After running Dr. Hanneman's series of Common Cents articles in RodMaker over the past couple years, I have decided to set up a separate website that will feature each of the articles plus some new insights from Dr. Hanneman. Each article will be in PDF format, so the users can download them just as they originally appeared in the magazine.

Dr. Hanneman and I have talked about this and we both know that it will be a financial blow to RodMaker Magazine (these articles represent quite a few back issues sales for a magazine that barely keeps its head above water anyway), but I felt that if the intent was to get more people using the system, then it has to be readily available and at no charge. Rod builders are very familiar with it at this point, but the mainstream fishing public is not and will never be, unless we do more to get it out to them. Other magazines that Dr. Hanneman has submitted the system to have all balked at printing the articles. So, we have to take a different tack.

We're moving ahead with this project and hope to have it complete within the next 30 to 60 days. Many of you have already been using the system, but if not, you'll be able to read each article in its original form before much longer.

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I am to assume that the articles can be downloaded and used at no charge??? This would be great. I wonder if you might also consider some of the other more indepth Rodmaker articles from years past or issues that are no longer in print? Maybe one bigger website with more PDF articles?

Any articles that I own and put on a website that I also own, are put there for general use and distribution. I wave the standard copyrights in those particular instances. So yes, you will be able download these articles and use them as you wish.

I have no plans to publish other RodMaker articles on the internet. The magazine and the articles continue to be available for those who wish to purchase them. The one bad thing about giving so much away, is that people then tend to get the idea that they are somehow "entitled" to any and all of that information at no charge. I don't mind helping out, but my bank account is a not a bottomless pit. Hope you can understand.

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Tom-

I thank you and Dr. Hanneman for your great generosity. It is a pleasure to be able to reference this sight, pick the brains of you and many other top notch rodbuilders, and gain from the years of experience that will ultimately benefit the consumer.

The men (and women) here are a great bunch with much skill showing similiar generosity when responding to my many (sorry!) posts and questions both here and in private emails.

Your passion for educating the beginner, advanced, and commercial rodbuilder is felt by this awesome reference "gift" and in every issue of RB Magazine!

Thank you again!

Domenic Federico
Infinity Rod Creations
Wickliffe, Ohio

Tom,

Your efforts to make objective information available to all rod builders and fishermen may never be fully known and appreciated.
Thank you for your latest most generous and unselfish act in our behalf.

Stan Grace

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

Tom and Dr. Hanneman, thanks for the generous act. I am fortunate to be a subscriber to Rodmaker and have the articles already, but to put it out there for the general publics use is huge.

I just wanted to say thanks to the both of you.

Tony

No offense intended. I know all to well that to many people expect you to use YOUR money and efforts to promote THEIR businesses and events. But you can\'t blame a guy for trying!!

I take Rodmaker so I also have most of the articles. It is good to see Dr. Hanneman\'s system going out to the general non rod building public. If enough use it and like it then this could be the thing that gets the manufacturers to take a really hard look at adopting int.

Tom, you never cease to amaze me!!! I know that the sale of back issues as well as the CC booklet is a source of revenue for you, and yet you are now giving it away!!!!.
Personally, I will never understand why anyone who builds (or is even thinking about building) fishing rods isn't already a subscriber to Rodmaker!!!! I think they call that "Penny wise and pound foolish"

Mike

Tom,
You are a class act. I hope that your new web site gets a lot of traffic and that the people that use it will appreciate your generousity.
However, I think that maybe we need to think about how to get the blank manufacturers to adopt the system. I am afraid that it will not become generally accepted until they do, or at least some do. I am sure that we as rod builders can help by asking for the CCS data from the blank manufacturers every time we order blanks.

thank you tom, and dr hanneman. it's a great service you offer. i'm curious, why did magazine publishers balk at printing the articles?

once the new web site is posted, might i suggest a note on the first page outlining the origins of the articles and at least rodmaker magazine's role, clearly explaining how the magazine's a "private" venture operated by a staff of one (at least in rodmaker's case) and dependent on funds which could be generated by subscriptions of the magazine itself. with a link added. i'm assuming of course, but if correct it could help a little in the end.

in my feeble mind, john sams brought up a good point. of indepth articles and those out of print, please consider reproducing the out of print articles as downloadable PDFs. i mean, in your spare time ;-) i think it would be asking too much to suggest the indepth articles if they're still in print.

as for the CCS site itself, the internet is a huge place and this site and the new one i'd bet are lost in the craziness unless someone was specifically looking for them. mainstream mag articles would have been great to spread the word but maybe a media blitz of some form could be aimed towards not only blank manufacturers but also the places where the mainstream fishing public purchases their tackle. large corporate entities like walmart, etc would be tough but independent fishing shops could be approached, if only in a "press release" style fax.

thanks again. and from what i gather, everyone should remember that the data at the current CCS site is dependent on submissions from us.

eric
fresno, ca.

