Unsolicited Feedback - AKA, Thank you Bill.

[Chris]

Hi Everyone,
I have to tell you that the day to day operations of this board are easy for me due to one person: Bill. Bill takes care of so many of the routine issues of the board, and is a huge contributing member as well. I get unsolicited feedback weekly, but this one was worth posting.

Bill, thank you. I don't always tell you, but I hope that I do enough so that you know - You're amazing. I really, truly appreciate all of your efforts and your dedication to making this the best RV board on the internet, and certainly one of the oldest.

Here is the feedback:
I’ve been on the TM Forum for nearly 6 years now, and as you may know, remain one of the more active members (with over 2,000 posts). The board has been an immense help to me in maintaining and modifying my TM, and I am very thankful to you for having the initiative to start it, and in keeping it maintained. My TM experience wouldn’t be half what it has been without the forum, so I try to return the favor to new members by helping out a bit whenever I can. Throughout my time on the board, I have been a witness to Bill’s untiring dedication and support of the forum, both in helping newbies from setting their TM on fire with faulty wiring, and in keeping the board logistically fit, such as by keeping spammers at bay. Many members have publicly commented how helpful folks on the forum are, and I know helpful folks disappear from forums over time if they are not actively and tactfully moderated. Bill does this with skill, and it shows. I also know all the active members would agree that the board would simply not be the quality community it is today without all the hours he puts in every week.

I believe Bill does all this on a volunteer basis, which I find incredible. If that is indeed the case, I hope I can safely presume you regularly extend a gesture of appreciation. If you don’t, you need to; the forum would fall apart without him. I’m certain the forum doesn’t have enough paying members to compensate Bill for the true value of his time, just as sending my Mom flowers for mother’s day doesn’t do her justice. But she still loved them, and was very thankful. J

Thanks again for keeping up the best TM resource on the web!


Thanks,
Ct..

[Mark & Jill]

Couldn't say it better. Not only do I appreciate you, and the work done on this forum, but Trailmanor should be ultra thankful as well.

We are three-month-old newbie owners to a 2009. We never would have purchased it without all the great info we gleaned from this forum.

We are looking forward to lots more years of this forum and our trailer.

Thanks again to all you volunteers that have made it so enjoyable and informative.

[PopBeavers]

Bill joined in 2003. I joined in 2005.

I am a prolific poster.

Bill has about double what I have posted. My guess is that he has more helpful things to say, and also uses many posts to keep things neat and tidy.

I used to participate in RV.NET. It has several alternate names. About 3 years ago I abandoned it. Too much obscene language. Too much negative posts, directed at members in a public post instead of a private message. Clear and public insults.

with regard to RVing topics, I have been using TMO exclusively since I abandoned rv.net.

By seeing what was falling apart on rv.net, and seeing that this does not happen on tmo, it is clear that someone is taking care of it.

Thanks Bill.

[ShrimpBurrito]

I wrote that feedback to Chris.

While we all are contributors to this community, and many are a huge asset to the group as a whole, I think it's important for us to realize there's quite a bit of behind the scenes things that Bill does. And like most well-oiled machines, you don't realize what all is being done until a part breaks, or in this case, Bill goes on vacation. :D Posts go in wrong categories, threads collide and need separation or consolidation, spammers take over, members' sponsorship accounts get mixed up, sellers post retarded ads with nothing other than "TM for sale" in the body, and a very important one -- the lonely newbie posts a question that has been asked 1,000 times, and because of that, often no one responds -- until Bill does, even if to suggest they do a search. And of course, although infrequent, sometimes folks need a time out, and Bill takes care of that. And that's just what I've noticed; I have no doubt, like the trusty Dept of Homeland Security, that there are other duties Bill takes care of for our own safety that we we'll never know about. :eek:

So thanks, Bill! Like PopBeavers, this is the only RV forum I visit because it's a pleasant and helpful place to be. And I'm confident it will stay that way at least as long as Bill continues to take care of the house.

Dave

[scrubjaysnest]

I would also like to add my thanks for Bill's work and Chris for the board. It's the only one we got to.

[Bill]

Many thanks for the kind words, everyone. I'm sorry that I couldn't respond a bit sooner, but we were on our annual trek from Arizona to Maine, and Internet connections were hard to come by. I spent what little time I had trying to answer questions that seemed important.

Hard to believe that this was our 22nd cross-country trek with a TM behind! Since we don't travel as the crow flies, each trip averages 3500 miles, and 22 trips is 77,000 miles! I have to admit, I feel a lot more knowledgable about TMs now than I did when all this started! And it has been my pleasure to pass some of that experience along, in the same way that many of you do. My wife and I have learned a lot about our ability to get along in close quarters, too - you're on your own there!.

As for the board - yes, it is a lot of work, and sometimes discouraging. But most of the time, it is a lot of fun, too. The secret seems to be to gently steer the board in such a way that the good guys - that's all of you - feel comfortable here, and the bad guys (the screamers/haters/whiners/insulters) do not feel at home. This last, of course, also relies on a lot of you, who steer the board with me, and let the bad guys know gently but firmly that we are not interested in their antics. Most of them go away of their own accord, and only occasionally do I have to take overt action. And of course the small fee for this board discourages those who are looking for a free forum for their venom. Good invention, Chris, though that was not the primary purpose of the Sponsor fee.

Anyway, it all seems to work.

As for my join date, my profile shows Feb 2003, but that is really the unveiling date of the "modern" TMO board. Five of us old timers were posting, and restructuring the board, back in 2001. Today, only Chris and I remain, but the board continues to improve. I never thought it would grow like this! I'm tickled!

So again, thanks for your thoughts. Onward!

Bill

[Scottie Dogs]

SUPER JOB!!!!! Nothing else to say.......

[B_and_D]

Thank you from us too!

[ThePair]

Only place I visit, only place to come.

Only board I have ever ponied up a fee, and I will continue to do so for as long as the board is around.

Cheers to Bill!

[newtome3326k]

I would like to add my thanks also.

[Redhawk]

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto....good people keep worthwile sites a great place to visit, yes, Bill is our leader and guide, but from experience, I know it takes a strong core group to keep it all positive and enjoyable, we have that here. Thanks BILL!!!! and all the others too. :)

[Northwoods]

Amen and amen. Thanks for all of the dedicated work. Olga

[hillbillyhotel]

I would like to raise my glass to bill and the folks that make this work also, many thanks for your time, and sharing of the vast knowledge you share :)

[wmtire]

I guess I need to make sure and read ALL the forums, so I'm not johnn, er I mean Bobby-come-lately.

Yes siree, Bill does a great job here, and we would be lost without him.

[happybeebob]

Bill:
Just got back from a little jaunt and was trying to play catch up when I spotted this thread. Let me also add my congratulations on a job being well done. Wish that I had a quarter of the knowledge that you have on the TM'S. Hope you stay with this for a long time!

Bob

[Bill]

Again, thank you all for the kind words. I hope we can keep it going.

Bill

[logcabin]

It is because of this forum and all the information posted that we became interested in TM and bought a used 2004 2720SL July 2011. I know that our trailer experience wouldn't be as successful without this forum and all the work that goes into it. THANKS!

[ottfour]

I very much too agree with the above comment. I/we found our TM on this site and the information I have received to date has been invaluable.
A big THANK YOU goes out to Bill for all his hard work, to all who have posted and taught me about the TM world and to Chris for putting up the site.

Thank you all