Shopsmith Forums

Scott had nothing to do with posting the My Growth Rings videos on this forum. By the way, I'm finished with posting My Growth Rings videos, until a new one comes out. At that point it will be posted in the appropriate section on the forum. They are not on this forum to make him money. The only way they generate money, is if you CHOOSE to use and affiliate link.

Scott wants your input. Everyone on the forum who wants to participate, can do so if they'd like. The thinking is that many of you do not want to be active on Youtube. That is understandable and understood. So, the My Growth Rings videos are posted on here on the forum. You can remain here, but still participate in the discussions and be apart of My Growth Rings, if you choose to do so.

So, I posted all of the My Growth Rings videos are posted on the forum for you to be involved. Each on posted in the appropriate section on the forum. The only videos that were duplicated were on safety; which are available to everyone, no matter which section of the forum you access.

If you're mad at me, I understand. Chad

Chad wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 3:57 pm Scott wants your input. Everyone on the forum who wants to participate, can do so if they'd like. The thinking is that many of you do not want to be active on Youtube. That is understandable and understood. So, the My Growth Rings videos are posted on here on the forum. You can remain here, but still participate in the discussions and be apart of My Growth Rings, if you choose to do so.

Chad

Chad,

Not sure where that is coming from. In my experience being fairly active on this forum for the past few years I don't recall ever hearing anyone say they don't use YouTube or wouldn't go there. In fact, there is a whole thread (viewtopic.php?p=225967#p225967) devoted to YouTube videos featuring Shopsmith equipment that was created by Ron. That thread has seen a lot of activity by forum members. I think you will find that most, if not all, active forum members regularly use YouTube, or at least that is my perception from past threads here. What has been discussed in the past though is some forum members don't care for Facebook or Instagram. Of course, if Scott is looking for feedback on his YouTube endeavors he could always post here and ask. I know Scott isn't a regular here, but he does pop in from time to time to answer questions/discussions related to his YouTube videos that you highlight here. Is there specific feedback that Scott is looking for?

Full disclosure: I am a paid member of My Growth Rings.

I spend plenty of time on YouTube but I prefer this forum for Shopsmith specific information. These videos have valuable information and spark interesting conversations. Breaking them out into individual videos is better means of organizing them. The discussions in the long thread would sometimes get broken up between topics and difficult to follow, and there was no simple means of scanning the video topics through any kind of index. However, simply separating the topics in individual threads provides no index either. Hopefully Chad will follow up by creating a master thread of links to the different topics that can be stuck to the top of the list in some forum.

As for whether to have more discussion here on the forum or in the YouTube threads I can only speak for my preference to discuss these topics here on the forum. In general I'd rather not leave comments on YouTube.

RFGuy wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 10:10 am

Chad wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 3:57 pm Scott wants your input. Everyone on the forum who wants to participate, can do so if they'd like. The thinking is that many of you do not want to be active on Youtube. That is understandable and understood. So, the My Growth Rings videos are posted on here on the forum. You can remain here, but still participate in the discussions and be apart of My Growth Rings, if you choose to do so.

Chad

Chad,

Not sure where that is coming from. In my experience being fairly active on this forum for the past few years I don't recall ever hearing anyone say they don't use YouTube or wouldn't go there. In fact, there is a whole thread (viewtopic.php?p=225967#p225967) devoted to YouTube videos featuring Shopsmith equipment that was created by Ron. That thread has seen a lot of activity by forum members. I think you will find that most, if not all, active forum members regularly use YouTube, or at least that is my perception from past threads here. What has been discussed in the past though is some forum members don't care for Facebook or Instagram. Of course, if Scott is looking for feedback on his YouTube endeavors he could always post here and ask. I know Scott isn't a regular here, but he does pop in from time to time to answer questions/discussions related to his YouTube videos that you highlight here. Is there specific feedback that Scott is looking for?

On the My Growth Rings thread in the community sections; I've been posting Scott's videos since the start of his My Growth Rings youtube channel. For many months now, the videos have been posted, and almost dead silence from the community here on this forum. So, the thinking was that if a forum user had to leave the forum platform to view a video, then they weren't bothering to do so.

