Official Luthiers Forum!

I would prefer names, but I do understand the reasons behind some wanting to remain anonymous.
I would rather have the perks of a great lutherie brain here behind a handle than not here at all.

Hesh, I like your idea a lot.
Let me work on it. I know I can set permissions, create sub forums etc.
Right now I am in the middle of a new "marketplace" for the OLF. But as soon as that is up and running I think I will pick you brain on this subject and get something like this going.
Maybe we can do lunch?
The "everybody can read" thing makes if perfect. I dont want to exclude anyone anywhere.
But requiring "permissions" to be set forth to "write" with in a subforum for Pros might be an excellent way to bring back some of the names we miss and also bring some of the the folks that have never been.

Thanks for the food for though buddy!

OR Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test

Thats what always comes to mind when I see PSA

Lance all good points and let's drop that idea all together in that I would never want to put you and yours at any risk what so ever. You do have attack horses however... I was simply trying to come up with a solution that might suit many perspectives.

It seems that what we have now is not only most of the time pretty special but likely the only thing that works. I can accept that so don't let me be the problem here.

Mr. Bond has a cool name and I wonder if his very cool guitars are shaken and not stirred....

I also love Reservoir Dogs and IIRC it was made back in the day for something like $50K.... Amazing and I think that I also remember that Harvey donated his talents to the effort.

Anyway the last thing that we need to be doing is having a Reservoir Dogs three way stand off because in the film everyone got wounded or worse....

George thanks much for that - you made my day and the feeling is very much mutual too!

Back to Lance - You know Lance there was another forum several years ago that ran for a couple of years and it was pros only with identity verification as well. Real names were required, no one ever flamed anyone else or showed up at that door. It was civil, had around 150 of some of the biggest names in the biz, and there were lots of great threads and as for me I just ate it all up. Being able to hear Turner about nitro becoming 100 years old or Dan E. or Frank F. or Linda M. etc. and many, many others provided me with a level of value never experienced prior. I also think that anyone would benefit from this so long as the rules that that forum operated under, we called it the "Vegas" rule, what happened there stayed here were maintained.

In my thinking searching for a solution my belief is what if a solution could be had that made George happy, me happy with real names but not required by all, and you, Lance happy too without risk or undo work. What if too it could take the OLF to the next level a level never held prior and what if it could make the forum more profitable, vibrant, informative, while still retaining the opportunity for folks who wish to become real friends instead of simply virtual friends.

When the forum that I speak of closed down it was not at all for a lack of participation but instead the forum owner decided to get a real job and suspended or cut back his Lutherie activities. Or, in other words the business model worked very well in all respects that I know of but eventually was shut down because of life's events for the forum owner.

Perhaps a second iteration of the OLF would be the way forward while maintaining the current version. I speak of a sub forum that requires identification verification but is only open to working pros who the majority of our incomes come from Lutherie. That was the standard of the forum that I speak of too.

What would be new and different about it is that the pro forum would provide access to all in the form of read-only access so that newer folks could for the first time in human history at least have read-only access to some of the names that we all are interested in hearing what they have to say? The new forum would be put together or recreated in the image of the forum that I speak of but with sponsor links, etc. to drive revenue and offset costs.

This could be a growth opportunity and perhaps just what you might be interested in Lance. Additionally although the pro forum was self moderating and worked you could enlist the assistance of others to help keep the thing up and running.

In another sense as well even though there would separation of the two forums we all know what setting the stage or climates are and with the pros setting their own standard for civility that I know from experience to be very good it may, I say may, help keep the original OLF civil too by example.

And then there is Big Jim!!! Jim you can darken my doorway anytime you wish just let me know what kind of beer you like!

Me too. Going Monday for my geriatric blood work!

Alex

When I found an interest in guitar forums I naturally used the name I was known by. Thousands of post later it is hard to say goodbye to it. On another forum they have an option to add a few words as a signature and I used it to give my first name. Just looked and you can add your real name here also along with where you are from. I see this as a workable compromise in keeping my online name that I am known by across forums and a real name for those that prefer it.

I like seeing the general location of people too.

I like seeing the general location of people too.

Well I haven't been on this forum forum maybe a year or more. I've always used my real name on any forums I've been on. Should I be worried about Internet stalkers?


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