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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 7:35 pm
by Ted
Considering the building trade employs a fair few people in the UK, how come there are so few posters who are regulars on here?
Do most builders hate their jobs so much that they have no interest in it once they knock off for the day?
Obviously not every builder specialises in groundworks/paving etc, so are there other specialist boards that are as good as this one say for kitchen fitters, bricklayers, spreads etc?
This is the best building-related board I know of.
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 7:59 pm
by dig dug dan
you may be right there ted
as a landscaper, I love my job, and everything associated with it, and so much so that i cant wait to get to work in the mornings.
It helps when you are your own boss, but i guess if i worked for someone, i would not be so enthusiastic.
I know builders who hate their jobs (they are self employed), and have not interest in it at all, hence they switch off as soon as they get in the van.
It is amazing there are not more regulars, especially on such a great site like this.
Time and time again i have referred to this site if I am unsure about anything, and it is really useful.
There are other forums, but not as good as this
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 7:59 pm
by seanandruby
thats just it ted they knock off for the day. some post on here others go to the gym and most go for a few shants. i work out of town so am a weekender on here. i think a lot of people go to the index and get engrossed and as you know the time flies. its too interesting for its own good a? keep up the good work boys ( and girls ). ???
Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 1:29 am
by lutonlagerlout
hmm yes,i noticed bob hughes stopped posting a while back and i liked his posts,but lets be real,i would guess that most of the regulars on here are fairly forward thinking and literate.
i have a 40 yrold who is illiterate (good grafter though) a 27 yr old who just likes working and family life and an 18 yr old who thinks he has discovered sex
they are all great lads to work with and have internet access but they are just not interested in this kinda thing unless they need advice .
i have always been open to new ideas and techniques and have learned some interesting stuff from here and hopefully pointed a few in the right direction.
cheers all
LLL
Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 1:40 pm
by Tony McC
We have a lot of contractors that lurk - I know this because they call me or email me or collar me when I'm out and about, and can tell me exactly who said what and when and to whom. What they can't do is post their own messages. Many of them are 'shy', or lack confidence in their spelling/grammar. Others don't want to appear arrogant or foolish. And most of them are extremely busy running their own businesses and just drop in for a quick scan of topics once or twice a week.
When I worked on a certain celebrity-led website, we were told by the webmaster that for every one poster, there were 99 lurkers. I reckon the figures for the Brew Cabin are not all that dissimilar, judging from the web-stats that I get each week.
The majority of readers will be DIYers or interested private persons, rather than professionals, and that's the beauty of the Brew Cabin. I always wanted it to be a forum for what I see as the three components of our trade: contractors, clients and manufacturers. Sadly, we have limited input from manufacturers, but I know that the Brew Cabin is well-read (or "monitored" may be a better choice of terminology) by nearly every major manufacturer in Britain and Ireland. Some, such as our mates Sim from Ronacrete and Sue from Easipoint, make themselves known, but most prefer to lurk as they may not have the authority to speak on behalf of their employer. Having said that, there are at least a dozen semi-regular posters that work for large manufacturers/distributors and post using a pseudonym without revealing the name of their employer.
While it's great to have a crowd of regulars and a steady throughput of visitors, the Brew Cabin currently takes up more of my time than the main website and I need to keep the balance correct. Long-term development of the main site has to be my priority, but the Brew Cabin is a classic example of the internet being used to best effect. You just don't get this type of interaction in any other media.
Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 4:44 pm
by flowjoe
The Lurking aspect plays a big part on any site like this, if one post had 15 replies from 15 experts all saying the same thing it would get a bit boring. I suspect most contractors read a reply, agree with the advice and move on.
Perversely some of the better posts are when there is a difference of opinion.
As has been mentioned many lads who are out in the field have never sat in front of a putor, never mind logged on to the web, the value of sites like this will be proven in the coming years as the next couple of generations become reliant on the magic box for information of any kind, and that includes contractors as well as the public. So unless anything radical happens with regard to drive, road and drain laying most of what is on here will be relevant in 20/30/40 years, just hope i am still here to post my badly expressed and poorly spelt posts.
With regard to spelling and grammar being a reason people hold back i look at it as poetic license, its a free service giving free advice and you type as if your talking to somebody on site, if there are mistake,s so be it i don`t feel it undermines the sound advice often handed out.
Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:17 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i lurked here sporadically until my first post,and i now use firefox 2 which has an auto spell checker which is handy
at least i know i wasnt the only person in the uk hugely disappointed with geofix, chances are some of the things we have implemented at work would not have happened without this site
cheers all
LLL
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:32 pm
by mouldmaker
I tend to lurk more than I post, primarily because most who post are more knowledgeable than I on the majority of subjects discussed here.
I just take notes and repeat them later to make myself look clever.
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:23 pm
by Dave_L
mouldmaker wrote:I just take notes and repeat them later to make myself look clever.
Can't diss you for being honest there!
Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 8:22 am
by seanandruby
i reckon its a lot to do with pc availability. if you have the wife doing the shopping; kids doing there homework and grandad looking at...we'll leave that one to your imagination ??? that's why i tend to do the early shift at weekends. sometimes its a learner just to read the posts.Any ways its a pleasure to be involved in the forum. now for a serious question....whats the new red guinness like, also apart from O'Neill, who's stocking it.? toast.. hope your in heaven half an hour before the devil knows your dead. have a good paddy's day :p
Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 9:50 am
by TheVictorianCobbleCo
I might be quiet but, dammit, I'm still here, working my butt off to Pay The Man, run the business, build the web, make the product, lay the product, be kind to the customer, walk the extra mile, keep the bank manager happy. Primarily as a producer, look at my website, and also Skot-Kerbs in Scotland, a really decent guy. There ARE times when I can add my sixpence worth, but face it, much of the advice coming thro is succinct, and on the button. Keep the flag flying, this is a brilliant site.