The Future of the SubCommittee?

[Guest]

Hi,

It looks like the future

Hi,

It looks like the future of SC and SCR is quiet clear.
Almost everybody like to keep SCR in printed format.

The fundamental problem, as I see it, is that existing model of publishing SCR doesn't work well any more. May be there enough volunteers to submit materials for SCR but not for doing all technical job to release SCR. So, just pay to make it done.

"The SubCommittee is a non-profit mutual-benefit group ..." But who said that SC could not be commercialized to benefit the group?

I believe SC has enough assets in intellectual property to generate revenue and cover deficit of the budget.

It the deficit could be determinate (with membership fees frozen or increased a bit) let's talk how to cover it.

Boris

[thordesign]

Gentlemen,

This has now become circular

[color=#000000]Gentlemen,

This has now become circular thread at which we, with the last post, ended up where we were at the very beginning. The future of the SC and SCR are certainly not clear at all. I believe as Jeff said above that the SC and the SCR are seperate and must be considered seperately. The regattas will continue and will probably flourish as the SubRons continue to develop. However, I do also believe that if the printed version of the SCR goes away so will a portion of our membership. I believe that this is now a game of acceptable losses in order to survive.

Lets examine what we know to date]

[skip asay]

To say that the SubCommittee

[color=#000000]To say that the SubCommittee will die a slow death if the SCR goes away is right on the mark. Look at the numbers]

[anonymous]

Go to an all Internet

Go to an all Internet magazine. Membership only via pay pal or similar set up. Though a new Editor and staff is still desperately needed, print is a waste of club resources. Everyone is on the Internet, or very soon will be. Format it so articles and such are released quarterly as before. To build anticipation. Don't release articles piece meal time wise. Very large images (all in color!) would now be possible. Color in print format would now not be limited to a few pages in the winter issue. Color or B&W on the Internet only makes for negligible effect in bandwidth only, not printing cost. Format it so if someone still wishes to see print on paper, they can always down load it off their printer (at their own expense now) if they wished that old fashioned option. This would have a huge effect on printing costs, monies that can be re-directed to other things. Airline tickets for executive members if they needed tickets to travel to various SC regatta events. This has been done before in past administrations before this current one. This would free up those worthy but daunted by financial considerations from considering election to the Executive committee. A bigger pool of candidates. Friendly face to face communication. A smile and a hand shake, a pat on the back for a job and duty well done is worth more, and is more far reaching than the cost of an airline ticket. Also more moneys could be much more importantly devoted to SC sanctioned regatta site activities, insurance, and such.

Interest in the SubCommittee is waning, changing, growing all at the same time. The events of 9/11 and the resulting change in the Groton location is one effect of this still even now. The effects of these changes have not it appears become cognizant with the leadership completely. Some SC members dissatisfied with the new replacement location (after we have been so spoiled at Groton) have not adjusted. It is not worth to many the very long and expensive trip. This creates a mentality of sticking close to home, isolation, fragmentation, and alienation. This results is a loss of desire to contribute, which has been always this group's problem (as in any group). In the present, this has now become more critical than ever. Going Internet would eliminate or simplify this process too.

Folks that have served well, either administratively, commercially or even both, need a change. The hobby both we and they have supported need to have time to relish getting paint on their hands, and sweeping out the work shop from their model building activities again that they long once more for. It is also a case with these individuals of too many ideas piled up in their heads, and too little time to express them in model form. To make time, other time needs to be cut out. I myself am busy building two new never done before model tool masters. One French, one German.

The current system has worked well in the past. As magazine format improved, so did membership numbers, but realities now of keeping membership numbers in the plus 1000 category is now in question. The next step is the Internet totally, and money saved re directed to nurturing SC regattas, affording club officers more visibility at these same regattas. Leadership now as in the past is important. Our leadership has done well, but a new trail needs to be cut in the wilderness. Re-direction to a Internet only publication, the resulting shift in budget, more visibility of leadership. This will have a positive practical and psychological effect on the 'crew'. Thank you all for permitting me to express these ideas here. Thanks Executive committee for a job well done. Thank you for the future.

Steve Reichmuth



Edited By Dolphin on 1095622417

[tmsmalley]

Keep in mind that the

Keep in mind that the work to publish on the web is nearly that of hard copy publishing. The main savings would be in printing - we would still need bodies to do the work.

The other problem is that once it is on the net electronically- it is a simple thing to do to copy and paste it and forward it to buddies for no fee...

[anonymous]

I agree about the efforts

I agree about the efforts in publishing. An editor is still needed. A new security system for protection of free down loading would be needed too. Lets write here frankly....it works for porn sites...membership thingys. I do not belong to such, but if it works for big tits, it will work for minature torpedoes! These are not impossible.

