I am a long term member/subscriber to Finewoodworking print and Finewoodworking.com. I just tried to join the meeting that has been so heavily publicized and was told that I did not have adequate privilege to do so. I am disappointed as I have paid for subscriptions to the electronic version. Perhaps I am not as computer literate as some, but this is irritating to say the least. Is this a trend that will continue until some of us give up and start to ignore electronic aspects of your publication?
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Replies
Ditto. I actually took 1/2 day off work (in NZ) to attend this and had the same issue. I was a little upset.
If all of this whiz-bang "content" is going to be offered, then it needs to work flawlessly. Otherwise, it's damaging the brand. This point seems to be being lost. FW representatives being defensive to the point of insulting makes it worse.
We had trouble the other day with five people on a Zoom call and four of them were in Goldman Sachs' office in New York -- not exactly a place with a lousy I/T infrastructure -the city or the company. Zoom at your own risk. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Pretty sure the guys at Goldman didn't have a slow connection or inadequate equipment.
There was a mix-up, and two separate links went out. We didn't realize it until after it started. I tried to get the word out 20 minutes in, but the emails didn't go out until, oddly, at 4 a.m.
It was a mistake, and we're sorry.
billshop - nothing is being withheld. It was a mistake on our part. You'll see we have a history of being very open with our content to digital subscribers.
webrohm - Sorry for the frustration.
CharlieFurnituremaker - We've done dozens of "whiz bang" livestream/webinars. They generally work flawlessly, or as flawlessly as the technology allows. But mistakes happen because... human. Things outside of our control go wrong because... whiz bang(?). Your Goldman Sachs story made my point. Thank you.
As for us being defensive. Yes, when called for, I will absolutely stand up for my staff and myself when people are being abusive and/or dismissive.
Ben, for every person on this forum who has complained about a Zoom presentation, a skipping, jerky podcast, magazine delivery problems, archive accessibility problems, general disappointment with magazine content, video accessibility problems, etc. there are dozens who didn't bother.
You seem to be able to justify everything -- "oops, we sent two links," "I think you must have a bad internet connection," "this must be a post office problem," "it was a one-off, doubt it'll ever happen again" (but it does), "we're in a transition phase..." And on and on.
Legitimate complaints do not impugn character. There is no need to come anybody's "defense," in fact the whole idea is absurd on its face.
Businesses are hard to run. Sometime people are out of their depth and need replacing, personnel matters are tough to deal with.
One problem you don't have is with your paying customers. Quit being so easily irritated when somebody is less than happy with your product or with the actions of the people who work for you. None of it would exist were we not willing to pay for it.
Charlie,
I was the person who sent out two links by mistake, in the middle of an new issue release and a very hectic week. It was an honest mistake, not one I'm making excuses for, and I am very sorry to you and to those who took off time to join. I promise you myself and our very small, but dedicated team are working hard to make improvements wherever we can. Ben organized the Issue Preview parties as an extra for members, and I'm all for doing the same whenever we can. We constantly have conversations on how to make the membership more beneficial and enjoyable for paying customers. At the end of the day, I'm human, and I make mistakes. I would hope this error wouldn't be justification to replace me.
Next time, if you realize the two-link problem in time, Zoom can fix this for you.
Hopefully, you guys can staff up when it makes sense. Constant fire drills are no fun. I've been there.
Amanda-
You have added great value and a unique viewpoint to FWW since you joined the staff. Your contributions are evident in all of the things that FWW does well. I know that your colleagues and readers appreciate your contributions and fresh voice. Keep doing what you are doing so well.
OK, you made a mistake that caused some/lots of aggravation to those affected and you have apologized.
Mistakes happen to everyone who has ever worked in a real job for any length of time. It stings when it is you, but life goes on. Otherwise we would all be unemployed.
Russ
Hello again Charlie-
I had posted a response earlier this week to your complaint in another thread about mailing labels on FWW magazines. You commented parenthetically in that response that the 50th Anniversary Issue should have been "three times thicker." You ended your response with "some celebration."
It appears that you are new to this forum, having made only one post. I had assumed that you were a professional woodworker based on your handle and that as a consequence would understand the difficulty of delivering high quality products to demanding customers in an environment of limited resources.
