I think we should all remember that
anyone can join TTRAG as long as they take the necessary steps. I do not consider the requirements to be onerous. You must simply demonstrate your continued involvement in the preservation and/or study of historic frames.
Telling a member of the "ox and pulley crowd" (as they are sometimes affectionately referred to) to "get with the program" and buy a computer and join this forum so we can communicate with you....You would probably have better luck just picking up the phone. They're all in the membership directory.
While there may be 2760 registered users of this forum, how many are spiders or bots or spammers or duplicates or one time users who haven't been back or homeowners whose house is complete and have moved on to other hobbies.
Comparing the registered users of an online forum to members of the Timber Framers Guild is a little off-base in my opinion. Lest we forget,
it is the members of the Guild that pay for this forum. It is one of many member services. It just happens to be available to the general public at no cost.
While I am very interested in growing the amount and quality of participation in this forum, let's remember that the Guild is a little bit more than an online chat room. Those who have never attended a meeting or rendezvous will not have the same perspective as those who have, but my initial impulse is to say "get with the program"
Seriously, though, if you can come to the TTRAG conference in Maine in April, do it. or the Western Conference in Oregon in in March. Or the John C Campbell Blacksmith Shop Project in North Carolina in May/June. Or the Rendezvous in Kentucky in July. Or the Eastern Conference in New York in November. Get involved. If you're not a Guild member, join. The next step is to attend a meeting. Then join a committee (they're open to anyone). Get involved .... then you will see the magic.
