Where is Everyone?

[Richard Schenk]

I haven't received any SFI postings for over a week. Is it that no one has a comment or is there some problem with the site?

[Will Mathieson]

Same here, seems business is slow.

[william fisher]

COVID 19..... may catch it !!!! chatting here !!! lol lol bill

[james.elstob]

I often wonder whether SFI is impacted by the growth of other sword groups on Facebook. People choosing to post there rather than finding their way here

[Vladimir Sukhomlinov]

Unfortunately, this is a disease of all similar specialized forums.
In order to develop the forum, it is necessary to create many interesting and informative topics so that it would be interesting for the participants to enter the forum, and for this you need to spend time looking for interesting information and then post it, having issued it accordingly.
As I notice, since I am a moderator on one of the similar Russian-language forums, the majority of its participants are passive readers who want to receive information, but not give it.
There are a number of participants on any forum who begin to consider themselves great specialists in a particular field of knowledge on historical melee weapons and consider it above their dignity to answer questions in topics of beginners, believing that once someone has already created similar topics and you need to look for them before asking your questions. And bezotvenny topics always discourage the desire to create some other topics that interest their authors.
Therefore, communication crises always arise.
Of course, you need to add to this the situation in the society of a particular country - this is both an epidemic with COVID-19 and your personal problems, which take time and sometimes the desire to communicate on the subjects of your hobby.
This is my opinion based on personal experience ...

[David R]

It's still January and we are mostly in lockdown... so, no money as still paying for Xmas and no arms fairs.

[Vladimir Sukhomlinov]

Being locked up presupposes the presence of free time, which can be spent on studying certain subjects and creating interesting informative topics on the forum, with useful information, and not just topics for discussing one or another purchased item of the collection.
With best regards, Vladimir.

[william fisher]

also with this lock down they cancelled gun shows which also had vintage swords and other items like old bayonets and etc i have picked up vintage jap swords and german ones from them ...bill even old firearms

[Dale Martin]

Guys: No lock down here in Alabama, so the gun shows are still going on. Swords have been few here lately, but I have found a lot of Japanese WW 2 weapons and bayonets, along with a Gew 41 (W)...

[Glen C.]

By and large, we are all here at one time or another during a given day. The great dilution of participation is apparent by the number of groups. The facebook groups are frustrating at times but quite searchable In a way, they are much like the old mailing lists and first bulletin boards leading to usenet.

SFI continues to be at the head of my bookmark folder of forum links. It's much like still checking activity on those old usenet groups first before checking out the more populated.

Cheers
GC

[Greg Nehring]

Hi all, my biggest issue is trying to get the pics off my phone onto my hard drive so that I can post them here. My problem is my work flow and the only way around that is self simplify it. The FB app is decent for posting pics but is really lacking in quality information. So many want to post what they have, few want to KNOW ABOUT what they have.

Greg

[Will Mathieson]

Greg with an iPhone to transfer photos you just take the pic, choose the box with up arrow then choose airdrop and being near your computer the photo is now in your downloads.