Is membership a Joke

[Kyosho]

Gun Metal has a very good POV.

ATM, if you aren't a financial member you can't even SEE the chat/talk areas...
Why not allow the tech area to be viewed, and maybe even replied in for anyone who is a forum member, and charge the $5 a year to allow access to the other sections... Quick simple online form, throw some money, thank you, all done, get added within 4 or 5 days.
Club membership gives the same benefits it does now. Allows the special club car area, and the packs.

I know what it's like to run a car forum on its own, and I've looked into making a proper incorporated club, and our group that I'm in, decided against it, due to the hassles currently faced by Toymods.

[CrUZida]

wtf?

The only areas specifically for Financial Members is the Club Members Rides.

The Misc Sale section is for Financial Members only (to create) but anyone can look and reply.

[WiLo]

i think kyosho meant forum members can see chat/talk problems

[Kyosho]

i think kyosho meant forum members can see chat/talk problems

Damn straight nbros!

[Lambolica]

There is talk of separating levels of financial membership, mainly for the interstate people who wish to support the club but don't really benefit from cruises / meetings / Discounts etc. Like an associate Member type of thing.

Also the possibility of a small yearly fee for the use of the whole classifieds as this section alone is a significant contributor to the forum usage.

These will require changes to the constitution to work, but the forum needs upgrading before this happens.

Tech will always be there for all to see.

[trdee]

I agree with gene that making these forums paid only is not the way to go. I mean, if the board turns around tomorrow and demands $100/yr for forum access I will happily pay it, but only because I have been here for a while now, and have come to realise how valuable these forums (and by extension, the club) are. The friendships, knowledge, and contacts which I have made here are priceless, but before I joined how could I have known that I would have found this site to be so valuable??

I haven't commented in here yet because I also have not participated in the club at a significant level, nor have i joined as a financial member (if I go to the dyno day I will join up though) but the idea of making the forums visible only to financial members seems not to be the solution in my opinion.

A better solution imo would be to give more "value" to being a financial member on the forums and in the club, to try to make people really WANT to be a member, so as not to miss out on these things. I don't know how this would be done specifically, but I'm sure it can be done. At the end of the day, toymods needs to try to sell itself to the people, not insulate itself, if it is to survive.

I will also hopefully be available to volunteer next year once I have graduated Again, I wouldnt even have dreamt of doing this except that I have been on the forums for so long, and that has brought me closer to the club. That's the nature of it now, you see the forums first, and then you see the club.

my 95c

[Gary]

if anyone sorts out a way of utilising interstate help, without compromising security or financial integrity, and sort out specifically how some people can help - i dont mind doing what i can (an honest offer, not just saying it. i know it doesnt mean much as a few words typed on a forum but if you can figure something out, and i can help out, say so and ill do it)
the only reason i havent become a financial member already is the handful of threads started by chaps waiting far too long to see the result of becoming a club member - as youve mentioned its just a matter of optimisation issues with the whole process of making a particular person a member, rather than sheer laziness. im not hatin', just not going to bother becoming a member until its sussed

a couple quick ideas, might help get some thinking going... might make you angry cos ive got it all backwards and im just talking shit but anyway;
utilise paypal? you dont need a credit card anymore, you use bank accounts now just like you'd transfer cash using netbank or whatev. its piss easy to use for those that have it, its an instant payment and can be receipted i think, not sure about fees but i wouldnt imagine them being too bad. i dunno what you're currently using as methods of payment, but perhaps removing the hassle of cheques and money orders, and focusing on direct deposit or perhaps paypal only, would streamline the whole gig and get things moving better. electronic age and all that - for the hassle involved in keeping a concise paper trail, for the sake of 70odd (?) clams, seems a touch needless? internet banking and things like paypal have proven reliable for millions (ebay, steam, MMORPGs, amazon) and theyre traceable (enough)

maybe (this has been suggested i think) taking money for membership, then upgrading forum status and posting any sort of literature you'd normally do (if you do), and keeping things that are taking time (like stickers and the shirts? if i read properly, they're a drama in themselves?) for later. telling the member they're on back order and will be out soon, and keeping em happy for the meantime by giving them everything else (the other benefits of being a member)

get into simplifying forms etc for membership (if you can). might sound stupid, but keep it straight and to the point, try eliminating any sort of ambiguity that might cause confusion (even the stupidest little thing). again, only if possible - im only suggesting it cos its been mentioned some chaps arent filling it out properly. dumb it down, leave nothing to the imagination, etc

i can think of a few more things but i dont know anything about how things go currently so i really shouldnt comment

