We're growing by leaps & bounds!

Well as of the start of this topic, we have reached 815 registered people at the Collector Forums. It wasn't that long ago we were all wondering if we would break the "800" mark. Well ... "been there, done that."

There is one thing missing from our latest registrants. Many of the new people have overlooked the fact that the other registrants would like the new people to introduce themselves.

The people here at the CF are a very friendly group. Please don't be intimidated to the point that you don't post or reply. Feel free to speak your thoughts and ask your questions on anything that is related to HLs and lighthouses. We even have threads for non-lighthouse topics.

If you are a little shy, here is your chance to get your first post or two in and interact with the group. Here is an example of what you might consider posting for your first post or two:

(long version)
"Hi everyone, ...My name is Bob and I live in the great State of Massachusetts. I've been a Harbour Lights collector for quite some time and stumbled on the Collector Forums one day while checking out the HL website. One of my Internet friends had mention the site to me and I finally gave it a try. I'm looking forward to getting answers to my questions and conversing with many of you on the Net. I'm also looking forward to meeting many of you at HL signings or regional meetings. I might also be interested in joining an area HL or Lighthouse Preservation Club if someone could inform me about it."

(Short version)
"My name is Bob and I'm from Massachusetts. I collect Harbour Lights and I'm looking forward to chatting with others with similar interests."

You see, it is easy. Now if you're new, let us hear from you!

Bob

Bob,

Isn't Mass still a Commonwealth???????????

The Agitator

I have an easy cure for the growth without participation. Make them have 50 posts before running immediately to the Marketplace to sell their lighthouses. I suspect that we have Wacko's here with several registration names as an attempt to perhaps remain annonymous in the Marketplace. Maybe or maybe not, but in my opinion gaining registered members just for the sake of selling lighthouses here does nothing to strengthen this forum.

Just "my" opinion, the 800+ statistic means little. You wan't real numbers, count the Zip Codes on the Wacko Map. There's your real numbers.

Like I said earlier in another thread, Newbies, speak up, speak out, join in, are you out there? Who are you? Where do you live? What do you collect? How long have you been collecting? Etc.????

imho

Dave,
It,s TAXachusetts.Not a commonwelth.

------------------
RIP

You're right! Massachusetts is a Commonwealth. If my memory serves me correctly, there are four Commonwealths in the United States: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky.

Don't mistake Commonwealth for "common wealth". In Massachusetts, our taxes are high and the state doesn't share the wealth with everyone who resides here.

I've always said if you can afford to live in Massachusetts, you can afford to live most anywhere in the United States.

Our state does have the nickname of "Taxachusetts". If the state can find a way to tax anything within it's boundaries, it will. We're use to it by now.

Bob

One of the better trivia questions, one that most people do not realize. There are only 46 states in the United States. You are correct on the other three. You win a gold tax stamp.

Dave

The Collector Forum is now up to 820 registrants. Our numbers continue to grow but where are the introductions from our newest members?

Bob

Bob,
Guess it must be time to identify myself. I am half of the Twin Gold from the North East Region Event.I am Art and the other half is Margaret. We started collecting HL's in 1999 and now have sixteen in our collection. Our first signing event was in Wells ME. at the Lighthouse Depot. We met Bill for the first time there. Then it was on to the North East Region Event! Second meeting with Bill Y and first meeting with Nancy and a lot of nice people all with the same interest. We joined the NELL and then went on to see the drawing of the Gold, just hoping for a chance for one of the golden ones. Thinking that there was no way for that to happen. Well the rest is history and We are the proud owners of two of the Cape St George, Fl. Golden pieces. What a wonderful feeling...Bob we were standing next to you when Lorna's was drawn. That was a thrill being next to someone winning.
What is a WACKO? Are they the people my mother told me to watch out for as I travled through life? Hope to get to see you all again and meet more new friends.
ART

Hello Art and Margaret ! Welcome to the Forum.
Congrats on winning 2 gold ones !

terry

Welcome aboard Art and Margaret. It's great to have you amongst the land of the active forumites! As Terry has already said, congratulations on winning two golds. I know you must really be proud.

Tim - Keeping the flame lit...

Welcome to the Collector Forums Art.

Congratulations to you & Margaret on being the proud owners of two gold Cape St. George lighthouses. You will find the folks here are a wonderful family of Harbour Lights collectors whom you can depend on for just about anything. You will soon feel like family and get to know some of these people as if they were real family. I look forward to reading your posts.

I also wish to welcome you both to New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL). You may not realize it but Bob & Lorna also joined NELL recently, at the Regional.

Congratulations and thank you for joining us all here on the Forums.

"Keeping The Flame Alive in New England"
Ron

Welcome Margaret! Welcome Art! Congrats on being one of two couples in the world to own two Gold Cape St. Georges! I'm pleased you decided to join us at the Collector Forum and I think your name, "Twin Gold", is a super way to identify yourselves.

By the way, the term "WACKO" is a designation given to anyone registered here at the CF that has posted at least 50 times.

