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I had the forum ID section added to the renewal cards in an effort to get all our members access to the members forums at the instant their payments were processed. Unfortunately 90% of our members dont even read the cards anymore. Most dont even bother filling any part of it out. Others put "what is this" in the forum id column.
Since the renewal process is in no other way linked to the forum access at the moment most everyone doesn't have it untill I get an email asking why they dont have access.
You are not going to reach that many members on the forum. Especially by putting the conversation in the wardroom. I called a member last night about his membership and he told me he refused to have to remember what his id was just to get in the members section.
By the way the number of 2010 members who currently have access is 70.
I re read this and it reads like I am complaining. Maybe a little but mostly trying to supply information in the form of facts.
Seems like an article in the next SCR is called for outlining this and some possible directions to take. A reply card could be inserted on the same page in the magazine with poll questions to be checked off and some comment lines for members to send back in. So those that aren't active on this site can see what is going on and have a chance to give their preferences.
State that if they really care about the direction the club takes they better fill it out and send it back because that is what you'll base your decisions on. Maybe do it for a couple of issues so as many people as possible get a chance to speak out.
Pete,
We're thinking along exactly the same lines. I made this recommendation to Myles a couple of days ago. I think he (and the EC) are going to do this.
This is what I was trying to get across to John before he left the scene. To assume everyone can use PC technology as we can is just not the fact. Young and old alike I run into it more often than not. The population over all isn't up to speed yet by a long shot.
Seems like an article in the next SCR is called for outlining this and some possible directions to take. A reply card could be inserted on the same page in the magazine with poll questions to be checked off and some comment lines for members to send back in. So those that aren't active on this site can see what is going on and have a chance to give their preferences.
State that if they really care about the direction the club takes they better fill it out and send it back because that is what you'll base your decisions on. Maybe do it for a couple of issues so as many people as possible get a chance to speak out.
Pete,
We're thinking along exactly the same lines. I made this recommendation to Myles a couple of days ago. I think he (and the EC) are going to do this.
-Jeff
Will there be an option to vote online? I am quite he opposite, I find filling out a card and taking it the post office (this is what I'll have to do as I am a overseas member) a pain. Much rather have something I can click on....
Seems like an article in the next SCR is called for outlining this and some possible directions to take. A reply card could be inserted on the same page in the magazine with poll questions to be checked off and some comment lines for members to send back in. So those that aren't active on this site can see what is going on and have a chance to give their preferences.
State that if they really care about the direction the club takes they better fill it out and send it back because that is what you'll base your decisions on. Maybe do it for a couple of issues so as many people as possible get a chance to speak out.
Pete,
We're thinking along exactly the same lines. I made this recommendation to Myles a couple of days ago. I think he (and the EC) are going to do this.
-Jeff
Will there be an option to vote online? I am quite he opposite, I find filling out a card and taking it the post office (this is what I'll have to do as I am a overseas member) a pain. Much rather have something I can click on....
We are trying to work out a way that all the members can be reached, and right now it seems the mail is the best way, I know some people such as yourself would prefer to be able to respond on line but sometimes we just can not accommodate everyone needs and wishes.
I would envision a questionnaire that any member can choose to either fill out the hardcopy sent to them or download a softcopy and e-mail it to whomever would collect the replies. Name and membership number would need to be required on each returned form so that duplicates can be weeded out and to also get a sense of who responds from where.
Matt: At this point I do not see this being a vote as not enough is currently known...either about potential options (if any) or member preferences. I think (as an individual member) that the EC would need to decide what to do based on the questionnaire answers.....either make a decision or put it to a vote. It's probably too early to know.
A few thoughts regarding the idea of taking the SCR electronic;
Not all of the membership is as comfortable with computers as you assume them to be.
I’m sure the literacy curve would be found to follow the age of the membership; younger guys= computer literacy, older guys= not so much.
There are still submissions being made by people who can’t turn on spell check.
Ideas and content will not necessarily blossom, just by going to a new format, you’ll still be trolling for articles, and ultimately the ‘product’ you produce will end up being just be that much smaller, especially if a person can’t figure out how to upload a photo.
There is another possible issue; outside of large(r) metropolitan areas the choices for receiving Internet boil down to an expensive dish, with high monthly billings or, (believe it or not) to continue using dial-up.
Things are quite a bit different now, for everyone, than they were in the middle to late 90’s,
Perhaps the concept of a magazine, on any level, is a thing of the past.
Ask yourselves this question; how many E-zines do you currently receive?
Good feedback. Just to make sure that I am not causing any confusion....I want to note that not everyone (me included) is thinking that everyone is comfortable with using a computer....let alone would want to use one to read an SCR. But I do think that over the past few years the SC has seen a rapidly growing percentage of the membership that is comfortable with computers....and the SC should see if it makes sense to leverage the shifting of the membership population.
bandwidth on the user's side is something to reckon with. especially when downloading a pdf-SCR.
- should we assume that at least all international members are internet savvy so that pdf-SCR is viable for international members?
- I seem to recall that some "members" are actually institutions, more like sponsors.
when we subtract these, do we still have a large group non-internet users ?
I think that if we start to poll, we should ask about bandwidth too.
Actually, for the electronic version, it will cost more to get, because it's all high-tech and such. You know, anything new fangled always costs more at first. So we should charge members more to get that. Isn't the future always more expensive, I know an iPhone costs 10X what my Sprint phone costs.
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