Having been part of this forum since 2005 I now seldom log on.

Because I have lost interest in CO cooking?
No I cook with a CO probably 3/4 times every week. It has been my lifestyle for over 60yrs.

My problem with the forum is the lack of rapport.... "looks great"....... "very tasty"......."good buy".......etc. etc......

Anyone who may remember our late (respected) mate "furphy slinger" would realise that a simple post is not just that, its the beginning of a new yarn.
Threads went into pages, anectdotes told, histories (family and others) unfolded, bloody marvellous.

What now...

Well, seems half are ads. for some one's product, some for self promotion and the few remaining an attempt to get a decent story across.

At this point I will continue to remain in the background. 8-)
mikel

mikel wrote on Nov 19^th, 2012 at 8:07pm:

At this point I will continue to remain in the background.

That would be a shame Mikel, as it seems like you have so much knowledge and experience that would be of great value to the members who are new to the forum and/or camp oven cooking.

I think of COCIA as a place for support, encouragement and sharing - ideas, experiences and knowledge of all sorts.   
I like encouraging people who try something new - an honest and well placed "that looks yummy" can make somebody feel like they haven't wasted their efforts and encourage them to try something more difficult next time.

It surprises me how this subject continues to come up every now and then. I was considering deleting this post at first, something I rarely do, as I find this sort of thing very tiring and very futile.

Although I own and maintain this forum I am a member of several others and they are all basically the same albeit on different subjects and if everyone remained in the background then nothing would ever get posted and the forum would eventually die.

I know there are quite a few of the "old and original" members who are no longer active because the forum content has changed over time. Some even thought it was "their right" to dictate what direction the forum should take. The original forum was purely Camp Ovens & Camp Oven Cooking and that is all some wanted however it has evolved to what it is today to include other 'cooking and outdoor' subjects. It also competes with a myriad of Facebook pages which are free and come and go like the weather.

Even though the active membership of this forum is not large it does in my view meet a need.  The reader volume both here and on my COCIA website and COCIA Facebook page is huge.

If people are not happy then don't sit in judgement, complain or cause discontent from behind your keyboard either spruce up the content with some meaningful posts of your own or go elsewhere.  There are other forums out there where you might fit in.

I started this as a hobby. I have invested 600 plus hours to build it and the annual cost of the domain name and a monthly fee to host it all adds up. I do occasionally get a small donation from people which helps and is greatly appreciated however I certainly do not get any financial rewards.

Regards


Derek

Thanks Derek...for this Forum........yes I'm on a lot of Forums myself.....yes this Forum can appear slow at times....but I continue to check it out....Daily..might even reply too  :)

Ok so where are all those who were here when I joined??....come on..stop hiding .... ;) ;D

Dave

Derek wrote on Nov 20^th, 2012 at 9:46am:

Although I own and maintain this forum I am a member of several others and they are all basically the same albeit on different subjects and if everyone remained in the background then nothing would ever get posted and the forum would eventually die.

That is so very true Derek. I own and run a Traditional Bowhunting site/forum and although it is my wife and I who pay all the running costs I wouldn't have a site if it wasn't for the members input!

Mikel I am new here and I try and contribute as much as I can but being new I also don't give advice on things I don't know about. Although I have had a camp oven for many years I haven't used it a lot so I am very much new to this and am trying to learn as much as I can.

Being new I have had questions and really appreciated the replies I got but I have on occasion been disappointed with the lack of replies. On those occasions I know a reply from someone as experienced as you obviously are would have been very much appreciated by me. So please consider being an active member again as I'm sure us newbies, the experienced and this site would all benefit.  :)

Jeff