MHKflyer52 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 So what dose the Forum / Club / Organization "USA7s.org" need to due to get more of the folks that participate in the forum to become paid active members. Just a question that I have been thinking about as I notice that a lot of the folks that participate in the forum are not paid a member which is ok with me but I also think that it is something that should be looked into. All I know is the forum ("USA7s.org") is one of the best resources that I have found for information on a "7" no matter what the make or what the problem is or question that one might have so it makes it worth the membership for just that reason if nothing else and why it is the only advertisement on my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1Steve Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Martin, You have raise very good points reguarding this club, something I have thought about often. As you stated, this is the best forum relating to the 7 car there is. I will put on my body armour for my next statement and say, For all the help and info that one can get here, all the great insight on any type 7, And I feel most are covered by our members. The money that can be saved or spent by asking our thoughts or take on the subject is well worth 20 bucks for a membership. Over 1000 guest's and 187 or so paid members. 20 bucks, If you are building a car, or buying a car, that is money well spent. Ok, Here goes, No membership, No post. And if that is wrong, let's come up with a better idea, I am all ears, and no bullet holes, YET !!!! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegoat Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I am not a paid member, but would consider becoming one. I have found this forum to be useful in my month or two here. I think you might want to add a sticky in an obvious place about membership and what needs to be done to become a member. I am not sure I have seen anything about wanting people to become members or how to become one. But I didn't come to the forum and start looking for that info because most forums are not tied to a club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 (edited) I don't really think it is the money for most people. It is probably rather the question "why?" and the aversion of any kind of commitment. As long as people can use the forum for free and without hassle, they will do that. But I am not advocating a closed society here. We would probably lose a bunch of valuable posters and we are not a for-profit organization anyway. As long as the people who participate in club events pay their dues to cover the insurance I guess we should be O.K.... When Blatchat went members only (supposedly for reasons of liability and libel concerns) they lost many forum participants who were not of their core constituency (U.K. based Caterham owners). Gert P.S.: Do we actually get a membership dues reminder? I would bet my time is up now but I have not heard anything yet. Edited June 7, 2009 by slomove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiBirkin Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 How do you pay to become a member I dont think I have seen any info on what you need to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 (edited) How do you pay to become a member I dont think I have seen any info on what you need to do. Try this Link: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetForum/upload/20991.USA7sMemberData.pdf Edit: This is the only info that I know of at this time but I hope and think one of the officers will chim in with more info. Edited June 7, 2009 by MHKflyer52 Added more information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 K, I'm the outgoing officer, but I'll chime in anyway. First, on the subject of free forum membership vs. paid members. I think the forum should be free, and membership optional. We just need to find more things to provide paid members. The reason for free membership on the forum is basically to welcome new users - who may not even own a seven. In addition to the value the forum brings to the regular users, it also serves to introduce new folks to the addiction. Next, last year we tried to make membership standardized - i.e. everybody sign up in August, in order to make management of expiration dates easier. But that method has its drawbacks too, as members want to join around the year. Something for the new officers to tackle. One benefit of the new forum software is that you can pay for your membership using a credit card or paypal right from your User CP, as opposed to sending me (and going forward, Rob) a check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparecr Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 As out going President, incoming secertary this is one thing that the officer pool has at the top of the list. Right now if you are a paid member you are able to post in the For Sale section, non-members cannot do this. In order to participate in any USA7s sponsered drives or events you must be a paid member, just ask Al who was collecting money at the door of the Barber museum during LOG, as the museum and track tours were for paid members only. In addition for those who came to LOG who did not belong to Lotus Ltd, USA7s covered your weekend pass to the museum ($25 normally). We (I) am working on restarting the club newsletter which paid members will get 30 days before non-members. Mazda has been working on a few vendor deals which will be made available to members and this is something that both Al and I will try to expand on. Value for your membership dollar was a main concern for me when I was elected President, as I said I slacked a little during my tenture (which is why I did not run again), but we hope to be able to show you further value in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 The main value for me for my membership fee is the reassurance that this forum will continue to exist. Anything else we get for our money is just gravy. Thanks to all the officers, incoming and outgoing and especially Mazda for making this forum what it is. Skip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wankel_locost Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 g'day, this may sound like the kid in class who said, "that's what i was going to say", but ... skip said it better than i was planning to anyway. being completely untrained at every skill that's going to be used building my car, this site has been a bastion of ideas, voices of experience, and entertainment. when i found out it was only one thin jackson to be a member, i was in. to parrot skip again, thank ya'll. Godspeed, dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 The main value for me for my membership fee is the reassurance that this forum will continue to exist. Anything else we get for our money is just gravy. Thanks to all the officers, incoming and outgoing and especially Mazda for making this forum what it is. Skip I'm with scannon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athens7 Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 The main value for me for my membership fee is the reassurance that this forum will continue to exist. Anything else we get for our money is just gravy. Thanks to all the officers, incoming and outgoing and especially Mazda for making this forum what it is. Skip +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I assume we pay dues because unlike other forums that I occasionally frequent (BMW, 'Vette, Miata, Lotus, etc.) there are no sponsors w/deep pockets to pay the freight for the overhead in return for advertising? Our cars are the very definition of "exclusive" with the result that there are no advertisers seeking our business. I have heard of members here who so value the site that they throw in a little extra, on top of regular dues, just to keep things rolling. Nothin to stop others from doing the same:). I do like the voluntary nature of the whole payment thing tho. And, if overhead gets to be a concern, just put out the call, I am sure lots of folks will step up to help. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 And, if overhead gets to be a concern, just put out the call, I am sure lots of folks will step up to help. Mike Agreed! whenever there has been an opportunity to collect money, folks have been more than generous. Nobody is in it to make anything on this, and I think it's always good to keep the club's cash box modest. Like my view of government, and unlike what i've done to my car, the less the better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotcheck Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 So what dose the Forum / Club / Organization "USA7s.org" need to due to get more of the folks that participate in the forum to become paid active members. Not about to claim cause-and-effect, but my story is I was lurking for a while, then signed up as a member, actively in the hunt for a 7 (economy derailed that plan), wanted to attend 7/7/07, ultimately could not. Asked (either Al or Mazda, I think) if I could still toss in the registration fee even though I did not have a car and couldn't attend - just felt that with all the effort to organize and run the website, and with all the great responses to my newbie questions, and with all the fun I had reading the info, it just seemed fair to me that I should toss down the price of a modest bottle of wine. Was told "no - we haven't really thought about paid memberships", but then a few weeks later, that option came up and I bought in right away. As I said - to me, it just seems fair. Heck - I'd even jump at the chance to toss in another $25 into a pool split among the officers + site admin to be used for upgrades+maint on their 7's - just an expression of thanks for the work they do (Lord knows I wouldn't want to take on their responsibilities). I agree with the thought that paid-only would restrict the input and diversity, but I personally couldn't imagine NOT contributing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 I agree with the thought that paid-only would restrict the input and diversity, but I personally couldn't imagine NOT contributing. I also have the same belief about membership and dues but my point was to try and understand why we do not have more paid members just because of that fact and why their is not a link in the forum title bar that would let someone join as a paid member a little easier if they wanted to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valenz Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 I've been unable to renew my membership since its expiration at the end of August. The message that I receive from Paypal is "This recipient is currently unable to receive money." What's up with that? AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 Thanks for letting me know. I will check into it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 ah, paypal apparently needs tax documents to prove our tax exempt status. wonderful. I will get that process started tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valenz Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 Hey, that sounds great!!!:cheers: I'd like to be exempt from taxes too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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