Featured Photos

[james wilhelm]

Don,t know if this should go to the Kreg rep. , the site or the Kreg company it self !!!!  I for one think that it is time you add some new photos to the featured page photo,s !!!  This could be changed weekly, as we have been looking at the same one,s from a few members  for week,s !! There is room to put on 100 photo,s on the slide show  and there has been a lot of very nice project,s posted  and only a few get there project,s featured , think the site should treat all members the same , as they are all proud of what they have built, big or small, beginners  , advanced or have there own little site, they are all future customers and members of this site !!! If any one else feels the same please add your post,s or comments!!! We are all wood workers and enjoy showing our project,s  an should get credit for them , thanks for your time , JIM !!!!

[Troy]

Amen Michael! :)

michael evans said:

Power to woodworkers Jim ,at all skill levels .

[Jay Boutwell]

Well it is about time that the supposed "Ning" got on the stick and changed out the slide show photos.  That is one of the things that was wrong with the site.  Some of the photos that were on there had been on there since before Thanksgiving of last year and had more that worn out their welcome.

  Within the last 24 hours  I see that there is new photos being displayed on there of which should have been done months ago. 

I see some that are recent posts and had this happened long ago I am sure that many of the new members would have seen their photos on the slideshow and there would have been many more that would have had the opportunity to have had their photos shown rather that appearing on the post for just a few hours and then long forgotten. 

I am in total agreement with Jim about the way the projects were being handled as there were projects done by a few that got their project displayed.  Countless others seemed to have had projects that they posted and were more or less ignored.  Many of these were outstanding in appearance and quality. The important thing here is that It does not matter how good a project is or the skill level of the builder they should all have the same opportunity to have their projects shown in the slide show as well as the featured photos.  It gives everyone a feeling of belonging when their projects are shown.  

To my knowledge that is less than 10 active old members left here as the others left the site and no longer are active.  I have said this before, the reason is what is mentioned above, I know this to be true because I have inquired of them as to why they do not appear here anymore. It all comes down to a sense of " belonging and feeling equal to everyone else."  

Hopefully this is a beginning of a change back to what the old site was all about, sharing information and projects and being a group who had one thing in common, building with wood and showing others what the kreg jig could do.  It changed into a site where there was a lot of questions and few answers.  A site where it became an advertisement center for others to sell their web sites and taking more from this site that they gave in return.  An example is posting their product and when inquiry of questions about it you got nothing and if you made a nice comment you got no acknowledgement.  So what is the point? 

It used to be about Kreg Tools and how to use them.  That even changed as very little is done anymore within the membership, to promote the kreg tool business.    

The answer lies within how the community works together and what it does to keep the membership active and not just a number where there is only a fraction of a number who are active.

[james wilhelm]

Jay , also agree with what you wrote  and hope that the old members do come back and get this site back to where it used to be and for what it was started for , wood workers working together and giving others Ideas  and comments on the projects that they have built !! need to get away from the ones that use the site just to advertise their own little sites and don,t really care about the site !!  I have been trying to get these changes made for over a month now , and today It did happen  and all the photos on the slide were changed  and more are being added , hope this keeps up  and the wood workers that made this site good , get it back !!!  And yes many have been Ignored  on their posts and It has been long over due that ALL  the member are treated the same , and yes we do need more things posted about the kreg  tools , that is what it is all about

[Jay Boutwell]

Jim, not to likely to see them return as too much water under the bridge and nothing was ever done to entice them to return.   There is too much denial and to see everyone you began with this site leaving is a little hard.  They talk about all their membership numbers but what does numbers do when all you really have is the ones who visit this site.

[michael evans]

We should be like the Musketeer's Jay and Jim , all for one one for all . Everyone should get regonition when it's deserved whether its praise from other members or the displaying of their photo's or both . Jay guess I am a old member now do you think ?

[Jay Boutwell]

Well Michael I would consider you one of the 10  older staying members here as you remain active and that is what this site is about.  What I was  talking about when I referred to the old members is the ones who initially joined when this site was formed and remained very active and contributed much to build and get this site up and going and then changes began and they began walking away making their appearance less and less and finally disappeared.  Most I have not seen here is better than 2 years.  That is way it is important to recognize
 every one who appears here asking a question or giving advise and or posting a project.  They are being an active member. 

