runner

A friend is a member of a large club in the area that has a very nice website. ( www.ampsrc.com ) In the forum sections, there is an area that is for "Members Only" and you are verified by the webmaster that you are a club member before you are granted access to this section.

Recently, the new elected officials decided that they do not like what has been posted within the area (claiming personal attacks, etc.) and have decided to close the "Members Only" section for 30 days. Instead of answering club member's questions and managing the website better, they close down part of it and state they will close the whole forums down if things do not get any better. My friend says that many of the club members are very upset.

Do you think that this is a good move by the club leaders?

Rv7garage

My Feedback: (10)

One more clear-cut reason to join a club

exeter_acres

My Feedback: (2)

its their website...they can do whatever they want....

maybe POLITELY bring it up at the next meeting and see if it can be worked out

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

I would say that the rules need to be very clearly posted of course and moderators who are NOT board members and have the time to moderate are put in place.

Boards like these can easily get out of hand - it happens here on a daily basis.

Since your operation is largely an "amature" operation where everyone is clearly a volunteer the board shutting down the forums isn't in my eyes the wrong thing to do. It does bring the situation out into the open to the membership as a whole and provides the opportunity for folks to get their heads together.

The bottom line is respect which is sorely missing in a lot of ways in our society today. When you're typing something into a board you're not talking to a person - you're just typing so it can be easy to forget that you're typing TO someone who will read it and react. It's a chain reaction too and hard to stop. I'm on the board of our club and knowing what I know about these forums and others I would not suggest that our club do it. The first reason being that moderation would be a problem and the second being that hot heads always tend to rule the roost and the meek are left to deal with the results.

Luckily I'm a hot head.



When you're in a club the key to the whole thing is to work WITH the club and not against it. Of course the club membership by and large has to see that as well. Good leadership is the key there - a good president is a must.

Capt. Nexstar

I couldn't agree more, well said. Some folks here and in clubs need to lighten up and just get along and have fun flying rc planes, why all the hassles? I just don't get.

Live Wire

Runner
You ether learn to live with what you have or get the hell out[&o]

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

The statement immediately above this reply section of RCU pretty much says it all. There are always a few, none in our club, fortunately, that can't seem to find pleasure in the hobby without flaming another RC'er. There are also a few in some clubs that can't take any kind of criticism whether or not it is constructive. Occasionally these "can't take it" types wind up in a control position and spend more time being upset about any opinion other than their own.

Azcat59

As Paul Harvey would say, "here's the rest of the story...."

This club of 250-300 members ran smoothly for most of its 20 year history. Then a management group got in, made unpopular changes, and a two-year period of great conflict ensued. Finally at the annual elections in April, this group was replaced by a new slate of officers and directors in what one of their own described as "a landslide". A very competent group is now in management, including a club president with multi-rating in full scale aviation with over 5000 hours, 25-30 years of RC experience, management of large clubs in the East, and experience as a CEO of a business corporation, all of which almost over qualifies him to run a model airplane club.

Before the ink was dry on the ballots, the sniping began, using the forum the previous bunch had set up. No matter what decision was made by the new board, it was critized loudly, and every attempt to heal the club was met with more ridicule. So the board had finally followed the path of every other major club in the state, no forum. And of course this action has resulted in more fury by "the insurgents".

I am not a board member, I am one of the founders of this club and served in various positions for a number of the early years, and I can tell you the long-time members are totally annoyed by the actions of the few.

RCJake-rcu

My Feedback: (7)

Well...that's not quite "the rest of the story". If any RCU members would like to hear the whole story, drop me an e-mail and I will respond.

Jake


PS,
Who is your friend at the AMPS, Runner?

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

It's an interesting question...should a democratically run club be a whole heck of a lot differant than the American government when it comes to free speech? Should a vocal minority not have the same right to expression as the majority or the voted hierarchy be able to silence them? Would it be differant if they were not allowed to speak at e-board or general membership meetings?

If things were just getting personal and ugly than shutting down the offenders would be appropriate but if someone just doesn't like someone else's point of view they probably shouldn't be able to "moderate" them.

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

Yeah - it likely should be run differently as the situation by and large probably doesn't need to be taken nearly as seriously. I think I may even have gotten that notion from you.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

Well Mike,
After following the AMA Forum on RCU I can say that a club forum is a bad idea in the first place. You are right that people take this stuff way to serious and given a little motivation you or I could make a lot of waves for any club's leadership. Running the website would become someone's hobby in and of itself and flying models would be an after thought. The same way many clubs become the hobby (as opposed to flying) and are staffed by people that don't even fly who end up being the ones who make up the rules.

I say shut down the forum and if they want a voice in the newsletter let them get elected to the board. Hopefully the people who vote will have enough sense to put the right people on the board to represent them. Unfortunately, our club of 150+ members can't fill the board positions with people that have been flying for very long on a regular basis.

Azcat59

BB, your last post hits the nail on the head. Their hobby is not model aircraft, it is tinkering with the club management.

The past president was defeated by a vote of 85-15 I am told. This indicates the displeasure many of the long-time members had with the past administration.

Live Wire

And the saga goes on the search for POWER and nothing ever changes just the people that want to run the show.
Every one no's that this a problem every where and there is nothing that can be done about it. and look out if you want to change something the problems get bigger and the people get nastyer and there is no change just bad feeling among members the were once friends[&o]

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

I think I was trying to say exactly that in my first post a little at least.

So, I concur.

