members update

[stevejgreen]

Re: members update

I am afraid I hold a different view. It is clear to me that the Chairman has acted outside of the published constitution in taking what is described as autocratic action.
The absence of comment by the remaining committee members to me indicates their tacit approval of the Chairmans actions. Brian in particular has been subject to criticm, justified or not. As such they are all disregarding the unanimous support that Sue and Bob have recieved from the general membership.

Given these circumstances, in my opinion, none of the remaining committee are vocally acting in the long term interest of the MOC, and I am wondering what they have to hide. As a body they are rapidy losing credibility as individuals that we must trust to take the club forwards.

[Mike]

Re: members update

Steve
I am a strong beleiver in anyone holding any view they wish, but until you have heard the issues from both sides it will not be an informed one. The remaining committee members, rightly or wrongly, have chosen not to be drawn into a personal clash on the public MOC forum website. They have elected, as a committee, to present the information to the entire MOC membership via a statement to be circulated with the next issue of Pitstop in the next couple of days.
Whilst I am with you all the way on wanting a better website, and I agree the lack of communication presents the committee in a weak light, I can understand their desire not to be seen airing the MOC washing in public.
There are possibly less than 20 of us passing comment on the site out of a total of 600+ members, so let's not get carried away with our own importance. Around 50% of the membership do not have access to the web, and to them the Pitstop magazine is the most important part of the club.
I suspect the rift is not as clear cut as it appears on this forum, and certainly not as one sided as we have seen so far.
Please, try talking to some of the other committee members, or at least wait until you see the statement, before finalising your opinion. Once all the membership has had the opprtunity to see both sides then a proper debate can be had.
I know we live in an age of instant, constant news, but please hold on for just a couple more days.

[KitCarGirl]

Re: members update

I will be particularly interested to hear what the committee has to say.

[stevejgreen]

Re: members update

The rift in the committee is anything but clear cut. They are each interested in one thing only, the continuation of their position of control over the MOC and their personal agendas to keep the club as it has been in the past, and failing to plan changes for the future.
No change there.

I predict that the statement in Pitstop will contain little more than platitudes. There will be no deadline for the implementation of the new Website/forum and no clear action plan. That is unless they adopt the plan that Sue and Bob have already outlined.
No change there either.

Be careful with quoting numbers. Far more people than you realise are dissapointed that Sue and Bob were given no choice but to resign. I would suggest that 600+ will be shocked when they read Pitstop.

For the sake of the MOC and the membership I do so hope I am very, very wrong.

[donsayers]

Re: members update

If 50% of the Marlin Owners Club are without the internet, then they are reliant on "Pitstop" and the continuity of that has just been put in Jeopardy, by these arguments. The aforementioned 50% are, dare I say the older members, and whilst their interests must be protected, they are not the future of the club. The future of the club lies with second and third wave owners buying Marlins off t'internet on Ebay from the people who put them together in the first place. The internetless 50% are also probably not he ones who make it to the AGM either.

As for the committee, apart form Sue and Bob and Ben on technical matters, they have been noticeable by their absence on this forum. Arguments have brewed before, sometimes for days, before anyone has broken cover to make comment or explain. One member of the committee does not even list an email address, need I say more? I myself would not be a Marlin owner if it were not for the internet and this website.

[andycaneheadkemp]

Re: members update

hmmm,interesting.the office for national statistics quotes-"60% of those over 65 years old never access the internet,while only 1 % of those aged 16-25 never access".could that possibly illustrate the situation???
modern people do many things online,and that is the world today,for better or worse,history is full of lessons of failed empires that resisted change and/or technology.will you also have to learn this lesson?
it'll take time,granted,but you'll need those young people to carry on...

[lil_red_roadster]

Re: members update

2 weeks self-imposed internet exile and what happens..?!
I am saddened but not, frankly, surprised...the tensions over the website have been all too evident for a while.

No I don't know all the full details...it seems none of us do (or those that do aren't saying), but from where I stand it seems that 2 people who have put a huge effort into trying to drag the MOC forward have departed the committee in the face of entrenched interests.

Their presence on the committee and Sue's wonderful editorship will be greatly missed and I'd like to offer my very best wishes to them for the future and sincere thanks for trying to make the MOC a better and more inclusive club.

As a relatively longstanding member (since 1984 with 1 short gap) I can say with some experience that only in the last few years has the MOC started to shed some of it's rather "flat-capped" attitudes (and credit to Lee as well for that)...I just hope this farrago doesn't set us further back.

[Mike]

Re: members update

OK,for anyone campaigning for a better website, let's try to make this a positive string.

What facilities would you like to see in the specification for a new website if practical/possible/legal?

