Membership fee payment

[Emmanueld]

I agree I would love to be able to pay with Paypal! My membership has been expired for quite a while!
   
   Emmanuel

[dkp_cobra]

quote:Originally posted by Gus Meyjes
   
I don't worry so much when I see photos like this, but please no photos of Peter in his newly appointed cape and speedos....
   

   
   That hurts ...

[administrator]

Sign up, guys, and pay the subs, or there's a good chance this Forum will become an ACOC "Members only" facility.

[Robin A Woolmer]

Well Said, i am sure we are all happy to assist members, but the Club does need financial support to keep these facilities going, the members that run these do not get paid but do pay there members fees.
   
   Robin

[ANF289]

quote:Originally posted by administrator
   
Sign up, guys, and pay the subs, or there's a good chance this Forum will become an ACOC "Members only" facility.quote]
   
   Originally posted by Robin A Woolmer
   
Well Said, i am sure we are all happy to assist members, but the Club does need financial support to keep these facilities going, the members that run these do not get paid but do pay there members fees.

   
   I don’t think you are hearing your international members and potential members.  Why not initiate a 3 or 6 month trial period using an electronic pay system of the ACOC's choice and see if it pays-off (no pun intended)?
   
   Also, making this a members-only forum would be like shooting yourself in the foot.  It certainly would not be good for anyone interested in ACs, and not good for the ACOC.
   
   Finally, and I do believe that I speak for all long-distance members, that we truly appreciate all the time and effort that the more local members put into the operation of this club.

[nikbj68]

Agreed, making the forum 'Members Only' would be a real shame, although there should be (and is, of course!) a members only area, where more select information, club member discounts & benefits are accessed.
   There are A LOT of AC enthusiasts who access the forum, with valuable contributions, valid queries, and who might otherwise struggle to make contact with AC owners, for whom membership would not be a reasonable expense or of sufficient benefit, but as a flip-side to that coin, I believe there are many, many members who 'don`t do computers' or access the forum, which is a pity.
   PLEASE consider the open forum as a valuable tool which has probably attracted additional members to the ACOC, promotes The Club in a positive way and is an asset to the Club, it`s members and enthusiast non-members alike.

[Robin A Woolmer]

Why do we not indicate who are members & those who are not, this would help understand the potential new members & the effect of closing the forum to members only as does the VSCC.
   
   Robin

[nikbj68]

I think that`s a limitation of the forum model, Robin, in the same way that we don`t have a gallery or avatars or online status etc. etc., unlike forums that use, for example, vbulletin(CobraClub) or phpBB3(The 289 Register).
   Also, do the club expect family members to have individual memberships, as I read my Dad`s ACtions!

[Robin A Woolmer]

I see no reason why we cannot know who are paying members using the Forum, yes we need more membership & would like to think those who benifit put something back into the club & not simply take!
   The matter is to be discussed soon at the council meeting & i will leave it to the Officers to decide on what if anything should be changed.
   The AC owners Club is small approximately 700 members I believe,so let us see more joining even if they are in USA or other clubs, the subscriptions are small compared to the values of owners cars!

[aex125]

I'll throw in my thoughts here. I am not a member and there are few reasons and the membership payment is not one of them. I own a few different cars in addition to the Aces. I have a 1966 Shelby GT350 carryover, 1972 Pontiac Lemans convertible, a 1994 Mazda Miata (MX-5 to the rest of the world), and a few off road vehicles. Each marque has its own set of clubs and the local ones available are 4 for the Shelby (not including the racing clubs), 3 for the Pontiac, and 2 different British car clubs for the Ace. With an average price of $50/membership, I join the local ones that have events I can attend. This is not to discount the effort that ACOC members have put forth on behalf of AC owners ( it is tremendous), and if I was in the UK I would certainly be an active member. Unfortunately, when I am this far away I go with what is local. As for the forum, if it were closed to only members, I am not sure it would be beneficial to anyone. I would presume ACOC would still run it, but the knowledge/participation base would diminish. Even though I am not a ACOC member I do my best to help out here whenever I can, and I think forum members and myself would lose a bit if I and other non-members were excluded. As was stated above, Thank you to all that help make the forum happen and I appreciate it being available.
   Jay

[nikbj68]

quote:Originally posted by Robin A Woolmer...I see no reason why we cannot know who are paying members using the Forum...

   Some forum templates allow the use of avatars & icons where we see the username, location & post count,but not this one. You`d have to check with Bryan whether it is possible to add an option box in the user profile to select 'ACOC Member', in the same way that we select location.
   
   Could I select 'member' status though, in place of my Dad, as he is an ACOC member but doesn`t use the forum, whereas I`m the most prolific poster here(and hope I contribute positively in some way, sometimes!)?! [?]

[jrlucke]

I'm a former owner and lifelong advocate/fan of AC's since I first read a test in a 1960's US magazine.
   
   I've considered becoming a member to support the ACOC and have access to more info on individual cars and the magazine.
   
   I've not due to the cost (I also belong to 2 other marque clubs here in the US for my current car) in addition to having a poor experience with joining the club when I had an AC. (My selling the car had nothing to do with dissatisfaction with the car or club but rather an immediate need for cash.)
   
   Having a reduced membership with appropriate reduction in benefits would bring me in.
   
   John

[terry3000me]

Let me just float the question: if this web site / forum went to 'members only' would those non members be willing to pay a reduced membership subscription to allow them to continue to use this forum?
   
   Why should ACOC members be expected to finance this web site when the majority of users are non members? Yes it is great to read the exchange of information and learn about the cars, but regretfully we live in a world where one can no longer expect something for nothing.
   
   Are those non members ever curious to read the members only pages of this site, or is it just the forum that is of interest?
   
   Terry

[ANF289]

quote:Originally posted by terry3000me
   
Let me just float the question: ...
   Terry
   

While we are floating questions, how about these:
   
   How many members in bad standing would pay their dues NOW if they could do so on-line?
   
   How many would join at a reduced rate without receiving a hard-copy of Action?
   
   How about being able to download PDF files of Action with a reduced membership subscription (no overseas postage)?  Offering more in the member's section would probably go a long way in boosting the desire to join.
   
   Finally, how did a plea for electronic dues payment and bringing the ACOC into the 21st century turn into a campaign for a closed forum?

[nikbj68]

quote:Originally posted by terry3000me...if this forum went to 'members only' would those non members be willing to pay a reduced membership subscription to allow them to continue to use this forum?
   Why should ACOC members be expected to finance this web site when the majority of users are non members? Yes it is great to read the exchange of information and learn about the cars, but regretfully we live in a world where one can no longer expect something for nothing.
   Are those non members ever curious to read the members only pages of this site, or is it just the forum that is of interest?
   Terry

   The key point in there is 'exchange' of information.
   There have been, over the years, a good many posts from non-members who are not AC enthusiasts per se that are of value to owners/members; be it offering services, pointing members to parts or resources, detailing events etc. 'Locking' the forum would stop these posts, meaning that members pay for a compromised and withered facility.
   I`m sure some non-members would be interested in seeing the content of the members only area if they knew what was in there, such as model registries, technical documents, club officers, club regalia etc... but it is right that these remain 'off limits' as the club has put a great deal of effort into compiling the above.
   In summary, there is more for members to lose than to gain by 'fencing off' the forum.
   
   As for offering ACtion in 'pdf' format, seems like a great idea to me. Currently there is an index archive dating back to 1990, and the club could charge to download back issues to offset the time & effort of digitising previous issues. []