Once again, welcome, and I hope you visit often.

Bob

Welcome from a newcomer myself. These are great people to converse with. They make you feel like you've been a member for years.

Rich

Hello Art and Margaret. And, Welcome.
I am a newcomer myself. A friend told me about the collector forums and I mainly wanted to find out information about the Baltimore Reunion. I finally got up enough nerve to register in September and I met many of the "posters" at the Reunion. I'm still a "newbie" but I am working hard to become a "Wacko." Got a few more posts to go to reach Wacko status. I am a former Long Islander but now live in Cape Coral, Florida.
My friend, Geri, got me interested in collecting Harbour Lights in 1996. I try to limit myself to Florida and New York lights.(Unless it is really special like Eddystone and Bremerhaven.) Can't afford to collect them all. Hope to talk to you again soon.
JoanieO

Only four more post JoanieO and you will be an official Wacko!

Tim - Keeping the flame lit...


Edited to reflect the new number. Only three more. LOL


[This message has been edited by Torchbearer (edited 11-16-2001).]

Thanks for all the kind words from all of you. We are hooked now, so you will be hearing from me from time to time. We will also be attending more events in the future. Thanks again.
Art and Margaret

Hello Torchbearer,
I have been trying real hard to reach WACKO status. Dave H. "threatened" that if I didn't keep posting, he would reduce my number to zero and make me start over again. I hope he was kidding. It took me a little while to get over being timid with people I didn't know, but meeting so many connected collectors at the reunion helped me to join in on the fun. Until next time.
JoanieO :0

TO Dave, Bob S, and Torchbearer,

Here's a little quiz:

I used to be a Long Islander, Now I'm a Floridian;
I used to be employed, now I am retired;

I used to be a ___________________,
now I am a _______________________!!!!

Can you fill in the blanks????
Hint: I have been working on it since September.

JoanieO




[This message has been edited by JoanieO (edited 11-17-2001).]

Welcome aboard to Art & Margaret as members of a great gang this is one move you will never regret.Bill O'Brien

JoanieO, how about Newbie and Wacko?! By the way... congratulations on making Wacko status!!!

Tim - Keeping the flame lit...


[This message has been edited by Torchbearer (edited 11-17-2001).]

Congratulations on your attaining the esteemed status of being a Wacko, Joanie! See, it wasn't really all that hard to do and you are even having fun!

Art & Margaret, welcome to you lucky golden folks, and congratulations on your very special achievement. You too can achieve Wackodom by simply participating in the discussions in the forums. Before long, it will seem as if you "know" all the fine folks who hang out here abouts.

Dave

Welcome joannie and congrats on making Wacko statusdidn't take long did it? Bill O'Brien

Thank you for welcoming me to WACKO status.
You are right - it wasn't that hard.
I think meeting some of you "connected collectors" at the reunion helped me to overcome my reluctance to participate.
Of course, those badges you made for the reunion, Dave, really helped a great deal to find and recognize forum members.
JoanieO

823 is the new all-time high! We're still waiting for the intros from the new people. Don't be shy!

Bob

828 is the new magic number! It seems many of our new additions are operating in a stealth mode. Welcome aboard to all who have joined us recently.

Bob

We're now up to 832 registrants at the Collector Forum. Our numbers have been increasing at a rapid rate. Would anyone care to guess why?

Do you think we are picking up people from the reunion in Baltimore? Do you think this year's regional events have brought us more people? Do you think Harbour Lights products are getting more attention from all the great work the Younger Family has done to help lighthouse restoration?

Bob

Yes, Bob. You're probably right. And some of it is due to collectors liquidating their collections or parts of it.

I blame that on the economy. Year end almost upon us. Bills to pay; presents to buy, etc.

Some people moving to smaller homes and/or retiring.

Out of the 832 there are 118 registered users who have NEVER posted and 183 with only 1 post. 99 with only 2. So 400 with 0-2 posts. Some of those who have higher numbers of posts may not be active anymore.

Not to throw cold water on the increase in registered users, though. As you know a few times in the past, I've purged members with 0 posts; haven't done that in a year or so.

0 :>)

Thanks for those interesting facts and figures, John. I didn't realize we had so many shy (zero posts) people registered. I'm somewhat surprised that a large group of people have very few, if any, posts.

I guess we're popular because of the major contributors to the Collector Forums. It's the "Wackos" that make this board what it is. I'm proud to be associated with such a fine group of people.

Bob

You know, it is really interesting that so many people have registered and not really posted more then 2 posts. I know that when I registered in October I said that I would be posting only when I felt compelled to say something. Well I must really be compelled because I've already posted over 60 times and still going strong. It's an easy group to get going with and everyone makes you feel welcome.

A word to the 400 people who must feel they don't have anything worthwhile to say is get going and make a few posts. It's like Jay Leno said in his Doritos commercial, "eat all you want, we'll make more". In this case, "post all you want, we'll make more room". Enough said!

Rich

[This message has been edited by flacoastie (edited 12-07-2001).]

