How about if we just try to get a feel for how many board members actually DO have permanent storefronts or websites? So that we could get a feel for how much work would actually be involved with managing such a list.

Should we start another thread, just asking members to reply, if they do? We could keep this thread going, for the purpose of trying to figure out how we could determine who qualifies for a listing. Maybe starting with whatever criteria was set up to allow you to make a "for sale" post in the classified section.

What do you think?

Great idea! Just make sure that it is a list type only, and not a chat thread otherwise it is hard to sift thru all the comments to find what you are looking for.

[quote=garysgalGreat idea! Just make sure that it is a list type only, and not a chat thread otherwise it is hard to sift thru all the comments to find what you are looking for.[/quote]

How do you make a list-type thread? I didn't know there were different kinds of forum threads - other than the "sticky" ones that stay at the top.

[quote=Favorite Fabrics]sorry, I meant to make it a thread, but only for the quilt shops etc. It would remain on the list "topic log" or "my watched topics" I think. I think you just start a thread called (for example) list your quilt shop... and let people respond with the name of their shop or service. As far as I can tell, the topics stay there until they are deleted, but I could be wrong. and stipulate that this is only for this purpose, and not for anyone to post a reply unless it is for directions or clarification purposes. Maybe someone else has some suggestions?

That's a great idea!! I'm not savvy when it comes to some of this computer stuff so not a great help with that end. I just get ideas! There's still a problem with individuals that could possibly come on board just for the purpose of advertising though. Stipulations would have to be made as to who could post in that area. Say for example, length of time on board, # of posts and who would then oversee this?

I don't want to put more on Admin. or the moderators as they already have a lot to do. Maybe some techie person has the knowledge as to how something like this could be done. Maybe a filter that would check the date of membership and # of posts, if this is possible or something along those lines, it could be sort of be self-monitoring then. Is this is even possible? I'm going back many years and trying to remember my flowcharting days from school! :lol: :lol: See I told you!

I think if it was self-monitoring then maybe Admin. would agree to this. We'll have to check though.

I've started another thread that I hope will give us an idea of how many of us are merchants.

If you've been following this thread, because you are a seller (of supplies, services, or finished goods), please "stand up and be counted" here:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-51120-1.htm

Hopefully this informal "census" will give us an idea of the amount of work involved in creating a list of members who sell (so that we can support our own community).

Now why didn't I think of that. :roll: This is great helping one another. :thumbup:

I agree, we are more then friends here, it like a family to me and I would hate if it this alter the family atmosphere. :cry:

I really like the idea of what you are trying to accomplish here. I am a longarm quilter and have had my website for several years. I work mainly out of my home, but in todays world that seems to be the best solution for many people. It helps cut down on overhead. I am a fairly new member but have posted alot because I find this board so useful and amazing. The only problem I have encountered is to know when it is time to get off the computer and quilt. I would love to be a part of your merchant/suppliers/services list.

I sincerely hope I won't get in trouble or have offended anyone by doing this but... I thought and thought and thought about this, and I really think that having a list is a good thing for us.

So I've built something for us to *try*, to see how it works. Those people who have commented on this thread (or the other related one) about having business presences, I've created a tiny blog that lists them:

http://quiltingboard.blogspot.com/

I thought that maybe a blog format would work, because it allows for comments (someone had mentioned that a "feedback" feature would be nice). Since I'm wary of unmoderated comments... you can comment but the comments won't show until they've been reviewed. At the moment I'm the reviewer, but I would happily share this task with any moderators or Admin.

At this point, not very many people chimed in that they were interested in being listed, so as maintenance tasks go, this is looking pretty small to me!

Please take a look, and let me know what you think. As I said, it's a first try, and I won't be offended by anything you might say. And again, I hope I haven't stepped on any toes by doing this. It just seems to me that there's quite a bit of interest in supporting each others' endeavors, and we shouldn't let the chance pass by.