[pianotech] Really, really irritated with the New forum system

[Encore Pianos]

To everyone who is participating in this thread.  Go back to your post and
forward it to your Regional VP and the President of PTG as well.  It's time
for everybody to make some noise BEFORE Council so that they will have to at
least acknowledge the problem

Will Truitt

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of david at piano.plus.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 6:31 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Really, really irritated with the New forum system

>In many ways Pianotech had become a better resource than the Journal - 
>witness how many articles in the Journal have been lifted from
Pianotech.

Will, you make a highly significant point here, I feel (and everyone else's
observations are powerful too).

I very much enjoy getting the Journal. But it doesn't take me long to read
through each issue. Some excellent tips, some complex things to look back at
later, and so on.

But the Journal affords nothing LIKE the resource that this List has
constituted for years. If I have a query about something, I can draw on the
collective vast experience of all here, and almost always there are
immediate and very helpful responses.  Plus, this list has had over the
years a feeling of "community" that the Journal can't really offer.

I have been trying out the new Forum. I have not had any real difficulties
in posting to it and in uploading pictures (and it has the advantage of
accepting much larger files).

But it is clear that no general move towards the new Forum system is taking
place.  It seems to have a relatively small number of dedicated regular
contributors. The quality of the information and discussion posted is fine,
just as it is here. But the QUANTITY is very sadly lacking.

Now, there has to be a reason, or several reasons, why we have not all
migrated quite naturally to the new system.  Various things seem to be
emerging, from posts here in this thread.  One is that people find it harder
or less friendly to ACCESS for reading. Another is that people find it
harder or less friendly to POST TO. Another is that it seems to be hader to
SEND PHOTOS.

There is the horrible spectre of a self-fulfilling prophecy happening with
the new Forum: "I don't post there because nobody posts there", morphing
into Council  saying "We don't need a Forum - nobody uses it anyway".

The collective knowledge, experience and goodwill on all things piano that
comprises this list, and has done so since the mid 1990s, is FAR too good
and important a resource to let die by attrition.

I have not over the years become much involved in other Forums such as
pianoworld, because time is limited and I like the closeness and technical
expertise of this List community.

Is it the feeling of others, that we simply will not, even given time, be
able to translate the closeness and technical expertise and immediacy of
this community, to the new Forum?  If so, and volunteer time is unavailable
to maintain this List, why not use the money for the new Forum, to PAY
someone to maintain this list instead?

I have been of the view that perhaps in time as more migrate across, the new
Forum would begin to feel more like this List. Do others feel that that
isn't  so, even if everyone moves across, or because people simply WON'T
move across but will give up instead?

We cannot let this invaluable resource simply die out.

Best regards,

David.