Have You Remembered To Renew?

[Captain Colonial]

Debatably interesting information - the percentage of people who paid for or to renew their membership by cheque has dropped from 15% in 2012 to just 5% last year.  Besides making life easier for the MemSec, it also means as people have to sign in in order to pay for their renewal if they do so online, 95% of the membership log in on the boardroom at least once a year.  I'd like to get many of those people to spend more time online and contribute to the common pool of knowledge and experience.

[Greenstreak-Andy D]

Thanks Scott, yep saw it was the full £30 but thought at least I renewed!

[Martin Keene]

I renewed the other day. But, I seriously considered not renewing for a few days, because I am not overly bothered by WW anymore, so if we could have a boardroom only type membership as well that would be useful.

SELOC is on-line only and only costs £12.50 a year for example.

It isn't the cost per se, it's only £15 difference after all, more the fact the club is spending money it doesn't need to.

[Captain Colonial]

Martin, we've talking about apples and steaks here.  One is a web-based only thing; the other has so much more to offer than just a boardroom (and a magazine - and a calendar) - there's Stoneleigh, local area meets, the Speed Series, exclusive offers and discounts on insurance and many other things I could name (see http://www.wscc.co.uk/membership.htm as a reminder).

 

As far as the magazine goes, I'm afraid I couldn't disagree with you more when you say "the fact the club is spending money it doesn't need to" - it's still the primary source of information for most of our members, not the boardroom.  We are working hard on ensuring the content and format of WW is what the members want to read, and Peter Osborne does a fantastic job putting it together - plus there's a growing archive of past issues of WW available for download, giving members a very useful reference library.

 

Plus this is a club dedicated to a single marque - there is simply no finer place for all things Westfield related.  I have saved more than my annual membership fee every single year from following advice given by others.  My membership has paid for itself many times over - fact.

 

I also believe there's something about the club that a simple boardroom doesn't offer - friendship not only online but in the real world.  When the chips are down, this club is unequalled in rallying around and helping those in need.

 

I appreciate that we live in competitive times in a multi-choice world - but sometimes it's also good to remember just what great value we get for our money as well.

[WestyNottm]

Membership is worth every penny in my opinion.

[dhutch]

Debatably interesting information - the percentage of people who paid for or to renew their membership by cheque has dropped from 15% in 2012 to just 5% last year.  Besides making life easier for the MemSec, it also means as people have to sign in in order to pay for their renewal if they do so online, 95% of the membership log in on the boardroom at least once a year.  I'd like to get many of those people to spend more time online and contribute to the common pool of knowledge and experience.

I like it. I dont know what the radio of members, to forum users are (say, forum members with more then 20 posts) and the ratio of that to non-member users. But certainly for me its a stack ton faster and quick to bung you a paypal payment, which I can do of the top of my head or even on the move on my phone, rather than find and write a cheque, post it, etc.

I renewed the other day. But, I seriously considered not renewing for a few days, because I am not overly bothered by WW anymore, so if we could have a boardroom only type membership as well that would be useful.

SELOC is on-line only and only costs £12.50 a year for example.

It isn't the cost per se, it's only £15 difference after all, more the fact the club is spending money it doesn't need to.

I to am torn on this. Another club I am a member of (Steam Boat Association of GB) have a cracking quarterly and a membership that is less computer literate/adopting and I always aim read it cover to cover, all be it often months after it arrives, but there forum is poor. Equally I use a lot of forums (and own and run one) that are web-only. WSCC sits in the middle, for me as a none speed series member, 95% of my interaction is with the club is via the forum, which I used like the LocostBuilders site and find the mag fairly poor and often round-file it without taking it from its sleeve.

The WSCC renewal is quite steep for what I feel I get out of it, but equally I am a forum addict, and westfeild own, so you have be my the short and curlies!

That was due to the email suffix of @wscc.co.uk getting stuck on a spamming blacklist for a day, due to the fact that about 200 renewal reminder emails were sent at the same time and someone or something thought we were bad people.  That's been sorted now, and the renewal invoices that were due but not yet paid were sent again.

Interesting, its an issue that faces a lot of forum owners, although 200 seems low.

Daniel

[dhutch]

Also, while I don't know if it does or not, I would like to think the speed series props its self up from entry fees, hence would not be part of the membership fee?

[Captain Colonial]

200 in one hit is extremely high - most of the membership renewal reminder emails go out in very small numbers.  Memberships are timed to the minute, i.e. if you joined at 9:03 AM today, your membership would run out at 9:03 AM on 15 January 2015, and you'd get a renewal reminder email exactly 30 days prior to that.  So because of that, most days average about 3.5-4 renewal reminder emails (less in certain seasons, more in other seasons).  The reason 200ish go out at the same time in December goes back to January 2012 when the new boardroom came online, and members were asked to "upgrade" their accounts (pay their due membership fees, between £2.50 and £37.50 depending on how long they had left before expiry - please don't ask) in order to aid the transition between the old boardroom and the new one.

