Denver Chapter of The Letterheads funds the site again!

[Mike Jackson]

Hi All,
The Denver Chapter of the Letterheads paid for last year's main site fees and a couple of people helped pay for the fees for this new Forum. This year, the group funded the entire costs. If you bump into Kent Smith or Joe Broxterman anytime this year, be sure to thank them for their help in getting the check approved!

October has traditionally been the renewal time. That was when their first check arrived a couple of years ago. I think I am going to change it to Jan. 1 to make it easier to keep track. I didn't ask for the funds this October because of the lack of traffic and posts on the Forum. I wasn't sure the expense was worth it....but the forum goes through spurts of heavy activity and also lags.

This site is actually made up of two parts. The main site is http://www.theletterheads.com and the Forum is on https://handletteringforum.com. When we first considered the site, I set it up on my local server. It had about 10 very simple pages. We considered the site as a "placeholder" for something good that might happen later. The 10 pages were about 30k each, plus a few small images, so the entire site took up less than a meg on the alloted 100 meg space. It has now grown to 75 megs, with quite a few feature pages and photos. As of the first of the year, the size limit on the server jumped up to 500 megs, so we now have a little more elbow room for the future.

On a side note, you would be surprised how many emails I get each week wanting me to tell them about smalts, sandblasting, gilding, size, glue, ink, and so forth. I try to answer some when I can, but I always give them the links to this site. Frustratingly, very few of them actually come here and register to ask the question. I don't understand it. This resource is here, and free to use, but many won't take the time or invest the minimal energy it takes to use it.

Thanks again to the Denver Chapter!

Mike Jackson, co-host

[Raymond Chapman]

Thanks to the Denver chapter for footing the bill....and thanks to Mike for keeping everything running smoothly, and adding his knowledge to the site. It's a gold mine.

[Catharine C. Kennedy]

I second that! This is a fabulous site with information not found anywhere else (or as readily!)- many thanks!

[Jack Lowry]

Well folks I've only been signed up a few days, I'm still navigating around learning the site.

I haven't made a post tell now, but hope I can become a worthy member.

Keep up the good work.

Jack

[Robin Sharrard]

To all those who contribute to this great site, through funding, information and picture posting, as well as those who simply post a reply once in a while...THANK YOU!

There is a great deal to be learned from the information and photos contained here, but I think some folks are hesitant to register on web sites in light of all the personal information theft that is taking place through-out the internet. Don't know how to over come this other than trying to re-ashure people that there personal information is safe and won't be part of a data list sold to spammers. I know the information that is required to register is ver minimal, but its still an issue with some folks just entering their name.

I know that this site was talked about at the very first meet that I attended at Ron Percell's in Petaluma, CA and realy provided an avenue for further learning, but it was verbal information and had I not written it down, I may not have remembered it. Perhaps an electronic flyer could be made up and e-mailed to meet sponsors that could be printed out on location and given to new comers that are just getting started...Robin

[Mike Jackson]

Hi Robin,
You are correct. I do not make the member list of emails available. Actually, I don't have them in a list form. The software has a feature that will allow me to send a mass email to all subscribers, but I don't think I have used the feature but once. Outsiders have to register as a member and then manually click on each member to have a chance to get an email address. That is a lot of work, so I doubt many data miners would want to make the effort.

The registration doesn't really ask or require much information. The email address is necessary, mainly to give you a method of updating or changing passwords and so forth. I prefer it when people register using their own name, vs a nickname, but we really haven't required it. Even within the administration utility, I never actually know a person's password, though I have the capability of changing it if necessary.

I believe we have a generous supply of "lurkers" or "readers" that never post. That's fine! To post a question or reply, they would have to register.

I don't have the resources in time and money to create a bunch of flyers, but if someone else wants to create some, it sounds like a good idea to me, too. I see all those 5x7 full color postcard specials all the time. Might be an option.

Ultimately, this site isn't driven to get big hits and big numbers to impress advertisers like many sites. With the funding aid of the Denver group, we are generally free to post here on an "as needed" basis, whether we have 200 members or 2000. Smaller numbers isn't necessarily bad in this scenario. From a personal point of view, I enjoy coming to the board and seeing all th new posts by all the readers (without me having to initiate conversation). As I have pointed out over and over in the past, all of us have small tidbits of information stored up that many might consider "common knowledge", but not necessarily known to all the newcomers.

Happy reading,
Mike Jackson - co-host

[Sarah King]

I read the site most days because it's a rational and civilized conversation on a fascinating subject - no screaming and shouting - just listening to craftsmen talk. Thanks Denver - and thank you, Mike, for the tone as well as the content.