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Permalink Reply by Michael D. on July 29, 2016 at 13:10

The few times I've tried to engage when someone posts a picture (specifically just a picture) I got "I don't know" or no response at all.

But I will make a concerted effort, from now on, to engage more often in the best manner I know how to.

D ale - thanks for the insight.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Scheuerman (Manx) on July 29, 2016 at 13:25

Now...don't get me wrong...I love this site and the folks here. It wasn't a gripe or complaint, I was just stating a fact. :-) I was mainly pointing out that there is very little discussion (comparatively speaking) regarding new styles, steels and companies. That makes it harder for us to attract the next generation of collectors. Engaging new members is very important, but having information that attracts newer collectors is important as well. New releases, company info and history, up and coming makers or collaborations...this would go a long way in attracting folks as well. This would also allow the folks here to get acquainted with the newer stuff. Just throwing out some ideas...

Jan Carter said:

Manx,

Never under estimate your value to this or any community!  This is exactly why I said WE need to reach out more

All styles have their purposes, strengths and weaknesses. And all collectors and users matter. Elitism is just as harmful here as it is in any other walk of life. Let's all take steps to show that all knives matter!

Whether Colt lives on or not, iKC will always have this passion for all knives and their owners

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Permalink Reply by John Bamford on July 29, 2016 at 21:36

Just a brief view on welcoming new members . When I stumbled across iKC and was checking out the site I had been on 2/3 other forums which mostly looked the same and behaved pretty much the same in ignoring a new guy . It appeared to me then that if you weren't in the in crowd and knew little and didn't have a large collection to show off then you were of no interest . Rightly or wrongly this was the feeling I picked up from the other forums and Facebook groups that I saw at the time , and it feels about the same now on the rare occasions that I venture there .

iKc felt different and looked different and I hung around because  I was trying to understand just why it wasn't the same as other forums . At the time I didn't see it as better or worse just why isn't it set out the way the others are so I was rooting around trying to make sense of it all .

 I hung around just long enough to notice a different atmosphere , a lack of people bitching and fighting the way they liked to do in some other places . Then there were a few friendly comments from other members , not too many just a couple but just enough to make it appear homely . I like that anyone can write something without being worried that the moderators will be jumping all over them for putting the comment in the wrong place or putting a picture of a knife with a thumb stud alongside a traditional .

The values that appeal to me are perhaps not the things that a lot of people are seeking when they arrive here for the first time . If they do not stay around long enough to appreciate the things that make iKC different then I guess that is a shame but people are busy and the internet is so awful big you can lose yourself for days just wandering around.

How to attract the next generation of knife collectors I don't know but I hope it doesn't involve losing the uniqueness that makes iKC special .

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 30, 2016 at 15:52

John,

Never fear !  I came to iKC as most of you did.  I was the misfit in the room on the other forums.  Regardless of whether I knew something or not...don't talk to the girl!

I have iKC because NEVER did I feel that here.  I have no illusions, we will never be the size of some of those forums.  Every bit of growth we have had, in 7 years, has come from discussions along the lines of this one.  Members of the iKC family, sitting around a rather odd table talking about the future.

I have never wanted the business of iKC to over take the heart of iKC.  What we are not willing to give up is foreign to most of them.

No matter how big we get the Welcome Home sign will always be out front, the lights will always be on and there will always be a cup of coffee at JJ's diner waiting for you.  There is room at the table for the whole family as long as they can play nice :)

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Permalink Reply by Michael D. on July 30, 2016 at 17:38

Yeah I gotta visit JJs. I don't ever believe I went there. Shame on me!

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 30, 2016 at 23:39

I am of the opinion that "round table" discussions of this sort are of the utmost importance.

!! .  Extremely valuable . !!

EVERYONE here brings something of importance. A personal view that provides insight to others. I .. quite literally .. live in my own little world .. which places "blinders" on me. Aspects of collecting .. important aspects to growing this community .. lie outside of my limited view because of these blinders.

In my professional life .. I'd get too close to the problem @ hand .. and found value in discussing the issue @ hand with another member of staff that was NOT involved with the project. AND .. that member would almost always bring some aspect to light that I had completely failed to consider. It always seemed so obvious .. once pointed out ..but.. I had the blinders on .. I'd gotten so close to the problem @ hand that I was concentrating on a very specific aspect with a more & more limited view .. failing to see the "big picture". Often .. the solution was right there .. just ever so slightly outside of my limited view.

