Looking for ideas on how to improve TTM Forum interest/traffic

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worldwideed

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I'm out of work right now so I have some time to hopefully enact and follow through on whatever ideas come from this thread.

We need to get some life into this forum.
We have the same 5 people posting successes and same 20 responding with "Congrats". Honestly it's getting stale. Honestly I'm guilty of not posting success because it doesn't seem like that spark any real dialogue, something I would enjoy.

So how would you improve the autograph section of the site? It's fine to suggest something you've seen on other sites, or something totally original is fine too.
 
I am one of the regular posters. I would like to see some more dialogue as well, and I have worked that through the private message site some. I also graph on Sports Card Forum, but I like the sense of community here better.

Here are some of my thoughts:

Guest posts. I read the Tom Owens blog Baseball by the letters. It turns out he was also the autograph corner writer in the old Baseball Card News that I subscribed to when I was in my early teens. His articles got me started in TTM autograph collecting. He also wrote a book about autograph collecting that I bought used.

More pictures. I am guilty of this as well, although I did post my three Pricess Leia autographs, some hockey successes, and some IP from a minor league game. For the most part I don't go through the trouble. I do check all of the success threads and love seeing everyone else's pictures. Sometimes I have sent players I normally wouldn't have based on this.

I miss having RHauch share his Harvey list. I know it was a great deal of work, but there are several guys from my 1979 set I would never have gotten without his help. I am not sure what Harvey would have thought about me having free access to his list.

Random fun stuff. I normally focus on baseball, but have gotten some Magnum PI cards signed by Tom Selleck and some Star Wars cards autographed by Carrie Fisher. I would love to get some A-Team cards signed by Mr. T and Murdock and Face.
 
I would like to post photos of successes, but I don't have a photobucket, nor am I really interested in doing so..... but I would like to figure out doing a blog to share some of the drawings that have been helpful for me in getting my successes. Anyone who knows a good tutorial for a beginner I would be interested in....
Also, it would be nice to have an area where folks who are looking for cards that they need for ttm purposes get help in procuring them. I have lots of needs and the cards don't have to be in that great of shape.....
Finally, it would be cool to see traders fan out more with making their extra ttms available for trade, etc....
 
Ed,

Sorry to hear about your job, I too am laid off, as is a cousin of mine I just found out, this seems to be the year for it! We will pray for a good job coming your way!

I do not actively collect any more, but really enjoy seeing other peoples' successes. I too noticed that it seems that not many people are posting in there much any more. I love seeing scans and hearing the stories behind the cards in addition!

I am glad to post more discussion topics if that is what you are looking for, I always enjoy seeing lively discussion, makes the day more fun!

In fact, I will start that right now!

God Bless,

Kevin Mc
 
Favorite TTM Success

I collected mostly TTM for 25+ years and just recently got out of it, selling everything I had for the most part. I did keep a few cards from a few favorite players and framed them. So I am asking, and I will share my favorite success later on after we get some discussion going, but what is YOUR favorite success?

SCANS WELCOME! It will be fun to see people's successes and hear the stories!


God Bless,

Kevin Mc
 
I wouldnt mind seeing some of the stickys gone since no one has commented for a couple years and to find something on them takes forever.
wouldnt mind seeing a post where theirs some addresses for the non baseball players of the allen and ginter sets so people can try to do the complete sets
maybe some of the guys who are good at creating cards with their computers can write a couple tutorials on a sticky for people who just isnt that tech savvy. Pics of their cards, how tos, what they want in return for a card made. That sort of thing. Have seen some really good home made cards out their. Wouldnt mind seeing a email address list either. Have recently added pat summit, geno aurriema, coach k, gus malzahn just by sending a nice email.
 
Would also like to see maybe a other sport addresses also. I have golf and nascar addresses. But lacking in the mma. Boxing, olympic type addresses. Thanks
 
Thank you everyone for your feedback.

Here are some of my thoughts:

Guest posts. I read the Tom Owens blog Baseball by the letters. It turns out he was also the autograph corner writer in the old Baseball Card News that I subscribed to when I was in my early teens. His articles got me started in TTM autograph collecting. He also wrote a book about autograph collecting that I bought used.

