Would You Pay To Support Promotion Of Stamp Collecting?

@BjRollison.... Being a stamp blogger, this caught my interest (notice the bolded part):




Could you please explain this in more detail. What do you mean with it?

-k-

Hi K,

One of the key attributes of a successful blog (one that is frequented by returning readers, and also one that attracts new readers) is consistent updates. For example micro-bloggers post every day, but others will write a post every 1 or 2 weeks and generally post on the same day. That way interested readers know when to go to the site to read a new post. Do a search on "consistency in blogging" and there are many resources with good suggestions.

Before I retired I maintained a tech blog. It was a lot, and I mean A LOT of work.

@BjRollison... Thanks for the quick response/explanation.

I'm well aware that maintaining a blog takes a LOT of work ;)

I really don't know if producing new content consistently is that crucial in field such as stamp collecting / philately. Sure it brings in return visitors, that drive in advertising revenue etc. But... If you don't have anything worthy to say, then it's like beating a dead horse. Nobody likes it... You don't have to look no further than some modern stamp magazines where most news is mostly about new issues, because that's all they've got. They are so painful to read/browse that many have given up on reading/subscribing.

I agree that a bit of consistency is good for everyone... But in the todays web, there are so many ways (newsletters, RSS, watcher services, and even push notifications are coming this year) that can notify readers every time some website updates, that I don't see any reason why the content producers should become slaves for some imaginary schedule to success. Just providing quality content should be enough... But that's just my opinion ;)

-k-

There are a handful of stamp bloggers represented here. To mention just two, scb and jkjblue are proactive at updating us when they've updated their blogs, so I know to check them out.

I can see where a routine is useful, but those updates bring the blog back to the top of the mind for me, which is even more useful than an "every Friday" type of schedule.

Maybe someone has said it, but these bloggers are already paying to support philately, with both time and money, and we are all the better for it.

Shermae said:



I don't know about everyone else, but I started collected because my father collected. Some of my friends also collected. For all of us, the interest didn't last that long.

It might be instructive to research how the market evolved up until stamp collecting was at its peak. Was it driven by growth in young collectors? Or was it actually driven by growth in adult collectors first then to their (and others) children as the market widened.

I wait to be proven wrong, but my guess is the solution is to get more parents interested and encourage or even train them how to communicate and share their interests with their children (including stamp collecting).

Parents getting off devices just a little bit (to set an example) might help, but good luck with that. Now back to my other device.

Like bBjRollison, I have also created a weekly technical blog. IT IS Mucho work.

My point in this Forum is that if we, the current stamp collecting fraternity,
must be:
a) concerned about the current shortage of new stamp collectors
b) want to address the reduced interest in stamps and collecting among younger folk
c) And be willing to support actions that will address a) and b) above.

Unless we want to see stamp collecting continue to shrink as a avocation, we need to get involved.
As a marketing guy, I am not convinced that a blog will improve the current trend.
That is unless folks get engaged into stamp collecting. In other words, blogging is great for folks who are already sold. Our chief challenge is that fewer younger folks consider stamp collecting as something to spend their time on.

Our "industry" needs to develop a marketing communications strategy that lets folks know why collectors care about stamps. What the many benefits are. Then we need to deliver that message to all age groups.

I love collecting stamps. Right now I want an intimate hobby in my life. But what will catch someone else's attention when there are SO many choices?

Hungry...
I agree, most collectors were introduced to the concept by a parent.
Today, at age 65 I have two great loves outside family and work...
Stamps and Baseball. Both were introduced to me by my dad.

Today, I think we are weak among the parents who have become collectors of sports memorability, comic books, animation cells, and coins. All this shift has cost the stamp community a huge number of potential collectors. Can stamp enthusiasts supplant parents as the chief catalyst to begin stamp Collecting??

