OT But What Happened to This Site ???

[RB211]

It's simple, people are simply not playing in their workshops. Covid, job losses, etc. Money is required to participate, I just don't think most people want to put money into this area at the moment. Also, how many times are we going to talk about VFD's, or read posts asking for the impossible?

[rickyb]

My view is that this site is turning into a “lonely hearts club”. Hundreds of responses to nonsense threads just to listen to themselves talk. If you know nothing of the subject, don’t respond. Too many responses start with “ I don’t know the answer but...”. Meaning “ but I just want to talk.” If you have nothing to add, don’t respond. Not hard to see that some people respond to nearly every thread. Really? You have knowledge and something to add about everything?

a few simple changes would help. I’m done ranting now. Have a nice evening.

[PStechPaul]

One sore point with me, that I will mention again,is that many thread titles are devoid of meaning, or badly misspelled, so that they effectively hide from the search function. And also sometimes people just put a link to a video, image, PDF, or other internet content, with no explanatory caption. Many people are loathe to open links, especially when they are obfuscated (as with tinyurl), so you cannot see the domain and full URL.

I agree that some posts seem to be from those seeking to soothe their "lonely hearts", just trying to poke the beehive to promote some sort of virtual human companionship and discourse. May be a form of Covid social estrangement syndrome?

[Arcane]

I think the "Like" button. has really reduced interaction on the forums. Why post a coherent reply when you can just click a button?

You must like scrolling through a bunch of quotes that serve no purpose other than to tell the original poster "I like your post".

The "Like" button has contributed to cleaning up the threads.

[Jim Stewart]

You must like scrolling through a bunch of quotes that serve no purpose other than to tell the original poster "I like your post".

The "Like" button has contributed to cleaning up the threads.

Yep.

-js

[nickel-city-fab]

... I must be the only guy here that actually *reads* everything from start to finish. Including the "shop made tools" thread. Hell, that thread is the reason why I joined, because of all the brains in that thread.

[mattthemuppet]

I recently nearly-fully rebuilt a Warner & Swasey No.2 Turret lathe. I posted it to PM rather than here, because PM is open, searchable and indexed by Google.

Doc.

I really enjoyed that thread. To be honest I view this forum more as a "jawing over a cup of coffee" or go round to a neighbour and ask how he'd do something type of place. Most threads are chit chat or inanities, some threads stand out and are actively added to (Brian's engine threads are a great example), but most are just chuntering around. Some cool stuff pops up (Macona's threads), but there isn't much to read here. I have had a lot of help on troubleshooting threads though eg. my leadscrew troubles, so it's not that this isn't a good place to hang out, it's just not a place for projects.

I can't find much enthusiasm to post individual project threads there. They don't get much response, picture posting is a hassle and the threads die very quickly and are pushed off the first page by all the off topic and chit chat threads. Case in point, my South Bend rebuild project thread. I'm actively adding to it on PM and the other forum as people seem somewhat interested. I haven't bothered adding anything to it for months as no one seems to care. Not particularly put out by that, but it also means I'm not going to put the extra effort in to maintain a thread here.

[mochinist]

-The primary problem with Facebook is that such groups are unsearchable and unindexible. I can't count the number of times I've Googled some machining-related question, and the first dozen results are all from Practical Machinist- often going back a decade or more. Something that was posted to Facebook just a couple of weeks ago, is virtually unfindable, even by members of that group. And for anyone not on Facebook, that data basically doesn't exist.

Facebook is not there to index an correlate useful information- it exists to index and correlate you and the data you produce- what you look at, how long you look at it, who you interact with, how long you interact with them, etc. in order to better serve you ads and influence your opinions.

Putting all your data and content on Facebook- which helps no one but Facebook- is quite simply stupid.

Doc.

Yes we all know what Facebook does with our data... yawn The post I responded to said he didnt know how you would go about getting a question answered on facebook or if it would get any responses. Getting lots of good answers and finding information is easy on there if you use the built in search, yes you’re correct, you cant use google to search it... I prefer forums like this also, but this type of place isnt where people are spending their online time these days.

[nickel-city-fab]

One thing I will say for HSM is that it's *far* more relaxed and civil over here... makes it easier to tolerate. Many times I think the guys on that other site are extremely full of themselves and it gets aggravating after a while when you are trying to find a simple answer, or show off a project. That's why HSM is "home" for me.

[J Tiers]

As far as I know, THIS forum is searchable by google. I get hits that point to PM and hits that point here. There are dozens of photos of mine from here that come up doing certain google searches.

I do not think you need to be concerned about that aspect. Google searches everywhere.... you can probably search your wallet with google. It may not search faceplant.

[Ringo]

One thing I will say for HSM is that it's *far* more relaxed and civil over here... makes it easier to tolerate. Many times I think the guys on that other site are extremely full of themselves and it gets aggravating after a while when you are trying to find a simple answer, or show off a project. That's why HSM is "home" for me.

+1 on that

[Tim The Grim]

When I retired I had already been amassing what I would need to work on a wide variety of projects to keep me busy. All of that stuff is in some way in need of machining in my home shop. Antique HD chopper, ‘73 Beetle resto, scratch built single shot rifles and some barrel liners. I looked forward to contributing much of that work here. Most of that stuff is still waiting because my wife and I have our grandson 5 days a week and I got myself involved with a group of college engineering students and spend a lot of time machining parts for their prosthesis experiments. I spend at least 3 hours a day in my shop working machines. I still manage to at least work on my old Harley when my energy level allows

Each day during breakfast I visit 7 boards. Four motorcycle related, Chaski and this one. This is still a relatively lively board compared to some others with no new posts for a day or two. Chaski has so many static categories and the Gunsmith section hasn’t had a new post since October. The steam and train sections are quite active and I think Harold does a great if thankless job as machining Moderator over there.

In comparison...This is still an active although slowly decaying forum. For me it’s not so much stuff like the Home Shop Tools thread as it is the inclusion of so many off topic and other category threads in what I consider a somewhat abused “General” forum.

Perhaps if George added an “Off Topic” title and renamed “General” to “Machining” it might help to focus things a bit more back to the original intent of the creators.
It’s a machining forum, not electrical, motors, lasers, Bitcoin, physics, astronomy, etc., etc., etc. and yet it’s a great place to find answers about many of those things.

Most importantly, this place is still fun and mostly non judgmental.
I enjoy and respect all of you each morning and evening. Thanks George .

Tim

[fastfire]

I posted this a week ago with no response........https://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/fo...owner-s-manual

[J Tiers]

I posted this a week ago with no response........https://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/fo...owner-s-manual

Until just now....... 2 minute search, 2 links posted.

Did not see your original post, as I tend not to look at 3rd Hand very often.

[Doc Nickel]

For me it’s not so much stuff like the Home Shop Tools thread as it is the inclusion of so many off topic and other category threads in what I consider a somewhat abused “General” forum.

-That is basically what I'm arguing. The "good stuff"- that is, actual machining content- gets locked away in the junk-drawer threads, leaving little but the off-topic and chit-chat threads.

Doc.