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Moderated by the man whose name is synonymous with "agony", Pete Bingham.
Not sure that having a whinge about the members of other forums is the best way to start out Pete, but it is interesting to see that one of your first members is actually one of the targets of your ire. Can't wait to see how that pans out.
How times change, a few years ago TPB didn't deem a new forum for picture framers worthy of a mention in the magazine, I am happy to see that they have now had a change of heart.
I'm also happy to see that Pete has found an online voice, perhaps now we will see a bit of common sense regarding conservation issues.
Not sure that Agonys moderation is going to be unbiased - For a first posting it seemed to be very negative and rather whingy.
Forums have to have a core of contributors and that takes time to build - this forum has served well and I doubt that a second forum is neccesary - would have been better to see Agony contributing here - but perhaps the reward wasnt as enticing?
Can anyone explain why on earth The Picture Business saw the need to start a second forum?
Having looked at the site it only has 4 active members, Agony aka Pete Bingham, Richard Clarke, Curv and our "own" Roboframer. Since it started in 12 th Nov 2006 there has been a total of 6 posts! Hardly what you would call "busy" !!
I predict it will be closed next year, which will leave Pete and Richard without a forum.......let's hope they see the light and come and join us here!
I find this a great forum, and have no plans to go to the other. Hopefully all the active members will stay here !
There is already a great wealth of information posted here
Totally agree with those comments
It would have been better for them and probably cheaper if they came on board here and maybe sponsored. They would still have had their advertisement banner across the top.
As John has already mentioned in the past, he is quite willing for that to happen.
I would hope that I would not be a target for Pete Bingham's 'Ire' - I have a great deal of respect for the guy - don't agree with all he says but I don't expect he'd expect anyone to. His initial post, for example, probably put a lot of noses out of joint and made them think 'Well screw YOU pal!'
That's why I put a'welcome' topic there - I won't be posting any more unless many more join, it's early days but I don't think it's going to take off, I think TPB thought that a few big names would win all the framers in UK over - that's not how it works - personally I feel that too many are conspicuous by their absence - not just Bingham/Clarke - too little too late I'm afraid. They've had their chance; if education and awareness is what they are really about - to share here - or on TFG.
They don't or haven't because they are OK JACK - or maybe in the FATG league of gentlemen or maybe ignorant, but I doubt that!
I think TPB have missed the boat and what we have here already established is impartial, and that's what we want.
Look at the US - the grumble is huge - there are other forums there - but they are insignificant in comparison. PFM mag has a link to TFG on its website and vice versa. This is our 'grumble' - the 'benchmark'
Well, Robo, your welcome messsage seemed much more friendly than Agony's.
On account of that I tried registering but have to wait for an email that hasn't yet arrived. I wonder if I'll get to posting anything this side of next Christmas.
It would be nice to see a bit more traffic in this forum -- most days I only see one or two topics having new postings. I know that I don't post much and there are probably others lurking and not posting as well but I'm wondering if there's anything more that can be done to promote the forum.
TPB forum will, I imagine, be heavily promoted through the magazine and we all know that it's not necessarily the best product that the punters go for - it's often the one that's advertised the most.
I know it's been considered before but I'm wondering if we should start a brainstorming thread to consider ways of promoting the forum to more framers.
Keith Hewitt wrote:Can anyone explain why on earth The Picture Business saw the need to start a second forum?
Right on Keith! There doesn't seem to be much value in having a second forum in your country.
The opening comments from Agony should do a great job in discouraging people from joining in anyway!
Who is this guy and what is his claim to fame?
Who or what is "The Picture Business"?
Pete Bingham is a highly respected framing 'Guru' who is a past Master of the FATG and has a regular column in The Picture Business magazine where he solves framing problems - whatever anyone thinks of him he has done a lot for the framing trade in this country.
