Brian Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 (edited) Hi Folks, First of all a Big Thank You!!!! to all of the members here and also the people that have shown support via donations of uploads, tutorials, helping others on the forum and also donations to help keep the site running. We're alive and doing good. Lately there has been a problem with Paypal, the donation button is adding S&H to some (not all) of the donations. I called Paypal to see what could be done and they are as stumped as me, were working on it. For now though if you make a donation using that link and want the S&H back just let me know via becalvert@hotmail.com and I'll refund that part as soon as possible. Just wanted to let you know a few things about whats going on and what might be the future for Project guitar in the coming year. When it comes myself, I have had very limited time to do any work and updates to the site and forum. I wish I had more time and I'm playing with more and more ideas to create it. Originally I wanted to create a magazine but funding for such a task is out of the question at this point. I have been working on a letter which will be mailed out to the leaders of the industry that produce and sell parts which we all use to work on guitars. It is an invitation for them to join Project Guitar and the forum to talk about what is new on their end and also what is phasing out or being discontinued. This will be a new section of the forum named something like Industrial News and Stories. I believe the producers (them) and end users (us) will benifit having a direct interactive connection. It will also help to keep us better informed and educated. Plus they will benefit on the customer service end I'm sure. I will continue to keep Project Guitar and the forum as a non-bias site when it comes to brand names but hopefully the industry and producers will take notice and start advertising on the main site so we can continue to prosper and grow as an educational community. After all we are the hard core hobbiest, builders and players and not the wannabe's that just dream. When it comes to the forum lately we have been hit by more and more spammers, unfortunately unless I change it over to a subscription only entrance were going to have to deal and eliminate them one at a time to keep this a public and free user friendly place. We are blessed with a membership that helps point these out and also the best moderators around which deserve a Huge Thank You! from all of us. Software problems have flared up from time to time but thanks to the team at Invision Power they have been dealt with swiftly, we will continue to use them to host and be our tech support for the forum. If you have any ideas which we all might benifit from please drop a note on this thread. Peace, Brian Edited November 20, 2006 by Scott Rosenberger Quote Link to comment
verhoevenc Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 Why not make it a paid subscription.... but an extremely nominal fee. Like $1. I think that'd still stop spammers cause why would they pay even $1 when they can advertise on free sites... plus, I doubt $1 would deter any of us? Chris Quote Link to comment
leeranya Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 it's the money exchange process itself that deters people from playing a dollar... it's not like paying a dollar in a store, it's more complicated... Quote Link to comment
Daniel Sorbera Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 it's the money exchange process itself that deters people from playing a dollar... it's not like paying a dollar in a store, it's more complicated... Thats true. I'd be scared of spending a dollar on an internet site just for the reason that it is ridiculously low. Quote Link to comment
erikbojerik Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Hugh Thank You to you Brian, for being inspired to keep this thing going. I think a forum section for Industry people would be really great. Quote Link to comment
Ledzendrix1128 Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 I agree, the industry thing might even lead to small discounts for PG members, and that would be cool. Quote Link to comment
MiKro Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Hugh Thank You to you Brian, for being inspired to keep this thing going. I think a forum section for Industry people would be really great. +1 Thanks Brian Quote Link to comment
fryovanni Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Thanks for your vision Brian. It is what makes this forum different from all others. I would love to see a newsletter or magazine. Something that could showcase some of the topics and tutorials. Maybe write ups on a variety of topics by more experienced members. Showcase builds. Input from manufacturers as you plan to add to the forum. I can't imagine advertisers would be hard to find(especially given the membership you offer). It would be great if we could generate more funds for the site to allow us make these things happen. I have thought things like donated items for monthly or bi-monthly auctions could be cool. Even though this forum is designed to be open,free and non-biased. I think some fund raising could be tatseful and benificial to the general membership. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment
psw Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 There are some innovative ideas in the podcasting realm...I will give some examples when I have more time such as voluntry subscription...it is certainly something that is being discussed with those guys and some of them are making it professionally. Off the top of my head...perhaps a percentage of the proceeds of sales from classifieds in the for sale section could be donated back...Pay for bargians and the forum to offload stuff... Little streams of income do add up to keep the thing running... Perhaps an expansion of the members section would encourage more to donate. I know it has been a while since I donated (very hard times you understand) but perhaps I could offer something to the sealed section in terms of the sustainer project, to make it worthwhile... Perhaps a simple annual, subscribe-a-thon could raise some more awareness of the issue and help encourage more people to donate too...works for public radio... This is a great idea to involve the community here in this aspect of keeping something alive that has become a treasure and a major part of many of our lives. It is more than one person can reasonably expect to handle or to commit to without some recompense... We should never forget how unique this forum is compared to many others and how truely successful it is. All the active members contribute so much in so many ways and allow us to express ourselves in practical ways. This is sadly lacking in most forums that are not as open or are brand specific or dominated by a particular point of view, age group or mode of expression... I will be away from the net for a while so it may give me time to think up some ideas to throw around for when I return.... pete Quote Link to comment
sexybeast Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Some involvement from the industry would be cool, if they could be kept in check and not talke over. I think we could all benefit from some insight and input from some major builders/suppliers. Who knows, maybe they'd even offer discounts on discontinued stuff from time to time. And a newsletter would be awesome. Quote Link to comment
Robert Irizarry Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Brian's idea for an Industry section for the forum is great. Other industries have found a way to tap the enthusiast market that thrives on specialized and/or high end components and this seems lacking with guitars. Think about the number of car enthusiasts, diy'ers and computer geeks (myself included) who like to build things to their own specs and you get an inkling of what might unfold over the long term. In terms of making this a paid subscriber service, I think it's a bad idea. The board, in part, thrives because of the input of new blood and making this a pay for site would discourage much of that. Yes, there's a bit of noise on the forum but I'd rather deal with that than see the board turn away a potential good idea or fresh perspective. In the end, I'm excited over Brian's ideas to grow the forum further and come 2007, I will be there with my donation to help continue to support the site. Rob Quote Link to comment
soapbarstrat Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Nothing wrong with the idea, and if it works out the way Brian hopes, more power to him. But don't getted bummed if it doesn't happen that way. I've noticed on other boards, where a particular product was being discussed, and the maker of the product contacted so they could join the discussion. Didn't happen. I guess the forums are just too "informal" for that kind of 'one on one', day in, day out. (and trying to make a forum more "formal" doesn't work out well for anyone, from what I've seen) Most, if not all, of us here, assume we're a little more "in the know" about the technical side of guitar making/repair, but believe me, I talk to "regular players" all the time, who don't miss a beat with what's new in the way of guitar parts. etc. And those guys are always bringing the newest info onto the forums. And for the more technical stuff, like tools, plenty of us don't miss a beat. If Stew-Mac comes out with a new tool, you can bet a regular 'ol member will bring it up, if not on this forum, then another. And we can all jump around from forum to forum, like nothing. (even me, with a $4.95 dial-up ISP) Man, if you could just change the colors of the forum, to something that "looks more like a workshop", or something like that, it would be a nice change (at least to me). Again, it's all a fine idea. Won't hurt anyone to try it. Quote Link to comment
Pestvic Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Hey guys! im about to donate. i have about 3-4 bucks left in my paypal. im about to add more... like 20 bucks. but How much would i need to donate to get to the Secret PRS templates ive been hearing about here? cause thats something i really want looking to build a custom 24 for Myself. Not to sell Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment
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