There are several reasons why I decided to start this blog. I believe that it is a great way to share some of my ideas and thoughts. Its an easy way to record the progress of different projects that I have. Its also a great way to share information, gain valuable knowledge and spark creativity. I want other like minded hobbyist and professionals to join in and participate in the online community.

There are several ways to participate online. You can join the different forms and discussion boards that are out there. One that I like is metalshapers.org Posting pictures and commenting on these different sites are great ways to help out. You will find that you will get back a lot more that you put into these sites. You and connect with others interested hot rodding and metal fabrication on social networking websites like linkedin.com, facebook.com or even myspace.com. Something that I would like to see in the futrue is more people creating blogs about their project that they are working on. Its really easy to do and doesn’t have to cost any money. You can start your own blog at wordpress.com or blogger.com.

I think that there are some advantages to network of blogs compared to discussion boards. Sometimes its hard for me to look through the different discussion boards and find things to get the creative juices flowing. Sure if I have a problem or a question, more often than not, I can find it. I am not saying that discussion boards are not a good thing. They are definitely useful and by no means do I want to replace or complete with them, but rather add to. For example if you had several blogs that are all related to custom 1930 model A roadster fabrication, you could share ideas, discover tips. I would be easy to look at all the different roadster projects at a specific point in the build and compare and learn from others going through the same thing. You could even post on other peoples blog helping them out if you see they are struggling with a problem. I am sure that there are several blogs and websites that are out there that fit into this category. If anyone has one or know of someone that does let me know. You can email me at blogyourproject@metal-shaper.com. I want to compile a list of all these blogs and sites as a resource for all those that could benefit from them.