I heartily encourage everyone involved to throw out ideas .. no matter how self evident they may seem to you .. there are others who may not even have considered them. So please .. for the sake of growing this community we all value .. do speak up.

!!! .. EVERYONE has something of value to contribute .. !!!

D ale

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 31, 2016 at 2:10

Michael .. I apologize .. after reading the entire chain of posts .. I got the names of who posted what mixed up.

.
.. correctly stated ..

.

Michael D. is absolutely correct in pointing out that the details of my post contain nothing of interest to the vast majority of the younger & newer folks we need to engage to actively grow the membership of this community. I may as well have been posting the weather report in a foreign language for any interest it might spur in most of the younger collectors.

.

It was Steve that brought to light  .. it was my elitism that generated the content of my post ..&.. that is not good. Not for the community, it is not. Steve brought up another point .. something I think we should all recall .. the time when 25~30 knives were our entire collection. We need to recall what pride we had in those 25~30 knives .. what sacrifices we'd made to accumulate those 25~30 knives ..&.. what a large collection of knives that was to us @ that stage of our collecting.

.

Anyway .. time for bed for me. I like what we are doing here. Please .. do keep in mind,

.

!!! .. EVERYONE's contribution to this conversation is valuable .. !!!

D ale said:

Steve is absolutely correct that little or no one attaches significance to the content of what I posted.

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on July 31, 2016 at 13:08

You know, Dale, as soon as we realize that quantity alone cannot define a collection. Neither can quality.

Back before I began "collecting", I had an accumulation that I was extremely proud of. These came from various places that we had been, and fit no particular style.

We need to realize that folks with only a few Frost Cutlery knives may be just as proud as someone with a full collection of every CASE knife, in their chosen pattern.

Last year, on vacation, we met a young boy that told me that he had a collection of knives. He had most of them with him, mostly $5.00 & $10.00 gift shop assisted openers. We talked for several hours about his knives, oohing and ahhing over each one. His parents weren't collectors, so the collecting gene wasn't natural to him.
When they left, I think he was happy to have found someone else to be able to talk knives with.
It's very important not to judge, but be supportive of fellow collectors. My conversations with you have somewhat changed my opinions on the safety of buttonlocks and leverlocks. Your gifts to Kaylin have helped broaden the range of her collection.

We may not ever be able to fully engage those who join iKC in order to find information on/value of a knife/knives they have, it's still important that we do the best we can to fill their needs while they're here. If, while they ARE here, we create additional interest, do much the better.

(Soapbox is now free...)

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Permalink Reply by Steve Scheuerman (Manx) on July 31, 2016 at 13:41

Having sold knives now for a while, and talking to so many people, I fully agree with JJ. Some folks have collections of 6 knives and are proud as punch of their Frost and MTech knives. Talking with them forced me to realise that I had to start somewhere too. I recall being inordinately proud of my United Cutlery Double Shadow. TWO blades! Chain wrapped handle! Wow! I have 2 of them now on my shelves to remind me where I came from. And yes...it is hard not to roll your eyes when someone tells you of the collection they bought at an incredible price on TV for $99.95. But hey. We only know about the quality because we started small and stuck with it. Constantly learning and revising our opinions and wants as we gained more knowledge. The harm that is done by ignoring someone's pride and joy, or flat out ridiculing their choices is immense. For many, it is enough to drive them from the hobby and the community. We are ambassadors for our hobby and we should think about how we come across to others. If we want our community to flourish, we have to be the Welcome Wagon and show support for everyone who is serious about their hobby, regardless of what we think of their choices. It may be a new generation of collectors, but we help shape it, for better of for worse, by how we interact with them.

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on July 31, 2016 at 15:16

"The harm that is done by ignoring someone's pride and joy, or flat out ridiculing their choices is immense."

Ahem...

I seem to recall someone saying that the Wharncliffe blade was one of the ugliest things on earth.

 

But they do make great carvin'/whittlin' knives.  ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Steve Scheuerman (Manx) on July 31, 2016 at 15:24

LOL...okay. Got me there...but in my defence, that was an opinion on blade patterns, not on someone's collection efforts. ;;-)

Gee...I hate it when people pay attention sometimes...LOL.

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on July 31, 2016 at 15:34

I like Barlows, too.

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