Re: What the future holds for ASA

[Jim <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Monday, December 31, 2012 9:30:28 PM UTC-5, sp...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>> On Monday, December 31, 2012 8:26:41 PM UTC-5, Jim wrote:  Well, I've si=
gned up and presume my E-mail from you is waiting for me to pick >up to ver=
ify that it's a workable address. Which it is. I just use it for group use =
such as this.=20

>Actually I added you manually when you registered so you wouldn't have to
wait for the e-mail. I was still doing some tweaking when you registered so=
 I just went ahead and did it.

Thanks=20

>>HOWEVER .... now reading this I see that you are trying to confine it to =
commercial and not residential installations. I think that might be a mista=
ke. As for me, I no longer take on commercial work unless it's small office=
 or >business work. I have a feeling that even if you try to restrict it to=
 one >aspect that since alarm companies are so diversified nowdays that it =
will be hard to contain it related aspects of what alarm companies do now.=
=20

>Sounds to me like what you're doing isn't a far stretch at all for what th=
e group is really about...INTEGRATION. I read your suggestions and comments=
 and you have some good points. This is what I need, good informed feedback=
. I may re-think some of my plans, but that's what it's all about, getting =
feedback and re-evaluating and making changes that are in the best interest=
 of all. I will at least consider making a Resi-only group within the Forum=
s, but I really don't want to mix the 2 and have people from each side have=
 to deal with the irrelevant posts from the other group. If I do this, at a=
 users request I can give him access to BOTH groups if they so desire. I ha=
ve already created several "Restricted Access" groups to discuss things tha=
t the public or other companies should not see. The "Outsiders" if you will=
, won't even SEE these other groups that they do not have access to. If you=
 can see it, you can access it. Anyone feeling the need to have a private g=
roup created for their company can e-mail me and we can discuss the need to=
 create other private groups as we go.=20

That sounds ok .... for now. I DO however think that if the forum does beco=
me occupied by a lot of people that the time involved in moderating, parsin=
g, tweeking etc. will become quite a chore and get more involved as time go=
es on. It could begin to get out of hand but .... time will tell.=20

>> I'm just a small guy now and I do Residential alarms, home theater insta=
llation and layout, whole house audio, computer network wiring and setup fo=
r residential and small commercial. CCTV, and home automation and lighting.=
=20

>Already covered above.=20

>>I would think that larger companies would be involed with that and more.=
=20

>Some do, mine doesn't, we don't do any Resi stuff at all. but point taken.=
=20

>> If your forum works I think you'll have to set up different venues for d=
ifferent skills, within the site, in order to gain the audience you'll need=
 to attract others to join. I'd like to see something akin to the AVS forum=
 (which I realize in primarily DIY's) for the alarm (and related) trade. No=
 one at the AVS forum knows that I'm an installer.=20


>I'm not familiar with that forum but if you hadn't looked yet, I already c=
reated groups for Hardware & Software both, under EACH category of Access C=
ontrol, CCTV, Fire, & Intrusion. As I said above, I know there will be cate=
gories needed to be added, I also created a "Networking" Cat., we'll see wh=
at else and keep tweaking it.=20


Sounds good. I'll explore next time.

The AVS forum is an audio/video/home theater and related ....site. It's bee=
n around for a long time and has years of threads on anything you'd ever wa=
nt to know about home entertainment equipment, setup, reviews and problems.=
 It's pretty well organized but as controled as it is, threads get off on t=
angents and there's just nothing that can be done about it. Every once in a=
 while a moderator will break into a thread and redirect it to either a new=
 thread or another category. But there's got to be hundreds of threads that=
 started years ago and some still get reopened long after they were started=
. It's as controled as it can be but sometimes it breaks down and new threa=
ds have to be started. Sometimes you can find information on a subject in t=
he strangest threads. With DIY'ers it's less disciplined because they'll st=
art a thread titled something like "Help I'm setting up my TV" instead of c=
ategorizing it to a brand or a particular problem. That's one of the advant=
ages that an open forum such as ASA has over a moderated, categorized forum=
. Any subject can be brought up in a new thread at any time. It gets answer=
s and then dies. A database search can always be used for research, etc.

>> Also, you mentioned that you're intentions are to keep your group for tr=
ades people only but I don't see how you're going to do that without (someh=
ow) verifying people when they try to join. For me, it's ideal because I wo=
uldn't allow you to know anything about me or my company. But, of course it=
 makes it easier for non "qualified" people to join also.=20

>This is true and as I said originally, it's going to have to be a trust is=
sue (for me trusting them) or else maybe a referral from several other memb=
ers who can vouch for them. I'm not planning on any kind of strict verifica=
tion or revealing of personal info. after all, ASA has been wide open for 2=
2 years. I want it open to anyone who truly belongs without having to jump =
through hoops to get in. On the other hand, I think we as "Professionals" w=
ill be able to tell a novice or worse, a disingenuous person when we see on=
e simply by their posts. I still feel strongly about the NO DIY'ers but may=
be they can have their own group (that we can all access) as well, but with=
 them having no access to the Pros Groups? Something to think about.

DIY'ers are a good catlyst for starting threads, so I think that they shoul=
dn't be kept out. I don't quite understand how you're going to segregate pe=
ople into their respective groups and control who can see what ... but I'm =
not familiar with how these things ( Groups/Forums, etc) are set up. Howeve=
r I'm sure it will take some trial and error to get it running smooth.

>> I see that you're just starting out with the fourm so I'll check in occa=
sionally to see what's going on.=20

>Yes, I am. It is merely a week or so old I believe (don't really recall wh=
at day I finally got it installed properly because their were some files mi=
ssing and had to get my SQL Database and php.ini all set up because on my o=
ld board it was all Javascripts and CGI Scripts, etc).=20

In the past I've tried to think of a way to get the word out to people that=
 ASA exists. I've never been able to come up with an idea. We used to get a=
 lot of people stopping in and after things quited down here, I thought tha=
t ASA would eventually see an upswing in participants. That hasn't happened=
. I know that the reputation of ASA was pretty bad for a long time but I di=
d think that that it would repopulate after awhile. Hasn't happened so now =
I think that back then, the initial attraction  for new comers was probably=
 the quantity of posts that made people think that it was an active alarm f=
orum, when it was really more akin to a forum like the Colliseum in Rome.
Anyway, I can't think of anyway to bring people to a group such as yours. A=
s you can see, there are people who just don't want to be moderated. I don'=
t have any problem with it until it becomes a problem. I'll deal with it th=
en.=20

>> Thanks for the invite. I'd really like to see it work out.=20

>> Good luck=20

>Thank YOU for showing an interest and being CIVIL about it. ;) I hope it w=
orks too but it will only work if we work at it TOGETHER.

Civility is a two way street.=20
=20

>> By the way, what was your old screen name here? (if you care to divulge =
it)=20

>I DO NOT, and I think you can guess why! :D

You're shy?