i dont think asking for money for just being on the forum is a good idea. im a fan of the whole forum gig but if im flying through trying to fix a mates car and need to know something like a TPS voltage, i dont want to have to ass around with payment and waiting ages, all for a handful of numbers i need asap. the whole adage of 'nothing is free' is an undesirable result of the current age we're in. ages ago it was a matter of everyone getting along and helping each other where they can, id hate to see the world doing nothing for nothing and expecting something for everything. really goes against the sort of place australia is admired for, for example

i rection keep it simple, youve got forum members that join for free and all is happy; they've access to most technical resources (except maybe workshop manuals, wiring diagrams, tricky things like that maybe) and can ask questions and the like. perhaps restrict selling rights, as that wont compromise toymods as the great technical resource it is. otherwise allow access to general offtopic, cruises and the like say

then youve got the members side, of which forum members become club members with bonuses of hectic toymods tshirts, mad fresh stickers and forum status. access to things like dedicated chat and cruise/event invitations (club specific say, like special track days, dinners, photoshoots, etc), access to selling stuff, access to all technical resources (maybe a selection of in depth and ultra concise conversion information for various cars, as mentioned rare workshop manuals and other useful resources, wiring information)

all just ideas, probably ill placed and irrelevant but there they are anyway

[trdee]

yeah your suggestions about the forums were more what i was thinking about. just increase the value of being a financial member, through special member only areas such as said photoshoots, track days/dyno days etc. vendors to give discounts for financial members (i know that this would be a pain in the arse to try and expand beyond those who are already doing it), all that sort of jazz.

I wouldnt restrict any technical info though, that's just not toymods!! we're here to help each other out, not for $$$, but because looking out for a fellow toyota owner/modifier is just what we do naturally.

[X kyle X]

yeh since becoming a forum member on toymods i have learnt heaps, and must say i am more then willing to pay the membership fee (not for stickers or shirts but to support the community)

greater priviledges to finnacial members is deff a good suggestion.... i would even look on joining the board and attending meetings, i have never done so in a club but i would be more then happy to try and help out....

[Toy77]

the altezza club offers a $50 life membership... this includes a few pieces of merchandise and access to members rides - there is not members rides other than this....

I don't think you could afford to run this club with that setup, but perhaps something like that for the forums, and perhaps limit a few more of the sections.

Say $20 for life mebership to the forums - access to post in the for sale, (other than toyotas for sale?) and make the members rides area, one area, and forum members only...

Leave the tech section open - this is supposed to be a tech forum.

If you need more cash to run this resource - i think a small charge, for certain areas - would be paid by many.

Cheers
Stew

[1jz68u]

what about for starters just having a donation's account setup so ppl can donate to the forum, from the jist of this thread i think there are a few ppl on here that would just donate for no benefit, i know i would.

even if a few ppl donate it better than nothing.

[PeteH]

what about for starters just having a donation's account setup so ppl can donate to the forum, from the jist of this thread i think there are a few ppl on here that would just donate for no benefit, i know i would.

even if a few ppl donate it better than nothing.

Hi,

You can already do this. And I'm suprised nobody has pointed this out.

Information on how to do this is here: http://www.toymods.net/forums/showthread.php?t=217.

Cheers,

Pete

[1jz68u]

well there you go. Thanks will donate next week when pay comes.

Guess i could have been wrong with how many ppl would donate.

But maybe just maybe like me everyone has just found out about the donation.

[X kyle X]

Yep just found the thread, gonna donate after uni!

[RiceburnaGTV]

well there you go. Thanks will donate next week when pay comes.

Guess i could have been wrong with how many ppl would donate.

But maybe just maybe like me everyone has just found out about the donation.

That leads me to a suggestion,things like sponsorship and advertising,upcoming meetings,donations can all be added to the banner ad at the top of the page.I miss a heap of stuff due to not looking in the right sections. As a sponsor of these forums I dont need my ad to come up every second time you open the page and would be more than happy in the week leading up to a membership meeting that my ad comes up a little less due to a meeting announcement or membership drive.

>>>>Membership drive! for maybe 1 month of every year bust out some extra savings/promotion for people to become financial members.Win a JAR rad! Or a wristie from Witzl?All heavily promoted via the banner ad and stickies at the top of every page,man the stations for that period and pump out all the packs/stickers etc for fast turn arounds.

But in all honestly I think the streemlining of the system into a more electronic form of membership submission acessable by all members of the board and a procedure anyone can log on and start the processing of will ease the workload and help speed up access.Im no tech head but cant all that be done via our existing server?

cheers
Nath