I am the President of a small AMA chartered Club. I am also the contact point. I have received several solicitations from companies urging me to tell our members about fuel, model kits and now the latest flim-flam is someone calling themselves Hobzob.com which appears to be an attempt to look like an imitation of RCU. I will paste the email at the end of this post. What was curious about this email was that it offered a BBQ package to the club if you added your club name to their website. Funny thing is, there was NO link in the email to allow you to do this. Secondly, two different attempts to email them resulted in this reply: "Sorry, your message was not sent out to 'hobzob-rcclub-promo'
because only list administrators are allowed to post messages" and another came back as undeliverable. What I resent is that these people are abusing the AMA website and procuring a mailing list which is not the intent of the site. Has anyone else been contacted, and can AMA do anything to stop this practice? Ted Boz, AMA 820

Email received 4/2/09

A special invite for your club
Hello,

I love great airplanes. I know you do too.

Some call us "plane nuts." So what? We appreciate the appearance and performance of a classic radio-controlled airplane, we prize the sensation of flying a well-engineered plane, our creation and handiwork in flight. And, we get deep, silent satisfaction when we fly our planes and see a youngster's face as they jump excitedly to see our plane; or a senior pulled back years in life's memories by the pristine quality of our plane that reminds them of a different time.

And, we share our passion for planes in our clubs. Our community to enjoy each other and our planes... for fun... food, drink, and laughter.

That's why my friends and I built Hobzob. For you. For us. So, we can all share with our friends and with the world the great experience of great planes, great clubs, and the friendship that surrounds them.

Please join us on Hobzob by adding your rc plane club.

Click here to add your club on Hobzob by April 30, 2009 and your club will receive a FREE Club BBQ Pack from Omaha Steaks® (16 Juicy Gourmet Burgers plus 16 Plump Gourmet Franks).

I want you to enjoy Hobzob and I want you to enjoy great meat from my home state of Nebraska, too. When you add your club to Hobzob, I'll send you a delicious Club BBQ Pack from Omaha Steaks. Enjoy it with everyone at the next club meeting (or, eat it all yourself and we'll keep it our secret).

Thank you.
Sincerely,

David Hahn
COO, Hobzob.com
..................Remainder of email was a repeat of the above info.....................

Yes, I have received the same SPAM as you.

Hey sign me up for the steaks.....

wonder if dave h is any relation to greg h.

What are the odds that a guy with 16 posts would come here to warn us of this impending doom?

Looks more like free advertising to me.

No free advertising meant. 16 post means I read and think before I post rather than post to up my score.

Ted, sorry if I'm wrong. Many times in the past a guy with a low post count has come to RCU just to drum up business. I fail to see what harm this "scam, spam, etc." is causing. Have they asked you for your club's PIN number?
It looks like an ad campaign that was launched prematurely. I do not like unsolicited contact, I do resent it...but what real harm do you think is in store for us?
In the meantime, before you posted this thread, I had no awareness of this "outfit"...and hundreds of other guys had no awareness either. If you ask me, that amounts to free advertising.

Ted

You have made a great point.



Welcome to the AMA forum.



Haven't figured out why but all to often on these forums people are quick to qualify another... FWIW I could find nothing in your original post that suggested ulterior motives on your part...you seemed to only wish to acquire some real feedback.





Now, with all that said... The problem is the spamming we endure. I believe that our email and contact info should be allowed to freely flow between our members and for other hobby related inquiries. Unfortunately, that allows the scammers access to spam us...not saying your email was a scam but never the less freedom does come with certain dues.





Options are simple... We do not freely give out our contact info or endure the results if we do.

Thanks for the input but guess my real question is why doesn't AMA crack down on those abusing their system? They have a valid reason for making the data available to the members but I don't think they intended it to be a source for a "free mailing list". BTW isn't Hobby Town USA HQ located in or near Omaha, NE? Hmmm......... Well I'll take care of my concern by simply deleting my email address from the AMA website as club point of contact. If anyone really wants to contact me they can spend 42 cents on a postage stamp! Snows melting and I've got 2 new planes to put in the air as soon as I can see the real earth......

Ted, they'll just make you name someone else or discharge your club. You know, last year, the vast majority of AMA members (those that voted for marketing + those that did NOT vote) like it now that they have "Marketing" in charge of the AMA.
Actually it is an accepted way of life by the big majority of people.

Just yesterday I attended a children's festival thing downtown Houston with my wife, step-daughter and grand-daughter. A local car-wash dealership was passing out tickets for a free car-wash. You had to go to their web-site and place a ticket code plus "register" your email address. I bet a lot of folks did so just for a free car wasssssh. [>:]

Suppose you're right, but where in the AMA bylaws does it say you must have an email address or a computer to be a point of contact? Methinks a snail mail address and phone number should be more than adequate. The next thing will be, "you must be available by cell phone" and that's when the "you know what" hit's the prop! Then again, someone would try marketing the by-product of the "you know what" and become an instant millionaire. Back to the workbench......................

Ted, I just went through this crap of losing the club charter if I didn't give them an email addy for our sfaety officer. The SO doesn't even have a computer, but that didn't seem to matter to ama.
If I stay in the club next year as prez this email stuff is gonna stop or we will just disband the club an ama can just lose there $90 they get from us. The prop owner where we fly says he has plenty of ins an doesn't really need for us to spend the extra $$ anyway.

