I dont snore. Lol

Wow Paul...what a blast from the past. Thanks. RIP my friend Jim Kruise.

I have had some youtube videos out there for a while now, but after not 1, not 2, but 3 calls today with customers saying they have been searching on youtube how to do this trapping thing on their own (none of which ended in sales) I have locked my videos and changed my opinion on posting them. I think a youtube video that maybe introduces yourself and your business is ok but I no longer feel showing how its done is good for business... But thats just me.

That makes sense . Why show the how to guys for free , I was think more of the people who can't change a tire , on a job if I show how to do it there like how much for you to do it ,but that kind of people are not going to look on YouTube . I really don't like it when them how to guys call asking Q on how to, funny when they call saying there at the hardware now what did say I need , I get that from my reg adds . I'll take mine down to ,

How many of those guys attended the club down the road after the seminars were completed for the day? I won't say anything else about that other than that was interesting. Krier and Schmitt had me just about crying I was laughing so hard.

Patrick, my lovely bride was with me so that particular trip was out of the question. I understand Schmidt's glasses were a topic of conversation for several days.

i was not going to make comment on this thread , but after thinking it through alot more about my own vids and all the footage i have that i have never put up and some of the talk here on this thread and seeing some of the vids others have put up , my whole marketing plans have changed and one job i got today has also contributed to my change in thought also , it's very interesting to see a polar oppasite to your own world and how people from those worlds seek people to solve thier problems and i tend to see more and more how those people would look at certin aspects of this industry

All of the free information today whether good or bad, that some feel obligated to share with the non professional public will in time come around to bite all of us in time.It is typically the trendy younger generation that feels this is the way to go and we all will feel the ripple effect of such judgement down the road.

I have been in this business long before it was an industry and have seen its growth and trends as the media advancements have continued to yet another level of communication.One only learns through maturity of lived experiences of cause and effect in most cases.This generation will learn from the hard knocks of the eventual repercussions of such open show and tell methods and the impact of such actions over time.

One thing I have learned in business is you don't tell all that you know and you certainly dont show the world how you run and operate your business with respects to your learned trade skills unless it is for a price to a deserved paying audience.

An open marriage rarely turns out well for the long run for such couples, just as I dont see the current trend of show and tell fareing any better for the true professional businesses in this industry. Work will be lost as a result of the many "do it yourselfers" and the question/answer seekers, and the ever looming liability issue of any professional for hire in any field needs to be very cautious of the health and safety risks involved in any show and tell sequence bearing your name and business.

For those not aware of the term " The Ripple Effect " I suggest you research the term and give it some good thought.

You tube should be used to drive traffic back to your web site and make your phone ring.

The argument of whether to share how its done or not has been going on for years. I concluded we will never stop the do it yourselfer anyway.

The free dissemination of information is a good thing and will advance our (and others) culture farther and faster than anything I can think of. The younger generations knows this and expects it. That is why we see them, along with some elders, embracing the trend.

Unfortunately, some of the older generations are still caught up in hoarding information for personal gain. Knowledge is power and a lot of folks feel threatened by sharing it. The older trappers are a particularly obvious group. While there has always been men who were glad to share their knowledge, there were far more who were very secretive for fear of competition. Some would even give out bogus advice just to screw others up. Once again, for that fear of competition.

Fortunately, the trend toward the sharing of knowledge is unstoppable. There will be benefits and burdens but the benefits will far outweigh the burdens.

I hate to prove sqs wrong on this one but I'm the one with the big mouth. My son is the one who has threatened me with bodily harm if I don't keep my mouth shut. He is also very thankful that I don't have a clue how to post pictures, otherwise I would be locked in my room, FOREVER!

Seriously, I have been given some small tidbits of information that has proved helpful and I was asked by the sharer not to make these things public. Although none of this stuff has been earth shaking and all has been mentioned before at one time or another, I felt that I had no business revealing what someone else had given me in confidence.

Sharing knowledge with industry peers and other professionals is quite acceptable. However teaching and showing the general public "how to" professional work scenarios is what I make reference too.This is something that will surely have an impact on the industry doing the infomercial in time to come.

As Paul has stated there are just some things that are not mentioned or held in confidence as well as many such other things in any business if the info is valuable.

Thanks Bob, we just don't realize that we work in a business that is not only fun but most times is very profitable. Would Ford, Toyota, Google, Amazon, etc. discuss their latest breakthroughs with the competition? That would be unheard off.

Here's an example more closer to home; all of you that have some really good tips on animal or pest management from Critter Control, raise your hands. Bad choice? Okay, aallanimalcontrol. No one in their right mind is going to discuss how to make a fortune with an outsider. That's not being a jerk; that's business!

Don't worry Paul, you didn't prove me wrong.

There are no absolutes but in general it's the younger generation who are leading the trend toward free, open information.

I doubt Ford or Toyota would be sharing company secrets but I'd bet a weeks pay that their machinists have a forum, somewhere on the internet, where how-to's and techniques are openly discussed.

It's certainly true that some things are just not mentioned today but it wont be long before they are.

There are books, videos, forums, etc. concerning every trade (and a lot of other businesses) that I know of. Some of the info is sold but it ends up on the internet pretty quick.

Like I said previously, "some people just talk to much" in order to fulfill some deeply seated feeling of inadequacy or to fulfill their "entitlement" mentality. JMO.

Paul, those glasses and someone elses fur hat - that belonged to a mutual friend of ours - had some great times that night. Enough said.

Like Bob J and Paul, I have had many valued friends in both the fur trapping and nuisance wildlife damage management industries who have shared valuable information and tips with me over the years, but, only after we had developed a trust based relationship/friendship. Other people have shared info with me only after I have paid them for personal one-on-one instructions, or through paid to attend training seminars. In all cases there was a price to be paid, be it hard cash, travel and lodging expenses, attendance fees, and, or, opportunity costs. Not only is knowledge power, but it is also valuable, and as such it should not be shared freely or openly, least it loose its value and becomes valueless.

I can think of many opportunities where posting a well thought out (public relations considered) and professionally shot video could be posted on youtube and used as a marketing tool that directed people to your business website. But in none of them would I be telling or showing people how to do anything.

I think even if we show people how to do it they won't. Cause people are scared of animals and hights. Most people don't roof their own house cause it is hard work. It isnt hard to figure out but lots of tools needed, ladders, jacks, air nailer,
Most of us have the tools already to do our jobs, thats why folks hire us. Not because we have some secret that we dont share. I tell the customer what I am going to do before we make a deal. They could do the job themself, but they dont.