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[lastvautour]

I have added the following to all my flickr photos to be followed by my photobucket photos

Come visit us at:
Forum
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/SMF/index.php
Gallery
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/

In flickr the links are active. This should generate some further interest as I now post pictures to any flickr group that will accept me.

[Kenny Horne]

Lou,

I think the word is getting out.  I keep noticing 2 or 3 guests visiting. 

Perhaps we should design a "Welcome to Visitors" in the General Catagory section with a sticky on top as a kind of intro as well as a link to the Gallery.   

Kenny

[lastvautour]

I was asked to supply info on our hobby and get some free advertising for the site. The site owner even placed a photo of our 2011 builds in the section.

Lou

http://www.scale-modelers-handbook.com/solid-modeling.html

[R.F.Bennett]

People are visiting, as well as joining, They just aren't participating. 

[cliff strachan]

Ray, I guess one can easily see that members are not participating. I suppose that if an individual assumes that someone else is going to be involved then they may "leave it up to the other guy." I believe that most of my recent chatter has had the real purpose of trying to encourage the younger and more experienced members to come forth and join in. Perhaps this is futile and I should clam up to allow others to more fully participate. This is a unique group and SMM - thanks to yourself -  is a much in demand organization. However, I believe there is still a lot of work left to be done.
Cliff.

[RyanShort1]

People have other interests, and ours is not an "internet" hobby as much as some others. I'd be concerned if a serious woodworker was more happy spending time online than getting back out to the shop.

Ryan

[Peter]

I just received the Scale Modeler news letter and saw the write up for SSM. It looks great! I take every opportunity to mention SSM. If every mention generates one new member or spreads the word of mouth it's worth it. I also think the more chatter and topics on the site will generate more traffic and incourage others to stop lurking and start participating.

Peter

[Balsabasher]

Just keep working at it everyone,there has to become a day when anyone can tire of mere assembly of parts from a sprue,at least when the attractive alternatives are shown as beautifully hand crafted models then a single person may join us to build solids,there is no quick solution to recruitment as that passion needs to come from the soul and a desire to build real models,this little spot on the internet is so important to keep our wonderful hobby alive and by doing so has brought it into this century with the legacy behind us shown with the plans archives we have created.
Barry.

[Ken Pugh]

No matter where I look in life, there are always those who lament the lack of involvement.  Lack of voter education and participation, lack of participation of members in church, lack of young people interested in ship models,  plenty of members and few contributors.  It's everywhere you look in all areas of life.

I look at forums I am a member of.  I have an interest in paper models and I see the same concerns.  I read them all the time but do not contribute.  The reason is I don't feel I have anything to contribute.  I have not fully entered the field though I am currently struggling with completing my first paper model.  Though I do not contribute, I absolutely appreciate the contributions of the dedicated few who post information useful to the beginner.  They educate me.  When I get over my inhibitions to try, I will get comfortable with the skills and maybe contribute myself someday.

In my opinion, building models from scratch out of wood seems a great challenge.  Many say they cannot do it.  Most don't realize it really is a simple matter of just giving it a try, complete something simple, learn from mistakes, and try again.  Before long, you will gain pride in your work and wonder what seemed so hard about it in the first place.

Those who assemble plastic models usually automatically assume their work is more detailed than ours.  They thrive on complexity, maybe because it seems they are getting more value for their money when they purchase these things.  With that mindset, they may not see value in what we do though they may like to give it a try some day.

Many of us may not feel comfortable explaining everything we do on a model or assume everybody here already knows the steps.  I suggest we look towards those who are visiting and provide information in addition to results.  Detailed build threads are not for everybody, but those who can, please do it as often as possible.  I think it would be great if someone can come to this site and see detailed threads showing a progression of models of ever increasing difficulty of many fields and disciplines.

