Norman Verona Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Polly, what a shame. I've found the opposite. Nice friendly bunch. They seem to get on with me .... and I own a Caterham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenandmean Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I also have just had the e mail but unlike Polly I have renewed but was touch and go wether to bother, with the amount of forums "protected" and unable to be viewed by non members it makes me wonder if any prospective new members will bother to sign up. I am not about to enter the debate about the changes because its been done to death and its clear they are going ahead reguardless, however forgive my ignorance but has anyone asked/checked why we are loosing members at the rate we are?, how many did we lose last year when we forced everyone to rejoin using paypal which clearly isn't to every ones liking and more importantly how many like Polly are we about to lose now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 It's a difficult problem to balance. Take the emotion out of it. If all the forum was able to be used by non-members the only thing you'd get for paying a fee is the magazine. The meetings and group blats are open to all. So allow a completely open forum and probably lose membership revenue. Close it down and maybe we won't get new members. There are ways to attract new members but I'm not going there as it will only add even more pages to this discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 forgive my ignorance but has anyone asked/checked why we are loosing members at the rate we are?, how many did we lose last year when we forced everyone to rejoin using paypal which clearly isn't to every ones liking A question probably best answered by me (for once) - there have been some unhelpful and unfounded rumours and speculation flying about on this subject for some time, which I am very happy to lay to rest. We are NOT losing members - quite the opposite, in fact. I can happily confirm that since December 2011 (pre-new boardroom), we have gained over 200 paying members and that number is still increasing. We did NOT lose members in January when the new boardroom came online - quite the opposite, in fact. The old system that previous MemSecs had to endure, and which I also inherited until I did a great deal of work and got all club members manually migrated to the new boardrooms, was an absolute nightmare to administer. The new boardroom has greatly simplified joining the club and renewing membership for both member and MemSec alike. Although I cannot put an exact number on it, we have definitely gained, not lost members. Members are NOT forced to pay via PayPal - they can also pay via credit card (through the PayPal site), set up PayPal to take the annual subs automatically, send me a personal cheque, or press filthy cash money directly into hand at any time they wish to delight me by joining or renewing, which is clearly explained in the Membership FAQs. Nothing is going to be to everyone's liking from a standpoint of making a membership payment, but there's sufficient variety to please practically everyone. Part of the reason membership numbers dropped in 2011 was, of course, the economy, as you would expect, but much more of it was because members were living in the 21st century while the club was not. Many members in 2011 either failed to get renewal notices in the good old-fashioned post, didn't look at their membership cards and forgot their memberships had expired, or forgot to fill the forms in and return them with a cheque to the MemSec - as a result, member numbers pre-new boardroom were tumbling at an alarming and dangerous rate. Let's face it, how many cheques do most people write these days? How many letters do you post versus emails? Most people prefer to do things online these days, and the club had to respond. The new boardroom and new online payment system, and I'm not being over-dramatic here, has significantly helped towards saving this club - fact. I would go so far as to say that without it and the other decisions taken and changes made by the committees past and present, there'd be a good chance that you'd all have a long weekend at the beginning of May 2013 with nothing to do, i.e. no WSCC at Stoneleigh - or anywhere else. So there's the facts, and let's not have any more false rumours about club member numbers please. Things are significantly better now than this time in 2011, and I'm doing all I can to keep that trend going. Thanks. (Members can go into the WSCC Members Only section and download my 2012 AGM Report for more details, which has been up since July 2012.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottish Bloke Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 A question probably best answered by me (for once) - there have been some unhelpful and unfounded rumours and speculation flying about on this subject for some time, which I am very happy to lay to rest. We are NOT losing members - quite the opposite, in fact. I can happily confirm that since December 2011 (pre-new boardroom), we have gained over 200 paying members and that number is still increasing. We did NOT lose members in January when the new boardroom came online - quite the opposite, in fact. The old system that previous MemSecs had to endure, and which I also inherited until I did a great deal of work and got all club members manually migrated to the new boardrooms, was an absolute nightmare to administer. The new boardroom has greatly simplified joining the club and renewing membership for both member and MemSec alike. Although I cannot put an exact number on it, we have definitely gained, not lost members. Members are NOT forced to pay via PayPal - they can also pay via credit card (through the PayPal site), set up PayPal to take the annual subs automatically, send me a personal cheque, or press filthy cash money directly into hand at any time they wish to delight me by joining or renewing, which is clearly explained in the Membership FAQs. Nothing is going to be to everyone's liking from a standpoint of making a membership payment, but there's sufficient variety to please practically everyone. Part of the reason membership numbers dropped in 2011 was, of course, the economy, as you would expect, but much more of it was because members were living in the 21st century while the club was not. Many members in 2011 either failed to get renewal notices in the good old-fashioned post, didn't look at their membership cards and forgot their memberships had expired, or forgot to fill the forms in and return them with a cheque to the MemSec - as a result, member numbers pre-new boardroom were tumbling at an alarming and dangerous rate. Let's face it, how many cheques do most people write these days? How many letters do you post versus emails? Most people prefer to do things online these days, and the club had to respond. The new boardroom and new online payment system, and I'm not being over-dramatic here, has significantly helped towards saving this club - fact. I would go so far as to say that without it and the other decisions taken and changes made by the committees past and present, there'd be a good chance that you'd all have a long weekend at the beginning of May 2013 with nothing to do, i.e. no WSCC at Stoneleigh - or anywhere else. So there's the facts, and let's not have any more false rumours about club member numbers please. Things are significantly better now than this time in 2011, and I'm doing all I can to keep that trend going. Thanks. (Members can go into the WSCC Members Only section and download my 2012 AGM Report for more details, which has been up since July 2012.) That's all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 but still think there are a few at the top living in an analogue world with some strange thinking. I used to think they said some strange and odd things 5 years ago and they still do today Interesting 'cos today there is a different Chairman, Secretary Treasurer (I think) and Membership Secretary from 5 years ago. They have new, fresh ideas and a different way of looking at things, so whilst you may propose your thoughts as fact, the fact is it just ain't so. You guys could learn a tonne from the Lotus scene. Our first cousin in that scene would be Blatchat. It's been members only for years with no probationary period of any type for anyone. Tell me what there is to learn? Blatchat is as busy as ever it was. I have also heard it said that "people" believe the recent changes will see the death of the WSCC. I've heard that before. In fact there have been disgruntled members who have started their own forums with a stated aim of being better than the WSCC for Westfield owners by putting right everything we do wrong. It died. There was even an attempt by the factory to start a forum but they fell in to the trap of moderating anything they didn't like. R.I.P... Those of us who stand firm, trust the management and put in some time and effort in to the club will continue to reap the rewards, and there are plenty. Those who don't, won't. And to be fair, I am not totally convinced that some of the changes will have the desired effect, BUT I have aired my questions and they have been answered to my satisfaction. All that's left is to see how it goes and SUPPORT those changes. The Committee will recognise it if things are not going as intended and it's not like vociferous members like me are going to be losing our voices in the meantime! As a final thought, this Club has flourished for over 25 years. I think it's safe to say they boys and girls at the sharp end have a fair idea of what to do. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I'd draw issue with Blatchat being as busy as ever; there have been a number of threads in the last year particularly, commenting on how much quieter it is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Thanks Blatman. I couldn't have put it better myself. However, I've said this before. All the clubs I've been involved in have 10% doing all the work and 90% complaining about what they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Gadgers, that's because I'm no longer there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 It's funny, I was thinking that even as I typed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I'd draw issue with Blatchat being as busy as ever; there have been a number of threads in the last year particularly, commenting on how much quieter it is now. Has anyone done the maths to back this up? I see Scott has...er...scotched the rumours that we are losing members. I'd like to see the stats for Blatchat. I poke my nose in over there occasionally and I know one of the mods. There's always a downturn during winter but they seem to be ploughing on. There may be a bit of rose tinteds going on, but by the same token, it is far from dead, which was one of the predictions when the boom was lowered... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Thanks Blatman. I couldn't have put it better myself. However, I've said this before. All the clubs I've been involved in have 10% doing all the work and 90% complaining about what they do. Never a truer word spoken. What always surprised me was that non members are utterly convinced that they have a vote. What club, from the poshest golf club to the... er... (insert appropriate adjective here) working mans club would allow non members to vote on club issues? It's just laughable. That's not to say that non members don't have good ideas, but unfortunately they should be passed over as well. It may not be convenient or expeditious, but fairs fair... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polly_x Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Interesting 'cos today there is a different Chairman, Secretary Treasurer (I think) and Membership Secretary from 5 years ago. They have new, fresh ideas and a different way of looking at things, so whilst you may propose your thoughts as fact, the fact is it just ain't so. Our first cousin in that scene would be Blatchat. It's been members only for years with no probationary period of any type for anyone. Tell me what there is to learn? Blatchat is as busy as ever it was. I have also heard it said that "people" believe the recent changes will see the death of the WSCC. I've heard that before. In fact there have been disgruntled members who have started their own forums with a stated aim of being better than the WSCC for Westfield owners by putting right everything we do wrong. It died. There was even an attempt by the factory to start a forum but they fell in to the trap of moderating anything they didn't like. R.I.P... Those of us who stand firm, trust the management and put in some time and effort in to the club will continue to reap the rewards, and there are plenty. Those who don't, won't. And to be fair, I am not totally convinced that some of the changes will have the desired effect, BUT I have aired my questions and they have been answered to my satisfaction. All that's left is to see how it goes and SUPPORT those changes. The Committee will recognise it if things are not going as intended and it's not like vociferous members like me are going to be losing our voices in the meantime! As a final thought, this Club has flourished for over 25 years. I think it's safe to say they boys and girls at the sharp end have a fair idea of what to do. I will take the cap in my A*** no problems. There are still a few analogue thinkers involved in the decisions though, that's clear. Still a shame to be kicked off here unless I pay though. Thats all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Nothing wrong with analog thinking, but it's definitely a binary system. Money in, benefits out. Simple... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACW Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Its a shame you'll be going and not choosing to support the club to the tune of 8p /day with having been on the site for so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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