My parents were not active collectors when I started out, but they were very encouraging and supportive when I expressed an interest in stamps. We introduce kids to all kinds of hobbies and interests- sports, video games, computing, tech, music, dance, martial arts, comic books, ball cards, religious education, etc. Some of it sticks and some of it doesn't. Collectively, are parents introducing kids to philately?

shermae, sounds like your family would have been a great bunch to hang out with!
That's an eclectic mix of interests your family became involved with.
I think it's fair to generalize two observations:
1) Most families are NOT as involved with, and supportive of, so many diverse interests as was yours.
2) Few families are introducing stamp collecting to younger kids.

Question is --- what can we do about it?

Some interesting points made here.

I think BjRollison sees my point best. Since becoming serious about collecting in 2011 it's impossible to deny that the appeal of stamp collecting has diminished since the 1960's. I don't know collectors among my friends. There are no stamp stores where I shop (except online of course). PBS has a hit "Antiques Roadshow" that never mentions stamps. And in this Forum I've chatted with life-long collectors who wonder if stamp collecting will cease to draw interest as the old timers die off.

These are all serious concerns if we want to pass on our passion for stamps to younger generations. While I am very glad to hear that APS is working to address this, I am attempting to understand where exactly stamp collecting is within modern society. When I suggest possible ways to promote stamps, I do so as someone with nearly 40 years experience in marketing communications. Just to clarify, marketing, advertising and public relations are simply means of communication. My initial observations are that stamp collecting is very low profile with kids, and not mainstream with young adults, and collecting has transitioned to an online marketplace. While this doesn't prove that stamp collecting is in decline, I have to wonder if APS membership and global sales of philatelic supplies indicate otherwise.

Marketing via educational outreach and shared media exposure can introduce what we love about stamps to many others who would not be aware otherwise.

One thing I have always thought could potentially benefit both the hobby and a national organization such as APS (as an example) would be for that organization to be THE online destination for collectors. At present, I visit the APS site very rarely. Given the number of members APS has, if all of those were interacting online at the same place and sharing their expertise, and the site was a destination worth visiting daily, its hard to doubt the numbers would swell.

As for the parenting issue, I have introduced stamp collecting to my kids as a potential pastime and one has taken more interest than the other. I don't expect either to be very serious at this age, or provide any kid of economic boost to the market, given the other things going on in their lives now, but the introduction may spark a true interest later when they are adults, as happened for me. I think that's the reason parents introducing the hobby is important, but I think expecting loads of VERY young collectors is a pipe dream.

Edit: I think I meant to say "expecting loads of VERY young collectors with deep and lasting interest (that can boost the market) is a pipe dream." Who knows now. I think I disagree with this guy.

Very good point, Hungary. I use the USPCS website and their downloadable library so much I felt compelled to become a member. At this point I think I will be a member for life.

However, what type of content will attract people who have little or no experience with stamp collecting?

I say something may be looking harsh about the fact we don't need more peoples in the hobby let me try to explain.:

When we sell and purchase on ebay, we are forcing brick and mortars business to close; I will be ok with that but the problem is that many bad sellers are now selling albums in parts. For me purchase albums were and still my main interests, you even have sellers selling Scott catalogues pages by pages. It's very hard for me to find albums at our local stores still in business. I receive many time very nice envelopes with old stamps and even some freebies from sellers on Internet, those are collectors and for sure in the hobby for along time to have accumulate new stamps and using them on envelope, I do it also.

The problem seems with some new comer to the hobby ( I should I say opportunists) , they are more informed than old persons, they know how to use internet and ebay, from what I can see on forums they don't even bother to purchase catalogues, they ask the values of stamps here and other lace and they want free software, free online catalogue.

So many new seller on ebay are very bad for the hobby, at least mine, so do I want more of them,,,,,

I once own 4 computer stores, no one purchase in stores anymore, they purchase from Eggxpert, Amazon etc. But I focus now on the family hardware stores business and since I closed my 4 stores we expend from 12 stores to 20 and going up.

So if it's for bring new one who will collect stamps instead of try to make money with them, I'm very happy to welcome them. It's hard when you love collecting to see album sale by pages on ebay, in many case they destroy the work of anothers collectors.

I agree with the majority of the others in that I feel that I am already "paying to promote the hobby" by being a member of APS. In addition, buying stamps from various dealers is doing my small part in keeping those dealers in business.