Members List

[Bill21]

I’ve just looked at the members list. It’s huge with the vast majority it seems never even making one post! On other forums I’ve been on they delete members that don’t post. Is it really that difficult to do or is it just AWGB policy to just leave the bones behind forever? 

[David Buskell]

Bill, I never thought of looking at the members list until I saw your post. Wow, there are a lot of names  there and as you say, a lot that have not posted anything since joining.
You would think it would be an easy job for Admin to delete all the zero activity accounts but I guess the powers that be really haven't considered clearing out the "bones".

Not sure  who the Admin for the Forum is but let's hope they see and read this thread.

[Redwill]

I hold my hands up as one of those that rarely if ever post on this site although I do look at the site most days .   I cannot explain why other than my interest in woodturning declined with the onset of Hip issues which made turning somewhat uncomfortable.  However just recently had a replacement Hip fitted and was on the lathe today giving a friend of my Daughter an introduction to W Turning. He went away with a light pull and more importantly a big grin on his face. It actually rekindled my interest somewhat.

   The Club I attended closed its doors when Covid struck and to be honest to date I have not made the effort rejoin them since they have reopened  Something I must really  force myself to do now that mobility is getting better.    Truthfully I am running out of excuses.   
 
     I may be wide of the mark but I am under the impression that interest in Woodturning is declining fast.  Seen several Lathes and other equipment come up for sale this last couple of years and some seem to have generated little or no interest to the adverts.   IS it a sign of the times??    Electricity costs having rocketed as have price of wood etc which is making many think again about this hobby.    Not doing it myself but guess sales via Craft fairs etc have been hit hard...    Also to see places like the Snainton wood turning business close its doors is very sad. Will be doing our annual run to N Yorks this next month and will miss visiting them to stock up on Timber and the consumables as I have done over the last 10 - 15 years.   

   I will not be giving up as yet but once I have worked my way thro my stash of Blanks etc who knows what will happen.  My Vicmarc VL175 is still going strong but if it gives up on me I am not sure  what will happen,  Have had a fancy for a Magma 3/400 for the last 7 years or so but I doubt if that happen now......    I suppose I am not the only one who is thinking like me.

[Paul Hannaby]

Not sure  who the Admin for the Forum is but let's hope they see and read this thread.

If you click the "position" field on the members list it sorts by user type. Administrators appear at the top of the list.

[Les Symonds]

     I may be wide of the mark but I am under the impression that interest in Woodturning is declining fast.  Seen several Lathes and other equipment come up for sale this last couple of years and some seem to have generated little or no interest to the adverts.   IS it a sign of the times??    Electricity costs having rocketed as have price of wood etc which is making many think again about this hobby.    Not doing it myself but guess sales via Craft fairs etc have been hit hard...    Also to see places like the Snainton wood turning business close its doors is very sad. Will be doing our annual run to N Yorks this next month and will miss visiting them to stock up on Timber and the consumables as I have done over the last 10 - 15 years.   

I agree, you are wide of the mark. As an RPT member who specialises in woodturning tuition , things are currently extremely busy and I struggle to cope with the demand for tuition. A possible reason why there are so many used lathes on the market at the moment, is that many woodturners could be upgrading. Also, Snainton was a family-run business which closed because the family retired.

Les.

[Richard_C]

You would think it would be an easy job for Admin to delete all the zero activity accounts but I guess the powers that be really haven't considered clearing out the "bones".

Why?

There is absolutely no benefit to AWGB or any users to put effort into tidying that which does not need tidying.  What harm does a long list do?  What matters is managing the posters and their posts, not the posts not posted or the posters not posting.

(I don't think its helpful to refer to any admins or committee members as "The powers that be".  It's a pejorative term.  They are volunteer AWGB members, of us but not apart from us.)

[Bill21]

I agree Les, lots of interest on social media for wood turning. There were however lots of folks that bought lathes during Covid and are now too busy or decided it’s not for them. This caused a blip in sales of turning equipment.

[Paul Hannaby]

When I was the forum administrator, I used to periodically purge unused accounts. It only took a minute but nobody ever noticed so I agree, nothing is gained by doing it.

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

I am as guilty as the rest for not posting more often, I used to all the time but with various changes to my life this has not happened as much. But I would say that some members just like to lurk and not post pictures or comments and I think that we should be grateful that they can without feeling guilty. As a professional turner I can tell you that some turners when they are learning do not wish to tell others of their (perceived) failures in the world of turning, possibly hoping that their first post might be as an accomplished turner, so for me I am happy with that always knowing that some of the nuggets of information I did share along the way might have been of use to some as indeed as some of the nuggets that I have read about have been of use to me. Just because they are not posting does not mean that they are not there.