Hi all,
Who wants to set up a time or schedule for the chat room on the forum page. This is only accessible to members, if you are not already a member you can join for free and participate in the chat sessions.

I see many posts in the chat room and members are missing people that they may want to chat with. Remember that our membership is from all over and different time zones. 7pm pacific time is 10pm eastern time. Lets start using the chat room and have some fun.

Suggest times and days.

I think that Sunday is a good day 7pm pacific and 10pm eastern time. Lets try Wednesday same time. What do you think.

Feedback please.

I've used a few cutlery chatrooms and other 'social media' under the idea of real-time communication, and frankly the entire idea baffles me.

If I find a bucket of aircraft quality fasteners at low prices, and they fit a garbage wagon, I'll pick up the telephone and tell BI63 I scored them. But a real-time chat or a tweet about what cereal I had last night isn't worth the wasted effort to me.

I couldn't sleep last night, so about 2:00AM while the wife slept, I cleaned the house and did the laundry. Oh, I suppose I could have found some knife chat somewhere, but the 'value' idea confuses me.

If we chat, what's the goal as it applies to HRF? Planning summer events, insulting each other, wasting an hour?

It is just another venue for our members to communicate on a causal basis. It also gives world wide membership an opportunity to meet other members from different area's. As I have stated I see some members that have posted in the chatroom looking for someone to communicate with. I do prefer that members post if they are looking for specific information because this archives the information for others to use.

A specific time that people can meet would put people into the chatroom at the same time so members could enjoy this feature of the forum.

Oh, I get that. My position is that we already have too many ways to communicate. What most of us really need is solitude.

We had to pass a law here in Wisconsin to keep idiots from texting in traffic. I had to get a bozo off of a machine at the gym because he was using it as a 'desk,' also texting. My wife sits on the telephone all night long sometimes--telling the same story over and over again to friends and family.

Now, this is America, you have a perfect right to use your freedoms to the max. Personally, I have too many hobbies and time-wasters. I'm here now only because it snowed again.

For a while this morning I sat by the fireplace and read a Japanese historical fiction biography. I've been taking a few Sundays off from the gym to get away from sharpening, and doing any business. When I sign off here shortly, I might take a noon nap, no kidding.

I don't think we have to be connected 24/7.

HM,
would have loved to be here but it was 85 in the shade today and by the time I put everything away it was well after 9pm here on the west coast... maybe next week.
The chat room is a great feature especially for those from around the world to get some instant feedback and exchange ideas. Not every one is a phone person.

HeadMaster, over coffee this morning I scrolled down to see how last night's chat turned out. The fact is that it didn't. Like anything else, this concept is a matter of marketing, and for a group like HRF, that's going to be a tough sell. If anything is to gel it's going to be over a very long time.

First off, when I first found out about the chat feature I surmised that it was just another great feature of forums. Then I started hanging out in one. Now I'm convinced our demographic is wrong for many reasons. Let me explain.

While winter time is clearly a season where we're looking for something to do, staring into a blank computer screen waiting for a guy in Peoria to thrill you with another leg-wetting chapter on oil leaks ain't very stimulating. It's the nature of motorcycles, they're kinetic. I've found that really active chatrooms revolve around hobbies like stamp, coin and knife collecting.

Then the summer rolls around. We ride. We stay out late. When we finally stop riding we might gather in someone's garage and discuss Harvey's hilarious near high-side, not Melvin's 'feelings.' This is why a thread is a better venue. You can post, go riding, even shut the computer off for the weekend and sign on any time you wish.

One of marketing's greatest victories was in packaging useless items you didn't know you needed and then rousing you into waiting in long lines to buy them. I just saw a TV advertisement for "eye vitamins," no kidding. And the hard sell here is to make bikers think it's somehow more fun to get off their bikes and wait for someone to type faster.

Nothing formal was set up. It doesn't matter that the chat feature is used or not this does not bother me. This is a feature in the website that is for "you" the members of the forum. New members might not ever know about it. It is just another fun thing that was added.

This is still an open post if you are interested in setting up a time to chat with other members your feedback is appreciated.

What's formal about a chatroom? The facility at the end of the forum giving members access to instant chat and feedback has always been there.

By formal do you mean, assigned times, secret handshakes, new forum nicknames and union dues?

HM, as always, Thank You for your Efforts!!
I know way back, when I was a new member here, I didn't know of EVERY feature available on this site...
New members don't always know how or what is available to them on every website. Some- not all, may have the want to use it and trying to make a time for an open real time discussion shouldn't be made into a drama queen problematic debate.
Please Keep Up The Great Work!!
The doily making stamp collectors of sharped metal need to understand that there are members here that have needs they might not have the capacity to empathize with.

RK, if you want me to respond, you'll have to talk louder. Because of your recent nattering and whining and school-girl melt-downs, I put you on 'ignore.'