ORIGINAL: Morison
The reality of MAAC is that apathy is the leading cause of all teh problems.
R/C Nerd does have some good ideas, and clearly has a head for marketing and promotions. There are two committees that coudl prpbably benifit from his ideas, the Public Relations Committee and teh beginners committee. BOTH committees appear inactive (I haven't seen a
PR report for the mag since the current chair took over) and the chair ofteh beginner committee is ALWAYS lamenting the lack of valuable input.
As with any body that is governed by a committee ... change takes forever ... but it can be MUCH easier to impliment on the committee level.
Thanks....I think you've hit the nail on the head! Just musing here, but maybe MAAC could be "pumped up" by industry...they have a vested interest in the future of our hobby! I'm thinking of an organization run like a business rather than a club, where there is a clear vision of where it is going, how they'll get there, etc...
If eveyone is wondering why I just complain/suggest, and why I'm not DOING anything about it, well for one I can't commit year round as my business is very seasonal. As well I contribute by always trying to encourage anyone who expresses an interest in RC flight or cars or boats. I have a GWS slostik just for training! I've tougt 5 or 6 people to fly now, and a couple have actually remained in the hobby. This is great ROI for the guy who tought me!! I have explained MAAC to them but all felt that it was too great a commitment. No suprise since I know lots of guys who are hardcore car, boat plane guys with thousands into it who think MAAC is "a waste of money." (I don't agree BTW, I'm a member). It's not the actuasl cost that scares them though, it's the commitment, IMO. Even if they don't find time to fly for a few months, that membership is still ticking away. I know it's dumb, but these same guys would pay $25/day to fly at a cool site without blinking! It's all about optics to today's consumer...look at the prevalence of "pay as you go" cell phones...4 times the price but with no commitment...and they're flying off the shelves!!
OPEN STATEMENT TO MAAC
PR/BEGINNERS COMMITTEES: While I don't have the ability to commit to a permanent position I hereby offer any services which would help...I am an entrepreneur with a background in Marketing and my wife is a bcomm with a background in advertising, doing catalouges and promotions for one of Canada's largest retasilers before she quit to stay home with our son. (I'm volunteering her services as well!
) our fortes are understanding customers and seperating them from their money, all the while making them feel good about the transaction...