Leaderboard

Martin, I'm not out of touch, but perhaps I didn't express myself clearly enough, for which I apologise. Bypassing specific comparison examples and drilling down to the core of what you're asking regarding boardroom only accounts, the answer is going to be, at this time, definitely not. There are a number of reasons why: > In recent polls, both online and by post, members voted that they still want the magazine, and want it in hard copy format. It's still the primary source of information for many members. > The majority of the cost of the magazine is in the preparation and printing, not the paper and ink. For example, the cost difference between printing 1,000 copies and 1,300 copies is very small indeed, only about £150. You could introduce a forum-only level and reduce the number of members receiving hard copies, but that would greatly reduce income for the club and all its activities while barely making a dent in the magazine production costs themselves. > We have been uploading PDF copies of all the past issues of WW into the Downloads archive, with a view to having the complete history of the club available to download for members and many articles of interest - a valuable resource. If we still produced a magazine and made it available in (or only in, for that fact) PDF format, what would stop one member downloading issues and distributing them for free on the quiet to forum-only members - or non-members who might then never join? I know they are techniques to lock them down, but they're all defeatable - plus the production cost of creating the magazine is still there for the most part. > It might increase membership numbers - might - but by my own calculations, it would substantially reduce membership fee income as some current members would switch to forum-only, which pays for much more than the magazine and calendar - it pays for shows, insurance, equipment, and a number of other things as well. > I've asked many members over the last two years if they'd be happy to give up their magazine (and perhaps Stoneleigh) to go to a forum-only level - the vast majority have told me no, they would not. In short, the case for creating a forum-only level doesn't currently stack up in terms of financial impact, customer desire, possible available customer base and especially benefit to the club. Now that might well change someday, and we might have to change with it, but today's not that day, I'm afraid. However, there's a much better question - why are you "not overly bothered by WW anymore"? We work very hard on the magazine, and when I say we, I mean the editor and everyone who submits material - and there's the rub. It's only as good as the material Peter receives from members or can source. Yet what's frustrating is that almost no one stands up and says what they'd like to read or see - even when we conducted a well-publicised vote recently, less than 5% of the membership bothered to click a few times. Despite encouragement, there's lots of people who don't provide feedback or contribute or are (wrongly) frightened to do so for fear of criticism that will never come, only praise. One can imagine the frustration of getting criticism of the mag but not ideas to make it better! ( Not saying that's what you're doing here, Martin. ) So the big question I have for you Martin, and everyone else, is this: What could the club do to make the magazine interesting for you and something you'd look forward to receiving? I'd welcome a new thread being started with fresh ideas and volunteers to make something happen on that front - the magazine is only as good as we all make it, after all. We always want feedback, submissions, and ideas for the magazine - let's have them and be positive - this is your club, after all - people seem to forget this. Anyway, feel free to start a new thread as I said - I started this one to remind people to renew if they'd forgotten, not debate other things, so let's stick to the subject please - thanks.