Forums' Future ?
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The fact the John spoke to Mike directly (on the phone) about this, almost as soon as it went public, speaks volumes to me about SketchUcations value to the dev team... I would assume that there will be nothing done to endanger this place, and there may even be some semi-official aspect going forward.
Best,
Jason. -
This is a great forum. It would be a shame if it died or became subject to external "influence". At least being independent we can say what we think without fear of censorship and hopefully the new "owners" appreciate the positive contributions on this forum that help make SU so popular and guidance provided to the developers through the wishlists etc.
I personally felt quite isolated by the Google forums and it was a great relief to discover this place.
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Yes, this place needs to just carry on as usual. I mean, what if the blushing bride decides to get another divorce some time in the future?
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I agree, we should stay independent and a voice of the users and not the owners. We can be objective without restriction. Trimble can pay for advertising which will help fund this forum.
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"Trimble can pay for advertising which will help fund this forum."
Excellent idea!
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@solo said:
I agree, we should stay independent and a voice of the users and not the owners. We can be objective without restriction. Trimble can pay for advertising which will help fund this forum.
Would this forum still be considered independent if we were funding it?
john
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I agree! I never made the switch to the Google groups. SCF is my home away from home. I come here for support from the people I know and respect who are as addicted to SU as I am.
Long Live SCF....Hurah!
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@unknownuser said:
Would this forum still be considered independent if we were funding it?
Probably not. But a few click through Trimble banner ads wouldn't hurt any ...
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@jbacus said:
@solo said:
I agree, we should stay independent and a voice of the users and not the owners. We can be objective without restriction. Trimble can pay for advertising which will help fund this forum.
Would this forum still be considered independent if we were funding it?
john
.Not funding it, like all other advertisers, Trimble does not get a free ride, no representation without taxation.
But who am I to even talk, I'm just a moderator that gets to ban spammers, split topics, moderate (but there I'm just as bad as I go off on a tangent in the corner bar myself)
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Indeed. This forum is far more than just a "forum". It is a hub. It's a repository of supercharged techniques, upgrades and modifications to take sketchup from a basic, border line mediocre tool and turn it into a tailor made heavyweight contender. So much so that Sketchup users can be divided into two groups, those who SCF and those who don't. This forum is home to free thinkers, artists and altruists. A place where national borders melt away and common ground is found in the shared desired to be creative. I hope this place stays exactly as it is. Independent and largely uncensored.
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This forum, for me, is more than a community it is like a "community college". A place to learn and discuss and give support to those needing it and to those who provide it.
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To John Baccus:
Not fund but willing donate $ and knowledge and buy advertising as some members here do:
Mike and his associates can make the decisions to accept donations which they feel would jeopardize independence.
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oh.. and we should also still be able to talk about money,politics, religion and other thing we don't know much about yet have strong opinions towards.. when we get bored.
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This forum and it's contributors really help the sketchup experience it cannot be over emphasized. I am staying put regardless, together we are an organized force to be reckoned with ! Trimble be careful we are legion.
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It's nice to have an excuse to say what is obvious to all users here about the virtues of this place, and I'm grateful you have done it so nicely that I don't have to tax my brain to do so.
I'll just thank you all as well cause you are it and it is you, and ever the twain shall meet.
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@jbacus said:
@solo said:
I agree, we should stay independent and a voice of the users and not the owners. We can be objective without restriction. Trimble can pay for advertising which will help fund this forum.
Would this forum still be considered independent if we were funding it?
john
.Independent in terms of running it? Or Independent in terms of economy?
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@unknownuser said:
I've been on some other software forum where the mere mention of a competitor product had people up in arms.
as in, if I said something like "modo can do this faster" on scf (if scf were similar to the other forums) then everybody would jump on my case and possibly delete my comment.
as long as it doesn't go to that extreme then I think it would be great to have you all funding it.
expanding a little more on what i said above…
scf, as it is now, is generally an open forum.. you can pretty much talk about anything you like which makes it a place where members are more likely to openly and freely share information..
if the ax dropped and we're only supposed to talk about sketchup and/or other trimble products then all of a sudden, the major contributors become, first&foremost, trimble's advertisers (unpaid ones at that)..
in that regard, the whole thing takes on too much of a corporate vibe and less of a forum and/or community.. I think you may alienate many of the top posters or definitely put a damper on what they're willing to contribute..
(but even if that is the direction these forums go in and you do in fact lose some current members, i'm sure others will come in to fill the void so… whatever i guess..)
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If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
When Google "re-crafted" the original SU forum I just
and left. Some (short) time after I found SCF and never looked back. The very few times I revisited Googles SU forum I have always been disappointed with the answers, especially from Google's staff.Never here.
Yes, SCF can withstand some tweaks, and many have been discussed in other threads, such as having a dedicated thread section devoted to only major plugins, so we don't have to hunt for that forum when we need help.
(yeah... that was mine
)And I think the level of advertising is just enough to be noticed, but not intrusive,
unlike most other boards I've been to. -
@jgb said:
And I think the level of advertising is just enough to be noticed, but not intrusive,
unlike most other boards I've been to.well, there's a major paradigm shift that occurs when the corp that owns the product also owns the forums.. the whole entire board becomes the advertisement and everything you say (more/less) represents said company.. so if i'm in a negative nancy mood (and i guess i'm on the borderline of such a mood right now
) then my posts risk deletion simply because it may be painting the corporation in a bad light..i get it, corporations are what make the world go round these days.. the general population are/provide the bottom line.. but i think more corporations need to remember that we're more than just numbers.. we're humans.. and we do human things.. and we think like humans think etc… so cater to that.
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I certainly hope that the "Trembles" look closely at these forums and realise it's a resource they haven't even paid for that by default comes with the purchase deal and in that way see the "TRUE" value of the asset they have acquired and plan a line of least disturbance!
The PushPullBar started in some way similar to the SCF - as a breakaway from the original @last forums way back to develop on the "design aspects" not so much on the techniques and process of modeling with SU. Yet the emphisis is still much on SU as the tool of choice for deriving concept! If in the unfortunate case of change a similar morphing may be a consideration I guess!
I certainly wouldn't at this stage have any vision for this but I'm certain the community has the strength to support change should it become necessary!
My gut feeling though is SU will survive and all the hoo har is just venting!
Re funding from the "Trembles" - for me this is probably of more concern, financial support or advertising that may put off balance the "unbiased" nature of the forums. I was made aware recently that to some degree this already occurs within the forums where discussion on non contributing (advertising) applications is squashed or frowned upon. If Trimble become a major contributor given this direction - can the forums maintain this "discuss all" direction without the issue developing to full censorship??
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