Moving the group to a social media site?

Site announcements
Problems/suggestions/Questions
Justintime
Posts: 1868
Joined: Sat 26 Sep, 2015 8:48 am
Location: West Wales
Organisation: George The Framer LLP
Interests: Gardening, design, electronic music, good food and beverages.
Contact:

Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by Justintime »

Hi John,
More and more often I think that the framers forum might benefit from a move over to a social media site like Facebook. I am not a fan of Facebook in general, but having recently joined and contributed to a number of closed framers groups on Facebook, I have witnessed the benefits. General ease of use, the ability to reply to an individual comment and create sub threads and much less confusion as to who is replying to what comment.
As a great number of people now use smartphones, permanently signed in to a social media site, there is also a much more engaged audience. At present, if I haven't commented on a post personally, I only get to read posts when I stop what I'm doing, sign in to this forum and trawl through the last few days posts and sign out again. With a social media site I am sent regular updates and one click and I'm there scrolling through all of the posts.
Often if I need help and advice, it's because the work is in front of me and I need advice as soon as possible. Here I can wait for 3 or 4 days, there I will have a steady stream of input within 10 minutes sometimes, depending on the time in the US, for the US sites.
No disrespect intended, for this great resource.
(If anyone wants to "like" this post, simply add the smileyfaceclappinghands emoji and I will know that a like is what you intended.)
Happy weekend! :drink:
Ps is the man exposing himself a new emoji? I haven't noticed it before...
Justin George GCF(APF)
Insta: georgetheframer
User avatar
Rainbow
Posts: 891
Joined: Tue 23 Jun, 2015 8:51 am
Location: See my name, I'm somewhere over it
Organisation: Picture sales and framing
Interests: varied

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by Rainbow »

Justintime wrote: Often if I need help and advice, it's because the work is in front of me and I need advice as soon as possible. Here I can wait for 3 or 4 days, there I will have a steady stream of input within 10 minutes sometimes, depending on the time in the US, for the US sites.
I was surprised to read this because I've always thought that this is quite an active forum (bearing in mind that it's populated by working people) and that posts to new topics are generally made pretty quickly. Looking back at some of your topics, two of them were answered after 11mins and 7mins respectively and I couldn't see any that had taken 3 or 4 days. I'm just grateful to get a reply at all! The notion that working framers should break off what they're doing just to see if anybody on an online forum wants the immediate benefit of their free advice seems a bit unreasonable tbh - sorry!

I like the format of forums. It makes it easy to filter what topics are relevant to my own situation, and easy to follow individual threads. I'm a member of Facebook but I haven't posted on it for years and I dislike it a lot. I only use it when I absolutely have to, for business reasons, and that isn't often. It's horses for courses, isn't it - if you find that you get a lot of answers straight away from your Facebook group, that's great. Personally though, I'm very happy with this forum and wouldn't move to a framers' group on Facebook.

PS. I don't sign out of this forum so I don't have the bother of signing in each time I want to look at it. Couldn't you do the same to make it more instantly accessible?
User avatar
David McCormack
Posts: 1442
Joined: Tue 02 Aug, 2011 10:14 am
Location: South Lakes
Organisation: Framing
Interests: Cycling, walking, darkroom photography and laughing a lot!
Location: Cumbria
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by David McCormack »

:no:
"You know, there's a right and wrong way to do everything!"
Oliver Hardy.
https://www.instagram.com/davidaustinmccormack/
Justintime
Posts: 1868
Joined: Sat 26 Sep, 2015 8:48 am
Location: West Wales
Organisation: George The Framer LLP
Interests: Gardening, design, electronic music, good food and beverages.
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by Justintime »

Rainbow,
Fair enough, yes, horses for courses!
Yes, free advice, I've learnt a huge amount of technical skills from Framers Only in just a few months, from people's willingness to share freely.
Just putting it out there, I'm happy to be told I'm wrong.
David :tongueout:
Justin George GCF(APF)
Insta: georgetheframer
Justintime
Posts: 1868
Joined: Sat 26 Sep, 2015 8:48 am
Location: West Wales
Organisation: George The Framer LLP
Interests: Gardening, design, electronic music, good food and beverages.
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by Justintime »

Am I the only one that is logged out automatically after each visit?
Justin George GCF(APF)
Insta: georgetheframer
Chris2103
Posts: 65
Joined: Thu 08 Sep, 2016 7:06 am
Location: Greenhithe
Organisation: Chris Lordan Photography
Interests: Photography: social, landscape, product, wildlife. Hockey. Framing my pictures

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by Chris2103 »

One of the many problems with Facebook is it doesn’t have sub groups. You easily miss posts due to the way it is set up. I can refresh Facebook on my tablet, smartphone, desktop and laptop and be faced with four different views. Even scrolling through each one some posts are not shown at all on some devices. This Forum is ideal. It has sub groups, resources, the ability to very easily search and to view in read posts at any time.
User avatar
David McCormack
Posts: 1442
Joined: Tue 02 Aug, 2011 10:14 am
Location: South Lakes
Organisation: Framing
Interests: Cycling, walking, darkroom photography and laughing a lot!
Location: Cumbria
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by David McCormack »

I logout after each visit. When I login I normally view the 'active topics' or 'new posts' from the board index page. Clicking the little orange square lets me go straight to the first unread post of that topic, easy :D
"You know, there's a right and wrong way to do everything!"
Oliver Hardy.
https://www.instagram.com/davidaustinmccormack/
User avatar
GeoSpectrum
Posts: 2151
Joined: Fri 01 Oct, 2010 11:49 am
Location: Lincolnshire
Organisation: Ashcraft Framing
Interests: Family, x-country skiing, wine, art, Jazz
Location: Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by GeoSpectrum »

Try searching through Facebook group posts for useful info posted 3 years ago on a particular subject. IMHO it would be a mistake to move to Facebook. "that's a no from me"
Alan Huntley
Ashcraft Framing
Bespoke Easels and Self-assembly tray frames
http://www.ashcraftframing.co.uk
Not your average framer
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by Not your average framer »

It will take a lot to get a social media site to come anywhere near this site. It's got so much, a large and well informed membership, people who have been in the business for decades, more than likely the second most successful picture framing forum in the world. Take away this forum and the Grumble, what left? Not very much!

