Without Our Forum

[RichardHarris123]

We don't think the forum is on trouble, we just don't want to lose it or contact with each other.  As you new member you are still important. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, SamLiddle said:

Hello,

I hope you don't mind me responding. I'm brand new to this forum, and the hobby (it's a hobby for me rather than a profession). I just wanted to say that if I've recently joined, there must be hope for the forum. The forum pops up on a lot of google-searched watch questions, which drew me to it.

It certainly doesn't look like a forum in trouble, in fact it seems highly responsive and relevant.

Just a perspective from a newbie, hope it helps.

 

Sam

Thats not the issue Sam, the forum is very popular and well known among in the watch world. The issue is anything can change at any time, my life and anyone else's could be changed dramatically in an instant, mine just has which partly prompted the start of the this thread.

[Mark]

Hi All,

I started this forum over 10 years ago and never intended for it to me a 'for profit' concern.

Since then, I launched an online course and I draw funds from that business in order to fund this website. There is also a little bit of funding from Google ads but I don't rely on it because they keep changing the goalposts. The forum costs a few hundred pounds per month to run and Im comfortably managing it. Why a few hundred pounds? I am OCD about backups and not relying on a single company to host those backups, I use amazon S3 to backup hourly and daily, I also use Digital Ocean. I use a separate mail service to handle the serious amounts of emails sent from the site, I am on here most days admin'ing and updating the site or servers/applying security patches and the like - its not a big deal, I enjoy it.

In short - you might not see me a lot posting (for my sanity as it's addictive (same on all my social media)) but I certainly do a lot behind the scenes.

I can't control my mortality and so there's always that - but other than that, I'm damn committed to this site as I am committed to my commercial site watchfix.com which supports this site. I have no interest in shutting down, selling or otherwise changing this sites format.

Having said that, if anyone wants to consider taking on moderation tasks to help (in particular, making sure people post in the correct place and moderating new members posts) that would be very helpful. (Only members who have been active for more than a year please).

Finally, thanks very much for your support and kind words - I truly appreciate that. This forum has to be one of the friendliest I am part of - a massive refreshment after reading some of the Facebook groups I'm part of - except mine FB group - that's also great with great people 

 

 

[RichardHarris123]

Cheers Mark, I for one would willingly offer to be a moderator. Other members beware, I'm out to get you.  Hehe. Joking apart, we love the site and can't thank you enough.  

[Neverenoughwatches]

45 minutes ago, Mark said:

Hi All,

I started this forum over 10 years ago and never intended for it to me a 'for profit' concern.

Since then, I launched an online course and I draw funds from that business in order to fund this website. There is also a little bit of funding from Google ads but I don't rely on it because they keep changing the goalposts. The forum costs a few hundred pounds per month to run and Im comfortably managing it. Why a few hundred pounds? I am OCD about backups and not relying on a single company to host those backups, I use amazon S3 to backup hourly and daily, I also use Digital Ocean. I use a separate mail service to handle the serious amounts of emails sent from the site, I am on here most days admin'ing and updating the site or servers/applying security patches and the like - its not a big deal, I enjoy it.

In short - you might not see me a lot posting (for my sanity as it's addictive (same on all my social media)) but I certainly do a lot behind the scenes.

I can't control my mortality and so there's always that - but other than that, I'm damn committed to this site as I am committed to my commercial site watchfix.com which supports this site. I have no interest in shutting down, selling or otherwise changing this sites format.

Having said that, if anyone wants to consider taking on moderation tasks to help (in particular, making sure people post in the correct place and moderating new members posts) that would be very helpful. (Only members who have been active for more than a year please).

Finally, thanks very much for your support and kind words - I truly appreciate that. This forum has to be one of the friendliest I am part of - a massive refreshment after reading some of the Facebook groups I'm part of - except mine FB group - that's also great with great people 

 

 

Thanks for the reply Mark, much appreciated. If i can bring up one point, you touched upon your morality, something that no one has any control over their own. Its not something i like to ponder on either, but i openly discuss anything, no subject is barred in the right situation, some folk dont like it , some folk dont mind. So if i can ask, how do you feel about members that are willing to participate in some kind of exchange of contact information,  members that wish to stay connected with each other ?

[Mark]

29 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Thanks for the reply Mark, much appreciated. If i can bring up one point, you touched upon your morality, something that no one has any control over their own. Its not something i like to ponder on either, but i openly discuss anything, no subject is barred in the right situation, some folk dont like it , some folk dont mind. So if i can ask, how do you feel about members that are willing to participate in some kind of exchange of contact information,  members that wish to stay connected with each other ?

