I've been a active member of the forum for more than a few years. Before that, maybe before 1999 or thereabouts, I was a lurker of the forums and reader of the main site. What I am getting at is that, you guys all know me on here and I have been a fan of this site for a long time.

So Doug, editors, contributors, please take this as an honest observation and not a rebuke but, the main page of ETS is getting pretty stale. It looks like almost no new content has been added in months.

I spend at least a few minutes every day in the four forums and it's where I truly learn about how to improve my preparedness, thus I don't scan the main page much. When I first found ETS I spent hours and hours reading all the articles and suggestions off the main page. I lived on Dougs conclusions, I clicked over to sites he mentioned, I put more stock in the gear he endorsed. Then there was the SHOT show recaps, the articles on flares and EPIRBS and illumination, the GPS stuff, different survival kits and aviation stuff that Doug did. I really love(d) the after action reports he would do on survival situation in the media.

I'd like to see new content going up on the main site at least monthly, if for nothing else than to keep ETS relevant and topical. And maybe start the homepage off with a bolder more eye catching lead to the forum area so that people know its being updated daily.

Respect and Honor

Comms,
Doug Ritter,is currently VERY busy with the KNIFE RIGHTS organization.It is like national Rifle Association,with out all the funding and lawyers.This means he does most(all) the work on his own.
Plus with current economy companies are not putting money into product development.So in a sense there is not much to change or report.I hope I didn't come off wrong.Just trying to watch out for Dougs' back while he is covering ours.....

BOATMAN
John

This site doesn't cost anything to read,lurk,or even become a member of this forum,& Amazingly it never did!I'm willing to bet that,If we got an Annual fundraiser going for ETS Foundation,It might be just the ticket to get the "Front door" painted!Remember-Tanstaafl?I believe that was said here 1st!Honor and Respect are much cooler when,You have no Moths in your wallet!

Your decision to help by volunteering your time is great. I'm sure your assistance will be greatly appreciated.

http://equipped.org/etsfi_volunteer.htm

I speak my mind and I believe my observation is accurate. Regardless of how offending that observation may be, the tone was one of respect and if it wasn't then I have failed in only that regard. I used to get a 'Christmas morning' feeling in my stomach when I clicked on that main page and found a new report or an update on an issue, like the feud between DR and SPOT or the discontinuation of the 243 MhZ band for 406 MhZ.

I know Doug is fully involved with Knife rights and it takes a considerable toll. I get that, I respect that. We should all be watching his back for him keeping the ETS site and this forum online when it might be easier to just close it down. And I have. When asked to sign online petitions and provide direct action by sending letters to my representatives in DC to support his efforts, I have done so.

I don't think my observation was a complaint against what is being called a free lunch nor does my wallet have moths. I have purchased several DR products over the years from approved sites that gave a percentage of the sale to either DR or ETS; specifically knifes, photon lights and survival kits. To the sum of more than a couple hundred dollars I might add, and money well spent. I have done my part in my way (financially rather than a skill set) to support a site I visit multiple times on a daily basis.

Sadly, comms observations are correct. The question is, what will we do to improve the situation?

I have noticed this too. But, figured D.R. was too busy doing other things to freshen it up. That is often a problem with one man band type organizations. They get going on something else, and things they worked on in the past don't get much attention.

]
Pretty much ditto.

Comms is right, but ... whaddya gonna do? I haven't really kept up on new technology, but it sounds like there isn't really anything new to review. And most of the home page is still solid advice. So really no need to change it, much as we'd like some new reading material.

Oh,my! The last entry in Equipped Briefs is dated 2007, and there has indeed been some new tech since then. Just look at Hikn' Jim's frequent postings on new stoves. Consider advances in flashlights/headlamps since that date. I would really like to see something on new wrinkles in portable solar power - the sort of thing I might set up to power cellphone, lights, and laptop in an extended emergency involving a power outage. The briefs were authored BOTD (by others than Doug) so that ought to be doable.

What about "Lessons Learned" from recent events (Katrina, Japan, Joplin)? How about a survey of first aid training options which are now considerably more diverse (and expensive) that they were a bit ago?

You are quite right about the solid advice still being relevant. That is also true of material dating considerably earlier than the Internet in this area. But ETS is losing its cutting edge, not a good position that prominently features knives and their uses in survival situations.