Post Everyone!!!!!

[Amrit0991]

Come on... everyone on these forums needs to post more.

And reply to threads way more often... these forums are like dead.

[Jim Wilson]

Hey! And welcome to my forum.

Believe it or not this place used to be incredibly busy. Then eBay opened their forums and things slowed down. I still get a LOT of visits but most people don't bother posting.

Sad...

I am glad to see that you are hitting it hard. I haven't run any ads in awhile but perhaps it might be time to.

Take care. Find success. And be happy...

Jim Wilson

[Amrit0991]

Thanks Jim

[Natalie Williams]

I'm still around. It did seem like the board died, but I wasn't exactly posting either, so I'm to fault as well.
If it's any consulation, I NEVER go on the eBay boards, never have.
I have a bookmark that goes to my selling page and I browse around at items.. I just don't use the other stuff, I don't know why.

Anyway, weren't you moving or something the last time I heard from you.

Natalie

[Jim Wilson]

Hey Nat!!!

I am indeed living and working in Miami now. It is a HUGE change from what I am used to and to be honest I am having a hard time adjusting. I see fire trucks go by and I just watch and wonder what they are on their way to. It is in my blood I guess after so many years.

As for the new job, I work for the University of Miami School of Medicine. My main purpose in life now is to create courses for EMS personnel internationally. In addition I teach some of the courses at the center. It is really odd, Nat. Every physician who graduates from UM MUST go through our courses. I just hope that somehow I might be passing along some words of wisdom to them.

My "little girl" is a senior this year by the way and is doing wonderful. She and my wife stayed in Melbourne for the year until she graduates. She can then come down and get a free ride with guaranteed admission into UM - one of the perks of my position. She is already bragging about being a "Cane".

In any case I am on a PC most days for about 8 hours straight and I just cannot seem to get the time to really watch over this site and keep it going. There have been times that I have seriously considered just shutting it down and fading into memory but I don't have the heart at this point. Ideally someone (perhaps you) might come along and be interested in doing some sort of JV where you use the (potential) power of the board and basically advertise your items on it in return. I know this board and this site still have potential. It is still a Google PR 5. But boards really have to work hard to maintain now-a-days because it just isn't what it used to be.

Oh well. As they say all good things must come to an end eventually. As much as it pains me to write this I would probably sell Auctionhints now. It is my oldest and dearest website but I just don't ever have the time to do what needs to be done.

It was great to see you are still hanging around, Nat. Take care of you and yours.

Jim

[pete]

Ah Jim, I know the feeling. Like Natalie, I've been away for awhile, too.

Through the 90's I was selling and installing GPS vehicle tracking systems and dispatch software to guys in the auto towing business all over the country.

Even today I have to turn my head every time I see a tow truck.

Also like you, I've got a forum going that seemed to be dying. It is for just members buying from SMC. I sent out a newsletter and did a post on the forum a couple of weeks ago mentioning closing it down and I got bombarded with replies begging to keep it going.

The members there came from a forum SMC had for their members, but shut down. That's beensome time ago, and we really have no way of reaching the new folks who hook up with SMC, so we are not getting a lot of newbie type posts.

But the old hands who have been there from day one said that while they don't post like they used to the forum was a fountain of information and they referred to it regularly.

Plus, they even liked the newsletters..... :)

[Jim Wilson]

Friends are always welcome at AuctionHints!

I wanted to catch everyone here up a little. As it turned out leaving the relative comfort and safety of the fire department was a bad move. My position at UM was based on state funding sources which ended up being lost as taxes were cut in the state and, for the first time in my life, I was laid off.

Thankfully I got my degree (BS is rare for a paramedic) and I wasn't out of work but one week. In addition I received a severance package that was actually pretty fair and helped my family make it through the crisis. But sadly I took ONE heck of a paycut and I am working in yet another state funded company. A little nerve wracking to say the least. I have been asked if I would be interested in returning to a couple of local fire departments and it has become one of those things where I am doing a LOT of praying for guidance. I miss the FD (especially the absolute job security) and my brothers and sisters. But the company I am working for now has, by far, the most sincere and professional group of men and women I have ever been associated with. To a person they are an incredible group and have really done a great deal for me in my short tenure with them. I have been accepted as a member of their team which is something rare in the 2007 workplace and I cannot turn my back on this.

In the meantime I have not sold a thing online. Sad but true. And, while in Miami, I did not have any time to come here and post. So, if AuctionHints has died off it is my fault. I know that the Blake and the FIB have also slacked off in traffic and post but not nearly as badly as this board/website has. I believe that eBay's forums took some of my traffic to be honest and in addition a guy opened up a website that shall remain nameless but is centered on online auctions and discussion. I actually contacted him in order to ask if he wanted to share links and he replied "Absolutely!". I posted a link to his website on my main page and here on the board and waited to see my link on his site. When it did not appear I emailed him and received no reply. After another unanswered email I removed his link and opted to simply follow what he was doing. Basically his traffic has also slacked off in the past year and, to be honest, I believe that he is not long for the online world. There was a time when his website was ranked #1 in every catagory for online auction boards on every major SE. That is no longer the case. I'll bet he now wishes he had kept his word on the link exchange. Such symbiotic business relationships are never a bad thing.

So, that catches everyone up. I am going to start coming in daily and posting something. Perhaps it will just be a report on a seller. Or something happening on eBay. I am eager to see if such an action on my part will end up causing more traffic coming in from the SE since this should create new spider activity. We'll see I guess.

Good to hear from you again and as usual Pete. Please do feel free to post here ANYTIME and make sure to keep me up to date with how you are doing.

Take care and God Bless,
Jim Wilson