 

The Speed Series financially more than props itself up - but you can't be in the Speed Series without being a WSCC Member!  The Speed Series and the WSCC are very much joined at the hip from a purely organisational standpoint, but it is the club that is the support base for the series.

[Martin Keene]

Martin, we've talking about apples and steaks here. One is a web-based only thing; the other has so much more to offer than just a boardroom (and a magazine - and a calendar) - there's Stoneleigh, local area meets, the Speed Series, exclusive offers and discounts on insurance and many other things I could name (see http://www.wscc.co.uk/membership.htm as a reminder).

As far as the magazine goes, I'm afraid I couldn't disagree with you more when you say "the fact the club is spending money it doesn't need to" - it's still the primary source of information for most of our members, not the boardroom. We are working hard on ensuring the content and format of WW is what the members want to read, and Peter Osborne does a fantastic job putting it together - plus there's a growing archive of past issues of WW available for download, giving members a very useful reference library.

Plus this is a club dedicated to a single marque - there is simply no finer place for all things Westfield related. I have saved more than my annual membership fee every single year from following advice given by others. My membership has paid for itself many times over - fact.

I also believe there's something about the club that a simple boardroom doesn't offer - friendship not only online but in the real world. When the chips are down, this club is unequalled in rallying around and helping those in need.

I appreciate that we live in competitive times in a multi-choice world - but sometimes it's also good to remember just what great value we get for our money as well.

Scott, I think you may be a little out of touch with how big SELOC has become. Members get a free calendar, their own annual event, local events and the SELOC speed championship. As well as that there are discounts with main dealers, specialist indepents, parts suppliers, track day companies, insurance, etc. Plus a range of merchandise.

Regarding WW I said the club was spending money it didn't need to *me* not the club in its entirety. And yes there is no disputing the fact Peter has made a superb job of improving the magazine over the years. But, personally it holds no interest for me anymore, that is not a dig at anybody, it's just my opinion.

I don't dispute it is a great club, it has helped me many time, and I hope I have helped others.

The point I am trying to make is this, we now have different levels of club membership, trial, standard, trader. Would it be that hard to incorporate a new one for online only, it would cover access to the boardroom, but not the calendar or WW?

I honestly believe it would not be downgrading the club, but could help bring in more members.

[Captain Colonial]

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.

[dhutch]

200 in one hit is extremely high - most of the membership renewal reminder emails go out in very small numbers.  

 

The Speed Series financially more than props itself up - but you can't be in the Speed Series without being a WSCC Member!

I understand 200 renewals in a day is a lot, but from a mailing point of view its small fry.

 -  For instance when mass-mailing members, most software/hosts recommend a maximum of 200-400 per hour. 

 

Makes sense re speed series.

 

Scott, I think you may be a little out of touch with how big SELOC has become. Members get a free calendar, their own annual event, local events and the SELOC speed championship. As well as that there are discounts with main dealers, specialist indepents, parts suppliers, track day companies, insurance, etc. Plus a range of merchandise.

 

Peter has made a superb job of improving the magazine over the years. But, personally it holds no interest for me anymore, that is not a dig at anybody, it's just my opinion.

I've never really known SELOC (South East Lotus Owners Club ?) but it is impressive how quick you can grow these groups if you find a niche that works.

 

Think i ort to give WW another try, it must be 18months, 2 years since I really looked at one.

 

 

Daniel

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

You misunderstand, it's not 200 in a day, it was 200 sent in one go, not spread over the course of the day. That might well not be the only batch sent out that day.

[Martin Keene]

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.

Firstly I'll admit that I have never written anything for the mag, well, apart from area columns when I was an AO, and that is remiss of me. But, to the original question, a lot of the the magazine is not relevant to me anymore. I have never been a big reader of the around the areas, I used to when I was an AO, looking for ideas, but not anymore. The rest of the magazine is obviously biased torwards Westfields, rightly so, but having sold mine and moved on, these are of little interest anymore. But I would still like to remain a member of the club, I've been here for ~16 years ish, the interest in the cars themselves and what the latest trends are can be more than covered by the forum.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

So lets have some non directly WF stories; touring is always good, regardless of vehicle, and there are plenty of other areas to cover to.

[dhutch]

I think go trip/tour/trackday reports would be good.

I also think there is millage in lifting suitable technical content from the forum, reformatting and improving it, and republishing it.

There may also be scope for one 'non-kitcar' article per mag. Maybe a write up of a another project someones done, link windys, or a powerboat someones built, maybe?

 

But as say, I should maybe also read it before commenting...  I dont read mags/books much, I do half an hour a day online in my lunch hour and a bit more of an evening.

 

 

Daniel