Re: Forum to become members only.

[Tanya]

I was a member of the MG M Group many years ago but I didn't see any benefit form being a paid member, so I left and only frequented the Triple M Group. Making the forum members only, in my opinion, will be the start of a slippery slope.

I am a member of the MMOC and I joined because I agreed with the clubs principals of supporting the brands and working towards keeping spares available. Now one feels that those principles are second to making money.

I think forum users should be encouraged to join the club with the use of certain parts of the forum being members only, but definitely not all of it.

Whether the decision is changed at all won't stop me being a member as I also believe that the membership fee is good value.
Will the club be refunding those who have paid more than the £12 for the forthcoming years membership?

Ian

Hi Ian, I would like to assure you that we are not here to make money for money's sake, but sadly we do have to regenerate an income in order to to run a good owners club. Our membership price is reasonable at the best of times, and December's offer is excellent value. Every penny that's raised goes back into the club and we have no paid staff as some owners clubs do.

Our principles remain the same, and I can assure you that while the committee we don't agree on everything (as with any committee), we all absolutely share the passion and enthusiasm for these cars, just as I'm sure you, the rest of the membership and those posting on this forum do.

With reference to refunding members who joined before the offer, this in common with all of these types of offer is slightly luck of the draw. I renewed my membership last month for two years at £32, just so happened that I lost out this time, but that's life.

[Guest]

I'm sorry Tanya.
No matter how "heartfelt" it's put,

Its the club stating "Join us or be pushed out"

I stated I was not going to rant, and I won't.
This will be my last post on the issue.

I am well aware of your dedication to the mark and its forebears, and have always admired you for it, but this is just so wrong it's beyond belief.

The issues in need of attention are essentially failures of previous committee's and as for club funds, the club has essentially "sat on" numerous spares for years as no one could access the spares secretary.

Numerous efforts have been put together towards helping the club improve both financially and size wise over the years by both members and forum members only to be told no. no money, no time, no way.


Yes the club has provided a place for owners and enthusiast's to congregate online, it has been paid for out of club funds, which in turn means it has been paid for by the members,

but...........

The "Archive of knowledge and Information" as it has been described by Oli's original (and now redacted?) announcement belongs to all who have contributed to it.

The majority of which by people who where, and are non members of the club.

As I will not be able to access this forum even to improve my own contribution to it by January, then you may as well start the deletion now.

[Richard H]

On paper this looks a great idea, and I can see why the committee took this decision. However, I think it was a bad idea. I'd say only 50% of the regulars on here are paid up members, and after January, all the non members will simply move over to the Facebook page. I've seen this happen with so many clubs, as soon as they make the forum members only, the forum dies overnight. This would be a shame, and I don't think we will actually attract many new members. Membership is cheap enough already, so why are people not joining? Well as a member of a few clubs for my various cars I'd like to see improvements made to the club spares service. With work this could make the club a lot of money. I think that would attract more members than making the forum members only.
It will be really sad to see this forum go the same way as the Allegro club forum (which died as soon as it was made members only). How much more expensive would it to be to print the magazines in colour? It would improve them massively, and would help make it another incentive to join.

[Tanya]

Another way of looking at it is you go to a petrol station at night where they don't let you in the shop do you buy as much as you would if you could go inside and have a look around?

I don't understand that analogy in this context - sorry. I feel that is a sensible and reasoned decision by the shop in that situation, just as this is a sensible and reasoned decision by the committee in this situation.

As I said on Facebook, the committee looked long and hard at this decision, and it was unanimous, which is not always the case with decisions that we make. The committee is reasonably diverse in its make up, and the only thing that we all have in common is our passion for these cars, understanding the value of an owners club, and the responsibility to run that soundly and making the best use of the resources that we have.

I would say that understandably it's much easy to criticize a decision if you haven't sat there for hours working through the clubs finances and looking at the short, medium and long term future. We took this decision very seriously, with the best interests of the club at heart. As an elected committee, that is our duty.

