Ideas for Avalon

[Strat]

In my last post I mentioned how this forum (in my opinion) has somewhat plateaued. I'm not knocking it, I come here about every day and read either who Tesla's charming at the post office (haha much love Tesla & good luck by the way) or check if there's any new 9/11 info, Wade's free energy posts (long reads), etc. There's nothing wrong at all with this forum it's fine the way it is, it's just that the business mindset (wrong word) I have sees so much more potential. We all can agree we have the best members on the net. How can we harness our collective power realistically?

So I came up with an idea and I wanna see what you folks think of it. What if we determined the skill sets of different members and offered them up to other members free of charge. This would be on a volunteer basis, nobody has to join or be involved in any way.

Example:

I can fix and build anything. Mainly cars, I always fix my own car (matter of fact I'm changing out balljoints today!). I even fixed my Lincoln's brakes, a Teves II system which is notoriously difficult to work on and a completely different design from other systems. Oh and they don't make parts for it anymore.

So if someone needed help with their car they could find me through some directory or something and send me a PM. I wouldn't feel comfortable walking someone through dropping a transmission or any in depth repairs (in fact we should have guidelines that restrict this from happening all together).

A quick example of how I could help is with common things like your car wont start, basic maintenance, rounded off bolts, steering & suspension issues, that whining, rattling, banging (hopefully not that!), knocking (or that!) sounds.

I think the most realistic help I could provide is if your mechanic is screwing you. Between this whole forum if everyone contacted me before or during mechanic visits I could collectively save thousands and thousands of dollars.

When I was in high school my math teacher was explaining to me how a mechanic was putting a new engine in her car because the old one shook the vehicle because all the pistons would go up and down at the same time. This is physically impossible. I told her this but I was a 16yr old failing her class so she didn't listen.

The business I'm working on now revolves around the alternative energy market. 75% of it is DIY stuff. So I can help with (basic) solar panel setups as well as building your own windmill for around $250. Actually I'm making videos of these but I hesitate posting them because I absolutely plan to monetize them. However on this forum I would answer questions for free.

I have a lot more to say on the matter but I think it's best to feel everyone out first and see what the tribe, err I mean community thinks.

[Axman]

I Like Strat. Im in. My background is electronics.

The Axman

[GloriousPoetry]

Strat,

Excellent idea......I'm fluent in Spanish ......translations perhaps.....

[lizfrench]

I'm a good technical writer, just in case.

[Hazel]

Liking this concept Strat... a bartering system would be very cool too

as for me... I'm a multi-modal creative arts therapist

- good at tailoring projects on themes important for group inquiry and expression / also for personal inquiry processes.

(multi-modal = writing/enactment/music/drawing/painting/collage/assemblage)

[Rollo]

Very good thread Strat!

I do graphic design: flyers, logos, banners, posters, websites,... you name it.
If you need help guys, I'm here.

[Tesseract]

I think it's a great idea. I sometimes want help with something, and end up searching for another specialised forum - just the other day I was looking to find out what kind of thread locker to use on a certain screw - when there is probably (not? :)) someone on Avalon who has the knowledge I need.



My one personal concern/caveat is this: many people who use this forum have very deep and personal beliefs about science and technology, and I have noticed that sometimes people don't like it very much when I make contributions to a thread where my entirely correct and educated comments are in conflict with their beliefs. So, if someone wants help building, let's say, an electrical device of some sort, and I tell them their design is flawed, and they start displaying the familiar symptoms - then I might not have the patience to make further contributions in that area. Hopefully for relatively mundane matters that wouldn't be a problem.

[Lefty Dave]

Greetings,
I like this idea...we'd get to know one another better in the process...
I have been a songwriter and jingle writer, singer and musician for the better part of 50 years...(whew!) That has been my night gig...during the day wife and I owned and worked in Surety businesses 30 years... you might know it as Bail Bonds...we retired from that in 2000.
If I may be of service, just ask. Blessings.
end of line.

[Nat_Lee]

Wow I love this idea !

I'm a signer
I'm a good motivator

If you need my help just PM me and I will help Avaloniens for free :)

[ThePythonicCow]

I can program C and Linux shell scripts (and a bit of Python) ... if that's useful.

[Fairy Friend]

Professionally am a scientist but I consider myself semi retired. I doubt if anyone starting research facility or laboratory.
I also consider myself a psychic. I can read tarot cards and I'm really good at finding lost pets.

[chocolate]

No... really?

I am having a problem with my sister's car.
The driver's window wouldn't function.
The engine sometimes doesn't obey my mental process...
please help me.

No, wait, I have a better idea. We have a car mechanic just a few houses from where I live. I guess that is where you can find me today.

~~~

That idea is marvelous, but not very practical, presented in this way. Because there are things and other things... and one still can read a lot of useful information on the forum. May be not in the current posts on Courtney's thread, but a bit burried under the surface of it all.
I personally have place where I read about sustainable (sorry, but that is what they still call it) house/building designs and materials.
On another place I get gardening help, since my grand folks have all but passed away, and my current siblings have very little interest in that idea.
On another place I learn to rV.
Another is an inspiration for my so called artistic outbursts...
...