But perhaps you are a hobbyist woodworker like most FWW members who come to the forum to learn from experienced, professional woodworkers and from each other.
The issue is not how you earn your living. The issue is civility. And civility is easily compromised by overreactions like yours.
So I repost from my previous reply responding to your regrettable choice of language and tone in that thread and continue to express here.
I hope that you will give thought in the future to the difficult job the FWW staff have and the benefit of the work they do for members. And if you continue to be engaged in this forum, that you respect the courtesy and consideration that characterizes the great majority of those who post and respond here on a regular basis.
**********************
My previous reply to "Charliefurnituremaker" from a different post this week:
Hello Charlie-
Many of us on this forum are not professional furniture makers as you might be, and have no real appreciation for the problems, aggravations, and frustrations that must be associated with producing consistently high quality furniture for demanding customers. And doing so profitably.
But those of us who have worked for companies that have been acquired by much bigger companies can appreciate the dozens and dozens of changes, interruptions, directives, reductions, reorganizations, and downsizing that occur in that process. This is the environment in which the Fine Woodworking staff are likely operating even a year into the acquisition.
The fact that the FWW products, particularly the print edition, have maintained a very high standard while dealing with these distractions is a testimony to the commitment and hard work of a dedicated team.
This, in my opinion, is what we should all celebrate. And offer our appreciation to editorial and production teams (and yes customer service) for an anniversary edition that is still best in class, just has it has been for 50 years.
Russ
***************
Charlie is a CPA, don't fall for the illusion. The rest of us who also do this as a hobby have waited for decades for the part where there's some display of furniture making or more than a defunct low traffic etsy store, and none have seen it.
Charlie ("Boss Crunk", "800lb gorilla" and maybe "cstanford") or something like that from the old knots forum - the last remaining of a group of posters who were on knots that were fast and frequent to criticize, implying lots of experience, and getting alligator arms as soon as it was time to give advice for the benefit of someone asking a question.
This is a simple matter- everyone understands it. Two very conscientious employees doing a job probably most people couldn't do, two zoom links instead of one, and next time there will be one. That they are in the vise and even meeting to brainstorm new offerings is astounding. Print is a retrenchment business and anyone who ever worked in a business that was shifting and practicing retrenchment and cost cutting - I did in a prior employer - it's awfully difficult to find people who want to execute in an environment like that, let alone tap into creativity in the middle of a hectic workday. Ben has every right to be far more critical than he has been - it's too bad the scenario requires him to be the one with more restraint vs. the converse.
Good to see you online, David.
You're missed at UK Workshop, Sawmill Creek, WoodCentral, Woodhaven II, et al.
See ya' around.
Charlie - I doubt that's the case ("you're missed")!!
The combination of print media and discussion had so much potential - where did it go?
Russ, all I can tell you is that I'm thankful I didn't set aside half a day/take off work/ignore other pressing issues to watch something that didn't happen or only happened for those who got the right link. My expectations are comparatively low -- a really good magazine (print or PDF, doesn't matter to me). To the extent this other stuff may be taking away from that -- I don't care for it. It's as simple as that. I don't expect a great magazine, great Zooms, great videos, great podcasts all at once, all the time, and especially if achieved by taxing a thin (?) staff to the point of breaking. Just a great magazine.
Now, if the perception is that it takes all of these other types of content to survive, maybe it does, then they'll have to do all of this without any hiccups. I don't envy those tasked with doing so.
I didn't start the thread. Some poor guy or gal who took a day off/half day off of work to join a Zoom call did. That probably should have been the only post in the thread because it pretty much said it all.
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If anyone had any idea how many mistakes happen in the process of putting up a building or major renovation. Oh my! My company is facing the possibility, currently, of having a 1.1 million dollar contract canceled because the GC and Architect couldn't get their shit straight in time. Not our fault. It has nothing do with this, but it does make this look small.
Two years we have been trying to "staff up." Now my team is firing on all cylinders and we won more work that the detailers can handle. If only it were that easy. Big sigh.... hang in there FWW staff.