Membership - thinking of joining

Events Club Events
2

I can’t really see a better section to post this question, although this one doesn’t seem a great fit either.

 

I’d like to join the club, but I have stacks of car magazines from other clubs which I’ve never read, and I probably wouldn’t read a magazine if it was sent to me - especially if it’s on paper. Is there an option to join without receiving a printed magazine (assuming it’s printed rather than PDF emailed?). Apologies to anyone who works in the printing industry, but I don’t think sending wads of glossy printed paper round the country is really a 21st century solution.

 

I couldn’t see an option to tick on the membership form which did this. 

 

Thanks for any info. 

3

Funnily enough there is another thread from a few days ago when this was discussed.  Yes, there is an option not to received a magazine but you need to implement that by contacting the membership team who will then tick the box on your record.

But be careful as you will also miss out on info about rally access, ticketing for rallies, annual stickers for the car, a calendar, a newsletter of local events etc.  Have a read of this before choosing to opt out.

https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst114772_Soft-Top-Hardtop—On-line-edition.aspx

4

Hi Martin,

I’m also weighing up the benefits of paid membership and tried to read the thread you posted but access is denied.

Is it restricted ?

Rob.

5

Yes, the thread linked to is in the member’s section - which you will need to be a paid-up club member to access (pay-wall emoji…)

6

LOL, sorry, never noticed where that thread was!  So here are my words of wisdom on the subject which started off as a request for a link to online copies!!

 

OK, so currently they go online, but we are deliberately keeping them a few editions out of date so as not to take anything away from the printed version. A magazine also comes with an area newsletter for about 50-75% of the membership, the address sheet is quite often used for other purposes with event info and applications forms etc. Not always but two editions a year also come with the means to access the rally, such as a windscreen hanger. We also insert the annual stickers in there, and the calendar.

Opting out of a magazine therefore presents all these issues to resolve. If you still want the hanger, stickers etc. then we have to customise the dispatch process and I suspect make that even more complicate than it already is. And costly. So we are not perhaps looking at saving much on post, as most months there will be something to send out to members. Add in all the extra admin or systems we then need to customise each member’s bi-monthly post, more cost.

Next step is graduated memberships, perhaps cheaper if you don’t get a magazine. So here we are into more admin cost again.

But would we save on printing costs? Anyone who knows about printing will appreciate with volume there are huge savings as so much of the cost is the set up, once you’v paid for that the cost for a few extra thousand copies in peanuts. So a few may opt out, but its not likely to save any money, and unless we then have a significant number of drop outs, its unlikely to reduce the bulk number printed, so no trees really saved either. And we only use FSC paper, which is sustainably sourced anyway.

Now the best bit. If you ring or email membership tell them you don’t want to receive Soft Top Hard Top they will be happy to oblige, and they will tick a little box on your membership record, and no more will arrive. Its an option built into the system now, please feel free to use it, but remember you won’t get any of the other things sent either, currently you will only be seeing 4-6 months out of date editions, the Club probably won’t save on printing costs, but we will save the postage! (So why is the option there you ask? Because in some rare events people don’t want them, I think it was originally added in due to a bereavement)

I think as things progress we will have to look at this more seriously, so this is not me dismissing it out of hand, but my gut feeling off the bat is it will neither save money nor trees, sadly. The magazine is a big part of the Club’s offer to members, its our main means of communication with all 7500 members and their partners.

 

 

7

Thanks for the replies.

I know of some other clubs which have moved 100% online. If the club stopped printing the magazine altogether, how much would that save? How many members do you think won’t have internet access to download a magazine on PDF?

Print-your-your own works for boarding passes, concert tickets, etc, so it should be possible to solve it for show entry and other items.

FSC paper is all very well, but there are energy costs, chemicals in ink, carbon footprint of the postage, etc.

I’d rather save my CO2 ‘allowance’ for driving the car :o)

8

As much as I appreciate the idea of going online only, my time as an AC suggested that carrier pigeon might be preferable to some members than the creep of technology.

Is the MX-5 Owners Club ready to go paper free yet? I offer this thread as evidence.

When we were pushing to put the Area newsletters (which come with the paper copy of STHT) online in addition to being on paper that there was a baying mob at the door of MX5OC Towers, but now STHT itself is online and world hasn’t stopped turning. 

I’m sure online-only will happen eventually. One day maybe, at the moment…not so much.

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You’re right, but as Karl says, we’re not there yet. I am still also aware of the magazines (clubs among them) that end up going online only, to the disappear amongst the other junk in your inbox, and get even less attention before they disappear without trace. 

We tread on tricky ground as a Club dedicated to burning fossil fuels if we get too concerned  and seriously start to consider our carbon footprint! Not that we shouldn’t be aware of it, but hey, take the other point of view, we are helping employ printers and postmen.

