Has Sellers Gone Off the Deep End?

[Vince]

I am totally not interested in any woodworker's personal/family life, philosophy, political views, etc. I read woodworking forum posts or blog posts purely for the woodworking aspects. As soon as a blog owner writes about his or her past weekend vacation, or a new lapdog adopted, blah, blah, blah, I leave.

I find this statement interesting, and wonder how many people share this view. We have had this same debate on our own staff, with some feeling that we should inject more personal history into our magazines and videos, while others feel we should just focus on the subject at hand, rather than the people. I'm not sure what the answer is, frankly.

[David Katz]

I find this statement interesting, and wonder how many people share this view. We have had this same debate on our own staff, with some feeling that we should inject more personal history into our magazines and videos, while others feel we should just focus on the subject at hand, rather than the people. I'm not sure what the answer is, frankly.

If you go down this road you'll inevitably alienate some portion of your readership. This is because political questions will rear their ugly heads every time. Chris Schwarz postures himself some kind of "anarchist' even though he religiously spouts the party line on politically correct issues like feminism and transgenderism. Paul Sellers has recently become some kind of class warrior eco-weenie pontificating about the "environment" and the evils of capitalism. There are many other, less well-known, YouTube "makers" who express themselves similarly. They are, to a man, colossal bores. Yawn. 

I don't care a whit about the political views of woodworkers. All I care about is the skill, creativity, and entertainment value of their videos and blog posts about woodworking. Once they start blathering about politics or their personal lives I'm outta there.

[mound]

I find this statement interesting, and wonder how many people share this view. We have had this same debate on our own staff, with some feeling that we should inject more personal history into our magazines and videos, while others feel we should just focus on the subject at hand, rather than the people. I'm not sure what the answer is, frankly.

I'd say I share this view. Stay focused, on topic, and present the information the viewers/readers are looking for. Nothing turns me off faster than somebody going off on a tangent especially if they start spewing politics and/or religion.

[Ricky]

I'm looking forward to his upcoming YT videos in which he'll build furniture for his new home.. I don't have any interest and don't watch his vlogs
where he walks around the woods looking at birds and waxing philosophical.   That's what I love about the age we live in, the power of the mouse.

[Bob Lang]

I find this statement interesting, and wonder how many people share this view. We have had this same debate on our own staff, with some feeling that we should inject more personal history into our magazines and videos, while others feel we should just focus on the subject at hand, rather than the people. I'm not sure what the answer is, frankly.

Way back when at PopWood we decided that editorially it was a good thing for authors to have personalities; most magazines edit so that every author sounds the same. For me it makes for a more interesting read when author A sounds different from author B. But like anything else this can be taken too far and the author wants to be a personality. I want the focus to be on the work, and the qualifications to be pieces of furniture not numbers of followers.

[hbmcc]

I read that FWW was reopening forums. I trust they will refrain from the former groupie-type religious adoration, and sweep out any before it starts to infect basic woodworking information. Chris fell into that same trap some time ago. I will study the technical aspects of his blog photography, but comments are useful only for sociological research.

[Admiral]

I'd say I share this view. Stay focused, on topic, and present the information the viewers/readers are looking for. Nothing turns me off faster than somebody going off on a tangent especially if they start spewing politics and/or religion.

Sellers realized he had a soapbox and is venting his spleen about politics/social conditions, which is obviously a burr that has been caught up his arse for some time now.  While its his blog, and he is certainly entitled, IMHO he'd be better off writing a letter to his MP and leaving it at that.  If he keeps this up I for one am less likely to visit.

[Tony Z]

The current Sellers blog post, received this morning, was very off-putting. It's not that I do not care about effects on our environment, but he is now going too far in his preaching. I would wager that some of the manufactured materials (plywood and such) are as harmful as the PVA glue he was expounding about today. As far as Swartz, I am tired of his constant reminding us of paying for tools he promotes and his hawking of his own tool company. I tired of his sophomoric humor. I read blogs for woodworking! However, I will add, that I truly appreciate his publishing company, Lost Arts Press. The books, for content and publishing, are superb.

[Vince]

Way back when at PopWood we decided that editorially it was a good thing for authors to have personalities; most magazines edit so that every author sounds the same. For me it makes for a more interesting read when author A sounds different from author B. But like anything else this can be taken too far and the author wants to be a personality. I want the focus to be on the work, and the qualifications to be pieces of furniture not numbers of followers.

I think that sums it up fairly succinctly. When the "personality" begins to interfere with and obfuscate the subject at hand, it crosses the line (for me, anyhow). Determining precisely where that inflection point resides isn't always easy, however.

I'm generally more interested in the woodworking than the person doing the talking or the writing, but that's just me. I can see how others might disagree.

[Greg Jones]

I'm looking forward to his upcoming YT videos in which he'll build furniture for his new home.. I don't have any interest and don't watch his vlogs
where he walks around the woods looking at birds and waxing philosophical.   That's what I love about the age we live in, the power of the mouse.

I expect this will be a new, paid membership site similar to the Woodworking MasterClass site. I didn’t get the impression they will be releasing this content for free on YouTube.