As long as it’s legal and not spamming, information shared in private messaging between two consenting members is no concern of mine matey this isn’t eBay

[RichardHarris123]

It's a good point, we really love the forum and are scared of losing it. @Mark do you mind if we exchange contact details?  What happens if you don't wake up in the morning? Hopefully not but @Neverenoughwatches is correct, who knows. Could the site be passed on to someone else? It would be a  travesty to loose contact with each other and also so much information. 

Please note, the question arised because we care so much. 

We wish that you will live for ever but none of us will. 

Beat me too it. 

[Mark]

57 minutes ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Cheers Mark, I for one would willingly offer to be a moderator. Other members beware, I'm out to get you.  Hehe. Joking apart, we love the site and can't thank you enough.  

Thanks Richard - Send me a PM - we shall discuss and get you set up

[Neverenoughwatches]

8 minutes ago, Mark said:

As long as it’s legal and not spamming, information shared in private messaging between two consenting members is no concern of mine matey this isn’t eBay

Er yeah, not quite sure how to respond to that one Mark . But yes i fully appreciate what you have done here today. I look at it like this, i dont know if you have children Mark,  i have a son and a daughter both around 30 years old but still my babies. I remind them every couple of months, " if something happens to me, i get run over by a bus, i have a heart attack while out running, I eat a very dodgy burger, you know where the spare hidden house keys are dont you, you know where the stashes of money are don't you, you know the things i have that are valuable don't you, you know how to deal with my finances don't you, you know the value of my watchroom and where the value lists of all the tools and watch collections i have are dont you, dont mess it up and dont get ripped off i want you to be rich when I'm gone "  This forum is your baby Mark, i dont think i need to say any more. Appreciate your time Mark, live long and prosper matey

1 hour ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Cheers Mark, I for one would willingly offer to be a moderator. Other members beware, I'm out to get you.  Hehe. Joking apart, we love the site and can't thank you enough.  

Oh my flipping god, who's old enough to remember when the Iron lady came to power, i remember the old bag took my morning milk away from me. So I'm only going to ask you this once Rich  " where is Ross and where is Nucejoe and what have you done with them " Ross my allstar and Nucejoe one of my wingmen, i aint happy Rich not happy at all. 

[RichardHarris123]

21 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Er yeah, not quite sure how to respond to that one Mark . But yes i fully appreciate what you have done here today. I look at it like this, i dont know if you have children Mark,  i have a son and a daughter both around 30 years old but still my babies. I remind them every couple of months, " if something happens to me, i get run over by a bus, i have a heart attack while out running, I eat a very dodgy burger, you know where the spare hidden house keys are dont you, you know where the stashes of money are don't you, you know the things i have that are valuable don't you, you know how to deal with my finances don't you, you know the value of my watchroom and where the value lists of all the tools and watch collections i have are dont you, dont mess it up and dont get ripped off i want you to be rich when I'm gone "  This forum is your baby Mark, i dont think i need to say any more. Appreciate your time Mark, live long and prosper matey

Oh my flipping god, who's old enough to remember when the Iron lady came to power, i remember the old bag took my morning milk away from me. So I'm only going to ask you this once Rich  " where is Ross and where is Nucejoe and what have you done with them " Ross my allstar and Nucejoe one of my wingmen, i aint happy Rich not happy at all. 

I banished them without the right to do so, why because I'm jealous . @rossjackson01has become amazing with his tiny space and lack of funds and @Nucejoe because, he knows more than me. I hate them both.  Hehe. 

If any of you two are reading this?, I'm sure you know, I'm joking.  Not about your abilities though.  Both brilliant.  

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 minutes ago, RichardHarris123 said:

I banished them without the right to do so, why because I'm jealous . @rossjackson01has become amazing with his tiny space and lack of funds and @Nucejoe because, he knows more than me. I hate them both.  Hehe. 

If any of you two are reading this?, I'm sure you know, I'm joking.  Not about your abilities though.  Both brilliant.  

Come back Ross, come back Joe, hope you are both ok and its just life getting in the way .

[watchweasol]

Well Gentlemen and Ladies I think we should thank @Mark for his posts putting our minds to rest and the explanation of running the site which is done very well. As a resource for watch repairs for new and old I would rate it second to none, the casual banter and dissemination of information  top notch, let us ll enjoy working on here and helping others. Any one can PM me as Iam sure others as well if it has to off the “record” and Marks blessing on that.   We appreciate that Mark is a busy man and totally appreciate what he does for us all.    So from me THANK YOU MARK. from an old timer.

[tomh207]

I have to add my thanks to @Mark for all he does here and his other site. It was Marks YouTube channel which got me into the track of the possibilities of repairing my own watches and servicing them. If I can help out at all as a moderator I volunteer wholeheartedly.

