Needs Pictures: 0
Picture(s) thanks: 0
Results 1 to 15 of 18
Thread: Shed sub forum
-
24th Mar 2019, 11:07 PM #1Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- May 2011
- Location
- Murray Bridge S Aust.
- Age
- 71
- Posts
- 5,959
Shed sub forum
Wondering if any members on here would be interested in a section on Sheds, similar to the Woodwork Forums The Shed.
THE SHED
A place where construction, setting out, etc. questions could be asked and commented on?
KrynTo grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
-
25th Mar 2019, 01:58 AM #2Golden Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
- Location
- Adelaide
- Posts
- 837
Kryn,
I think that's a great idea. So many things to coordinate when setting up a workshop. It would be good to learn from others.
Eric
-
25th Mar 2019, 08:16 AM #3Member: Blue and white apron brigade
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Perth
- Posts
- 7,189
In principle I think its a good idea but we need to be careful because we don't have the traffic that WWF has and I would be concerned if we were to create a forum that very few members follow - then you get the opposite effect in that you will get fewer responses to questions because some members will simply not go there.
I guess it doesn't hurt to try.
-
25th Mar 2019, 09:09 PM #4
-
31st Mar 2019, 11:17 AM #5
-
31st Mar 2019, 12:52 PM #6Member: Blue and white apron brigade
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Perth
- Posts
- 7,189
True - but I reckon the number of forums should be proportional to the number of members and threads. MWF has fewer members so we don't need as many forums.
I didn't mention the following thread analysis but I guess now is perhaps the time to do this. It might also be worth noting that I love nothing more than a shed thread.
A search of the MW forum shows 1370 threads with "Shed" in the thread title, going back to 2007.
However, all but ~40 of these have anything to do with sheds, the rest are admin reports by an admin member with "shed" in his name.
IMHO 40 threads over 12 years (ie ~3 per year) is a questionable basis for starting a Forum.
In contrast, WWF shows 3274 threads with "Shed" in the thread title (also across all forums), going back to 2002
Its hard to say but my rough estimate is something less than half (~1600) are admin reports by the same admin member with "shed" in his name.
Thus ~1600 posts over 17 years is about 94 threads per year which I think is fine to have its own forum.
FWIW the above is in the ballpark of the 1150 actual total threads in the WWF SHED subform, and the ~120 new threads in the WW Shed forum during the last year.
Admittedly there would be more threads than the numbers I listed above posted about sheds in the MWF (and in the WWF) but it still provides an idea of the sort of traffic it would have had ie not much.
There would also be some "build it and they will come" aspect but even if it doubled to 6 threads per year I still don't think that warrants a new forum.
-
31st Mar 2019, 03:45 PM #7
So a possible alternative, start a single catch-all shed-related thread in the general area, along the lines of the "what I learned today" and the "what I made toady" types of thread. If it shows signs of promise then make it a sticky, and possible spin it off to a sub-forum if the take-up warrants it.
-
31st Mar 2019, 08:31 PM #8Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- May 2011
- Location
- Murray Bridge S Aust.
- Age
- 71
- Posts
- 5,959
Thanks for the Data Analysis, Bob.
I find it bit of a pain, when wanting to find articles on Sheds, that I have to sift through a lot of threads that are not relevant.
I like Gavins idea of starting something along the lines of "What I learned today' and What I made today". Thanks Gavin.
I wonder if Mark Gray would mind putting "our shed" stuff on his thread?
I suppose the biggest problem will be that people still submit a question in the wrong section, like putting an electrical question under the "Metalwork General" banner, as has been done in the past!!!
KrynTo grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
-
31st Mar 2019, 10:29 PM #9Member: Blue and white apron brigade
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Perth
- Posts
- 7,189
This it typified in the WW forum which has a total of ~1100 posts in the shed forum but more than 1600 threads with shed in the title spread through all the forums.
While we are talking about stickies one problem with them is they are good for a few dozen or maybe 100 posts but then as they get longer I reckon they start to become too unwieldy. It would be different if we had a half decent search tool to be able to search within a thread. I love threads like "your latest project" thread (2271 replies) and also the "tool gloat" thread (2269 replies) but I reckon they are now just too long. We've had a Projects forum since 2015 and the "latest project" thread in the metal work forum should probably be moved to that forum.
What we don't have is a "tools" forum it's one that we could probably use more than a shed forum. The "tooling suppliers" sticky (268 threads) could go into that one as well.
This would go some ay to tidying up the stickies at the top of the "Metalwork General" forum.
There's away some tidying up we could do as we go along.
-
2nd Apr 2019, 12:07 AM #10
Bob of the stats you've posted/quoted how many of those on WWF's are dual members? Of those how many do more than just metal or woodwork? Is it part of the stats /fact that members of MWF haven't had a place other than general to post about their shed builds?
Is the date 2007 quoted when the split took place between WWF & MWF?
Ah sorry using WWF quoted date is out of context as MWF was still part of WWF and all shed builds wee slung into one spot!!! So of those figures quoted how many of them were dual purpose? How many were just MW OR WW?
Now as both MWF & WWF have declined in posts in the last few years the stats are as useful as prawns sitting in the sun.
Mind you when WWF started splitting and separating topics and sections formed and subsections formed it became an ants nest to follow. Although many only wanted to read what they were into and nothing else.
Now we see MWF cross posts into WWF BUT we do not see the visa versa strange or what!!
-
2nd Apr 2019, 10:13 AM #11Member: Blue and white apron brigade
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Perth
- Posts
- 7,189
It's very easy to cast aspersions on stats, but instead of "hand waving" how we need a shed forum about coming up with some stats, any stats, that support the suggestion.
Here is another for you.
In the last 12 months there have been 2 new threads started in the "MW General" forums that contain the term "shed" in the title. There are a couple more threads showing up but they were started before April 2018. Admittedly the term shed does not need to be in the title for the thread to be about sheds, but if there was an unmet demand I would have expected to see lot more than this.
-
2nd Apr 2019, 10:53 AM #12
Better than casting false stats ones so full of holes as I pointed out, nor have you answered those doubts to the stats.
So MWF seemsbit doesn't need a shed specific section beauty poet those in general or where ever saves chasing stuff all over the shop.
-
2nd Apr 2019, 12:39 PM #13Member: Blue and white apron brigade
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Perth
- Posts
- 7,189
Well I disagree, anyone can criticise my stats but other than a bit a hand waving and your opinion, you have not provide one single piece of evidence that we need such a forum?
I'll leave it to others to decide if my stats are any more significant that your handwaving.
The lack of a positive response to this thread alone I would describe as significant and yet more evidence that we don't need it. With some 60 plus members reading this thread and only 4 posting they think its a good idea, that says a fair bit where I'm standing.
The fact that the MWF has been running for many year as far as I know this is the first time this topic has come up is also a pretty strong indicator of a lack of interest.
-
2nd Apr 2019, 01:12 PM #14
-
2nd Apr 2019, 01:14 PM #15