And then do not forget how helpful the members of this forum are and people teaching others their own successful ideas and techniques. Move to facebook, not for me thanks!
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
kuduframes
Posts: 185
Joined: Thu 28 Apr, 2011 6:09 pm
Location: Ewshot, Hampshire
Organisation: Kudu Frames
Interests: Art, photography
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by kuduframes »

My vote goes to "remain"
.....in more cases than one
baughen
Posts: 130
Joined: Fri 27 Apr, 2012 5:42 pm
Location: Reigate, Surrey, England
Organisation: Cliff Baughen
Interests: Photography, Picture framing

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by baughen »

If you move to something like FB it will need to be decided whether it is an open or closed group. An open group widens the possible interested audience but also exposes the audience to what I would call the 'disruptive brigade', who have no interest whatsoever in the subject etc. A closed group would involve more administrative work. Some groups I belong to vet every message before it is published, sometimes with long delays.
User avatar
Rainbow
Posts: 891
Joined: Tue 23 Jun, 2015 8:51 am
Location: See my name, I'm somewhere over it
Organisation: Picture sales and framing
Interests: varied

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by Rainbow »

Justintime wrote: Yes, free advice, I've learnt a huge amount of technical skills from Framers Only in just a few months, from people's willingness to share freely.
That's the Facebook group, I take it? Have you not learnt much from the framers on this forum then? I've learnt a huge amount from reading this forum and it's searchable in a way that Facebook isn't.
User avatar
David McCormack
Posts: 1442
Joined: Tue 02 Aug, 2011 10:14 am
Location: South Lakes
Organisation: Framing
Interests: Cycling, walking, darkroom photography and laughing a lot!
Location: Cumbria
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by David McCormack »

kuduframes wrote:My vote goes to "remain"
.....in more cases than one
:lol: :lol:

I vote for remain too! No Frexit here thank you :giggle:
"You know, there's a right and wrong way to do everything!"
Oliver Hardy.
https://www.instagram.com/davidaustinmccormack/
poliopete
Posts: 798
Joined: Mon 04 Apr, 2016 7:13 am
Location: The Wash
Organisation: Annie Lou Fine Framing
Interests: Caring for my wife, Picture Framing and Natural History

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by poliopete »

It's a big fat no from me too :giggle:

I learnt more from this Forum about framing in the last two years than in the previous 30 :?

Thanks for posting your suggestion though. :)

Peter.
Justintime
Posts: 1868
Joined: Sat 26 Sep, 2015 8:48 am
Location: West Wales
Organisation: George The Framer LLP
Interests: Gardening, design, electronic music, good food and beverages.
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by Justintime »

Frexit! That made me laugh out loud!
OK, I'm back in, I'm a remainer...
I'm going to drink less coffee and stop checking my phone every 12 seconds next week!
Justin George GCF(APF)
Insta: georgetheframer
User avatar
David McCormack
Posts: 1442
Joined: Tue 02 Aug, 2011 10:14 am
Location: South Lakes
Organisation: Framing
Interests: Cycling, walking, darkroom photography and laughing a lot!
Location: Cumbria
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by David McCormack »

Justintime wrote:OK, I'm back in, I'm a remainer...
Nice one :yes:
"You know, there's a right and wrong way to do everything!"
Oliver Hardy.
https://www.instagram.com/davidaustinmccormack/
User avatar
John
Site Admin
Posts: 1885
Joined: Sun 27 Apr, 2003 8:00 pm
Location: Ireland
Organisation: Scenes Picture Framing
Interests: Forums and stuff
Location: Belfast
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by John »

As others have already pointed out, there are many reasons why a forum such as ours is more suitable for our purpose than any social media offering.

But surely the most compelling benefit is that the forum does not exploit its members.
It is beyond my comprehension why so many people continue to use Facebook in light of recent revelations, and I'm flabbergasted that anyone would contemplate it as a serious alternative to TFF. :shock:

The Latest:
User avatar
prospero
Posts: 11492
Joined: Tue 05 Jun, 2007 4:16 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by prospero »

Facebook is OK for mostly idle chit-chat but read a post and try to find it again and it's slipped into the general
stream of comments. I think 'ephemeral' is the word. :roll: Also you get annoying panels popping up and the text
is not formattable.

It is what it is and not much more. :roll:
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
User avatar
GeoSpectrum
Posts: 2151
Joined: Fri 01 Oct, 2010 11:49 am
Location: Lincolnshire
Organisation: Ashcraft Framing
Interests: Family, x-country skiing, wine, art, Jazz
Location: Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by GeoSpectrum »

How about adding a 'like' button for posts on here?
Alan Huntley
Ashcraft Framing
Bespoke Easels and Self-assembly tray frames
http://www.ashcraftframing.co.uk
Justintime
Posts: 1868
Joined: Sat 26 Sep, 2015 8:48 am
Location: West Wales
Organisation: George The Framer LLP
Interests: Gardening, design, electronic music, good food and beverages.
Contact:

Re: Moving the group to a social media site?

Post by Justintime »

And the ability to delete a post you've started and then regret having posted?
Justin George GCF(APF)
Insta: georgetheframer
Post Reply