The Floor Pro Community is One Month Old

[TFP Admin]

On June 4, 2006, TheFloorPro.com reached its one month anniversary. We have had our share of ups and downs but we are still here growing stronger each day. Our membership has reached 121, we have 225+ topics (most of them interesting) and almost 2,300 messages. The main topic of discussion is of course flooring but we have tackled other issues such as computer problems, mushroom hunting, an online blues jam and what's in your pocket.

In the first couple of days the domain was registered the forum and supporting software installed and configured and it was all painted and polished up in these pretty colors and patterns you see. There wasn't much of a plan except to try to develop a site that would serve as a stable and secure web outlet for any floorcovering professional to seek, discuss and disseminate floorcovering related information. Even though many people have assumed this is an installer/inspector site it has always been and forever will be a site that supports all facets of the floorcovering industry. We will make available all manner of information and resources for every segment of the industry.

Since my first introduction to flooring related sites more than a decade ago I have hoped to see better cooperation and mutual support in all the areas of flooring that each of us must work with in our careers. It has been sorely lacking and in some instances bitterly contested. TheFloorPro.com is the first site I know of to attempt to bring all flooring professionals together to try to bridge the gaps that has sometimes made our common goal difficult to attain: customer satisfaction.

n May 6^th, our first member surfed into the site. Jerry was joined by 21 other new members the first day the doors were open. Almost immediately the members made their desires known and soon the forums were being configured to meet those needs. It has since the beginning been a member driven site. It has been welcomed into the floorcovering community and TheFloorPro.com has worked to be a responsible and productive member of that world wide community.

There have been a few burps along the way. We are a new member of the World Wide Web and like any newborn we have a lot to learn. Our members have also shown that they have a lot to learn which is what makes us a good match. Many of our members come from flooring related sites that have been around a long time but for one reason or another have fallen on difficult times of late. Some of our members have belonged to forums that never seemed to get going and a few from forums that have decided to close after a long successful run. We also have members that have never experienced forum life before The Floor Pro Community.

We have stated in the past and it bears repeating that TheFloorPro.com believes that more is better. We are not here to take over the flooring forum world. We are here to support floorcovering education, provide information and be one of many flooring related resources on the internet. Many of our members continue to participate on other forums and we think that is a good thing for the industry.

he future of TheFloorPro.com looks promising. But we are still babes in the woods. Nothing is certain except that our members come first. Who comes first? Our professional members. Our consumer members. Our do-it-yourself members. Even those who choose not to register but still avail themselves of the information we have here to fulfill their floorcovering related needs. All of these people come first. But if there is a first, there has to be a second and a third and so on. The question on some people's minds is, is money a priority at TheFloorPro.com?

As much as any of us loves this business (and no one could possibly love it more than I do), I don't think any of us would work this hard for free. A few may think I look that dumb, but I assure you I am not. Yes to answer the question that has already been asked and answered a few times here, there will be advertising. Yes I do hope to make a few dollars here at TheFloorPro.com. But please, PLEASE remember who comes first: The Members. I promise you I will remember. No advertising will come before the member. Ads will not over-power the pages here. Many of the ads will only be seen by unregistered guests and members who are not logged in. Ads that members do see will be few and will be relevant.

At no time will an advertiser be able to control what is said about them or by whom. Our affiliates advertise at their own risk. Advertising on TheFloorPro.com does not mean reviews will be good or that members will not have negative things to say about their experiences with those products. There is no doubt in my mind that we will have some would be advertisers opt out or withdraw because things don't lean to their side, just as we have some members who opt out because things don't lean in their favor.

"Fair and Balanced" is a term that has received a lot of "air play" thanks to FOX News so it is with some trepidation that TheFloorPro.com promises fair and balanced treatment to its members. This is one of our goals. We may not always succeed and even when we do there will be some who feel we were far from the mark. To make it easier to be fair to everyone we have asked all our members to follow a few rules. The moderator staff members of TheFloorPro.com enforces these rules. They are not intended to be overly strict but the leniency on other forums has proven to be disastrous. There may be times when we err in the favor of conservatism. Please remember that we are still learning what we need to do to meet your needs and the needs of all flooring professionals and our other non-pro members. I hope that we can all work together.

fter our first month, a few trips and stumbles, a number of great threads and discussions and some mutual pats on the back, we trudge forward toward our goal. We hope in the coming days, weeks and months to post a number of interesting articles, written by our contributing members; opinion based reviews of some of the products we use and work with; and interviews with notable industry professionals. There will be the beginning of many contests with great prizes; new forums will be developed and some will be merged as the need fits; and TheFloorPro.com will continue to strive to satisfy our member's thirst for knowledge and camaraderie in a way that makes them feel needed and secure.

Thank you for your participation in The Floor Pro Community.