What I have seen and talked about in the past is the display of projects where only a few ever get posted long enough to even be seen by all the members who open this site.  Not everyone can be expected to be here each and every day but I believe most are here at least once or twice every month.  What I have seen that is sad is that a new member posts their project and it appears on the main page and soon is gone from view and never  got the opportunity to grace the spot where it was seen in the features page and or the slide show.  That slide show was something that has been wrong for a long time now as it had showing 100 photos of which ran in a continuous rotation.  It received a very few photo changes and they were always photos from the same members that always got placed in the featured page.  For several months it contained some photos of which had been ran there since before Thanksgiving of last year.  Think how many of the projects that could have been displayed had it changed out on a regular basis.  I think most anyone who posted a photo would have seen their project displayed at one time or another on that slide show.  Like I say there are many who have posted a project here only to have it displayed just like a postage stamp.  You lick it,stick it on the envelope and drop in in the mail box and it is very doubtful that you will ever see it again.

What is sad here is that very few ever speak up about things like this, It is easier to just ignore it and either keep trying and or walk away. They fail to remember that this is their woodworking site too and not just a few. 
michael evans said:

We should be like the Musketeer's Jay and Jim , all for one one for all . Everyone should get regonition when it's deserved whether its praise from other members or the displaying of their photo's or both . Jay guess I am a old member now do you think ?

[Anthony DeCesare]

I am not sure when I joined this site but have found other projects and photos inspiring and enjoy looking at what others build.

Jim, comments often when a new project or photo is put up and that is totally appreciated. I started out as a beginner (always something to learn of course) and have found the Kreg Jig extremely useful from building children's beds to just plain connections for a stronger joint.

I really enjoy this site and have had a couple of my projects featured -I think that it is important to take photos and put them in the projects section as well - some people only add photos (probably because its easier to upload a photo and then then disapear for months)

We are all here to help each other, to motivate, to inspire, and to have a comradery for what we like to do

I hope everyone has an awesome day and lets build something ha

[KregRep]

Hi Everyone. Thanks, as always, for the lively discussion. Sorry it took a couple of days to respond.

 

The Kreg Owners' Community was established with the mission of being a place where the owners of any Kreg tools could find like-minded people, share what they create, ask questions, etc. It was never intended to be a place just for woodworkers, just for DIYers , just for amateurs, just for pros. As such, we welcome all who come with good intentions to share, learn, and teach. If you take pride in building--whether it's a simple box or a Queen Ann highboy--you are welcome to share it here. We applaud your efforts.

Sometimes, we do "feature" projects and photos. When we do that, we try to find projects from a variety of builders at a variety of skill levels. Looking at "features" this year, we have many members represented. These items show up in the "featured" line. We also have the slide show, which we can set to show either "featured," "most recent," or "most popular." From there, the Ning platform (the Community host platform) takes control of how the slideshow is put together. Recently, the slideshow was set to "featured." I didn't realize that. It has been reset to "most recent," which is why you've seen other photos appearing.

When we feature projects and photos, we look at the project or photo, not who created it. If we think members will find it interesting, we may feature it. If you post something that doesn't get featured, though, please don't take offense. It's not because we don't like it or think others may find it interesting. Many of you write, message, or call us and ask about how to find plans for something you saw here. So, we do like to feature things that have in-process photos or a link to plans. But we feature lots of things that don't, too. We'll constantly evaluate our "features."

We welcome members of all skill levels and with varied interests in building, whether you consider yourself a "woodworker, a "do-it-yourselfer," or just someone who builds (or wants to). We know that some of you have every tool at your disposal and a great deal of experience. We know others are just starting out with your tools and skills. Lots of members fall in the vast area in between. That means some members can create anything they can imagine right in their own shop. For other members, creating everything in the shop isn't practical or possible. Either way is great with us, and should be great with anyone who wants to be a part of the Kreg Owners' Community. There's nothing wrong with doing everything from scratch, and there's nothing wrong with purchasing hardware, legs, plywood or other things that aren't practical or possible for you to create, and then turning those items into something you can take pride in.

The Kreg Community will remain a place that welcomes people who like to build, and that enjoy their hobby/craft/profession, whatever "building" is to them. We will always welcome those who make it what a Community is: a group of people who share a common interest.

Enjoy your weekend. If you get to spend some time building, create what you want, and be proud of your efforts! We are.

KregRep

[james wilhelm]

Anthony,  thanks for the comment,s on the discussion , we need more members to also give their opinion  and speak up to keep this site  good for all wood workers not just a select few , have a good day and happy wood working , JIM !!!

