<VV> [Corsabod] ecomminuque and other comments

Sat Jan 31 15:40:49 EST 2009

Thanks Bill.   and everyone else.

I as well as several other board members have been reading every comment posted on VV and to the board. I have advertised the Chapters list, regularly.  Once or twice a year in my column in the Communique, and somewhat less on VV. I noted the last time on VV was 2007.  I visit the Corvair forum infrequently,  but do visit occasionally.  I will read all the comments there too.

Many of the idea and thoughts are not new.  Some have been tried.  The Ecommunique exists -- in the member center.  It needs to be re-advertised.  The quarterly and e-newsletter the remaining months were discussed at lenght a year ago.  The conclusion at the time,  it would be a reduction in services provided to the members. And like the more obvious tax,  er, dues increase,  would be criticized as a hidden increase.  It has not been completely removed from the table,  just put off to one side.

A proposal before the board,  did not get voted upon.  it would have offered an E-Communique membership opton to those who WANTED it.  printed to those who would chosse that option.  I (or another board member) will likely re-propose that option.

VV is like many chapters,  lots of non members.  The whole discussion has nearly scared off one potential new member. Hopefully we persuaded him otherwise.  I prefer using the Chapters list.  my perference. It reaches the chapters and I get good responses.

btw:  I raised the dues issues first March 13, 2008 -- before the summer annual mtg,   and again Dec 24,27 and 28, 2008 as well as the note Jan 17, 2009

I do apprecirate the comments, and opinions.   I may or may not agree with them.  Some like racing, Some like Stock,  and some like both.  
I have tried to respond to everyone who posted a comment -- and admit to getting lax the last day or two.  

thanks 
tim mahler

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Chris & Bill Strickland 
  To: virtualvairs at corvair.org ; chapters at corvair.org ; corsabod at corvair.org 
  Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2009 1:26 PM
  Subject: Re: [Corsabod] <VV> ecomminuque

  Larry wrote, on VV:

Thank you Frank,
I wholeheartedly agree with all these points.  While VV doesn't catch all the members it does get the issues out there very well as witnessed by these last few days.  If I only communicate with  the directors I doubt I'd ever hear anything again.  Our president does not agree with this approach, however, it seems a number do.  More agreement!

  VV may not be the ideal forum, nor the forum preferred by the President, but certainly at least one of the de facto political forums where discussion actually takes place. The only January post on this "dues" topic on CORSA's Chapters list is the President's editorial from Jan 17th.

  I must credit two directors with personal communications as replies to a recent BOD list posting.  Thank you.

  Although I don't like the idea, I could tolerate a raise in dues -- $45 /  $49, who cares, if it starts with a $4x -- $5x would be a bit shocking.  For that $7-11 you can barely feed two people at McDonald's -- if you have a collectible car, it is a trivial amount, it is just the idea that is troublesome.

  Mandatory CORSA membership of Chapters would hurt many of the Chapters' memberships -- CORSA needs to do a better job of selling itself and providing something more tangible (maybe just a feeling of good will, but it would need selling, i.e., what Corsa does for you) to those local members that don't go traipsing off to Conventions every so often. If one feels this membership needs to be mandatory, I like George Jones' idea of grandfathering in those non-Corsa Chapter members.

  If the Communique is too expensive, It could always be reduced to every other month, or Quarterly, like the old CORSA Quarterly, and infill the between months with an electronic newsletter, ala the old Communique of the earlier years when we had the Quarterly.  The slick paper, 4-color publication needs to be continued for everyone to take advantage of the economics of scale -- once you are set up to print one, the next 3,999 are much cheaper -- and to demonstrate continued purpose to the organization.

  For public usage, Corvair Society of America (CORSA) says far more about our organization than just the acronym.

  The BOD needs to listen (read) those interesting new opinions / ideas expressed on Virtual Vairs, and other forums where actual discussion is taking place, by folks like Jeff Aaronson.

  If we are supposed to use the "Chaptes" list for discussion, quit "hiding" it:
       "There currently are no publicly-advertised Mailman mailing lists on www.vv.corvair.org. To visit the general information page for an unadvertised list, open a URL similar to [http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/listinfo], but with a '/' and the list name appended.
       "...the CORSA Chapters list, topics should be directly relevant toCorvair club matters, or at least about car club issues in general. In particular:
              - No politics, unless they have *explicit* club content."

  My opinions, no criticism of volunteers or staff intended,

  "Keep the Love Alive"

  Bill Strickland
  CORSA Oregon
  was 04693, now 028948

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