Poignant Question For Everyone...?

I stopped visiting the contest section* because every contest I wanted to enter was limited to the US (or rarely, US and Canada). I no longer bother checking the new ones, nor do I intend to hold new ones myself.
I somehow I do not recall that being the case years before.

I did visit the sales section recently and I've got to say I agree with you. I was rather surprised: the prices were good but there wasn't that much demand...

*except for Guess the Price, of course

@crazyb0, I just noticed this thread now. I too have certain areas where I tend to hang out (and evidently, this isn't one of those places). I actually thought that those paper money contests were wicked hard. I'm not really into collecting bills and so didn't have a good place to start. There was one contest a couple years ago with morse code that I spent hours and hours on, but I seem to have less time for them now.

Everyone has their own reasons for signing up here. Some come here to learn. Others come for comradery. Because of the capital requirements, it's not wise to share pics of your collection on Facebook or even share with friends that you are a coin collector. It makes you target. CCF provides an anonymous platform that enables us to share our love of coins with other enthusiasts while remaining 'in the closet' from our friends and family.

Contests for freebees, just doesn't interest me and I feel my time is better spent in other sections. I signed up here to learn in an interactive environment.

On the selling section: I think what hurts this section is that we spend so much time coaching one another on how to be savvy buyers that we become conditioned to only buy coins when they are a screaming steal.

Facebook is for those who like that way of communicating.
CCF is much more about sharing knowledge. I Would much rather share knowledge than just chit - chat.
Use Facebook or whatever for personal communication.

From the perspective of a very new member/collector.

As there is so much accumulated knowledge here, interacting a whole lot in the forums is tough, as just reading through YEARS of old topics that pretty much answer any questions I can possibly think of, and a bunch I never would have, take up much of my time at this point.

I am sure that at some point the learning curve will wind down a bit, and allow me to post more usefully/socially. But until then, though you may not see it, know that the resources are definitely being used to learn by newer members (this one anyway) and the sharing of knowledge is VERY much appreciated!!

As far as contests go, I simply wouldn't feel right entering a contest here at this point, same for taking advantage of deals in the sales area, as I haven't really contributed anything to the forum as of yet, so taking doesn't feel right.

Hi Crazyb0, interesting post - don't be discouraged by low participation. I can only speak from one perspective (New Member) but there are several things that limit my participation. To name a few:

1.in addition to being a new member, I'm a new collector. As such, this site is an amazing asset and I have bandsdean to thank for the introduction. But with the title of new member comes limitations like post counts.

2. Self-imposed limitation of not being very talkative either in person or on-line when combined with post counts equals a problem for my participation in several site assets.

3. As a new collector I wouldn't dare to offer an opinion on a coin's grade, variety or error. I'm learning a lot on this site but I'm not "there" yet.

4. Some contest originators limit participation to members with 250 posts or more. By the time I get there your contest will be a faint memory. And speaking of contests, how about refurbishing and re-running some of your contests from yesteryear. They were fun once, they'll be fun again. And besides, maybe by then some of the new members will have something to contribute.

So, crazyb0, don't be discouraged....this is still the best coin site I've ever seen, and thank you for the humor you inject.

herbaby (I should have chopped this up into about 15 posts, I'd be about ready to buy something)

The CCF is a wonderful stimulant, always there when you need it, just like cigarettes were so long ago.

Admittedly I am not on the forum as much as I used to be and as much as I want to be. In fact I cannot even keep up with Guess the Price anymore - which I really enjoyed.

When health permits I am normally doing one of two things - researching in connection with my other hobby (uncovered territory from original documentation - my passion!), or going back over every coin I own looking for varieties/etc. and learning as I go. I also have several writing projects at present that I had put on a back burner for quite a few years while researching/publishing a reference book. I have spent the last 1.5 years getting all that caught up.

When I see contests, a lot are centered around subjects that are not a specialty to me. So I figure there is someone who would appreciate the experience/prize a lot more than I would.

CCF is amazing - I would like more time for it.