TCADD Guestbook. It's a small world and not just on my train layout.

The age of the internet and email has shrunk our world and the toy train hobby in particular. Websites like eBay and model railroad club websites have enabled hobby enthusiasts to add to their collections with just the click of their mouse (and of course a debit in their bank account). The sharing of information among hobbyists is also greatly increased with toy train forums passing along useful tips on problem solving and current hobby events.

As the webmaster of tcadd.org , I am constantly surprised at the number of foreign visitors that view our website. Last month we had web hits from twenty different countries, including Japan, China, Russia and Germany.  I wonder what these visitors are searching for and what they find interesting on our site. At some recent TCA conventions we've had visitors from Japan and Germany and everyone was able to communicate in "toy train" with no problem.
So, I'm hoping that this little blog might generate a little conversation and help to share our great hobby of toy trains. If you're just visiting our site please leave a comment in our guestbook and lets see how many different geographic areas we can get represented. Thanks, Angelo.

Website Feedback. How are we doing?

I have been the webmaster for the Desert Division for at least the past ten years and although at times it seems to be like work, for the most part I do enjoy it. It has forced me to learn new software and the need to keep current on new technologies. I surf the web quite a bit and one of my pet peeves is an outdated website. As a result I do strive to keep our site current and fresh looking.  The current design of the tcadd.org website is the third different design that I have published.  As the webmaster, I do not operate in a vacuum.  When a club board member or committee chair asks for something to be published on the website I try to accommodate all requests in a timely manner.
So as a club member, or website visitor who is interested in the toy train hobby, I'd like to get some feedback.
Is there any information that the club could supply that is currently missing?  Let me know.  Thanks, Angelo.

Suggest a Topic for the Toy Train Hobby Community.

Every hobby has its hot topics and the Toy Train Hobby is no exception.  Is EBAY killing the toy train swap meets? Are the flood of re-issue trains ruining the collectibility of our train collections?  How do we get new members in the hobby?  Do you have your own pet peeve or want to vent in a civilized manner. Leave a comment or suggest a topic.  I'm not sure what kind of response to expect as this blog is a new venture.
We'll see what happens. I can always pull the plug. It's good to be the king.
Angelo