Q1: You have got a 'bit' of a community going on at http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/ - with over 20000 active members - What do you feel makes your community special? A1: Threads 154,312 - Posts 1,381,902 - Members 69,880 - Active Members 20,851 And most Forums don’t even list the number of their active members! Plus there are hundreds of thousands of visitors reading the posts who are not members and thus can’t post or participate. It’s really a unique experience for gentlemen who know that clothing makes a difference in their image and how others treat them and all those members who are just discovering the world of men’s fashion, want to look their best and learn all they can. Men have been brought up in a culture where they are not supposed to care about their appearance – that was for the ladies! But once we all tried out wearing shorts and tee shirts to work and seeing how that changed the results and respect we got from others most guys realized that the need to learn about and spend some time on their appearance. Q2: If you could magically give all of your community members one thing in this world, what would it be, and why? A2: A pocket square, of course! We used to have an official AskAndy pocket square that the members choose from a selection of patterns, but it’s been sold out for years now.
Q3: Feel free to give a shout-out to some of your power-users or most active members. Does anyone come to mind, and what do you like most about them? Because there are different users that are looking for different things... A3: We have a very popular and active TRAD Forum. Those members are really into the traditional clothing style. There are the members who joined because they just got their first job and need to wear a suit or want to know what to wear for job interviews.
Q4: What are some of the hot topics that seem to always be discussed within the group? What are the hot topics of 'Ask Andy' at the moment? A4: Bow ties always brings out strong voices both for and against. Here are the latest threads (and member concerns!): Can I Wear This Shirt with This Suit? Or perhaps Oxxford Suit - Good Deal or...? plus things like Country Britches or even Nylon sock recommendations?
Q5: Has anything surprised you about owning a forum about men's style and clothing in general? A5: It’s become one big family and with that you need a little tolerance for that one “brother-in-law” that gets mad and attacks another member for his opinion. Luckily with a group of gentlemen discussing men’s fashion there really isn’t much of that. The other thing is the great sense of humour some of the members have and the depth of knowledge and skill they possess. When I started the Forums, I envisioned it to be a high school kid asking what to wear to his prom. Around the second week someone ask where to get bespoke shoes in Paris! That was over my head and out of my neighbourhood! I didn’t answer and in less than a day there were 6 great, detailed answers. I realized then I didn’t need to answer every question! I really love every minute of participation on my own Forum!