Spreading the Joy!!

I echo Bobby's sentiment regarding the forum and would like to see more of our members taking part in the giveaways that are being offered both here on the forum and through our Newsletter.

Thanks for starting this thread, Bobby, this is great stuff, indeed!  I also really like the follow-on posts from tomiseksj and firstfrog2013.  All of you have been incredibly generous with your giveaways and auction lots, I have been one of the beneficiaries, so thank you all!!

You are, in my opinion, absolutely right about how much such things mean to others, as I know what they have meant to me.  I also really like your observation about young collectors.  When I first started collecting in my youth, I was long on passion for stamps, but short on resources with which to get them.  That's why I often resorted to sending away my dimes and quarters to ads in Boys' Life magazine for stamp mixtures and then reluctantly returning the approvals which I almost always wanted but could not afford to keep.

Anyway, I want to start doing more with giveaways, too.  At the moment, I am a bit preoccupied with becoming gainfully employed again, but that's not a good reason for inaction, it is really just an excuse.  I have been gathering some material for awhile now and will plan on doing a giveaway of my own before the summer is out.

Thanks to you, Bobby, for your kindness to me and many others on TSF--people like you, Steve, Frog, Nelson, Michael, et al are an inspiration to us all....

Mark, it was my pleasure to do a little something for you, as you do some very nice things for our hobby.  It was just a way to say thanks for what you do, and to let you know that we are all glad to have you as part of TSF.

I am so glad that the simple, cheap expedient of using a Ziploc bag kept everything dry and in good condition.  It's a lesson I learned a while back.  Anyway, enjoy the stamps!

I'm working hard to get to my 50 posts so that I can participate, too. I have every intention of offering my own giveaways when I'm able. And hopefully winning a few for myself!

Happy to answer this. Actually glad you asked! (No problem if reply coming from someone with a few more grey hairs than existed before, right?!)

Not much - other than providing some inspiration & knowing that deep down, our hobby still has some good eggs! I would collect regardless - but seeing this makes be glad to be a collector - and increases my willingness to help newer/beginning collectors / share the wealth/knowledge...


Absolutely & unequivocably. Any thoughts otherwise have never entered my mind...


Not applicable to me, but I'll also answer - absolutely not. 


Yes, but I think that the site is effectively ALL giveaways. More to follow...


As of next week, I will have been a member of this site for 4 years. (Just checked!) I believe that I am up to something like 44-45 posts? That has precluded me from participating in any of the giveaways as yet. And while I am a specialized collector in 2 countries - (US & Turkey) - I am also a 'novice' worldwide collector - and would have loved / benefitted greatly from any of the giveaways offered over the past several years - some of which were extremely attractive to me! But I didn't enter - couldn't enter - due to the post count issue. 

(I have no issue with the post count issue / rule - I agree with it, for the most part - so my comments are about other issues!)

Over the course of the past 4 years, I've checked in & looked at this board on a relatively regular basis. But rarely do I see anything worth commenting on - or leaving a 'post' - as it seems to me that most of the posts are about - giveaways!

Importantly - I refuse - cannot consider - leaving 'random' posts to increase post counts to be able to participate in giveaways!

In my mind - this forum is (app!) 15-20 'regulars' who are - effectively - giving their stamps away to one another!!

I assume you're asking because you want to ensure the giveaways have maximum value / impact. Toward what end?

If your goal is encouraging 'new' collectors - well, in my mind, you're not even close. It is mostly the same group of very sophisticated collectors - shifting stamps among themselves. I see very few - if any - 'new' collectors here - or even people we could consider 'beginner' collectors. There are a few of the folks just returning to the hobby after many years away - and encouraging them is absolutely an essential part of our 'obligation' to ensure the continuance of the hobby. My sense is that few last long enough - on this site or even back in the hobby - to have the ability to participate in the giveaways and therefore, to have the impact that you're interested in providing. 

The 'giveaways' could be more beneficial to the site if there was a wider population participating. But there isn't. And the overall population on the site seems so small to me - based on the pure quantity of posts etc - that the desired/intended 'effect' is being lost...