Can I start the ball rolling with:
A social chat syle forum - for more communication
Private messages to other MOC members - self explanatory
Easier placing of photos - how often have we seen complaints
Spell checker - I am old brigade and hate spelling mistakes.
Members car photos placed by members - they inspire others
More technical tips - hopefully will follow from better communication

What would you like to see, and how and why would it benefit present/future membership?

[donsayers]

Re: members update


A spell checker is not needed there is one in your browser already if you turn it on! (Firefox and IE have them)

I would like to see a page for each member, a profile if you like, where they can post photos of their car and some background info, as much or as little as they like.

A better search engine, so that the accumulated wisdom of the forums can be better accessed.

A members only area for committee minutes and accounts.

A better way of ordering club goodies and paying subs. ;-)

[That's winking smiley for those who are not internet savvy.]


Don

[KitCarGirl]

Re: members update

Guys

You were getting all that and more. Bob and I knew exactly what was wanted.

[stevejgreen]

Re: members update

Mike and All,

Excuse my language but what the hell?

This project has been in discussion by the committee for the best part of two years, and we are still asking questions about its proposed content!!

My understanding is that Sue, Bob and others had already established a fundemental spec using standard bulletin board software.

So what we need is a unified committee who delegate the project to a couple of intelligent and dedicated committee members, give them an agreed, defined start-up and ongoing administration budget, and then most importantly, give them the authority to manage the project, from cradle to grave, reporting back to the committe and membership at regular intervals as progress develops.

If there is one other thing needed, it is that the Committee and Members must drop the propritorial attitude they have towards the Website/forum content. If it continues any investment will be wasted.

What we do not need is procrastination from the committee.

If this request has come through the committee then once again they have demonstrated their inabilty to manage the affairs of the club, and the MOC is condemned to expire without some serious changes being implemented urgently.

How many more resignations are they looking for, eventually they will lose all the members who hold clear visions of the clubs future and there will be no need for a new Website/forum.

[dave_kitson]

Re: members update

I agree with Mike, insofar as we are only getting one side of the story here. We should wait and see what the statement with Pitstop has to say, before jumping to unfounded conclusions. There is no need for all the name-calling. The website/forum is a useful tool, but that's all it is, you can't drive it. That's what we have Marlins for.

Committee members are volunteers who give their time for free. The time to make changes is at the AGM, when posts come up for re-election. Many on committee have been re-elected several times, often unopposed.

I know all of committee (and ex-committee) and liked to call them friends. Some of the names on this thread are just that - names. Some of them I've never seen, be it at the AGM or shows or events. Do they use or even own a Marlin? That's not to say I wouldn't be friendly towards them if we did meet. That's only polite.

And that is surely part of the problem. Have we forgotten how to be polite, especially to people we barely know? Opinions are like armpits. Everybody's got them, but they shouldn't always be aired.

[KitCarGirl]

Re: members update

I would like to reiterate that Bob and I planned all the standard features of a modern website and more. Had we not been systematically blocked by those who thought the site should be done for less money we would have been announcing the launch of the new site in the next Pitstop. Instead we are where we are.
A ceiling of £4000 was agreed, but Bob and I continually stated that this figure was unlikely to be required.

I now have no doubt that the statement from the remaining committee will be damming towards me and Bob.

I am also now of the opinion that this is actually not just about the website. There are some personal vendettas going on here and the whole situation stinks.

I need to shut up now or I will end up publishing some nasty home truths and this is not the time or place.

[stevejgreen]

Re: members update

Sorry Dave but we have statements on this thread however limited from Lee, Sue and Bob. We can start to form opinions.

I refer you to my post 5th Aug 11, 17:04

[Dane_Rescueman]

Re: members update

Don, you are probably correct in your suspicion that a number of us are over thirty. I have no problem with the internet,building computers or electronics in general.
The web site is nowadays the face of the club with the magazine being a super bonus. The snag is that I can't sit at the screen all day as I have other jobs to perform. Hand held would be fine but I have written off two smart 'phones this year when they were run over by the tractor! (I know, get a pocket with a button or zip).
I guess we need a web site that can be simple enough for those uneasy with the web but with all the features for those who spend more time surfing. It looks like we could have had such a site before the implosion.
On another thread, when I joined the club in the early '90s a few members warned me off going to the big occasions as they were very cliquey (in their opinion). This may have been a factor of your stated age gap.
I try and encourage all other people of my age to move with the times but for some nostalgia isn't what it used to be. I reckon that the present spat it is not all about the web site. We will find out more when Pitstop arrives.
Until then I will keep on having fun with my Marlin whatever happens.