IMO, ama is all about greed more than what thier intended purpose was long ago. From what I can tell, is that they have a bunch of obese guys up there thats more interested in lining their pockets an patting each other on the back than furthering the hobby.

We have a small club of 5 now an the only reason I reupped this year was so the club would have enough people to keep thier club charter. I myself could give a rats butt about the ama.



Ron

Out of curiousity I wonder what would happen if someone started a post titled "Who in the H... is Hobzob.com?????

I got the same one as well as the fuel add. Strangely the fuel was a little more expensive than what the LHS sells it to me for.

Ted, the authority for almost everything is found in:

XXXX
.......vested in a governing body, to be known as the Executive Council.

Section 2.
The Executive Council shall be composed of the
President, the eleven District Vice Presidents, Executive Vice
President, Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer and an ex-officio
member who shall be an Officer of the National Aeronautic
Association designated by the NAA. The NAA designee is an exofficio
member who has the right to vote, but shall not be counted
in determining if a quorum is present at a meeting. The Chief
Financial Officer/Treasurer is a non-voting ex-officio member of
the Executive Council. The AMA President shall act as
Chairperson of the Executive Council. Adopted April 19, 2008

Section 3.
The Executive Council shall have the authority to
supervise the affairs of the AMA and to establish policies.
....xxxxx

That is the catch-all like in another GREAT Document that states: Article I, Section 8, The Congress shall have power to xxxx.............. xxx provide for the xxx....xxx and general welfare of the....xxxx.

That means anything can be done which the Constitution, Bylaws, etc. do not specifically prohibit. All in the name of good.

So, who normally gets elected to make these policies, rules, etc.? IMO it is mostly those that can/will provide "general welfare" for those that financed the ones getting elected. [sm=47_47.gif]

I better shut up right now!

I agree that should be your option. Happy flying!

Who idea was this stupid rule Hoss?



Ron

Thanks for the input. I knew that, but I am in denial. LOL Anyhow to brighten your day and the other folks............ As I was sitting in the library reading the newspaper this morning I checked the "Arts and Hobbies" in the want ads. Almost fell off the stool, I mean chair, when I read the following, "3 CORDER Skill radio controlled air plains. First $300 takes all. Please call xxx-xxx-xxxx". So much for education.... I'm almost tempted to call............ Have a great day!

Ted, I'd make the call. Never know, just cause his writing skills are bad doesn't mean he knows nothing about building planes.

You'll be kicking yourself all over the library when you read the article in the paper tomorrow of the guy making the deal of the century on one of a kind birds from a foreign master craftsman who had a poor grasp on the local language and monetary matters. Heck I bet he even got a box of free steaks too.

Hey Hoss, Is that you on the Hobzob site too?
I copied this from Hobzob site, check the last visitor.

Some Recent Visitors CAFERCR, Hollie, sdlloyd, Staggerwing, jami_albright, GCRCCRCCLUB, HTUAuburn_Steve, smalls, GoldyLocks, Dark_Upquark, bapa1320, Toicantien, duratrax25, brandonwilcox, Chuckboy, safeharborboyshome, CapMike, FT_Raul, Hobby_Zombie, queenofrc, edwinpibal, Warpainter, RickyD89, HobbyTownRich, GRUNDEL, HTU_Petaluma, Timothy53, horngoddess, afeil, Hoss2



I should have known, trying to get some free steaks?

Lordy, Lordy, caught again! My daughter sends me a Om. Stks. each Christmas. I ran out early this year.

Haven't found out all about that bunch yet. Thanks for looking out for me.

Kinda like I was thinkin' GG. Probably an elderly widow selling off some of her departed hubby's toys. I'd call just find out, and if that guess were on track, offer to dispose of them for something closer to their actual worth at a club auction or swap meet, for a 20% cut to go into the club treasury. Possible chance for a real al'round win-win thing happening there.

Abel

I hate to ruin you folk's healthy appetite for steak but if you read the email closely it's a package of 16 burgers and some franks............. or did some of you get a different email than me? Sorry Charlie .... NO steaks!

Hey Ted! Those are TUBE STEAKS and then the Hamburger Steaks, don't'cha know? Make up some Texas Toast, some brown gravy and mashed potatoes, flop on a bunch of sauteed mushrooms, pop the top on a cold one and life IS GOOD!

Back to toy airplane reality: My club has, in the past several years, inherited several models and associated equipment from those "Flying West". The club has held auctions and made a few $$. With almost $20,000.00 damage from Ike, those yankee dollars are welcome.
Just recently we hosted our annual Anniversary Fly In, where all visitors come and fly free and eat free.. The wife of one departed member gave us a Spitfire, which one I forget, with radio and a 4-strokin' .90. One of the club members finished it off and painted it even though it was an ARF. The raffle got around $2000.00. Not bad for a freebie.

So when opportunity knocks, I say, "Open that door." "3 CORDER Skill" probably translates to 3 QUARTER SCALE. Probably has radio/s and gas-burner engines. I would take a look-see.

He said "Tube Steak"....haha



Ron