The original reason for only posting a link to view the video on the youtube platform was numbers. Scott wanted to know that people were watching by the number of views a video receives. Then the issue of who was watching came about, because there was almost no response on the forum thread, unlike on the comments section of a youtube video, and on facebook. Scott knew the videos Ron posts here on the forum were getting a great deal response, so why not his? I was ready to stop posting Scott's videos all together here on the forum, being we weren't hearing from hardly anyone here. It almost wasn't worth my time. But, Scott figured it was worth a try to post his videos on the forum, without having to use a link to the youtube platform. Similar to how Ron posts Shopsmith related videos here on the forum, but with all or as much of the information from the video description that the forum will allow per post; for example, no more than 10 URL links in one post are permitted here on the forum. So most of the time; not all of a video description can be posted.

Most of Scott's videos pertain to Shopsmith, somehow. He isn't sure why he hasn't been hearing from more forum users, here on the forum. If you don't hear from people; how do you know they are watching? I think any feedback from anyone here on the forum would be worth at this point. Even a "Hey, that video was awful" would let him know at least someone here on the forum even bothered to read the darn post.

Chad,

First off thank you for posting Scott's videos. I do enjoy watching them. Scott brings a different perspective, having been a Shopsmith employee, than I can find or comment on a subject being a customer and Shopsmith enthusiast. I for one would like to continue seeing his videos available to us here on the Shopsmith Forum. Maybe keeping them together in a single thread was not the best way to go but I feel they could be posted individually as the weekly subject here on the community page even if the subject may better fit one of the other categories. This way each week's subject can be found in one location. Having a separate thread for each subject would make them easier to find and being in the same category will help too. Also having each week's subject in a separate thread would better allow and encourage comments from the members here. I know Scott checks out the Forum and comments here. That interaction would be a source of feedback for him.

chapmanruss wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 12:52 pm Chad,

First off thank you for posting Scott's videos. I do enjoy watching them. Scott brings a different perspective, having been a Shopsmith employee, than I can find or comment on a subject being a customer and Shopsmith enthusiast. I for one would like to continue seeing his videos available to us here on the Shopsmith Forum. Maybe keeping them together in a single thread was not the best way to go but I feel they could be posted individually as the weekly subject here on the community page even if the subject may better fit one of the other categories. This way each week's subject can be found in one location. Having a separate thread for each subject would make them easier to find and being in the same category will help too. Also having each week's subject in a separate thread would better allow and encourage comments from the members here. I know Scott checks out the Forum and comments here. That interaction would be a source of feedback for him.

FINALLY, SOMEBODY GETS IT! Exactly my points, Russ. And that's how the videos will be posted from now on.

I know I bombarded the forum, and the users with the video posting this week. I do apologize for that, I really do!

It was a means of getting the ball rolling with the new video posting format. Also to gather information. There is a great wealth of Shopsmith and woodworking knowledge on this forum, and the idea is to spread it while the forum still exists, but not turn it into a typical social media platform. What some may not realize is feedback from one video I posted this week, could become the subject matter of a future video. Which can then be shared with other woodworkers on this forum, and beyond it.

Chad wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:52 am On the My Growth Rings thread in the community sections; I've been posting Scott's videos since the start of his My Growth Rings youtube channel. For many months now, the videos have been posted, and almost dead silence from the community here on this forum. So, the thinking was that if a forum user had to leave the forum platform to view a video, then they weren't bothering to do so.

The original reason for only posting a link to view the video on the youtube platform was numbers. Scott wanted to know that people were watching by the number of views a video receives. Then the issue of who was watching came about, because there was almost no response on the forum thread, unlike on the comments section of a youtube video, and on facebook. Scott knew the videos Ron posts here on the forum were getting a response, so why not his? I was ready to stop posting Scott's videos all together here on the forum, being we weren't hearing from hardly anyone here. It almost wasn't worth my time. But, Scott figured it was worth a try to post his videos on the forum, without having to use a link to the youtube platform. Similar to how Ron posts Shopsmith related videos here on the forum, but with all or as much of the information from the video description that the forum will allow per post; for example, no more than 10 URL links in one post are permitted here on the forum.

Most of Scott's videos pertain to Shopsmith as a broad subject. He isn't sure why he hasn't been hearing from forum users, here on the forum more, or at all. If you don't hear from people; how do you know they are watching? I think any feedback from anyone here on the forum would be worth at this point. Even a "Hey, that video was awful" would let him know at least someone here on the forum even bothered to read the darn post.

