It’s been a while since I created our Tool Forum for paid members but hasn’t been something I have focused on to get started properly, let alone advertising it. Last year I posted a topic on ancient hammers in the forum which was very much meant to be a tongue-in-cheek type of post. It was a wasted post that very few people got to see and was one of only a few I posted that year.
Ironically here we are a year later holding a dedicated hammer auction for Tony Dingle. Today, during the auction I started a post for tool collectors to identify what they think will be the highest-priced item in this tool auction. I’m sure with a good-sized audience this would certainly give members something to discuss whilst the auction took place and in the aftermath.
The tool forum’s access is limited to Bronze members and above and is blocked from search engines. The reason for this is to eliminate the temptation of spam coming from online marketing companies that have no interest in the subject. It’s sad but true that the internet is awash with Trolls who have nothing better to do with their time than upsetting innocent people as a warped sense of fun. These types of online users would never pay to enter a forum but likewise, very few people would.
As this website becomes more established paid membership soon becomes apparent when members are regularly paying higher buyer’s premium and want to reduce this charge. The membership effectively pays for itself this way and the forum is free to use as a result.
So yes it’s going to take longer to establish the tool forum but it will have a quality audience who like what we do here. It’s understandable also why people would become free members first before upgrading their accounts.
As the forum becomes more established it will then become self-promoting and will expand through word of mouth.
And as for the post about ancient hammers? well, you would find it hard to believe if you ever saw it.