I’m going to take this opportunity to address some questions many people have about JSSDC – who we are, what we do, how we operate, what our function is, etc.
JSSDC was started as a web forum originally open to the public as another place to gather and discuss sabers, free from some of the rules on other forums. I respect rules, and see the need for them, but I wanted to free the discussions and let people police themselves. All was fine until some nasty goings on last year. I had to lock the forums down or shut them down.
I have always maintained that if you are a member of my forums, you will be active. It seems pointless to have a membership and never use it. I routinely look at membership and if there are folks who have not been active (not logged in) for over 30 days, they are purged. If there are members who have a bad case of Darth Real Life going on, all they have to do is notify me and I let them slide. If you were a member and were purged, it is because you were not active and were not an active part of our community. If there are hard feelings, I do apologize, but this is the policy. I may seem harsh, but I am firm, fair and consistent.
So, what do we do now that the forums are private? We congregate and discuss sabers amongst other things. We trash-talk about each other’s work. We give critical feedback and we don’t get all grumpy about it. We push eachother to be the best we can be. We are eachother’s biggest fans and staunchest critics. We are intimately familiar with eachother’s work, methods, talents and shortcomings.
JSSDC is a family. It sounds corny, but it’s true. We’re tight. I’d walk through fire for my members, and I have a couple of times. I have borne the brunt of fallout to protect my members. They would do the same for me. It’s not a “good ol boys” club, but we watch out for eachother. We have some dysfunction; we have the crazy uncle who drinks too much and tells weird stories; we have the nephew nobody likes to talk about.
Yes, we get special treatment that is exclusive to other forums. As I said before, you missed out on the limited edition K3GR-1 sabers Acerocket built. However, you all take advantage of things that we do on JSSDC even if you are not aware of it. We’re on the front lines of this hobby, and we’re pushing progress forward.
Now, what does it take to be a member? You don’t have to be a super-sabersmith. You don’t have to be a mod or arbiter here (that has NOTHING to do with it). You don’t have to be a big-time collector. You don’t have to be a machinist. You don’t have to be blessed with deep pockets. What you need is to have that certain something that we think would make you a valuable member to our family.
Some of our members don’t build many sabers at all. Some of our members are still learning their way through the craft at a basic or intermediate level. Some of our members are more into other things. It’s what they contribute that makes them valuable. They add to the discussions. They give us reason to think. They make us laugh. They make JSSDC a great place to hang out. JSSDC is a place to learn to perfect your craft – to go from hobbyist to artisan. JSSDC is a place to vent your frustrations and say what’s on your mind and have folks listen to you. JSSDC is a place to have some laughs.
We’re not the type of forum for everybody. There have been potential candidates rejected because we felt they would not like our brand of humor or the things we discuss. It’s nothing personal. I have no prejudices towards race, sex, sexual orientation, religious preference, etc. I go by the character of a person. Sometimes, you can be a great person, but be a bad fit for a group. It’s how it goes. We don’t sit over at JSSDC and tout our superiority, because we are humble. We were all n00bs once too.
I will close with two thoughts:
1. Can you handle the gravy?
2. Would scuba-horse approve?
Topic: Q&A for JSSDC - please read and post questions here (Read 1381 times)