Chad,

Thanks for the thorough explanation. It is appreciated. I can only speak from my own perspective here, so I don't presume to know why other forum members might choose not to respond. Scott isn't very active on this forum IMHO, which is understandable because I am sure he puts a good bit of time and energy into making those videos. Not to mention that I believe he works a day job in addition. Given that Scott isn't very active here, I try not to comment on threads related to his videos because I don't want to be a nuisance. I have commented on YouTube to several of his videos, but I only do so when I think I can contribute something meaningful or to answer a poll or non video post that Scott puts on YouTube. In total, I have only put maybe a dozen or two comments on YouTube in entirety. There are A LOT of trolls that roam on YouTube (and FB) and it can be annoying to fend them off. In addition the typical short comments on YouTube can often get misunderstood or misinterpreted - perfect example was the inflammatory reply you gave to me last year on one of Tom's videos. With regard to this forum, there has been discussion on this in the past, but my observation is that forum activity levels are down in the last 1-2 years. One theory is that forum users are migrating over to the FB Shopsmith groups and are spending less time here, but I don't know if that is true or not. In the past, I thought there was a more diverse group of Shopsmith owners that visited this forum. However, today if I could try to describe it without offending anyone, it is as follows. There is a loyal group of experienced, highly knowledgeable Shopsmith owners/restorers that do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to answering questions here. On the other end of the spectrum are the Shopsmith newbies who often pop in to get a question answered and who are seldom heard from again. In the middle are people like myself who are woodworking hobbyists, generally know all the basics (and then some) when it comes to Shopsmith equipment, but still have more learning to do though we answer newbie questions from time to time. So, Scott's videos may not garner as much attention from the revered experts on this forum, but they do get the attention of the middle group even though we might not comment on the videos here. IF Scott wants to expand his audience, he really needs to somehow capture those transitory newbie owners that pop into this forum or the FB group to get a quick answer. Bottomline is if Scott is looking for engagement from members on this forum, I think all he has to do is ask. Putting new videos into individual threads now will definitely make it easier for some of us to comment on the forum to them, whereas when they are in a single, long thread it might inhibit responses. Well, those are my opinions...I don't know how accurate they are, but just my perspective. I do appreciate what Scott is doing and all of your efforts to support him.

P.S. Not related to this thread, but I have cut back on most of my social media and that includes this forum. The pandemic made a lot of angry people. I am all for having respectful discussions, but even the small niches where I tried to contribute online had trolls intrude in the last year. So, I am not active on this forum or other social media as much anymore. I point this out because I may not be the only one choosing to cut back on online activity.

P.P.S. IF Scott is interested in suggestions for new video topics, what about making a new thread on this forum dedicated to that? Forum members can pop in and put their requests for new videos for Scott to cover. If discussion is needed about the topic (prior to making the video) then Scott can engage directly there. Just an idea...

Exposure is not the problem.

The posts that generate the most replies here tend to be those that engage directly with the members by asking the members for advice or help to solve a particular problem with a piece of equipment or a project or both.

Scott's videos are well done and entertaining. But he's not asking for anyone's help. He's an expert demonstrating and explaining the features of a piece of Shopsmith equipment. People who have questions or comments about something he's showing in his video are likely going to ask them on YouTube and not on the Forum.

Chad wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:06 pm

chapmanruss wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 12:52 pm Chad,

First off thank you for posting Scott's videos. I do enjoy watching them. Scott brings a different perspective, having been a Shopsmith employee, than I can find or comment on a subject being a customer and Shopsmith enthusiast. I for one would like to continue seeing his videos available to us here on the Shopsmith Forum. Maybe keeping them together in a single thread was not the best way to go but I feel they could be posted individually as the weekly subject here on the community page even if the subject may better fit one of the other categories. This way each week's subject can be found in one location. Having a separate thread for each subject would make them easier to find and being in the same categorywill help too. Also having each week's subject in a separate thread would better allow and encourage comments from the members here. I know Scott checks out the Forum and comments here. That interaction would be a source of feedback for him.

FINALLY, SOMEBODY GETS IT! Exactly my points, Russ. And that's how the videos will be posted from now on.

I know I bombarded the forum, and the users with the video posting this week. I do apologize for that, I really do!

It was a means of getting the ball rolling with the new video posting format. Also to gather information. There is a great wealth of Shopsmith and woodworking knowledge on this forum, and the idea is to spread it while the forum still exists, but not turn it into a typical social media platform. What some may not realize is feedback from one video I posted this week, could become the subject matter of a future video. Which can then be shared with other woodworkers on this forum, and beyond it.