[E_T_V]

Agree with many horrified posts in this thread, this is a massive own goal in my opinion. And not a decision I can in any way endorse. All this will do is drive people to use other mediums, forums/facebook etc. Dividing up the community in that way is never going to be good for either the club or the community in general.

Whilst I applaud the surge in activity of late this is one decision that the club has got woefully wrong.

[Tanya]

On paper this looks a great idea, and I can see why the committee took this decision. However, I think it was a bad idea. I'd say only 50% of the regulars on here are paid up members, and after January, all the non members will simply move over to the Facebook page. I've seen this happen with so many clubs, as soon as they make the forum members only, the forum dies overnight. This would be a shame, and I don't think we will actually attract many new members. Membership is cheap enough already, so why are people not joining? Well as a member of a few clubs for my various cars I'd like to see improvements made to the club spares service. With work this could make the club a lot of money. I think that would attract more members than making the forum members only.
It will be really sad to see this forum go the same way as the Allegro club forum (which died as soon as it was made members only). How much more expensive would it to be to print the magazines in colour? It would improve them massively, and would help make it another incentive to join.

While I can see your point of view, overall I disagree. Making the forum members only is just one of several brave/big (or I dare say some on here might think mad!) decisions that we have taken in the last month. This is part of a wider package of changes with the aim of attracting new members, getting the club 'out there', building a new website, improving what is offered to the membership, so a better spares services, a better events calendar, a wider and better range of regalia etc. We are all well aware that things must change, and we are changing them.

Just a couple of things. Yes, you are absolutely right about the magazine and the next issue will be in colour. That was a pet hate of mine and drove me potty, so I completely emphasize! I can't wait to see Montsro in colour - that is long over due.

The Spares Service currently cannot really be described as one, more of a Spares Non Service. This is not the fault of the person who has run the spares for years, as she asked to be relieved of this at least a couple of years ago - she gave more than fair notice. This has been a failing of the committee overall, and is now being addressed. We have a new person on spares who I'm sure will post up an introduction here sooner or later. We now have a plan to move the spares early in the New Year. The Spares Service will be suspended while the re-allocation happens, but the membership will be kept fully informed.

The plan is in fully inform and involve the membership with the spares reallocation, once a firm date has been set. They will be welcome to come and help if they can/would like to, and look through the spares at the same time. More details to follow.

[efiman]

I agree with everything Mal has said above so won't repeat it except to say this decision is, in my opinion, utter madness.

Looking at my own forum history I have made 90 posts. Had this been a members only forum then I wouldn't have made any.

Maybe my contribution hasn't been great but my recommendations to the forum to casual enquirers who see my Maestro may well have swelled forum numbers. I'll never know.

The decision to change on 1/1/15 is the beginning of the club's demise and I think you will be surprised at how quickly it happens. At least you'll have a footnote in history.

On a practical note is there a quick way to delete all my posts or does it have to be done post by post?

efiman

[Guest]

Saddened to hear this, although I have not owned a Montego / Maestro for a few years now, I do still enjoy going on this site to read what's going on, and have continued to actively direct any owners I have encountered to this forum for help and advice.

I wish the club well in the future - and would like to thank those of you who helped me out in the past. Luke

[Beaker]

Wrong decision for many of the reasons above.

I am one of the people who would not join something unless I could test-drive it first. I would just use a different medium. I was not aware of any of the changes, or the recent shut down of MGM. I just purchased a membership as a Christmas present for the other half (sadly just before this reduced offer) as I could see some new blood/energy of late. If I did not have access to this forum I would not have seen it and therefore not have purchased! Unfortunately he has also now realised he is a member!

Why not look at other avenues, advertising between posts for non-members to generate additional income. Upgrade VBulletin to the CMS version and also use the subscribe plugins that will lessen workload and also guarantee income (as it can be set to automatically renew). Agree with the website being outdated technology I said that when it was rebuilt last but was shot down in flames! Who is rebuilding it so I can send some ideas their way?

What is happening about spares, can someone give some background info, update in a different thread?

As for price I know much cheaper and there is still cashflow!

One last question. Was this voted on at the AGM? If not I suggest it is a matter for all current members to vote on before implemented!

