I think ANYTHING that does away with this forum is a considerable loss to the welding community . Sure a new AWS Forum with some ACTUAL support from AWS and a few neat and shiny ads in the WJ may very well get some membership up for the new forum but it is my opinion it will take years to get the content up to that contained in this forum. Individuals that are currently online increasing their knowledge using various resources do so because thats what they like to do.
This original forum works fine as is except for a lack of moderation. The entire source code is open source. A few programmers experience with scripting languages and databases could easily "upgrade" this forum to include some security to minimize spam.
My desire is for AWS to continue with their new forum but keep the "original" and keep the content not only available for everyone, but allowed to continue and grow.
The new forum would be a great resource to get in touch with the ever more difficult to reach AWS Staff. Maybe get a code interpretation done in a manner that is a little more modern, Maybe even have online committee meetings that include individuals other that the often "corporate sponsored" participants. MAYBE EVEN EVERY MEMEBER could vote on committee topics and the results be shown in REAL time. It would make a great tool for open discussions regarding committee topics, AWS Membership Issues, and other programs offered by AWS.
AWS is about money. But of course I don't work for free either yet anyone that posts content useful to "MEMBERS ONLY" will be working for free.
Welding has been a lifelong experience for me and I get a great deal of enjoyment both expanding my knowledge and helping others.
Many years ago I was trying to make a free moodle site for welding related training (Inspection, Basic Welding Theory etc..) . I asked AWS for copyright permission to use some of the terms. They were an extremely long time responding, gave me limited permission, and stated that this was part of their "revenue". I understand it somewhat but it still let me know where they are.
Its not only AWS. I have recently come to the conclusion that training and education is more of a business in which administrators, deans, and overall organizations gain revenue based upon the work of those who are knowledgeable in a specific area.
Back in the late 90's I let my 1st CWI number expire after the 6th year. When I called to see what could be done, they were adamant about me paying a "late fee" on top of the renewal fee. This would have put the cost near or over that of taking the whole test again. When I explained that to them on the phone, I could hear the exasperation in their voice when they realized I would just take the whole test again.
The annual reports in the WJ's show the revenue generated by various sources. Certification is the big cash cow. I doubt the new forum will make a big dent in both membership or overall revenue however that is my very narrow view of things. Because of better advertising and promotion, maybe some new members will be generated, maybe some old members that were afraid or restricted from getting on a "public" forum will be allowed.
But regardless of any future benefits, I can't see the need to get rid of the original forum. I think the original forum would be a tremendous asset to anyone in the industry. I would probably participate in both if the new forum was used as a tool to communicate with staff and address some AWS Specific Questions.
However THE ENTIRE STAFF OF AWS CANNOT match the value of the experience that has been shared on the original forum.
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