As some of you are aware, ACS is transitioning to new caretakers in the next few weeks.

The site is old and dated. Carol, the previous owner, has been very busy in the last six months launching her new business.

As a consequence, now is the perfect time to speak your mind.

What can we do to enhance the site from a content standpoint? Making it more attractive is a given, but we REALLY want to know how we can better serve your interests.

Do you want more articles on specific topics? If so, what is nearest and dearest to your heart? Do you want us to track down experts and put together some kind of online discussion? More images? House stories?

We have some incredibly knowledgeable moderators ... maybe a topic of the week?

Maybe you have technical improvements you'd like to see? We have our own really talented engineer, Jim Canright (Lauren's husband), who will be working on the programming end.

Let us know while we are in the planning stages in the next few weeks.

Best regards,
Rikki & Lauren

Rikki,

It is great to see the willingness to provide whatever is needed to maintain and vitalize this as a forum for discussion and learning. The Arts and Crafts Movement was a very influencial period in our history and the more we can understand it the easier it will be to understand where we came from.

My interest and expertise is in metal and metalworking of the period and those who created it. I look forward to seeing the improvements.

Thanks Fred. I've been reading some the past contributions you've made here on the forum concerning A&C metal work and I am in awe of your knowledge. I have so much to learn. ;-)

Rikki

just a bit surprised that all links to the forum site that was created during the uncertainty of this site.

i think both sites have value. i would think a try at looking at the attributes of both sites would be a good step and trying to let people that are contributing there what the changes are here. what was done there is not a commercial venture, with no one trying to make a profit.

i will watch as each site grows.

Don,

In response to the messages to our readers that they leave this site because it was dead and go to the new forum, we removed those links. We think that the animosity was a little extreme. The site was and still is in transition. Encouraging all readers to go elsewhere was uncalled for.

We understand that not much happened with the site for quite a while and that there was some frustration about it. We want to address those issues and resolve them. We also want to assure you that we are involved and intend to be responsive to the concerns of forum participants.

As for this site being a commercial venture, that is not actually accurate. We need to work to make this site pay for itself so we can add new features, articles, research, and update the software. Because we do this full time we have to be able to pay ourselves enough to continue. It's not like we're going to convert this to some big profit-making machine and sit back to reap huge profits. If it makes a profit, that money will be reinvested in the site and adding more quality content.

We would like to see linking between the two forums from interesting content to interesting content. This isn't a competition, but we do reserve the right to decide what is in the best interests of this site going forward.

Thanks for sticking around.

Lauren & Rikki

Why split off another forum? Isn't one active and fairly run forum the best thing for the community? I don't think both sites have value because I don't see the value in having two sites addressing the same small community.

We should all join together to build this into one strong forum.

Really, the issue is not making a profit. Nobody is going to get rich off of this forum. The issue is bringing in enough money to foster a lasting and stable online community.

I would like to see a discussion with the people trying to launch a competing forum about re-joining this forum and concentrating efforts to build one strong, stable forum that is built to last.

I think you would see a great deal more participation in the forums if you would allow members to post a link to their own websites in their signiture (espeically if they are arts and crafts related). That is how most forums encourage participation and I think it works very well.

Meggie,

I'm glad you brought up the subject of letting people link to their own websites from this one.

There are a few ways that we eek out a little money from this site. We sell a few books, there are some text ads on the website portion (as opposed to the forum portion) and we have a marketplace where we sell link ads from Artisans and Craftsmen and Women from around the world.

The combination of all of those things does not even begin to cover the costs involved in running this site. To keep the lights on and the computers humming we need to keep the forum non commercial. If anyone would like a link to their site-- I don't think that the small fee that we charge is much for the exposure that you get for your business.

Rikki, Jim and I are basically spending our own salaries from our day jobs to buy and write the content and pay for the hosting, and this forum out of love. So even though this site is a giant money pit we are still plugging away. Some people would call us crazy.

We get spammers trying to drop links to their websites here every day as I'm sure you do on your blogs, and we try to discourage that. We've been in the SEO business for a long time and appreciate the sig. link drop as a great spam technique.

