As we’re sure you know, this is Woodlore’s first foray into the world of blogging. Being so new to this, with only a few months under our belt, we’re keen to know what you all think.
We’re always keeping a close eye on the comments you post on our blog, but from now on we’ll be picking a ‘Comment of the Week’ and rewarding that person with a £10.00 Woodlore Voucher, which can then be used against any of our camping equipment or Bushcraft courses.
We appreciate every reader we have, but it would be fantastic to have some feedback from you to find out what you think of our posts.
We look forward to hearing from you.
The Ray Mears & Woodlore Bushcraft Blog 
Before the age of exploration around the 1600-1700′s, there was an Indian group named the “Cherokee” and I happen to have quite a bit of it in my blood. They lived in open, uncharted land and that gave me the urge throughout my entire life, even when I was a lad, to study and practice bushcraft.
At the age of 11 now, I have been tortured at not being able to visit wild places where I cant see a village even if it was flat land. But you, Ray and your team, brought light to my past and my future. Every day I just wish I could run away to live with my ancestors, but I’m afraid we haven’t invented time travel, yet. I’m American, and in this country it is a god-send to find ANYONE who has any interest in camping. Even thought I’m American, I would thank you as my second god if you, or anyone from woodlore gave me tips at what I cold do.
To me, you guy’s have made my life worth living again. Thank you. 🙂
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Hello again.
I have finally come up with a question for the pros at Woodlore to go along with my earlier suggestion.
I’ve managed this year to make fire by friction using the bow drill method but I find it difficult to get the tension just right. I often have to re-tie the string. I’ve clamped down on the string with my hand and that usually takes care of any slack, but I was wondering if there is a special method or knot you folks use. Some sort of adjustable knot like when tying guy line maybe?
Also may I suggest opening up a Woodlore franchise in Canada? Preferably on the east coast. New Brunswick for instance has piles of woodland and is very close to me. : )
All the best,
Jeff Alward
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Ahhh sussed it! and there i was, thinking “subscribe” was to pay for it. Doh!!!
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I like reading the comments of others, i find them interesting as well as informative and also giving different points of views.
Is there any way of alerting me to any new comments that have been posted other than scrolling down. Although this is ok at present, in a few more months time, or even years, this will i’m sure become tedious. Please bear in mind that technology isn’t my forte.
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It would be nice to have a tutorial on sharpening crooked knives.
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Hi,
while I appreciate the current blog content and this extra channel to connect with passionate people, I would like to articulate my feedback around some potential risks. Hopefully you will read them as constructive “thoughts for discussion” and not as criticisms.
A/ the blog had a quick start by leveraging some existing content. For instance most of the tips were already available either in the online shop or on DVD Extras. It will obviously be harder to keep them coming. There is load of great content on the web so maybe one way to avoid stalling and be helpful to readers is to point out on a regular basis to quality pieces. Think about the Mungo Says Bah daily digest. The guy does a good job of selecting interesting pieces on various blogs and youtube channels, saving me time. Woodlore’s reputation is such that the risk of loosing a reader to a “competing content source” is probably very slim and I guess it could be very rewarding for quality bushcraft bloggers to be included in some “Woodlore weekly selection”.
B/ the website URL is leveraging Ray Mears’s name but really it is a team (Woodlore) effort in which Ray Mears is not directly visible. Not a complaint, Ray is providing with lot of great TV material and books and has set up Woodlore; it would be unfair to ask for more. Still some readers that are looking for a easier contact with their “bushcraft star” might be disappointed. I’m not sure how to avoid it really.
Obviously Ray is avoiding participation in public forums. Probably a wise decision given how words can be dissected and diverted and nobody wants to see Ray locked at his computer answering emails about bowdrill fire. Still in some of his material he has opened more doors than just bushcraft. His lectures (will we get streamcasts on the blog?) seem to focus on environmentalism. The Wild Foods series really goes beyond “how to live in the wild” and tries to restore a link with our own past. The latest Survival series focuses on the wild life as it is, not in the perspective of what we can get out of it. I think this is one step ahead of the average bushcraft approach and it would be great to see Ray share more of his thoughts on such topics.
C/ Woodlore so far has been limited to courses and the online shop. Overall a very commercial approach (not a blame, I’m fine with that). I think many blog readers expect a more neutral/balanced viewpoint. More simply: I hope the blog will not become a product placement platform. If you have to sell us something on this blog, let it be knowledge, dream or at least some glimpse of wilderness 🙂
But again, I’m glad to see this blog alive and will very likely be a regular reader.
Take care,
P.
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We’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to give us their thoughts so far; it’s all really useful to know and will give us a lot of help in gearing the blog around the subjects that you ultimately want to read about.
The first winner of our ‘Comment of the Week’ award is Jeff Alward, for his idea of an “Ask a Woodlore instructor” post, which is something we will definitely look into for the future. Jeff wins a £10.00 Woodlore Voucher for his comment, so keep your thoughts coming in and you may be in with a chance next week.
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I think the Woodlore blog is a great idea!
There are so many fake Ray Mears Myspace, Facebook, Twitter etc accounts about, that its nice to have some official line on where to get the latest RM gossip.
I think this blog is more about Ray and Woodlore connecting with their followers, rather than marketing the brand for maximum dollar. This is why you see interviews with Ray, tips on using equipment, forthcoming interviews (e.g. the one show), and instructor news stories, sitting alongside new product updates.
Some celebs charge a fee for access to their fan section, so the fact that Woodlore spend the time to update the blog section on a daily basis is surely not a bad thing?
No doubt Ray Mears is a highly successful, and marketable brand, but lets not be suspicious of that. Surely if Woodlore were that bothered about chasing the £££, then they wouldnt have such a relaxed attitude about re-selling products on ebay?
Food for thought. 🙂
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i think the blog is a great idea. so far though it just seems like another marketing device, which is fair it is a business after all. but like others have said it would be great to c sum “how to’s”. there are some gud websites and forums out there with enthusiats sharing their experiences and advice for free. no doubt this would atttract people to your website and only improve business.
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I’m enjoying the blog very much so far.. Keeps me coming back at least once a day. I also think tips and how tos are useful. Maybe an “ask a Woodlore instructor” post.. take so many questions from readers and put it to the experts.
It’s also nice to have regular updates for items on sale and I now have an Osprey bag because of it.
Thanks!
Winner of ‘Comment of the Week’
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£10 for a comment! I thought talk was cheap, but this way i might just get paid for it!
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It’s good finally to have some interaction with you and some steady updates. Many people, quite rightly, regard Woodlore as THE company for all quality things bushcraft, be it courses, equipment or advice. The Woodlore site is great but is a one way system. The blog allows us to talk to you and get more regular updates than we used to on the site, and those updates seem to be getting even more regular which is only a good thing. It would be good to see more maker interviews (Alan Wood and Steve Wade Cox would be great due to the popularity of that particular piece of kit), as well as how tos and other tips.
Keep it up.
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