NAMBA - Propwash

[Al Hobbs]

We went through the same question several years ago. Do the members want a hard copy of the newsletter or will they be happy with only online? The response was overwhelming in favor of hard copy. Times change. Old people leave. New people arrive. The same qustions go around again.

 

[Jerry Dunlap]

We went through the same question several years ago. Do the members want a hard copy of the newsletter or will they be happy with only online? The response was overwhelming in favor of hard copy. Times change. Old people leave. New people arrive. The same qustions go around again.

Some of us "Old people" are still around.

JD

 

[DON MAHER]

Ya Baby, Still on the right side of the dirt

Don

 

[Rhonda Pickard]

Give the members a choice whether they want a hard copy sent to them or have it online i like having the hard copy something to read during a hurricane, it might split 50/50 us old folks like the hard copys Robert

 

[Duck899]

Could also increase the fees of the membership to cover the cost of the hard copies to those who specify hard copies or a reduction to those who don't. Maac (Model Aircraft Association canada) does this with junior memberships to get the costs of a junior membership down to entice members. $10 a year without magazine or $21 with.

Myself, I read the online long before the hard copy comes and the hard copy just ends up being used as an epoxy mixing pad.

 

[Patrick M]

Give the members a choice whether they want a hard copy sent to them or have it online i like having the hard copy something to read during a hurricane, it might split 50/50 us old folks like the hard copys Robert

The hard copy is included in the 2013 membership fees... Including a check box on the 2014 membership application will provide a true perspective of all members opinions. An online poll will only show the opinions of those who feel the need to respond.
Just another Old Dude.....

 

[Al Waters]

I could go in to a lot of details and explanations of the positives and negatives for having a hard copy along with a web version of the Propwash newsletter. From a personal standpoint, you would not believe the number of hours of free time that it would give me that I don't have now if we didn't have the hard copy. So if I am willing to give up that much time to produce a hard copy, there must be a valuable reason.

Take to heart what Alan Hobbs has said. We have addressed this issue before and have tried the above mentioned ideas. Not with the success that we thought we would have but we did try it. Discounted membership and mass e-mail notification. You name it. There were problems so the ideas were dropped.

If you look at this Propwash there are three unique things about it. There is always the insurance article in the first Propwash of the year. There are always safety articles written by NAMBA Safety Chairman Lohring Miller, and for the first time, there is a list of all NAMBA registered clubs.

Some may or may not read the Propwash online. I don't know how many. But I do know who gets a Propwash hard copy delivered. We get about 250 new members each year while losing some. Some we get are FE, some are Combat, weekend pleasure boaters, some race, and some get insurance because the local park won't let them use the pond unless they have model boating insurance.

How do we be sure that we have made the effort to educate the new members, and reeducate and remind the returning every year to possibly eliminate that one ugly accident? Nobody today can say, I didn’t know I couldn’t do that at the pond with my boat when it already is too late. We are making a concerted effort to reach out to the membership and communicate to them over and over, again and again, and not just rely on them occasionally looking at the NAMBA web site for the next newsletter. We have to be active to keep what we have which is good insurance at a good price. The hard copy newsletter is doing its part to accomplish that.

Thanks,

Al Waters

 

[Al Hobbs]

I guess the term "Old People" isn't as generic as I thought. Hmmmm, how about the term "Silver Fox"?

 

[Tom Foley]

Hard copy , computers suck for reading .

 

[David Santistevan]

You old guys are funny... oh crap..I think I'm one too! So I here is what I think is worth mentioning. The cost of producing harcopy is substantial, I think I heard $15,000 a year (that is a really big number) from and organization of about as many members. That works out to about $10 per member in costs. The reality is that almost everyone is using the Internet at least for email and browsing the web. Going "ONLINE" does not consign the hard copy to the pit of death as anyone can print it if they so choose. For a member to print it at home if they want a hardcopy cost them a few cents. However $10 of their dues are going to making sure they get it in the mail. This does not seem to make a lot of sense to me....But more importantly, what can NAMBA do with the $15K a year they save? We could have dancing bears at the Nationals, or how about funds for helping new clubs get establish racing or even just help with paying the ever increasing costs of running the organization.

D

 

[Duck899]

You old guys are funny... oh crap..I think I'm one too! So I here is what I think is worth mentioning. The cost of producing harcopy is substantial, I think I heard $15,000 a year (that is a really big number) from and organization of about as many members. That works out to about $10 per member in costs. The reality is that almost everyone is using the Internet at least for email and browsing the web. Going "ONLINE" does not consign the hard copy to the pit of death as anyone can print it if they so choose. For a member to print it at home if they want a hardcopy cost them a few cents. However $10 of their dues are going to making sure they get it in the mail. This does not seem to make a lot of sense to me....But more importantly, what can NAMBA do with the $15K a year they save? We could have dancing bears at the Nationals, or how about funds for helping new clubs get establish racing or even just help with paying the ever increasing costs of running the organization.

D

Exactly!!!! Its wasted money as far as I'm concerned, and I'm a young 51. I agree with the option on the renewall form of allowing some of us young guns to abstain from receiving the hard copy. Might help reduce operating costs somewhat.

 

[Tom Foley]

OK how about this , kill the hardcopy , reduce my annual fee . Done .

 

[Rhonda Pickard]

Tom you will need to install a computer in the bathroom Robert

 

[Rhonda Pickard]

What about proposals and rule changes will they be on a paper ballot Robert

 

[Al Waters]

Robert has it figured out. There will always be something that will need to be mailed out to the membership.

Now to the costs of the newsletter and saving that money for other projects. In a perfect world, I like those ideas. I live in a world of trying to prevent problems more so than solving them if at all possible. We could either save money to pay for a windfall which we may possbly never recover from or we can spend the money on trying to educate and contunally remind the membership of what I talked about earlier to prevent that windfall. I believe in trying to prevent the windfall so I look at it as money properly spent.

Thanks,

Al Waters

 

[Tom Foley]

Robert has it figured out. There will always be something that will need to be mailed out to the membership.

Now to the costs of the newsletter and saving that money for other projects. In a perfect world, I like those ideas. I live in a world of trying to prevent problems more so than solving them if at all possible. We could either save money to pay for a windfall which we may possbly never recover from or we can spend the money on trying to educate and contunally remind the membership of what I talked about earlier to prevent that windfall. I believe in trying to prevent the windfall so I look at it as money properly spent.

Thanks,

Al Waters

Amen . Thanks !

 

[Duck899]

What about proposals and rule changes will they be on a paper ballot Robert

More responce's if they were online.

 

[David Santistevan]

Al Waters, take a look at your last post again for me if you don't mind. I just want to make sure that is what you really wanted to say.

D

 

[Al Waters]

David,

please elaborate. I know what I meant. I need help on what your perception is of what I said. Which sentance or sentances are you asking about?

Thanks,

Al Waters

 

[DON MAHER]

Al,

Windfall-- an unexpected gain, stroke of good luck, etc.

Don