Dear Members - apology...

[Mark]

G'day Everyone,

I'd like to apologise for not making myself more accessible here on our forum over the past few months and indeed for some time longer than that my presence here has been limited, to say the least.

I understand that many of you have joined our forum because you have seen my videos on YouTube and might even be subscribed to my Channel. Therefore, it is likely that you are disappointed to find I am not as active here as you (and I ) would like.

All I can say is I love interacting with people and my intent was never to set and forget this forum rather I set it up to engage with people and for the record, it doesn't make any money so if this was my main motivation it sure isn't working out too well lol...

The reasons I am scarce here at the moment and to be fair over the past 18 months is due to my own personal workload - I'm simply stretched for time. Some of the main reasons why I am time-poor are:

• Answering email questions - I get approximately 400 emails related to gardening and self-sufficiency each month this is on top of comments and messages I receive on YouTube and Facebook which number over 7,000. I enjoy answering questions and acknowledging comments etc but it isn't possible to get to them all. Up until now, I have been answering as many email questions as possible but this has to change. Recently, I created an auto-reply on my email requesting people come here to the forum and ask their question as I "may not" be able to email reply but soon I will be stopping replies to email gardening/self-sufficiency questions altogether and only answer questions here on our forum (if they sign-up and post it of course). This should free me up a little.
• Patreon - Some of you might not realise that I have a small but significant supporter group on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/selfsufficientme these supporters pay a subscription fee of either $5 or $25 which gives them exclusive access to extra content such as podcasts, random posts, and videos. I also give them priority when they ask questions. Patreon helps me directly through "crowd support" to fund my content creation and is a backup against the often large and seasonal fluctuations of ad revenue from YouTube and my Website.
• Covid - This horrible illness itself has actually been "good for my business" because more people are now wanting to learn about self-sufficiency and this is a positive! However, it has meant a huge rise in the popularity of my channel and content which has meant more people wanting to engage with me from supporters to businesses. I'm not complaining but just stating it has caught me by surprise and has added to my busy schedule that already was on a "run" since about mid-2017.
• Upgrades - Because of all this extra interest in my work, I needed to upgrade my systems behind the scenes and this is still happening now with our forum recently upgraded (more to come soon) and my website currently being overhauled. Also, I will be contracting out a large chunk of IT to help me with the upkeep and editing of my websites. All this should free me up considerably once it is done.
• More content - Due to the current appetite of people wanting to consume more lifestyle content I have increased my content output on YouTube including creating a second channel Self Sufficient Me 2
• Work around our property - My content is mostly based on our own backyard projects so I'm busier than ever DIY and conducting experiments in the backyard to use in my content.
• Homedad - As many of you know, I am a Homedad (have been since 2008) I'm just lucky that I also have full-time work doing something I love that at least for now gives me and my family a decent income. However, Nina (my wife) works in the city at a hospital and that means whilst she is commuting and working hard I need to do my duty to our kids.

And, there are plenty of other things and excuses I could bore you with but I just wanted to set some defence for my apology to you for not engaging enough here on our forum. Having said that, the whole idea of a forum is to get input from as many people as possible sharing knowledge and friendship. I would hate this forum to be about "me" or the place to get a question answered by Mark because A - I don't know everything B - There are plenty of more interesting members here than me to interact with so if you want to see the "Self Sufficient Me show" go to my YouTube channel

Anyway, as I've said several times already I hope to spend more time with you here on Self Sufficient Culture soon so please keep posting and staying an active member.
Cheers,
Mark

 

[AndrewB]

Having said that, the whole idea of a forum is to get input from as many people as possible sharing knowledge and friendship.

Exactly, that's why I come here. Good people & great ideas.

I appreciate you providing somewhere for us to get together & figure it out

 

[Mark]

Thanks Andrew you've been a rock of a member here mate and I'm going to do my best to make sure loyal members like you see ongoing improvements and benefits here on our platform

 

[Rachel Street]

No apologies necessary, Mark, everything you're doing is much appreciated, and I can only imagine how busy it keeps you!

 

[Mark]

No apologies necessary, Mark, everything you're doing is much appreciated, and I can only imagine how busy it keeps you!