Eric,

Hate to be negative, but when's the last time that you saw ANY article even mention rodbuilding in a non rodbuilding magazine?? I would think that any general circulation magazine would consider rodbuilding pretty much irrelevant to 99.9% of their readers (and they are probably right. I know numerous outdoor writers that have tried with zero results. I wish it weren't so but circulation is what counts to their bottom line and they have to cater to the majority of their readers to make money and compete.

I know, speaking for myself, that before I discovered .org and then Rod maker, I had never met or talked to another rodbuilder and I'm 65!! In my opinion, we are all indebted to Tom.

Mike

I think that rod and blank manufacturers might have to adopt it if enough of their customers began asking for the ERN and AA figures of their rods. You have to create a demand for something and then someone or some company is more apt to fill it. I'm convinced that this is the proper direction to go, rather than trying to convince the manufacturers to offer something that only a few are clamoring for at the moment.

Also, the information is out about to thousands of rod builders, but we comprise a pretty small number when you compare to the number of fishermen in general. So, if we get the artilces up on a site and fishermen throughout the world can access them at no charge, we should see some results. Granted, just having a website isn't enough - people have to know it's there. But I'll spend a little money to advertise it as we go along. I think traffic will be substantial by year's end.

Dr. Hanneman did a great job in developing a system that is not only practical, but very easy to use. I don't want to see it languish for lack of exposure. A lot of people will likely find it very helpful. We'll see what happends.

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Tom,
You are obviously correct about rod builders representing a very small percentage of fishermen but it seems to me that the CC System is also useful to some fishermen that are not necessarily rod builders. I would think that many fishermen would also like to be able measure the CCS properties of their rods. If that is correct for even a small percentage of non-rod building fishermen then I would think that links to the fishing sites as well as the rod building sites would be important in order to spread the word about the CC System. And maybe if non-rodbuilding fishermen, even a small percentage of them, started to ask the rod manufacturers for the CCS data it would be even more incentive for them to provide the data.

Tom ,this comes as no suprise.Just another unselfish act of many you have performed over the years.
My deepest appreciation to you and Dr. Hanneman for your contributions.

I ditto Mr. Cohen's remark !!!!!

Art

Emory,

That's the goal of the new site. It's not really for the rod builders, it's for the general angling public that will never hear of the CCS otherwise. No fishing magazine is going to publish those articles (I don't have time to go into the various reasons why) and so 99.9% of the guys who fish are never going to see the system if the only place it appears is in RodMaker. Thus, the new site which will be open to all at the click of a button. Well placed banner and classified ads carefully worded will help draw fishermen to the site and over time it should become widespread. When a rod manufacturer has to listen to customers asking for ERN and AA figures on a daily basis, they'll be more open to including those figures in their catalogs.

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Sounds like a great idea to me.

Tom

A generous step, but also a necessary one for the widespread adoption of CCS as a standard. I would not be surprised if in the long run it will end up being to your economic advantage. Leveling the information playing field works to the advantage of the best players.

Mike

Tom, add me to the list of people pouring on the accolades.
Back on the other sold out artical topic, is there a system of protection developed yet like DRM for music for electronic print media(e-book) that meets your needs?

The thrill is not in the kill

I am a fairly recent subscriber to the magazine and therefore have NONE of the back issues on the system. Sooooo....I would benefit terrificly from this new website. I cannot afford to send off money every time I want a back issue. And believe me I really want them. BUT......'methinks you are being far far too generous.! I can only imagine, as I didn't do the work, You and Hans have done it. But this has to have been.....and will be even more..... a tremendous amount of work and knowledge being shared for nothing. Not to be an old scrooge but you deserve much more for your efforts and work. I would think a companion website that has a fee would be perfectly reasonable and understandable for this work. If nothing else than just to help you re-coop costs and have some discretionary dollars left over for your business. I have to say good job....well done. Hat's off to you.

Sincerely,

Jim