Of course - I try to get out and fly as much as I can. And the other board members I know in our club are also out pretty often. In fact today I was out and flying with no less than 5 other members of our board. It's true though - the club becomes the hobby instead of the flying. I think a lot of our board members, even past board members know this and try to steer clear of that trap.

Also - I think our club elections are a bit of a joke considering most run unchallenged. Not really a bad thing though - if there were contention on the subject there would also be contention on more than that.

cwrr5

My Feedback: (32)

LOL! Ours usually is too. I gotta run and hide on the other side of the world to not get elected to something. (kidding!)

We have had issues within our club, not exactly the same, but with about the same outcome. I personally try to avoid whole the political thing. I'm there to fly, and help out in the club when possible. I have ZERO interest in any "power struggle", that's just not what "my" hobby is all about.

scottrc

I think they opened themselves up to seeing the condition of the club as a whole when they decided to have a club forum on the website. I can also see their reason by shutting it down in order not to have the personal problems get out in the open and spread. However, if this club is a democracy, then they should have had a special meeting called where all members give their input, the subject of closing the forum brought out, and then a motion put on the floor stating that ALL members follow the rules of the forum gets shut down at the officers discrection.

The website was a service by the club for the club, and a service should not just get pulled without full knowledge and consent by all of its members. By just closing off the forum, the officers just made the the problem worse.

Scott

runner

scottrc,
I think that you hit the nail on the head. I hear that matters have gotten worse in the club since it was announced that the forums would be shut down. There is even talk of getting the current leaders removed from office because of the way they have been handling the club since they took office in April.

rc-sport

My Feedback: (12)

It's a shame to hear this coming out of the AMPS field. I've been there several times and it's a great field, the guys I've talked to seem to be a good bunch.

Azcat59

Most of our members feel that things have gotten much BETTER in the club following the April elections. Club meetings are bringing out more and more members, and we are actually having show 'n tell again, and, can you believe it, talking airplanes!

Here are some facts:

a recent roster shows 275 members in the club. A list of members who registered to use the Members Only Forum shows a total of 105. Of the 105, 38 members have never posted a word. An analysis of members who have posted more than 50 times shows only 12, and two of them were answering the onslaughts of the other 10. Basically, it is a very small few that have used the forums as a pulpit to discredit the new management, which is trying to heal the club, and it is this few that are complaining now that the forum has been closed for thirty days.

The President and Board, after a number of attacks, gave fair warning that if it continued, the forums would be closed. This did not stop this small group, so the directors voted to close it for a thirty day cooling off period. They are doing their best to restore this club to the status that it enjoyed for twenty of its twenty-two years.

mars

Im very sorry to read this has happened to a long time, and large rc club.
As in everything in life it ALL BEGINS WITH RESPECT. Respect for others is a huge problem today. Its so easy to blame Tom, Dick and Harry for everything but very difficult to take responsibilty for your own actions. If there are 10 members that seem to go against the rest of that huge club why not vote them out till they can show respect for the 20-22 years of effort it took to get the club in place? Chances are 2/3 of the members just want to stay out of it. But thats why there is club voting. It sounds to me like the people have spoken. Out with the poor managment and in with the new(who probably didnt want this job, but had to do it to save the club). Hence the lack of respect towards them.
I think the forums could have been a powerful tool to connect and share with each other. Its sad there is so much spite and anger there. Isnt there a rule about this? I believe its know as trolling for trouble. 1st warning, 2nd loss of posting abilty for a month, 3rd banned from forums altogether.

gittar pick

mars,its not the club that im against, ,its about the current board and there inability to listen to what members say,unwillingness to put issues concerning the club to member vote,the majority,missappropriation of funds ie 1000 dollars for a tractor to cut the grass that the board members stopped watering,,,all without member input.the boards inability to respond to questions asked on the forum ,there is more to this story than whats being said by 59azcat,as for throw members out of the club because you dont like what they say,put the shoe on your foot,if your club didnt like your veiws and wanted to kick you out,then what,whose next,the guy with the pointed shoes ect ,my point is ,if our current board would respond and accept thoughts from others we wouldnt be in this mess,they are going to do whatever they want without any input from members until next election,mars dont be so quick to draw conclusions,by the way ,if you havent figured it out im one of the 10 the pick

mars

Im not trying to piss you off Pick, its far easier to blame the people in charge, then to try to solve past, current, and future problems. Sometimes it helps to play devils advocate and look at both sides of the coin. Maybe the current board can do this as well, ask them to. I hope you can all find common ground on this one. Im sure this job suxors for these people, and they regret having been involveded at all. We all just want to fly, not fight right? Be the bigger man and maybe let it go, if they are that bad then let them make themselves look bad.

I am the newest / youngest member at my club and I would never think of telling them how to run the show. If asked to vote, Id vote. I really respect them for going out there and getting it done in the first place. I just wouldnt know the logistics involved with keeping a club running and safe. I like it this way, I just do some chores for the field every now and again and go fly. Much simple without the brain damage.

best of luck to you Pick, I hope you get things resolved.

mars

jake pm sent

flyeff

My Feedback: (20)

Gittar pick,you say the new board is not listening to membership input? Then i ask you have you ever attended a membership meeting? So everyone knows Iam a boardmember of AMPS. The last tues. of every month we have a membership meeting. We also have a meeting agenda posted on the web site concerning any changes or things the board might want to do. We usually have about 40 members show up. We do vote on everything and everyone has a say. We have not had one negitive vote on anything weve done. The only thing we have had a board only vote on was to put a 30 day stop on our members only forum to let things cool off and to set up some rules and guide lines for the forum,Which will be done at a members meeting so all will have a say. Jeff