~~~

How is this supposed to work?
We get a thread with 100 pages (in the future), and here I need some help with my broken washing machine. Guess what, I probably will skip some of the reading here, and go straight to the service available around my area.
And not always that.
Here I have a person talking about the power of breath. Some times later the same person talks about the dangers of being 'possessed' because you work with your energies. I mean, I do have a problem trusting people more than figuring out where to go looking for help. So what I do is I learn about people and than I start trusting them. Hence an explanation why I share sometimes 0 of what I truly think.

~~~

My point is not to attack this thread.
With reading the whole forum, I have managed to learn a few things about the people who write here, and I know more or less where to go if I need some sharing or advice.

Some might find social networking, oh, that bad!, bad! thing we have going on, on the Here and Now, quite helpful. Somehow while I am there I know who does what, and I can approach someone specific if I have a certain problem about something.

The plateau-ing of the forum as you have labeled it, comes from the the process of everyone's involvement, and their advancement on the discovery path. If we all get to run in circles, than the forum will run in circles, too.
The idea might be just that we get to investigate more on our own without hoping to always read what someone else thinks and does.

Just an opinion.

Edited to add:
The forum is just a place for expression. If you don't like the expression of it, question the people behind it (here I don't mean question Bill or the rest of the admins, mods etc., because he, they, write the last of everyone else; question everyone else who writes, me included).
It is a collective effort, and while at it, we learn what we need, whenever and however.

The biggest problem of this forum is the fact that everyone has become very, very careful about their expressions, hoping to not offend the other side. That in itself leads to a great amount of unexpressed ideas and lack of honesty.
We all run around words not to offend people, and at a certain point one might just stop expressing.
Take for example what happened not long ago with Calamus!
or with R Morgan some time ago.
or Tesla WTS at a certain point.
Or me (just about to happen, I am guessing)
Or anyone who only writes on Here and Now or on Gio's thread.

I am sharing this out of my own experience.

Even if I know someone is a doctor, or a car mechanic I still will be cautious.

I still have a firm belief that if we continue the way this has been going, with a bit more care when we start a thread and why we start it, I know the forum will continue to be a place where we meet, if we still can't quite meet science and spirituality. From my own experience, there isn't one-thing-fits-all. Or the all-in-one approach as in 3-in-1 nescafe as your morning cup of coffee.

For your record
I am an architect
I am a painter
I write prose and poetry
I know Russian and French (less than perfect), and Bulgarian. I am learning also Spanish.
I can rV.
I have some extensive knowledge about yoga, and some less than extensive about gi gong;
I know a few things about the film business.
and so on.

and
I have a quick temper, even though I am also very patient.

[Kindling]

I actually think this is a wonderful idea Strat and can see great value in what you suggest. Chocolate, it sounds like you have a neighbor who is a mechanic that you can trust. That is wonderful and I agree that is exactly who you would naturally go to with questions.

I don't have a local mechanic that I trust. I've been reading Strat's posts for years and trust him very much. I would really appreciate being able to get his opinion when dealing with a local mechanic. It could save me a lot of money. There might even be some things he could tell me how to do myself.

Just imagine how many talented people we have here at Avalon and all the ways we could help and support each other.

I don't really have an opinion on the other issues you address in your post because I'm not familiar with all of what has happened in those situations, just wanted to say I'm enjoying this thread and really think it's a great idea :).

[Strat]

I'm definitely not trying to force this idea on the forum, just presenting what I think to be a great idea. Chocolate you listed a lot of talents and you'd be a big help if you can do all those things but if you don't want to participate then no worries.

Oh and regarding the window:
Assuming you're talking about power windows there's a few things that can go wrong. I fixed the windows in my car for free by taking the busted plastic bearings and replacing them with tiny 1/4" nuts. Then again maybe that's not your problem and it's a dead fuse. I can diagnose this if you give me more detail.

Regardless, good luck.

[Nasu]

It's a cool idea strat. I'm in. My time is valuable, however, I can offer for free for members, practical advice in business administration, from start up to sale, merger or closure, including marketing and customer creation / retention strategies, through to internal staffing isssues, talent attraction plans etc, etc... Send me a PM, I would be glad to help in any way possible... N

[Dennis Leahy]

...

I can fix and build anything. Mainly cars, I always fix my own car (matter of fact I'm changing out balljoints today!). I even fixed my Lincoln's brakes, a Teves II system which is notoriously difficult to work on and a completely different design from other systems. Oh and they don't make parts for it anymore.

So if someone needed help with their car they could find me through some directory or something and send me a PM. I wouldn't feel comfortable walking someone through dropping a transmission or any in depth repairs (in fact we should have guidelines that restrict this from happening all together).

A quick example of how I could help is with common things like your car wont start, basic maintenance, rounded off bolts, steering & suspension issues, that whining, rattling, banging (hopefully not that!), knocking (or that!) sounds.

I think the most realistic help I could provide is if your mechanic is screwing you. Between this whole forum if everyone contacted me before or during mechanic visits I could collectively save thousands and thousands of dollars.

When I was in high school my math teacher was explaining to me how a mechanic was putting a new engine in her car because the old one shook the vehicle because all the pistons would go up and down at the same time. This is physically impossible. ...

Strat, all my pistons are going up and down at different times - can you help fix that? :~)

I'm a dinosaur programmer. Got an old Visual Basic application you need to keep limping along... I might be able to help. Lately, I've been doing websites, but I am a mere mortal.

I'm about to take my car to a mechanic I have used twice, and he (and his mechanics at his garage) were very fair and honest. The major problem was a piston ring (oil ring) appears to be stuck - the car is eating oil, but no cloud of blue smoke and no noticeable loss of power going up hills. Suddenly yesterday, the car feels like it is running on 5 cylinders and for the first time in 185,000 miles, a "check engine" light appeared on the dash...

I'll PM you, Strat.

Dennis