Love the giveaways - always - as you stated - an exciting element. But it can't be the only element. There needs to be more!

Hoping to participate - on both the giving & potentially receiving end at some point - but there has to be more to the site than giveaways, especially to attract new members & encourage new collectors. Neither is an easy task - and I realize I'm guilty of not helping out with this more - and the challenge to maximize the impact of the giveaways is to get a large group of novice collectors to be involved. Spreading knowledge is as important as spreading around duplicates!

(This should definitely count as at least 2 posts?!? Maybe 2 1/2??!!)

Sorry for the novel - but has actually been on my mind for a while - so a timely/excellent question!

Bobby, thanks for your thoughtful post with lots of questions about TSF and its giveaways.  Normally, I would respond item by item, but since you have already had a couple of detailed responses along those lines (dgdecker and mdroth ), I would just like to make some general comments in response:

I did not join TSF in order to be able to participate in giveaways. I initially joined because I was looking for some specific information, and a web search led me to the Forum. In order to be able to get the file I wanted from Jerry B , I needed to join, so I joined. Then I started to look around the Forum, I liked what I saw, and I was encouraged by others, including you, to participate. So, I did.

I think that the giveaways are a very nice feature of TSF, but for me, they are not the main thing. For me, the most important thing is being able to share information in an open, honest way, without fear of ridicule or bullying, and in the process, either get answers to questions on my mind, or to help others find answers to their questions.

To me, the friendships I have made, the help I have been able to give to others, and the things that I have learned from everyone else, are the most important things to me about TSF. If I never receive another stamp from another member for the rest of my life, it won't matter. I have already found all of the things that are important to me.

I'll add one more example/story that perhaps is illustrative of how good the board is - and how even good intentions/giveaways & more - are not always sufficient.

Remember a young girl - college student - joined about a year ago or so?? Got very active - quickly - (I think her name was Lila?) - asked lots of good/basic questions??

Everyone was extremely kind & patient - answered all her questions etc. I even sent her a nice envelope full of stamps - as others did as well. Shortly afterwards, she disappeared. Life / college - must've gotten in the way. All normal. 

Best laid plans ect. All that can be done - is being done - short of extraordinary measures such as advertising ect. You can lead a horse to water..

Gaining knowledge is the primary reason one joins TSF.

I did even less.  I took a complete hiatus for 3 years until an accident landed me in the hospital for several months and stamping seemed a reasonable alternative to insanity. 

These days I look at TSF as my social network and amazing knowledge resource for the hobby I enjoy.  I view the giveaways as a method by which I am able to redistribute the philatelic wealth I have accumulated.  If I believed that the only reason folk were joining TSF was the chance to get "free stuff," I'd stop doing it.  I feel that perks like "giveaways" are a great way to attract collectors, but definitely not the way to retain them.  

I never answered the questions

(1) What effect do giveaways and other “sharing” efforts have on your interest in collecting in general?

Unless the giveaway is something I collect, it does not impact me. 

(2) Do you believe that those who sponsor giveaways do so altruistically? If not, do you see a hidden agenda behind one or some (please do not name specific members)?

No.

(3) If you joined TSF on or after January 1, 2017, was your interest in TSF influenced by the efforts of members to distribute stamps gratuitously to other members?

I did not join for the giveaways and unless the giveaway is of direct interest I do not enter to just get something for nothing. I believe I have only entered one so far.

(4) Do you think the giveaways are beneficial to TSF?

It can but not sure the results can be measured.

(5) Any other comments about the giveaways? (Please do not use this answer to praise or thank members, you can do that elsewhere)

On some forums, there is more an obligation by those wanting it such as
1. Minimum posts from time of start / end giveaway. this is important if freeloading is an issue. I do not see it here
2 Requirement to do something. It could be write a review, post something (like what is your favorite stamp. etc) when you say "enter me", This can be a real test of those who really want it.

Another idea is to have some giveaways (packets of stamps) and once they reach 50 posts or some other level they will get a packet of choice (means someone takes dupes and creates options.