It looks like we've added a couple more new people to our count. Unfortunately, the new folks are not visiting this thread and sharing a little of their information with us. Maybe the "newbies" are just shy and we can all respect that, but half the fun of the Collector Forums is participation. So if you're new, jump in with both feet and tell us a little about yourself. Look over the various threads at the CF and share your thoughts and opinions with us.

Bob

The count on deck is now 841 as of the typing of this post. Our numbers keep growing but very few posts from the newest additions to the Collector Forums. I hope they are here to join in the fun and information available at the CF and not just to sell HLs.

Everyone is welcome here at the CF. Let's hear from you!

Bob

Hi All,

While I'm new to the CF, I'm hardly new around Harbour Lights - there has been a gallery of my photos here for a couple of years. I'm also not bashful about commenting.

I'm an occasional HL collector, but spend a huge amount of time photographing lighthouses. I was immensely pleased to see that John had added snow to one of my winter shots of South Haven Lighthouse, here in Michigan that comes up as a greeting when you open the webpage. Thanks, John, great job! BTW, can I get a copy of that, including the snowfall???

I can frequently be found on AIM as lighthousephoto, predominantly in the evenings usually from 8 or 9 Eastern time often until midnight or later. Feel free to say hello if you see me on or are interested in lighthouse photography, particularly low light exposures or taking dramatic shots in really NASTY weather!

Gary Martin
aka lighthouse_photo@hotmail.com
aka lighthousephoto on AIM

Welcome aboard Gary it was nice talking to you earlier enjoy all we have to offer.Bill O'Brien

Welcome Gary. It's great to have another forum member that's not afraid to give their opinions.

Hi Gary,

Welcome to the Fourms! Thank you for sharing your great photos with us, and now sharing your words.

-Todd

Welcome aboard, Gary !

Bob

Hi Gary, we welcome anyone with lighthouse comments or comments on other things.


terry

Hi, I'm new to the forum and to Harbour Lights. I love lighthouses and frequently visit Montauk and Fireisland lighthouses. I saw the HL Montauk Lighthouse at a friends house Christmas day along with her collection. All I can say is I'm hooked

Welcome, Terry. Didn't take you long to find this sight after your initial introduction to HL! Now comes the hard part - deciding what will be your first HL. From there on, its all downhill. Enjoy the forums and our great members. We'll be looking to hear from you as your addiction grows.

Dave

Welcome Gary!
You are amongst the greatest online
lighthouse friends that you can find!

From one Western Great Laker to another!
Great WMU parties in the 70's!

Mary

Hi Terry and WELCOME to the Collector Forums. As was already mentioned, you have found a site loaded with wonderful lighthouse lovers who are very friendly and are almost like family. I look forward to reading your posts in the future.

By the way, are you aware of the USLHS Long Island Chapter? If not you should check out posts in these Forums by Kristin and Bob Scoope. They are lighthouse lovers and Harbour Lights Collectors who frequent these Forums. You may wish to join them at one of their events.

Ron & MJ
(CT Keepers)

OK, is it a coincidence that everyone is a cruise director or does it mean something else in the forum?
My first piece will be the Montauk Lighthouse if I can find it, everyone seems to be out at the moment.
Terry

http://www.harbourlights.com/catalog/1994/hl_montauk.htm
Hi Terry, Montauk can be found, just probably not at retail. If the people on the forum know you`re looking, those who can will usually email you with some leads. Glad to see you`ve joined us.


terry

The count on deck has jumped to "852". It appears the wintery weather has forced more people inside and sitting in front of their computers.

Like many of the regulars here at the Collector Forums, I'm a little curious as to how the new people found us. Please take a moment and let us know by posting a reply.

Bob

Welcome Terry! Montauk is a great choice for your 1st lighthouse. It is one of my favorites since I first started collecting. The hard part will be finding a limited edition if this is the way that you are going to go. They are out there, so if you choose the LE route, don't get discouraged.

Rich

The count on deck is now "856". The interest in the Collector Forums keeps increasing each week.

Bob

DEAR TERRY,
WELCOME TO THE FORUM FROM A FORMER LONG ISLANDER. I HAVE THE MONTAUK GLOW BECAUSE I COULDN'T AFFORD TO BUY THE LE ON THE SECONDARY MARKET.
JoanieO

It's not that easy finding the pieces around here. I went to one store and they had very few on display and the other store I tryed no longer exists. Are all pieces limited editions? Joined membership club but haven't received kit yet.

[This message has been edited by TerryDaSilva (edited 01-05-2002).]

The count on deck is now 861! More people are being welcomed aboard slowly but surely.

Welcome aboard! Don't forget to let us know who you are and where you're from.

Bob

It's about time to lock thise thread. You guys are probably getting tired of me posting numbers here any how.

If you are newly registered at the Collector Forum, please take a moment to let us know who you are and where you're from. You can even post it as a new topic and watch how many people will welcome you.

Come join the Harbour Lights family of friends! It's easy and, best of all, it's free!
Bob