The end..

In the words of The Doors track..."This Is The End"

I've been thinking about this for a while now, and today has made up my mind...I'm leaving the forum.

Apart from the usual half a dozen members, nobody bothers to post anything, whether it be a new topic or to answer a post. A forum is supposed to be a place of discussion, where like minded individuals get together and chat about things, a place to air your point of view on a subject, and to ask questions and hopefully expect answers. We have 460 members at present, and out of those, you could count how many have posted anything on the forum on one hand.

It saddens me to say this, but when I was asked to start the forum, I had high hopes for it's long term success...not any longer. I've devoted a lot of my time to the running of the forum and the website, but I now feel as though I'm banging my head against a brick wall. I try my hardest to put up interesting and informative posts for you to read, I try and keep my build logs running in the hope of stirring some constructive replies, but with the exception of a few answers, there is  no feedback whatsoever.

I'll still maintain the forum and the website for you, so it will still be here, but from now on it's down to you guys to keep it running by posting on it. It's your forum...you want to keep it, you post on it. It's as simple as that.

I've enjoyed running the forum up until now, but I cannot keep it going without help from you, the members.

It's all yours, guys...I wish you well with it.


Richard

Hi Dick

So is this the end end or just the end, the thing is we all have our low day's and by the look of it you are at that point, my wife is at that point as well, this is due to us having the house on the market, and every time we have some one comes round to have a look out comes the vac and the polish and we go from the top to the bottom of the house, we may have only done it that morning, but it is hard work for her.

I know just how you feel with regards to your health, the wife is the same as you and she gets into some right old strops at times, take last night I put some shirts away and it turned out one of them was hers, boy was she a happy bunny. but I still love her no matter what.

Just sit back let the forum do it's thing, add a comment as and when you feel like it and keep any eye open for any things that should not be on the forum. also some times we do not feel that we have much to say, I for one have only used the forum 3% as I feel that I do not have much to add to the advice that is given, I know that out there some one has more and better knowledge than me, so I keep my self to my self and do my thing when it come to our hobby.

Fred

HI RICHARD,

All I can say is:
it's sad to see you going and I hope to always stay close and give us, those new novices - LIKE ME - advice and help and do not forget to post about everything you do ..... We who follow breathless everything that happens on forum we'll miss most ......

For everything you've done, I and many others we thank

Health and vigor with your further work

MARIUS

You both have it wrong, guys..it's not my health problems that have brought this on, I'm learning to work around them.

No, it's the lack of posts and responses that have made me decide to leave the forum...there is so much information out there in the brains of the membership, but nobody seems to want to share it with others. I don't understand it, I try and answer people's questions to the best of my ability, but nobody else bothers to chip in with assistance...do you see what I mean? I just can't keep doing it on my own, I run out of things to say.

The usual answer to my previous appeals is "Oh, I don't know enough to post on the forum" or another old favourite "My building standards aren't up to the other members"...what absolute rubbish. If you don't post anything, you'll never learn anything...but people can't seem to see that.

We have electronics experts, we have fibreglassing experts, we have members who know so much about scratchbuilding a boat, but we never hear a thing from them. There are members who can build a boat from just seeing a couple of photos of the full size one, so why haven't we heard from them on how they do it? We have members from all over the world, so why aren't they posting something about sub modelling in their own particular part of the globe? Sub regattas, who's building what and where, all the sort of stuff that would promote comments and keep the forum healthy and lively...that's the idea of a forum.

You guys are capable of building superb and unusual models, so let's hear from you about them...I've always said that I'll help you out with writing an article if you're unsure of your literary prowess.

I just don't know what else I can do to keep the forum alive and ensure it's growth and stability in the modelling world.


Richard

Dick look mate most forums go the way this one is going, I have not posted on the DOCGB forum for what must be a year now, not that I say much any way, also for some of our forum members English is not there first language, it is mine but some times NO in fact all of the time I get it wrong, just look at the club mag it has gone from four to two a year now only because Brain could not get any articles to put into it.

The Dabblers have now put the mag out to its members via email, one to cut down on the postage cost and two the lack of articles.

I also think that as you said we have members that have the knowledge but seem unable to put it all down in layman's words, so that we keep going back and asking them just what they mean and they some times do give up on us laymen, as you said you would be up for it to help with the writing of any articles, but some my feel bad that they need help to write an article.

As for my building stands to me it looks as if a ten your old has made my boats, and as for my wiring it looks like a rat nest, I have only just got lights onto one of my boats and that is a first for me

As for your Illness yes you can work around it, but at time it seam's as if all the world is against you, and that is the time you say things, that in time you wish you had not said,

Fred

I'm an expert in the field and I write very well. I'm also a straight talking, no nonsense perfectionist who demands the same in others.

I'm an insufferable bastard.

Sure, I'll write WIP's for you. Can you and the AMS take it?

David

Fred, I can see where you're coming from mate, you think I was a bit hasty in my decision? I know forums have their ups and downs, I understand that and the reasons behind it... I have all the time in the world to build boats and write for the forum, but I know that there are those who still have to go work, and fit their modelling time between home life and work.