Steve Reichmuth



Edited By Dolphin on 1095539704

["horridoh"]

"It's true what that man

"It's true what that man said." Sometimes you see a picture of a submarine-you go to copy, or "cut" and paste.And you can't-get the picture for yourself. "Even," if you only want to show someone else that picture,to get them.........interested,? it {has to be protected} in some manner, cause you coulden't get it for yourself! "Hey, Skip," How are you? -GOOD TO HERE YOU in this discussion,deal...thing'e.

[Guest]

Of course, free redistribution is

[color=#000000]Of course, free redistribution is the side effect. But scan hard copy of SCR and sent the article is almost the same. May be not so convenient, but still the same questionable practice.

I rather prefer to pay 0,95 (or whatever the price would be) for the article than bother my friends.

Protection software/techniques? For the SC numbers it doesn't make any sense. The effort to deploy that stuff is just too high.

And content is still important. I believe it worth to try with existing SC back issues.

Here is an example of my own experience]

[dietzer]

Well, there's been a lot

Well, there's been a lot of things tossed about so far.

Here's the way I see it]volunteers[/i]. We simply have no other choice. I think the ideas offered of free membership for volunteers and those who write up two or more articles a year that make it into the SCR are a good start. I would go further and include those volunteers who are officers of the SubCommittee as well as those who do the website, etc.

2) We offer members the choice of getting either a color SCR online (password protected, and with the promise of not copying them and giving them to non-members) or a black and white printed version of the SCR, as before. This will help reduce printing and mailing costs. Please note that this will require a little more work on the part of the managing editor (who will have to do both color and b&w versions of the SCR), but would seem to give the membership what they want.

3) This approach would also us hard data as to how many members really want to keep the SCR in print, which can help us decide how to handle the SCR long term. This approach would also provide a smoother transition to a purely online SCR in the future if a couple of years from now the decision is made to eliminate the print version. And if long term we decide to keep the print version of the SCR, we are still free to do so.

Carl



Edited By dietzer on 1095555368

[Guest]

Carl,

For people who do not

Carl,

For people who do not want printed version of SCR (or may be can't afford it at present time) the on-line membership could be introduced. It is just an idea...

Boris

[JWLaRue]

Skip,

Most of what you posted,

Skip,

Most of what you posted, we had as a conversation last weekend.....and I must now reiterate my experience that it just isn't that 'simple' to find four people who can do 1/4 of the SCR every single time. It's not like I haven't been asking for help!

I am also going to reiterate that we have a volunteer for a new advertising editor, but unless and until we resolve the issue with the SCR, I have been reluctant to 'turn him loose'.

Bottom line is that it's just not that 'simple'.

-Jeff

[Scale Shipyard / WLU]

Guys and Gals]

[color=#000000]Guys and Gals]

[JWLaRue]

Lee,

>>> I think that you

Lee,

>>> I think that you should complete this years contract with the membership as the Managing editor...

Can you amplify this comment? I'm not quite sure what you mean.

If you mean that the SC has a responsibility to produce 4 issues of the SCR so as to complete the membership year, I completely agree with you.

On the other hand, if you mean that *I* have a contractual responsibility to finish the year, I must respectfully disagree.

-Jeff

[skip asay]

Jeff -
I agree. The search

Jeff -
I agree. The search for volunteers has been less than fruitful. But I believe that there may be some who are willing to do SOME work for the SCR but feel that there's TOO much to be done. But breaking the overall work load down into smaller parts might trigger some to think that they CAN do something. And part of something is better than all of nothing.

Steve -
Going to a web based SCR will be the end of the SubCommittee. As Lee mentioned, of the 500 or so registered message board members, a substantial number of those are not SubCommittee members so how many PAYING members would be left? And what would we tell those guys who are dedicated “sub geeks” and have been members for years? Go out and spend several hundreds of dollars for a computer so they can still be members? I don’t think so.

I honestly believe that my suggestions are the best way to go. The SCR stays which means the SubCommittee stays. More advertising revenues enhances the SubCommittee coffers which certainly won’t hurt. No single individual will be overloaded with work. All that’s missing is some brave folks who are determined to keep this great organization going, and who knows? Maybe even growing?

Skip Asay

[seaphoto]

Once again, I see the

[color=#000000]Once again, I see the conversation here is drifting a bit.

The way I understand it the goal of the subcommittee to promote the hobby of model submarines.

So the question is, how best to achieve that. There are those who look at the SCR as the only option that insures the viability of this organization. Without it, we are doomed. So what are the benefits of a hard copy edition]