Thanks Rachel but at the end of the day many people join our forum with the assumption (rightly so) that they will have access to me to some extent so it's up to me to find a way to become more active and that's what I intend and want to do. Cheers

 

[Vicky]

I do have to admit that I was a bit disappointed when I joined and there was an 'absence of Mark' but it was only a fleeting thought, I looked around the forum and got quite distracted by all the awesome posts, I was also blown away by the brilliant responses that I got to the few questions that I did ask. Disappointment turn to Wow, what a forum!!! I also post weekly pictures in my family facebook group and just a dozen or so pictures with a bit of a blurb for those of my family who are distanced takes quite a bit of time, not only on the day, but as you say, getting things done so there is something to show for the next week And, as always the You tube posts are always informative and inspiring. So, well done Mark, keep doing what you are doing because you do it well, if it works out that you get here more often then YAY but first and foremost, don't stretch yourself too thin and end up burnt out!!

 

[Charity]

For Mark:
I must say, that I really enjoy the videos (on both channels), and then add the forum and website, and it‘s a TON of great info. I know how much work it is to keep everything documented all while keeping up the homestead. I’m glad you have been able to turn your passion into a business. - I endeavor to do that too, though through different media and on a different topic.- I hope this business of yours grows so you don’t have to put it aside to earn a living from a “regular job”. I, for one, would miss your videos. I find them both fun and informative. I’ve been binge watching for a few hours for the past 2 weeks and I still haven’t seen them all.
I, too, live in a hot climate and have had a hard time finding info for growing well in it. Most of the gardening info I come across is geared toward the upper US and they don’t have to deal with the hot Texas sun. So your videos have helped me to see that I just need to find the right crops and time them just so to have a well growing veg patch. Thanks for all your hard work.

For the forum:
I am thankful to have found the forum. The info is great. I look forward to learning so much more about gardening and self sufficiency from everyone.

 

[DTK]

Thanks Mark. You are doing well buddy. Your content provides the Demonstration, Demonstration, Explanation, Practice that we all need. "Like this, do that"; is tried and true, it's a proven process as you know well.

 

[DivingTemptress]

I, too, live in a hot climate and have had a hard time finding info for growing well in it. Most of the gardening info I come across is geared toward the upper US and they don’t have to deal with the hot Texas sun. So your videos have helped me to see that I just need to find the right crops and time them just so to have a well growing veg patch. Thanks for all your hard work.

Hi Mark, Charity and all like-minded gardeners,
Charity, your post is a prime example of how we can all help each other .... I too live under the hot Texas Sun and season after season, I am finding more fruits and veggies that can handle it without a herculean effort to keep them alive. In transforming a beautiful lawn into an edible landscape, I am also showing my wonderful neighbors how growing beautiful things that "can feed you", am beginning to convince our city to allow community gardens, putting in place a pollinator corridor for Texas native pollinators and beatifying our city, is indeed not only possible but also very do-able.

Everything begins at home, and Mark, you are now a member of my family, helping to guide us into being more self sufficient while nurturing dependence on the knowledge base of other members of this forum.

Keep up the good work, and join us when you can .... in the meantime, we can rely on each other.
Hugs,
P J, the Dirt Diva

 

[Mark]

We're getting close...

I'm hoping in the next week (maybe two) I'll have the "behind the scenes stuff" taken care of and be able to spend more time here on SSC to interact with you and also to continue the improvements and adding new features to our forum.

Thanks for your patience!

 

[vikinglord13]

Thanks for reaching out!

I've learned a lot from watching your channel. I just wish we had a house so I could implement some of what we've learned haha!

 

[KayeP]

Hi everyone. I have just discovered this gem of videos from Mark and have been soaking up the whole atmosphere and information. I have to say I just watched a video where Mark spent a whole video replying to a dissatisfied watcher called Chris (2017) and was quite sad. Hopefully Mark has moved on and will ignore disgruntled watchers because he is bloody awesome. Even the dad jokes. Sometimes I watch just too see him... not necessarily what he's talking about. But even then I still end up picking up a bit of information. Kia Kaha (stay strong)

 

[Geo]

Hi everyone. I have just discovered this gem of videos from Mark and have been soaking up the whole atmosphere and information. I have to say I just watched a video where Mark spent a whole video replying to a dissatisfied watcher called Chris (2017) and was quite sad. Hopefully Mark has moved on and will ignore disgruntled watchers because he is bloody awesome. Even the dad jokes. Sometimes I watch just too see him... not necessarily what he's talking about. But even then I still end up picking up a bit of information. Kia Kaha (stay strong)

Welcome Kaye! Thank you for the encouraging thoughts, Mark has always been the one to look positively on things and I'm sure if you get to more recent videos you'll find plenty of information and positivity overflowing

Make sure you post a thread under 'Introduce Yourself' forum!