More pictures. I am guilty of this as well, although I did post my three Pricess Leia autographs, some hockey successes, and some IP from a minor league game. For the most part I don't go through the trouble. I do check all of the success threads and love seeing everyone else's pictures. Sometimes I have sent players I normally wouldn't have based on this.

I miss having RHauch share his Harvey list. I know it was a great deal of work, but there are several guys from my 1979 set I would never have gotten without his help. I am not sure what Harvey would have thought about me having free access to his list.

Random fun stuff. I normally focus on baseball, but have gotten some Magnum PI cards signed by Tom Selleck and some Star Wars cards autographed by Carrie Fisher. I would love to get some A-Team cards signed by Mr. T and Murdock and Face.

I have not heard of Tom Owens blog before, I should check it out.

The thing that hurt me was photobucket changing their interface, it used to be very easy to post photos, after their hip, fresh, new, look it became way to cumbersome. I sure miss it as I don't even use it anymore. I use the photo hosting here or on SCN.

I miss Ron's list too and helped out when I could. Frustrating was that there didn't seem to be enough please and thank yous and we never seemed to know if people were getting success or what. I always had the feeling that there was too much "asking just to ask" and people wouldn't actually send to half the guys they asked about.

I would like to post photos of successes, but I don't have a photobucket, nor am I really interested in doing so..... but I would like to figure out doing a blog to share some of the drawings that have been helpful for me in getting my successes. Anyone who knows a good tutorial for a beginner I would be interested in....
Also, it would be nice to have an area where folks who are looking for cards that they need for ttm purposes get help in procuring them. I have lots of needs and the cards don't have to be in that great of shape.....
Finally, it would be cool to see traders fan out more with making their extra ttms available for trade, etc....

There is a photo hosting option here on the Bench, if someone made a tutorial on how to used it would that help?
Maybe a thread for one or two cards only, "who has this random common that I can use for TTMing?"
As far as people making there tradelist available there is not much more that can be done on that, we have the forum, people just have to do the work.

Ed,

Sorry to hear about your job, I too am laid off, as is a cousin of mine I just found out, this seems to be the year for it! We will pray for a good job coming your way!

It was a bit of a shock to be laid off after 8 years of a job well done but the new management is so bad it's not all that shocking, I wasn't the first and I won't be the last.

I wouldnt mind seeing some of the stickys gone since no one has commented for a couple years and to find something on them takes forever.
wouldnt mind seeing a post where theirs some addresses for the non baseball players of the allen and ginter sets so people can try to do the complete sets
maybe some of the guys who are good at creating cards with their computers can write a couple tutorials on a sticky for people who just isnt that tech savvy. Pics of their cards, how tos, what they want in return for a card made. That sort of thing. Have seen some really good home made cards out their. Wouldnt mind seeing a email address list either. Have recently added pat summit, geno aurriema, coach k, gus malzahn just by sending a nice email.

Good point on the stickys, I cleaned some up and updated some others.
I'll play around with some ideas for non/other sport stuff. We for years had an email list but it was so old I just unstuck it.

Would also like to see maybe a other sport addresses also. I have golf and nascar addresses. But lacking in the mma. Boxing, olympic type addresses. Thanks
 
There is a photo hosting option here on the Bench, if someone made a tutorial on how to used it would that help?
Maybe a thread for one or two cards only, "who has this random common that I can use for TTMing?"
As far as people making there tradelist available there is not much more that can be done on that, we have the forum, people just have to do the work.

**YES! I would be a fan of that idea, I would love to post some photos, and even though I am not actively collecting much at the moment, it would be fun to post photos of past successes, favorite items, etc.

And to respond to your post here:
It was a bit of a shock to be laid off after 8 years of a job well done but the new management is so bad it's not all that shocking, I wasn't the first and I won't be the last.

I am in a similar boat, I was on a job for 6 years, and the school district eliminated school social work as a service for all students, and has not replaced. So no mental health services for students in a 70% low income district. I have had several jobs since, all in schools, which is a blessing, but it is still frustrating to have to change jobs so frequently. We will pray a good job comes your way, and I know it will soon!

God Bless,

Kevin Mc
 
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