TalkFestool?

Jim Kirkpatrick said:
Does anyone know what's going on over on TalkFestool?  The site has been down for maintenance but it's been a few days now.

http://www.talkfestool.com/vb/

Hi Jim,

We apparently got hacked a few days ago. No serious damage, but it will take a little work to get the forum back up.

However, considering the very low level of participation in the last several months, I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

I'm still thinking it over.
 
I'm genuinely curious:  what is talkFestool providing that the FOG isn't, content-wise?
Would it be possible to morph it into something fresh and original?
 
Hi John,  I'm glad it's nothing devastating.  I'd hate to see TF shutdown.  There may not be a lot of new activity but there is a wealth of existing resources.
 
teocaf said:
I'm genuinely curious:  what is talkFestool providing that the FOG isn't, content-wise?
Would it be possible to morph it into something fresh and original?

There is another thread here that explains the reasons why there are 2 Festool websites.  Although it's highly unlikely, I'd love to see the two forums merge.
 
teocaf said:
I'm genuinely curious:  what is talkFestool providing that the FOG isn't, content-wise?
Would it be possible to morph it into something fresh and original?

TalkFestool was founded in 2008, initially more or less as a competitor to the FOG. When Festool U.S.A. took over here in 2009 there was no way talkFestool could offer the same level of support and information, and we didn't even try. We actually did morph into something that I think was fresh and original. Festool products became a much lower percentage of the content, and the subject matter became wide and varied. We probably should have gone as far as changing the name, but we didn't.

We had a good run, gathering a large group of exceptional folks, and having a lot of fun in the process. After a while interest in such a site seemed to dwindle, and participation went into a downward slide. Part of the ebb and flow of the internet I suppose. These days there are so many sites out there competing for everyone's time. Obviously, people will spend their valuable time at places that they feel have the most to offer.

I think the FOG will always do well because of the relatively narrow focus of the forum, and the tremendous amount of resources they have to offer. There's no other site that will ever be able to compete.
 
joraft said:
teocaf said:
I'm genuinely curious:  what is talkFestool providing that the FOG isn't, content-wise?
Would it be possible to morph it into something fresh and original?

TalkFestool was founded in 2008, initially more or less as a competitor to the FOG. When Festool U.S.A. took over here in 2009 there was no way talkFestool could offer the same level of support and information, and we didn't even try. We actually did morph into something that I think was fresh and original. Festool products became a much lower percentage of the content, and the subject matter became wide and varied. We probably should have gone as far as changing the name, but we didn't.

We had a good run, gathering a large group of exceptional folks, and having a lot of fun in the process. After a while interest in such a site seemed to dwindle, and participation went into a downward slide. Part of the ebb and flow of the internet I suppose. These days there are so many sites out there competing for everyone's time. Obviously, people will spend their valuable time at places that they feel have the most to offer.

I think the FOG will always well because of the relatively narrow focus of the forum, and the tremendous amount of resources they have to offer. There's no other site that will ever be able to compete.
John described the talkFestool history of well and accurately.  It's not well known here, but I'm one of the founding members (and past Admins) of talkFestool.  So I have some perspective...

It's probably not obvious to most forum members (of ANY forum), but the time and effort commitment required to run a forum is very high.  I am 100% confident that Shane can tell you stories about what goes on behind the scenes at FOG that would curl your hair - hack and spam attacks, trolls, system problems, and lots of other "fun things".    John and all of the other admins and mods on talkFestool have seen the same thing. John and the other admins and mods deserve a vote of thanks for their hard work in keeping talkFestool running.

When FOG went through it's transition to being managed by Festool, much of the driving force behind talkFestool also transitioned to FOG.  Both are great forums, but they changed. Given the strength and focus of FOG, what should talkFestool do now? 

My support is with John and his folks regardless of what they decide.  That said, one argument for keeping talkFestool alive is the historical content.  There is a lot of good reviews and posts on talkFestool that can provide value to all Festool owners.  It would be great if that content could somehow be transitioned to FOG, but that could be difficult.  It's a tough issue.

In any case,  [thumbs up] for John and the other admins and mods on talkFestool for all their hard work.

Regards,

Dan.
 
Jim Kirkpatrick said:
Although it's highly unlikely, I'd love to see the two forums merge.

I always had the impression a large part of TalkFestool members are also active here on the FOG. I participated on TF for a while, but at some point I felt it didn't add anything to what the FOG already offers seeing how we were speaking mostly to the same people anyway.
 
John, sorry to hear about the hacking. It's a real shame that there are people who use their talents to be destructive. Hope you're able to get things fixed.
 
thanks for the good info.  I remember finding that forum just like I did the FOG when I first bought Festools and was looking to get the most out of them.  It does have a cool name so hopefully it will continue in some form--good branding is always worth something
 
Shane Holland said:
John, sorry to hear about the hacking. It's a real shame that there are people who use their talents to be destructive. Hope you're able to get things fixed.

Thanks, Shane. As I said, it's not a question of whether it can be fixed, but whether it should be.

As you probably know talkFestool was never a "for-profit" endeavor. It has always been offered as sort of a public service for our fellow woodworkers. Currently that seems to be a service with little or no demand.
 
Can you have your site provider restore a backup from earlier and commit your updates from there?

I'm a site admin on 4 sites as well, and I used to be very hands on in management/administration. 10 years later, I spent a few months finding a good host that has knowledgeable support staff and I pay them extra to keep the site up to date to cover all the security holes that pop up constantly. Well worth it for me.
 
joraft said:
Shane Holland said:
John, sorry to hear about the hacking. It's a real shame that there are people who use their talents to be destructive. Hope you're able to get things fixed.

Thanks, Shane. As I said, it's not a question of whether it can be fixed, but whether it should be

As you probably know talkFestool was never a "for-profit" endeavor. It has always been offered as sort of a public service for our fellow woodworkers. Currently that seems to be a service with little or no demand.

Yes! It should be fixed!!!!!  As Chris Fitch said, the resources that are there are invaluable.
 
What about restoring the site but setting it in read-only mode. All historical content still available, but direct new users to the FOG?
 
Putting it in read only mode would only solve the issue of spammers, as long as it's still software running on top of a platform, hitting a database, it's vulnerable to attacks on multiple levels. It'd be near impossible to convert a forum to a static website (that would eliminate all but ~5 points of entry for a hacker).
 
Hackers (the bad kind) SUCK! I hope there's a special spot in you-know-where reserved for them...
 
wow said:
Hackers (the bad kind) SUCK! I hope there's a special spot in you-know-where reserved for them...
 

That might be sitting on an upturned and running Carvex, mightn't it? 

[scared] 
 
Jim Kirkpatrick said:
Yes! It should be fixed!!!!!  As Chris Fitch said, the resources that are there are invaluable.

That's easy to say when it's not your time and money keeping it afloat.
 
Paul G said:
Jim Kirkpatrick said:
Yes! It should be fixed!!!!!  As Chris Fitch said, the resources that are there are invaluable.

That's easy to say when it's not your time and money keeping it afloat.

I've already offered both time and money to John, privately.

Shane, I'm wondering as an alternative to keeping TF afloat, can key topics from TF be uploaded to the FOG? They are good references and can help bolster Festool sales.
 
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