Is this the "miserable pit of whiners and whingers that we've had on similar set-ups elsewhere, those that spend half their time asking questions about 'Conservation' in a pathetic attempt to convince everybody that all the work"
Nice one Pete. Not very tactful or polite to other Fourms, and basicially not a very good start to a new forum if thats your outlook. Who needs another framer's forum, when we have this one and the American Grumble, where experts are falling over each other to answer questions, and I do mean EXPERTS. As for me I'm happy enough here, I dont really need or want to join another forum, well not a forum that looks down on, and talks of itself as a elite group. Maybe I should post it this on the Picture Business forum crap, but I dont want my email box to be spammed with emails, He might be synonymous with Agony, but a bit of tact and common sense would not go astray.
WelshFramer wrote:
I know it's been considered before but I'm wondering if we should start a brainstorming thread to consider ways of promoting the forum to more framers.
Well, after Christmas sometime (March maybe?) I'm gonna obtain the email addresses of all the framers in the two yelluh pages I am in (Porstmouth and Brighton) - or all I can - and email them the link here. If we all do that we should rope in some new members.
Most do not include an email address in their yellow pages ad - but a google search will probably turn one up - does for me and I ain't got a website even!
strangest post over there from an admin there went something like this: "with rising business rates etc is it just us thats having problems, what can we do to combat this?"
Altogether now: "put your prices up, numb-nuts, and stop whining"
we are miserable whiners! ???? I dont think so.....
We need to think of ways to promote this Forum to framers not just in UK, but overseas as well. I dont know if any of you used the Colourmount Year Planner during 2006, but it included a list of web sites helpful to framers. Unfortunately this Forum was not included which I regret. As 30,000 of these Year Planners went out, that is one way of getting the sites web address in front of as many framers as possible.
Roboframer wrote:
Well, after Christmas sometime (March maybe?) I'm gonna obtain the email addresses of all the framers in the two yelluh pages I am in (Porstmouth and Brighton) - or all I can - and email them the link here. If we all do that we should rope in some new members.
Good idea. Why March? I'll do the same -- but you may have to remind me.
osgood wrote:
The opening comments from Agony should do a great job in discouraging people from joining in anyway!
They have another way of discouraging people. To register you have to fill in a request and wait to be approved. It doesn't say how long the wait might be but, in my case it's been two days so far and still no sign of a response.
Maybe I have to wait for a committee to sit and assess my appropriateness; maybe they've rejected me and haven't told me; maybe they've all gone away for Christmas; maybe they've just got bored with the whole thing; who knows ...
So, The Picture Business has a forum. So what? Surely it is to be expected that any commercial concern might see a forum as a useful addition to its marketing efforts - in this instance (TPB) more subscribers and advertisers to both the forum and the magazine eventually. I would have preferred them to join us and lend support to "our" forum here, but it's a free market.
The surprising thing is that we HAVEN'T seen more of the big names among suppliers doing the same, perhaps creating a forum for the entire industry - thus demonstrating the sort of vision and initiative that led to the creation of THIS forum, or at least joining us here. Could it be that the big names have been put off joining us by the fact that this forum is part of another commercial concern (Estlite). Would they be more inclined to join if this forum was totally independent of any particular commercial interest?
This forum has been immensely useful to its members but I think we may overrate its present significance to anyone else in the business. At the time of writing we have 304 members (many from outside the British Isles) out of a framing community in the UK alone of some thousands. It has taken more than three and a half years to gather those 304 members and while this appears to indicate considerable apathy among UK framers in general, it does give this forum a strong start, even against those who might have big budgets to promote their efforts. The apathy will work against them too. Meanwhile, I have no intention of going elsewhere.
On the other hand, this is ONLY a forum, albeit a very good one. The framing industry still needs a strong national body with vision, imagination and the resources to look after framing interests both now and into the future. It is not going to happen of course. So perhaps we had better stick together and make sure that this forum, at least, continues to grow.
Count me IN in the Spring when scouring Yellow Pages etc. for email addresses.
WelshFramer wrote: some Welsh history books say that the north of England and part of Scotland were once Welsh -- maybe they're afraid we'll take them over again.
