything you say screened by a PR team. This place wouldn't be the same without your snarky comments. The hardest part of customer service is dealing with jerks who feel something is owed to them and will never be happy. This forum, like anywhere on the internet, also has a fair number of trolls who just want to jab at you.

When a person is as fiercely loyal to the brand and takes personal pride in the product it can be hard not to take peoples asshattery personally. Take a break and get away for awhile for your own health and sanity. Your so damn eager to answer questions and things as a matter of personal pride that you seem unable to do this. It's that attitude that makes us all enjoy
having you here but you've goy to take care of yourself also.

I picked up a bottle of Jameson Knfie-Gro for you on my way home from work on Friday. I'll try and run over to that part of the city tomorrow on a long lunch break. Enjoy it and don't feel you've got to do anything in return more than to enjoy break. Get away from the asylum for a few days. All of us nuts will still be here when and if you're ready to deal with us again.
 
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