pageman99
01-28-2007, 05:51 AM
I just want to post a thank you to admin :) for starting this forum.
Most folks out there probably don't realize how much time and energy it takes to maintain a forum of this sort. I do. As a member and administrator of 2 forums involving my hobbies, it can take dozens of hours per week (or more!) just to keep up.
I think the greatest difficulty we'll run into with a hearing aid/hearing loss forum is that most folks will be intensely interested during the shopping/learning phase when they first discover they need hearing aids. Then, after a short period of time, more than likely, they will have made a purchase decision then will then move on to other interests, leaving no continuity of expertise available to this forum on a regular basis.
This forum isn't like, for example, a golf forum where there is constant tinkering and purchasing of equipment. Or the weekly tournaments that provide a natural stimulant to discussion, generating the enjoyable give and take of friends with common interests.
Plus with the need for custom fitting of hearing aids and because of high prices of h/a's it's very difficult for ANY one person to gather the wide range of experience needed to become expert in this field. If one doesn't have expertise, how can one honestly provide guidance? Tough question IMHO.
Additionally, quite a few folks with hearing loss are older, thus somewhat inexperienced with the internet. There are plenty of technically savvy old folks out there, but, unfortunately, nowhere as many as there are young folks
With this in mind, I for one will check in now and then and see if I can't share what a lifetime of using hearing aids has taught me.
And I hope others, even after satisfactorily taking care of their own needs, will check in now and then and let all of us know what their experiences have been.
Most folks out there probably don't realize how much time and energy it takes to maintain a forum of this sort. I do. As a member and administrator of 2 forums involving my hobbies, it can take dozens of hours per week (or more!) just to keep up.
I think the greatest difficulty we'll run into with a hearing aid/hearing loss forum is that most folks will be intensely interested during the shopping/learning phase when they first discover they need hearing aids. Then, after a short period of time, more than likely, they will have made a purchase decision then will then move on to other interests, leaving no continuity of expertise available to this forum on a regular basis.
This forum isn't like, for example, a golf forum where there is constant tinkering and purchasing of equipment. Or the weekly tournaments that provide a natural stimulant to discussion, generating the enjoyable give and take of friends with common interests.
Plus with the need for custom fitting of hearing aids and because of high prices of h/a's it's very difficult for ANY one person to gather the wide range of experience needed to become expert in this field. If one doesn't have expertise, how can one honestly provide guidance? Tough question IMHO.
Additionally, quite a few folks with hearing loss are older, thus somewhat inexperienced with the internet. There are plenty of technically savvy old folks out there, but, unfortunately, nowhere as many as there are young folks
With this in mind, I for one will check in now and then and see if I can't share what a lifetime of using hearing aids has taught me.
And I hope others, even after satisfactorily taking care of their own needs, will check in now and then and let all of us know what their experiences have been.