We like to encourage participation from the members and allow the ones that have spent some time here and shared some knowledge with the rest of us to link to their own related websites in their profiles. Any member that is logged in can see your website in your profile and take a look at it.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your blogs.

Lauren

Thanks for the reply, Lauren. I appreciate your argument, though I still think allowing signitures would increase activity, and thus produce more revenue for your site.

If you reward your sites' members with exposure, they are more likely to reward you in return with purchases from your bookstore, etc. However, money isn't everything, and I agree that spam is certainly annoying.

Margaret

Good Evening Lauren and Meggie,
I am sure that you all have noticed the link on the bottom under my signature that Carol Camm allowed me the opportunity to have the link to my tutorial web site for folks to learn about woodworking and is in no way a profit making site but, one for teaching.

What I would like to see is a forum directed to help educate the Arts and Crafts Movement to folks who do not know or understand what Arts and Crafts really is. We could use this forum as a learning tool for those who have questions pertaining to the Movement and why it was initiated.

There are several of us who could not only answer their questions abut show pictures and illustrations on how the A&C Movement became a reality.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones

Hi! I'm glad to see that there is a good dialogue going about enhancing this forum. One thing that seems to make forums more interactive is the ongoing dialogue & asking of questions. There is a certain vitality to a forum that runs almost like Instant Messenger--ongoing question & answer, with encouragement, humor & a feeling of really knowing the people you are talking to. Sharing information is great, but if it is done in a formal, almost "tutorial" fashion, people may simply do an internet search rather than connecting with someone on a forum.

I think that's the key, feeling a "connection" to the people who contribute. The tone of a forum can be too formal, and too educational--sometimes we just want to share how much fun it is (and how much work it is) to own & love an old home. We want to know how eachother's projects are going, commiserate about the high heating bill or the family of bats in the attic, share pictures of "eye candy" (other great houses) for inspiration, or find out that we live one town over from someone else on the forum. We want people to miss the forum when it's down, and to want to log on everyday because they know there will be new content all the time.

Just a few thoughts, thanks for the opportunity to share~Anne

Good Morning Anne,
I think maybe you misunderstood my meaning of a tutorial type forum. My intention is not to be a formal aristocrat but just a person who wishes to help those with questions about the movement and the whole concept of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

If for instance we are on the furniture forum and a person would post a question in this manner," what is the difference in Arts and Craft furniture and the furniture we just bought at Wxx Mxxx or any other box store."

"Why is the hand made furniture any different from what we just bought?"

With the ongoing discussion that would ensue, would take away from that particular forum.

Where if we had a Arts and Crafts Question and answer forum it would not be taking up space on the furniture forum.

I hope this explains my thinking on the matter without being argumentative.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones

Thanks, Ralph, sorry I didn't respond sooner. Not an argumentative reply at all ! As I said originally, this forum is where my Aladdin search began so I would love to see it revitalized and more active. I have since traced ownership of the house--just the plot of the land was owned from 1910-1921, then the taxes go up & the house appears in 1921 (could have been there earlier & just not assessed). We are the 4th owners, not the 3rd as I had originally thought. I have been in touch with the PO's daughter who shared some info about changes made to the house. I have also scored two original Aladdin catlogs on eBay--the 1917, which shows my house model, & the 1922.

I am having a great time researching "all things old", & the information on these forums is invaluable. Keep us posted on site updates!

Proud Richmond owner~Anne

Hello Anne,
I am happy that you were able to find out more on your home and you are right it is great when we can come on these forums and conduct valuable information for those who care about there homes and those around the country. When the winter weather is over and my back has healed from my operation I will be out taking pictures of Arts and Crafts homes here in London, Ohio and post them for all to see and enjoy.

I hope you are able to research more on your home. Unfortunately my home is over 150 years old in the first original four rooms but a long way from an Arts and Crafts home. I have done a lot of extensive remodeling to it and more of less have doubled the living space and most of my inside trim is as close as I could get to being as near to the A&C style as I could.

Respectfully,

Ralph