I posted this in another thread that I think will get buried, so here it is again. what do ya'll think? I volunteer to help:
I like the idea of having more items for sale, but honestly a cup, hat, t-shirt, ect., with a website name on it is unappealing to me, and I suspect to others as well. I have way too many of those items already. To me, it's clutter and junk.
What I offer as an alternative is a hard-copy publication of the articles for purchase. They do not need to be anything fancy. If you have seen Yogi's PCT Handbook, then you know what I mean.
This market is much about functional information and downsizing than bric-and-brac. So why not cater to it, in physical printings? Who knows- there could even be a market for a cannon of articles in a book to be professionally published and marketed on other venues.
Imagine, a book with info directly from the people who are very experienced at hiking, making gear, cooking, ect. -Just a simple collection of articles, like a scientific journal. There could be different editions, each with new articles, like Foxfire books but about backpacking topics. Each would be prefaced from a word from the editor (s).
These would make great gifts to hikers of all speeds, a physcial document with the perspective of all the great voices here.
Face it, many people just don't like forums. Just ask Sgt. Rocks elder son: "I don't do forums!" he told me at the primitive skills workshop.
I don't blame him. But wouldn't it be great to hand him a volume of articles from the site, or put it in his Christmas stocking?
Furthermore, many people are scared off by the intensity of the discussions. They just want to learn about backpacking, not get in a heated debate about it. I don't blame them, and at the same time, i don't think we should sacrifice our perspectives to appeal to everyone.
So we could offer the cream off the top- the essential information, for topics ranging from wild edibles, LNT, town info, stove making, to ALDHA's endangered services campaign.
We do not have to be just net geeks. There is some AWESOME info here, which belongs in print, and which can be "donated" by the authors to help finance WB's needs for today and the future ahead.
IMAGINE the bandwidth needs if the newman/redford movie ever comes out!
Respectfully ya'lls,
TW
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