[michael evans]

Totally agree Jay , with your comments you and James are pillars of this community and it is very good if we all sing from the same hymn sheet so to speak .Go steady Mick!!

[Jay Boutwell]

Hi Anthony, Thank you for your comments as you have raised some good points. You are right many only post a photo and you do not see them again for a while.  Although it would be beneficial if they would post something about their project and more that just a couple photos.  A description of it's build to draw some attention to their project.  I know that if there is a description or even detailed photos of the project, that I take special note of how it is built   Even though I have been woodworking for better than a quarter of a century I not only appreciate the creation, I still gain knowledge from looking at the projects others create.   Could this possible be because they do not see the need of describing their project due to the time it takes or it because they have returned to the site expecting to see it displayed only to see nothing there.  I believe it is more of the latter as I have a hard time believing that someone would post a photo and just disappear without returning to see what others have said or thought about it.   That is not human nature, as why would they post it and not care about what others think about it.

I have many times talked about the need of saying more that one or two words when making a comment about a project.  The comments such as "Like. Nice, and such"  do little to inspire a woodworker about his creation.  What does inspire them is for comments that tell them what it is that they like about the project, Is it the color or the design or is a question about how it was built.  This will bring about interaction between the community members and the person posting their project. 

I guess what is frustrating to many who never see their projects viewed on what is known as the "featured" page is that I have time after time seen projects posted that are far better and or interesting than some that always seem to be put on the "featured" page.  To be honest everyone's project is important and to them it is something that they have created and in their mind just as good and equaled to the award winning piece of furniture.  It is something that they have toiled hard over thinking and planning and constructing and most likely at the top of their skill level.  The level of skill is different with everyone and the learning span is different however the fact is that they do have the same rights as the best builder on in the community and therefore should have their projects displayed equally.   This had not happened  in many months.  

When this organization first began there was the "featured" page and what went on the feature page was projects of which were something very unique that drew a lot of attention.  It was things like projects that took many months to complete and involved some very detailed and complicated woodworking.  These projects also had detailed photography showing the phase of the construction.  These were placed on the Featured page and was there as a sample of what can be done and built inspiration within the members.  The remainder of the posted projects were placed on the main page and in the photo pages for everyone to view. 

There was none of this where certain members got every project or the majority of their projects put on a featured page and especially when others had projects of as good of quality remained posted on the main page.

In my opinion it would be better to dump the featured pages off of this community and that way everyone's project would be posted and treated the same way.  There would be no reason for anyone to feel superior or less superior  in their  talents and craftsmanship.  It would remain a teaching and sharing program rather than something where there is a double standard.  I say Double standard" here as I do not know any other words to describe how projects are divided in to what is one class  from another.  Who determines this anyway, It is where it is determined by how many comments it gets and or how many views it gets?  I guess my question is what do we even have a "featured page" as it seems to be hard enough to get comments made on any project that is posted .

The slide show, like I said in my last post, has been a problem for months now and remained in what the Rep states was a "Featured" mode,  Well for months it changed a very few photos and kept some there for many months and some that I know were before Thanksgiving .  

Anthony I am glad that you have voiced your opinion as that is an indication that you do care about this site.   Thank you for taking time to comment.
 
Anthony DeCesare said:

I am not sure when I joined this site but have found other projects and photos inspiring and enjoy looking at what others build.

Jim, comments often when a new project or photo is put up and that is totally appreciated. I started out as a beginner (always something to learn of course) and have found the Kreg Jig extremely useful from building children's beds to just plain connections for a stronger joint.

I really enjoy this site and have had a couple of my projects featured -I think that it is important to take photos and put them in the projects section as well - some people only add photos (probably because its easier to upload a photo and then then disapear for months)

We are all here to help each other, to motivate, to inspire, and to have a comradery for what we like to do

I hope everyone has an awesome day and lets build something ha

[Anthony DeCesare]

Jim your response is well thought out and you make many valid points

In particular I would like to believe that what we post is at our best skill level (which certainly is different for everyone) and I'm sure we all take pride in our work.

Each and every project is important and serves a purpose or I don't think we would just be making something (well unless we are in creative modes haha)

And we must always keep on consideration that although someone may be able to make dovetail joints or mortise and tenon...that for certain projects pocket holes are just fine so I guess it is hard to use dodgers soon for a featured project/photo

I just like this site and also like to see what others created and look at it from different perspectives because it enables me to learn more or think about things "from a different angle"