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Post by mdpea on Aug 24, 2015 2:47:28 GMT
Anyone here a member? I just got an email from Lain Ehmann inviting me to join. It's $10/month for what sounds like a (happy) online community & the occaisional class here & there & free entry to LOAD 3 times a year. Sounds Ok, I'm just feeling a little sceptical of the SB world ATM. Wish I wasn't.
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Post by JoanieBaloney on Aug 24, 2015 14:45:29 GMT
I used to be a member. They had a membership site/board, blog and gallery. They never seemed to be able to make all the different parts of their community sync up. You had to go to one site to get to the message board and a different site altogether for the blog. They finally punted trying to get everything to work together. They went to a Facebook members-only group when they discovered that that is how most of the members were communicating anyway. I quit because I'm not on Facebook (one of the 10 people in the world who aren't) and I realized that that was the direction they were heading.
I also didn't get the value out for the money I put in. I usually only participated in one of the LOAD challenges each year. There were monthly sketch challenges (that you can get for free multiple places on line), scrap-inars (that Lain offered for free to everyone for a limited time), and various other things. Also, Lain rarely made appearances on the message board having delegated the running of the community to others. I just couldn't justify the cost.
On the other hand, the members were really nice, talented, creative people. I enjoyed interacting and sharing with them.
I don't know how things are working now. Maybe Facebook has solved all their technical problems and things are running smoothly.
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Post by mdpea on Aug 24, 2015 22:16:04 GMT
Thanks JoanieBaloney for your feedback. It doesn't really sound like it's for me either. I thought if someone came up with glowing reviews I'd give it a try, but clearly that's not happening. |
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Post by impearia on Aug 25, 2015 3:48:19 GMT
I can't imagine paying for a forum in this day and age...you can just hang out here! We are happy people...
Unless you are really into LOAD I don't see the value. I honestly think it is a bit shady to charge people for forums, but maybe that is just me...
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Post by anonrefugee on Aug 26, 2015 1:57:37 GMT
I can't imagine paying for a forum in this day and age...you can just hang out here! We are happy people... Unless you are really into LOAD I don't see the value. I honestly think it is a bit shady to charge people for forums, but maybe that is just me... Do other hobbies have this constant need to monetize the communication? I look at my parents, my father has very expensive equipment, and their are two active stores in our town and active message boards abound. The stores are packed on weekends and have decent traffic during weekdays. Plus online stores. My moms is more like scrapbooking price wise but there are tons of open forums. I think paid forums are the legacy of CK/ 2Peas/ and even HOF. They tried to hold on so tight they strangled the life out of the hobby trying to turn everything into a $ instead of opening it up for growth. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2015 15:53:33 GMT
anonrefugee, are their hobbies still thriving in the marketplace? I think the scrapbooking industry is trying to monetize the communication because scrappers stopped buying products. Product/content providers are trying to find ways to stay working in the industry that is their passion. For instance, above it was mentioned that Lain now has others largely monitor the SH forums . . . I notice that Lain has started or amped up her coaching biz recently. I assume she's had to do that to survive financially. What do scrappers want/need, that those of us trying to serve you can make at least a part-time living from? What do you need that we can provide? That you'll pay for when there's so much free content out there?
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Post by anonrefugee on Aug 26, 2015 16:20:36 GMT
anonrefugee, are their hobbies still thriving in the marketplace? I think the scrapbooking industry is trying to monetize the communication because scrappers stopped buying products. Product/content providers are trying to find ways to stay working in the industry that is their passion. For instance, above it was mentioned that Lain now has others largely monitor the SH forums . . . I notice that Lain has started or amped up her coaching biz recently. I assume she's had to do that to survive financially. What do scrappers want/need, that those of us trying to serve you can make at least a part-time living from? What do you need that we can provide? That you'll pay for when there's so much free content out there? They are thriving. He even showed me websites this week where he could buy supplies, pieces the size of my phone for $35-100, shipped for $15-25. But I think it's typical of a male oriented hobby. Like golf they might complain a bit but keep spending with less concern. My mother's fiber hobbies are thriving and as you know back in style. I have two quilt, two embroidery, and a fiber store within three miles of my house. All but one are at least ten years old, those are the locals, there are also big boxes in town. When you walk into these store you see some famous names, but mostly displays about what YOU the customer can accomplish. It's not about getting Martha's style, it's about making an object that fits your life. There is more emphasis on the experience, the accomplishment and making it personal. Something that "tell your story" should be emphasizing but gets lost in the glitter. I'm short of time but I'll think about your question and try to better respond. We want manufacturers to survive and people to make a living. Realistically the market might not be able to feed all that want to be employeed. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2015 16:42:57 GMT
anonrefugee, are their hobbies still thriving in the marketplace? I think the scrapbooking industry is trying to monetize the communication because scrappers stopped buying products. Product/content providers are trying to find ways to stay working in the industry that is their passion. For instance, above it was mentioned that Lain now has others largely monitor the SH forums . . . I notice that Lain has started or amped up her coaching biz recently. I assume she's had to do that to survive financially. What do scrappers want/need, that those of us trying to serve you can make at least a part-time living from? What do you need that we can provide? That you'll pay for when there's so much free content out there? They are thriving. He even showed me websites this week where he could buy supplies, pieces the size of my phone for $35-100, shipped for $15-25. But I think it's typical of a male oriented hobby. Like golf they might complain a bit but keep spending with less concern. My mother's fiber hobbies are thriving and as you know back in style. I have two quilt, two embroidery, and a fiber store within three miles of my house. All but one are at least ten years old, those are the locals, there are also big boxes in town. When you walk into these store you see some famous names, but mostly displays about what YOU the customer can accomplish. It's not about getting Martha's style, it's about making an object that fits your life. There is more emphasis on the experience, the accomplishment and making it personal. Something that "tell your story" should be emphasizing but gets lost in the glitter. I'm short of time but I'll think about your question and try to better respond. We want manufacturers to survive and people to make a living. Realistically the market might not be able to feed all that want to be employeed. Thanks for responding & I'll look forward to hearing more. (You saw that I started another thread because I didn't want to hijack yours  . It's funny how "popular" craft hobbies seem to really cycle, don't they? Scrapbooking was so in vogue and now it's not, boo hoo. I do enjoy seeing other hobbies thrive though - seeing that people are embracing their creativity, in whatever form. And great observation about men's hobbies - so true. I also agree that the SB market isn't large enough to accommodate all of us who want to work in it. |
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Post by LisaDV on Aug 30, 2015 20:59:33 GMT
I don't think i could join the site. I listened to something from her in the past about not always being "sell, sell, sell" to your customers but that is exactly how i felt she was!!
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. It's funny how "popular" craft hobbies seem to really cycle, don't they? Scrapbooking was so in vogue and now it's not, boo hoo. I do enjoy seeing other hobbies thrive though - seeing that people are embracing their creativity, in whatever form. And great observation about men's hobbies - so true. 