 

Tom

[Neverenoughwatches]

51 minutes ago, watchweasol said:

Well Gentlemen and Ladies I think we should thank @Mark for his posts putting our minds to rest and the explanation of running the site which is done very well. As a resource for watch repairs for new and old I would rate it second to none, the casual banter and dissemination of information  top notch, let us ll enjoy working on here and helping others. Any one can PM me as Iam sure others as well if it has to off the “record” and Marks blessing on that.   We appreciate that Mark is a busy man and totally appreciate what he does for us all.    So from me THANK YOU MARK. from an old timer.

Absolutely WW ,  i know you speak for us all when you say this. So Mark,  Old hippy, other moderators, the pros and the old timers, yes you especially WW. The ones that always help us out with advice, give up their time for us and never ask for anything in return. Cheers me dears.

[Waggy]

Mark, thanks for the reassurance and clarification. I have set up a simple spreadsheet which people can add their information if they wish. Here is the link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X60bMOpA12nOhLt_bYMz8cusMrBlUHn9dWfY1GCt2x8/edit?usp=sharing

100% voluntary, share as much or little information as you want and respect he privacy of others.

[rjenkinsgb]

Great idea - but can access to this thread or the list be restricted to member only somehow? Or move it to a new category linked from here, and make that category members only?

At the moment the list - with all the real names & contact info - is totally unprotected and accessible to any spambot or other malicious webscapers, which is rather worrying.

(Just tried it with a different browser & via proxy in the US - this thread and the list are fully public, at present).

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

9 minutes ago, rjenkinsgb said:

Great idea - but can access to this thread or the list be restricted to member only somehow? Or move it to a new category linked from here, and make that category members only?

At the moment the list - with all the real names & contact info - is totally unprotected and accessible to any spambot or other malicious webscapers, which is rather worrying.

(Just tried it with a different browser & via proxy in the US - this thread and the list are fully public, at present).

 

Quite true , anybody visiting the forum can access that information, may be better holding that link in a private message that only members can access.

3 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Quite true , anybody visiting the forum can access that information, may be better holding that link in a private message that only members can access.

Then again anyone can become a member hmmm.  Have a seperate email unrelated to your regular use email ?

14 minutes ago, rjenkinsgb said:

Great idea - but can access to this thread or the list be restricted to member only somehow? Or move it to a new category linked from here, and make that category members only?

At the moment the list - with all the real names & contact info - is totally unprotected and accessible to any spambot or other malicious webscapers, which is rather worrying.

(Just tried it with a different browser & via proxy in the US - this thread and the list are fully public, at present).

 

I did think about real names, mine isn't. 

Edited May 10 by Neverenoughwatches

[Waggy]

10 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

may be better holding that link in a private message that only members can access.

Not sure how to do this - can someone who knows how create the private message for members only

[mikepilk]

6 minutes ago, Waggy said:

Not sure how to do this - can someone who knows how create the private message for members only

Would password protection on the spreadsheet do it ?

[Neverenoughwatches]

35 minutes ago, mikepilk said:

Would password protection on the spreadsheet do it ?

you beat me to it mike

[JohnR725]

A better solution than having a list that will be compromised for spam would be to have a contact email. In other words an emergency email or even for that matter as separate website for emergency use as opposed to we all list out our names and emails and get spammed to death as there would be almost no way to protect that from bad people.

[tomh207]

8 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

you beat me to it mike

Doesn’t really work for this, really it needs to be an invite only platform with good moderation. Full disclosure I spent a fair amount of my career as an IT/Network security consultant and am very touchy about what I may release on ‘tinterwebs.

 

Tom

[oldhippy]

A big thank you Mark for clearing all this up. We all appreciate  you and the work you put into the running of this forum. If I can be of anymore help to you and this forum just ask. I love it on here as well. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

In other words an emergency email or even for that matter as separate website for emergency. 

Can you break that down for me John please. Do you mean an inactive site that everyone has a link to if its ever needed ?

[JohnR725]

The problem is there are no good Solutions.

What we really need is a backup for Mark. In other words somebody willing to step up and take his job if for some unknown reason he is unable to continue.

Not really an inactive site because if you have an inactive site then why don't we just have an active site instead of run by Mark run by a group? Yes this is the problem with this discussion do we want to take this away from Mark and start our own group?

As I said there are no good Solutions and unfortunately with the Internet is everything goes away sooner or later including discussion groups they never last forever.

The problem would be even if you collected everyone's email address what would you do if the group was gone?

As far as websites go they're insanely cheap to make and set up and have especially if all its only purpose is a place to go in an emergency where it would have a emergency email address to reach out or updates could be posted in case of an emergency. Kind of like a civil emergency you're supposed to go someplace this would be our civil emergency website just in case the unthinkable happens.

Otherwise somebody sets up an email address for emergencies you can contact us here.

Oh I have a question at least for the people in the UK that are so incredibly concerned about reaching out and contacting each other why don't you just form a physical group that gets together from time to time?