Chad, as a longtime forum member, and also as a newly-minted woodworking-business entrepreneur, I might be able to provide some useful insight on a few issues. Disclaimer: I hereby plead guilty to using this forum as a very friendly test audience for new-product ideas and marketing.

First of all, NO ONE likes being spammed. Which is what you just did, big-time. But we all have a lot of respect for Scott, and truly appreciate his videos, so the forum’s reaction to that has been very muted.

Second, I’ve found that brand-new threads on this forum get a lot more attention than do new posts on old threads. So you’re barking up the right tree with the new strategy.

Third, if Scott merely wants to know how many people are clicking through to his videos from links posted on this forum, there is a relatively simple technical solution to that. Simply append some simple UTM parameters to the links, and Google Analytics will happily supply the answer to that question. And the clickers will remain totally anonymous. If you’re not already familiar with this technology, PM me and I will gladly send you links to some how-to articles.

Fourth, algale totally nailed it. Forum members greatly appreciate, and voraciously consume, new information. But expert information does not demand a response. On the other hand, if you genuinely ask for assistance here, you can count on many responses.

BuckeyeDennis wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 8:00 pm
Chad, as a longtime forum member, and also as a newly-minted woodworking-business entrepreneur, I might be able to provide some useful insight on a few issues. Disclaimer: I hereby plead guilty to using this forum as a very friendly test audience for new-product ideas and marketing.

First of all, NO ONE likes being spammed. Which is what you just did, big-time. But we all have a lot of respect for Scott, and truly appreciate his videos, so the forum’s reaction to that has been very muted.

Second, I’ve found that brand-new threads on this forum get a lot more attention than do new posts on old threads. So you’re barking up the right tree with the new strategy.

Third, if Scott merely wants to know how many people are clicking through to his videos from links posted on this forum, there is a relatively simple technical solution to that. Simply append some simple UTM parameters to the links, and Google Analytics will happily supply the answer to that question. And the clickers will remain totally anonymous. If you’re not already familiar with this technology, PM me and I will gladly send you links to some how-to articles.

Fourth, algale totally nailed it. Forum members greatly appreciate, and voraciously consume, new information. But expert information does not demand a response. On the other hand, if you genuinely ask for assistance here, you can count on many responses.

Dennis, Congratulations on your new venture. Whatever it may be. You were kinda vague on exactly what it is. Maybe that was intentional on your part? Anyhow, I truly hope all goes well for you in the future.

First, the posts I made are brand new threads, not new posts on old threads. So no, I'm not barking up any tree. I'm not a dog. and don't bark. I might bite though.

Second, Scott isn't merely wanting "to know how many people are clicking through to his videos from links posted on this forum" I have already stated why I posted the videos the way I did. It's has nothing to do with numbers. Scott has Youtube analytics for that. I was just wanting to start conversations on the content of a My Growth Rings videos. Which has already taken place on one or more of the new threads I posted this week, in positive atmospheres.

Third, I'm glad to hear that forum members appreciate new content. Though the videos I posted aren't new; they maybe new to users that haven't seen them yet. No one is demanding a response that I know of. It's good to know that assistance will is given when asked. I'll keep that in mind for the future. Thank you in advance.

Forth, I understand no one likes to be "spammed". If I had only posted one video a day here on the forum, it would have taken well over three months to do so; not counting any new videos that come out between now and then. That was a unacceptable time frame to me. In my defense the videos were Shopsmith and/or woodworking/workshop related videos.
Did I "spam"? Hmm. Call it what you will; if it's something other than a canned ham, then yep. I sure did. Guilty as charged. It did exactly what it was intended to do; get attention from forum users. Some positive, some negative. It caught your attention, Dennis, correct? Obviously so.
I feel I've explained my actions to as many users on the forum as I can, and in as much detail as possible for me convey. If that's not good enough for someone? Well... Sorry. What's done is done. I was not and am not now trying to create conflict, and If anyone wants to debate what has already happen, sorry, I will not be participating in that sort of conversation any longer. My suggestion to them is to move on.

No one got hurt, everyone is still alive, and the forum is still up and running. In a week or so, everyone will have gotten past it. You'll be fine too, Dennis.

Hey, look on the bright side; the forum wasn't hacked by the Russians, AGAIN!
-Chad