As for you saying that you don't build boats to a high standard...so what? Mine are hardly what you'd call museum standard either. You've been around model submarines for as long as I have, and I know you've an awful lot of modelling related knowledge in your head, so get some of it down on paper, mate...your tales of the days of Bernie Wood, Dave Stevens, etc, would make great reading. You went to a lot of shows in the 80's that I missed...you must have memories of those stored away. That sort of thing would be great for the members to read. How about you writing something about the Great Man's exploding boat, how he built it, how it worked...add a couple of photos, and there's the basis for a damn good forum item. I have some video footage of it at Plumpton and Sandown I could add to it. Give it some thought, mate...

David..I have read a lot of your stuff, and really enjoyed it. I like your style of writing, it appeals to me and my sense of humour. The articles you wrote on the development of the Skipjack, the stuff on the Seawolf and the X craft..all would be ideal for the forum. A lot of people would learn an awful lot from your experiences and your expertise. How about the one on painting and weathering? I know a lot of people would like to read that one.

And anyone else who happens to be reading this...I ask you to write something for the forum.


Richard

i for one and hopefully most forum members have just removed the boot you have just placed up my backside , you only have to look at the stats to see that your the main contributor to the forum rich and i for one read every post that goes on the forum and enjoy every visit to the forum which i do every day after work but like most forum members i also fall into the category of not posting on the forum as much as i should do and for that i'm sorry for letting the forum and you down rich , yes i am good with my hand and yes i can scratch build but i find it difficult putting what i'm doing into words so like my school reports use to say must try harder and if you can find the time to stick with use rich then i for one will try to do more .
so come on guys pull your fingers out and help the forum out

Thank you for that, Andy, I appreciate your kind words... I know you're a busy man, what with your work taking you away, and a busy home life to run. You are a top quality builder mate, I know your workmanship, and it is really top quality...you should be proud of your work.

And you haven't let me or the forum down at all, mate...not in the slightest. Home life and work must come first for everyone, I understand that.

Thanks Andy...

Richard,
I am very sorry to hear your decision to leave, while I can see your frustration, I do not know that leaving is an answer that will resolve the problem of not posting. Your postings are a joy to read. Why then do I not post? We may have talked about this before, I do not like third party hosting companies and some sites are set up to use them (like AMS or SubCommittee). There are two reasons I do not like it, one is some of the hosting sites have pretty smutty or suggestive ads - I do not want my son seeing that. Two - I can't tell you how many times I have gone to a site that looked promising only to find the photos they were referring to have been deleted.
Sites that allow downloading of pictures to the server (like sub-driver.com, rcgroups.com, and sub pirates.com) I use because I do not need to maintain tons of data in the cloud and usually when you search for old articles the info is there.
I know this does not help how you are feeling. I would pray that you would continue on - besides you can not leave without completing the two subs you now have in the works. I am sure if we go through the bylaws it is in there. After you finish, let us talk then.
Peace,
Tom

I would like to contribute, but after three attempts, I've been unable to put a picture here.

One more try (test):

worked it out......

David,
You genius you. How did you do it and it is hosted on AMS server?
Thank you.
Peace,
tom

salmon wrote:David,
You genius you. How did you do it and it is hosted on AMS server?
Thank you.
Peace,
tom

Hey, Tom.

I yanked this (and more in the future) shot off my WIP's at the SubDriver site. I have stuff all over the internet I can URL to this site to accompany the WIP's written for AMS.

I had no luck with the Brouse feature here, just would not work for me. Too bad -- I have so many shots on my hard-drive to share, but can't get them over here on the board.

David

Tom, I completely understand your worries about hosting stuff on third party servers, and I have no problem with that at all. Stick with your beliefs, my friend, and keep your family safe.

David...well done on working out out how to post a photo, a lot of people seem to have problems with it for some reason. I did write a tutorial of how to do it a while back, see here: https://www.theassociationofmodelsubmariners.com/t12-adding-images-to-a-post

Maybe you guys are right, it's best if I just leave the forum to run as it's been running...I'll add any interesting pieces I have, and we'll just continue along as we were. The build logs may be slow in continuing for a while, as my bedroom/building room is in turmoil at the moment...the furniture is going to have to come out (including the slipway) for a total redecoration, new carpets to be laid, etc...I'm living in a state of total confusion at the moment, I can't find anything...even going to bed presents a series of challenges.

I'd like to thank you all for your contributions to this posting, I appreciate very word of them...and if anyone could find the time to post anything they think could be interesting to the membership, then by all means please do so.

Thank you all once again.



Richard

Can We take it that normal services are resumed young man,I know that the forum has not been a rip roaring hive of activity recently,and frankly it does not bother me,I would rather see it that way than be party to the frankly abussive and rude antic's that appear on many other forums,we have very nearly 500 members on this forum and I cannot bring to mind one single incident that has required any form of action,there is a lot to be said for that.
Richard is correct about the lack of posting in recent months, I myself have several build logs on the go which I have done nothing on for quite a while,there are reasons for this which will become apparent fairly shortly,this also applies to two other forum members that are usually very active and are involved in the same project.
I am not trying to justify the lack of posting's on here,but I am trying to point out that life has a way of getting complicated and at the present the usual suspects are engaged in other AMS activities,so bear this in mind gents,of course you could always post something yourself now there's a thought,go for it.

Regards Nigel,
chairman AMS.