Personally, I will be branching out beyond the traditional ID model in every way I can.  I will also be delving into subjects beyond airplanes.  My interest is in stretching my boundaries.  Some of my subjects may annoy some members, therefore I will keep them to my own board.  If people object to their inclusion in my board, I will happily remove them and post them somewhere else.  I hope to provide information on the web that I wish I could have found years ago and maybe, encourage more to try and enjoy our hobby.  Let's keep providing information because it appears we are reaching people.  We have an international audience and it appears we are gaining traction among other disciplines.  They may dismiss us at first but hopefully they will be intrigued enough to watch us grow and feel the itch to give it a try.  Though many may not ever want to try a complex model, it would probably encourage them to see that such a thing is possible, lending credibility to our niche in the model building hobbby.

Please present your efforts, whether it is: hand painted markings or diy decals, hand brushed or air brushed, full solid or open interiors, in flight or on landing gear, dioramas, figures included, planes, ships, cars, sci fi, real space, or whatever else tickles your fancy.  Show what you do, even if it doesn't fit what everybody else is doing because it may interest a plastic modeler, sculptor, carpenter/woodworker, crafter from all over the world.

People are interested in what we do.  We see mention of this site spreading slowly throughout the internet.  Share what you love because people are watching.

Ken Pugh

[Balsabasher]

Some good valid points there Ken,like many interests solid modelling can be adapted and extended in a personal way towards what we like in life,I think it is a good idea to extend ones boundaries and push those limits to subjects 'we' like,note the emphasis on we,that is because whilst it is always good to share a particular type of model here it is not that important,more so that we derive pleasure from the model or subject we have created,this extends as to how much detail we desire to add,the way it is finished etc etc.

To me solid modelling is attractive because it can be done anywhere and requires no high tech gizmo's or equipment,it is no frills back to basic shape making and carving that can be done if necessary with a simple pen knife and if you so wish can be embellished with added detail made from scrap,these skills have been erroded over the years due to many commercial intrusians especially for the youngsters but despite all this us stalwarts are still here proudly showing what can be achieved and flying the solid models flag.

Regarding the involvement aspect I too have had my fair share of this over the years,no matter what organisation there will always be those watching from the fence,there is plenty of that everywhere on the internet and from past experience there is no proven method to get bums on seats ! and that is lower posterior by the way in British speak !

I think we will still be here in another ten years re-iterating what we have said but the main thing is that as long as we are here then those important thoughts can be shared,and above all still producing our cherished solids.

Barry.

[Peter]

Well said Ken and Barry,

The secretary of my Mason Lodge posted an article saying Freemasonry is declining and will die out within a couple of years if membership continued to drop. The article was dated 1798! I think members of any group have a silent fear if there is not an active membership the group will die out. So we should all just keep at what were doing and talk about it every chance we get :-)

Ken I love cardmodeling (paper) the models range from simple to complex. Fiddlersgreen is giving away a free plane model everyday. www.fiddlersgreen.net they are simple fun and have wide range of subjects.

Peter

[Balsabasher]

And there Peter is another pointer to why I love Solids,their simplicity,most models consist of a fuselage,the wings,tail surfaces,from those carefully made  parts a really good model can be made and with careful painting really come alive,you create your own basic canvas and add what you want to !

Fiddlers Green are to be congratulated in promoting those lovely card models,once again with care some good subjects emerge,rolling and folding card can be really good fun and very theraputic,after all card and paper is still wood.

I once made a Junkers Ju.52 3/m purely from cereal box card (the plans are from the Aeromodeller and in the archives) it turned out really well complete with scored corrugations done with a ballpoint pen,cheap and cheerful but really good fun.

Barry.

[lastvautour]

I will be posting this in our local mall shortly.

Lou

[Balsabasher]

Good work there Lou,spreading the word is fun.
Barry.

[cliff strachan]

Very good approach Lou. Hope those that I'm sure will decide to join our group will also honour us by partaking in the various discussions that the group stimulates. Something that any observer will note is sadly lacking of late.
Cliff.