[Tanya]

Agree with many horrified posts in this thread, this is a massive own goal in my opinion. And not a decision I can in any way endorse. All this will do is drive people to use other mediums, forums/facebook etc. Dividing up the community in that way is never going to be good for either the club or the community in general.

Whilst I applaud the surge in activity of late this is one decision that the club has got woefully wrong.

We will just have to agree to disagree. As I've said in many of my other posts, so I won't go into detail, this was a carefully considered decision, part of a wider package of changes and it's understandably easier to criticize when you're not directly responsible for the day to day running and finances of the club, or its long term future.

[E_T_V]

We will just have to agree to disagree. As I've said in many of my other posts, so I won't go into detail, this was a carefully considered decision, part of a wider package of changes and it's understandably easier to criticize when you're not directly responsible for the day to day running and finances of the club, or its long term future.

I'm guessing you don't realise that I was part of the running of this club for a significant portion of time (and its time of greatest growth for that matter) so yes I do have a very good idea of what is required from the day to day running and finances, and I was part of ensuring it had a long term future.

I'm also the person with the most content on this forum so I guess one of those with most at stake. All my posts were written to be freely shared, not just reserved for club members, and it was on this basis that they were contributed to this forum.

[Guest]

More incentives to join is what is needed not this!

[Beaker]

We will just have to agree to disagree. As I've said in many of my other posts, so I won't go into detail, this was a carefully considered decision, part of a wider package of changes and it's understandably easier to criticize when you're not directly responsible for the day to day running and finances of the club, or its long term future.

What are the wider packages and what is the issue of finance. The website will cost hardly anything to run.

[E_T_V]

On a practical note is there a quick way to delete all my posts or does it have to be done post by post?

efiman

It seems from what I've looked at it'll need to either be:
A request to the site admin to delete your account and posts or
Delete them one by one. That would take me an age with over 8000 posts!

[Tanya]

Wrong decision for many of the reasons above.

I am one of the people who would not join something unless I could test-drive it first. I would just use a different medium. I was not aware of any of the changes, or the recent shut down of MGM. I just purchased a membership as a Christmas present for the other half (sadly just before this reduced offer) as I could see some new blood/energy of late. If I did not have access to this forum I would not have seen it and therefore not have purchased! Unfortunately he has also now realised he is a member!

Why not look at other avenues, advertising between posts for non-members to generate additional income. Upgrade VBulletin to the CMS version and also use the subscribe plugins that will lessen workload and also guarantee income (as it can be set to automatically renew). Agree with the website being outdated technology I said that when it was rebuilt last but was shot down in flames! Who is rebuilding it so I can send some ideas their way?

What is happening about spares, can someone give some background info, update in a different thread?

As for price I know much cheaper and there is still cashflow!

One last question. Was this voted on at the AGM? If not I suggest it is a matter for all current members to vote on before implemented!

This was not voted on at the AGM, although it was discussed. It was voted on at a committee meeting. We work to the M&MOC's Constitution, and this decision was made according to due process.

Please do send Simon or me your thoughts and ideas for the website. We've just started to approach web designers, but are at an early stage, so all thoughts and ideas are welcome.

As I said in my post to Richard, spares are being relocated, and more information will be available shortly, hopefully in the next week or two.

Different people join or don't join owners clubs for different reasons, If I own a model, I join the club. If it's no good, then I'll leave. I like to get involved and help, and M&MOC have been very welcoming of both me and what I can offer the club. My Maestros and Montego are not daily drives (although I use them often and keep them taxed round the year), but I am an enthusiast and want to help preserve theses cars and promote the ownership of them. I believe that many people either new to Maestro and Montego ownership or returning after many years, will tend to be enthusiasts so will share the passion that I and the club have for these cars and also our aims. I am a returning owner, having owned one as a daily many years ago. M&MOC needs to change and evolve to meet the needs of these new types of owners. However, in doing so, we'll make a better club for all.

I would ask you to bear with us while we work through these important and significant changes. This is time consuming for all involved, but will be worth it. While I understand the memberships desire for change and improvement, we are working as fast and effectively as we can.