 

 

 

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And paper is 100% recyclable it rots down and turns back into soil where the tree first grew, plastic is not recyclable will never rot which is why we ship all our waste abroad to be dumped on their land.

What will happen to all these plastic computers and batteries including car batteries I predict mountains of waste and a ruined world.

A paper magazine is the best thing to recycle and the least of a worry for our world.

Besides all this I may be sad and keep all my Owners club Mags.

11

Maybe it is time that the club looked at different types of memberships, a bronze , silver or gold system perhaps with different grades of benefits to suit , i can see how this would look like a headache to sort , but nothing is sorted by just talking and looking, once in place it can be fettled.

I personally would go for a bronze membership, simply because i do not need the clubs benefits, i help the club more than the club as ever helped me, but i would pay a membership to support what the club is here for and does.

Does that make sense, as i am rubbish at explaining, i am better with a spanner in my hand.

M-m

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If you want both to join the club and to go to the rallies, then there is really no downside to joining.  Opt out of the magazine if you don’t want it.

It’s easy to see the problem with multilevel membership.  If the lowest grade is materially cheaper than current rates, the club could end up with lower net revenue unless it can sell money-making upgrades.  I’ve worked on member benefit schemes in a commercial context and it’s really difficult to sustain them.  You end up with packages that people buy once, discover they don’t fully use (or use at all), then don’t buy again.

Print media are in decline generally, but most people are conditioned to expect online content (excepting TV/films etc) to be free.  I don’t now many people who pay for a digital-only subscription to a newspaper - maybe it’s an age thing, but then so are MX-5’s. I’d be surprised if the average age of active members is much under 60.

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I don’t mind printed media even though I read most stuff online these days. Magazines are quite handy on planes etc.

I don’t mind paying the same subscription price as those that make the most of the get together either. I’d be more interested in well written “how to” guides such as are found in Practical Classics and other similar magazines and what resources are available to download.

14

I fully agree, speaking from the mechanical  side of things i do think it is very poor  and not covered as it should be now as the roadsters get older and more owners  like to fettle in their own garages and drive ways keeping good examples on the roads still, i have always felt this area with the club as never been looked after and sorted correct ( we did try to help and hit a solid blank wall, so we moved on) , think of it this way… with out the maintenance side in force there will be less fit for the road to turn up at area meets,rallies,track weekends and memberships, looking after these roadsters is a very real area that does need to be covered as they get older just like us, regardless of the new version release ( they will not make this Roadster for ever).

But just like everything you can only bend ears for so long before getting frustrated when not being listened to, so you take the ideas else where to help owners stay on the road , with shared hints,tips and knowledge to help them save and do the jobs themselves as part of bonding with these little pocket rockets to owners budgets and all done safe.

 

This is my opinion and is NOT to be twisted that it is a go or dig to anyone in particular, as i know fully that all this is done as and when it can be done just like me, because we all have a life  away from all this, but it could be a lot better and should be a hell of a lot better and should of been many many years back, you are a official club and owners will expect a one stop shop.

Times have moved on and are changing, you need to move with it and it is the most precious thing thats ours, because time waits for no one, it is always ticking away.

 M-m

 

15

Clearly people have very different ideas about what the club is or should be.

A club is its members, it isn’t a commercial enterprise.  It’s a place, physical or virtual, for people with a shared interest to meet, share activities and yes, help each other with their hobby from time to time.  The rallies alone are worth the subs when you look at show admission prices.  

As for STHT, that also is dependent on contributions.  I doubt whether the editors have ever turned down a well written “how to” guide on common maintenance and repair topics. I wouldn’t expect step by step guides on customisation, that is too individual a thing, but it’s interesting to see what others have done if you are that way minded.

But there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.  When I had a Mk2 my go-to reference guide was the Grainger and Shoemark book, sadly lost in my recent house fire.  Appeals for help on this forum, which also has a technical section, usually elicit helpful responses.

As with anything else, commercial or not, in the end it’s up to the prospective member whether they want what the club offers or want to contribute themselves.  Anyone who is not interested in the rallies, STHT, local meets or giving their own time to helping to provide whatever they think the club needs should just save their money.

16

I tried to join today, although I do have reservations about funding a paper magazine that I don’t want to read.

However, the payment page isn’t working. Is it a known issue? Any estimated time to fix.

 

Step 3: Confirmation

An error has occured with this transaction from which the system could not recover. You will not have been charged and your request could not be completed. But don't worry - you can still renew your membership by contacting Membership Services.

Sorry for the inconvenience - details of this error have already been sent to our technical team.

 
17

Not sure what the problem is but you can also join by phone. The contact number is 01984-656-229 office hours (not Friday’s).

18

 

Thanks, I saw that but would prefer not to use it. 

 

19

apologies for that, rather ironic after all the discussion about making things more online the online bit goes and fails!  I’m not aware of any issues, but can pass it on. It does oddly say “renew” in that error message, so presumably you were trying to do a new membership and not a renewal?