Would you like to see EarlyBay become a fully-fledged club ?

[Anonymous]

Just seeing what the interest is in an EarlyBay club - would you join ?

And if so, what things would you like to see .. eg. Newsletter, club stand at shows, discounts, etc....

 

[Mike F]

I've not been in a VW club despite having a 1303 and the van for a number of years. What I like about this forum is a feeling of camaraderie, being part of something - whether we are a real club or not.

Would formalising things make it better?

By the way - can't see how to vote!

 

[Scampi]

Can't see why not?

Think it would be pretty cool to have the odd meet and stuff personally!

 

[Genchy]

Sounds like a good idea to me, we could still have an open forum on here though. Those that join the club would just get added benefits.

 

[Justin & Muttley]

I agree - why not make it into a club? Count me in...

 

[Anonymous]

dont worry - wasnt going to change the forum - this would certainly stay 'open' as it is now ... (you should see the voting options at the top of this post ?)

 

[gninnam]

Yep - sounds like a good idea. Especially if discounts on insurance and
like can be gotten

 

[easy]

Great idea. I m in 8)

 

[lobus]

I don't want it to become a club. You then have to have all sorts of extaneous bullstuff. Like committees and elections and no end of other unneccassary waffle.
I like the idea of a loose association of people with a similar interest
( from all over the www as well)
You can still have a presence at meetings if you want like the dsk mob do down here.
We also have our biggest general VW get together every two years so it is always a priority to get to that one even if a couple of the smaller ones are missed.
Since the www has become so common in people's lives it has become very common to see interstate visitors at all the bigger meetings. When you consider that the closest the capital cities are down here is 800km that is a real compliment to those hardy folk wo set out in their 35+ yr old cars.
For my 2p of advice I would invest a few sheckles in a banner and send it around to all the events and see what sort of reaction you get.

personally I am with Groucho Marx

"I wouldn't want to join aclub that would accept me"

 

[pete nice]

I am with lobus on this one. I have been involved with The VW Fleet since 1997. Trying to organise people & collecting funds is a nightmare. Local meetings are gonna get a poor turnout as these busses are fairly rare. Club camping at shows might be a bit slow as most are in local clubs or meet up with friends.

The banner is a good idea to promote the website. I would keep it internet based to save time & money. A line up at the shows is a good idea.

You can still organise your own trips etc & guage interest that way too.

With the internet being king a news letter is a bit dark ages. You would be better to have it online so people can browse over it.

 

[Justin & Muttley]

Some good points made there guys - personally it already feels like a club to me; everyone is friendly and helpful, and there are benefits (albeit not necessarily financial) too!
Why not see how the next few months go - some banner advertising (+ windscreen flyers) could really swell the ranks on the forum over the spring/summer - why rush it?

 

[Clem]

I like the 'net thing alone really. Its very different on here, no politics or niff-naff, just appreciation and interest in the vans themselves, and thats good.
People are on here, generally, as the interest in campers has become more defined and specific, so Id guess that most are involved already? hence less reason to have to hook up with others, unless by individual arrangement
Kick things off this year with a line up or two, and then suck it and see, I reckon.

I often peruse the Type 3 and 4 Club Forum Boards, but have never been inspired to actually join up.

 

[Anonymous]

Yep, very much take the points being made ... dont worry as I'm CERTAINLY not into committee's, politics, and all the other fluff that ends up diluting people's core interest - Im not about to close out any bits of the site or anything like that based on 'membership' .. I also really like the way the forum has developed - really feels like a 'community' ...

As has been mentioned the only aspect of a membership-type thing is the financial side - eg getting 15% discount on insurance which starts to make it look more worthwhile if youre not a member of another club ...

 

[pete nice]

I think the early bay scene will normally be a secondary interest so so speak. Most of the people that hang out here are more than likely to be in another club so would already benefit from discounts ect.

It does feel like a community as advice is freely available with not too much critism. Most peoples views are positive. It's a cool place to hang out with everyone with the same frame of mind.

It would be good to organise an early bay lin up with a banner, then go from there.

 

[olance]

i reckon it would best be kept as an unofficial club club. most people have memebership to one VW Owners club already to get their insurance etc discounts and I can't see us somehow being able to get better rates than existing clubs. i do, however, like the idea of getting a badge and some stickers and there being a banner that makes its way around the place. also like the idea of having an unoffial, away from the shows meet up for a day somewhere nice.

 

[Speedman]

I'd keep it as an online forum only, I'm already in a VW club that gives me my discounts and benefits at the moment, if I was paying money into something I'd want to be sure it was set up properly to cover all eventualities and that needs some form of organising .

Keep it as is and arrange a few lineups or a meet at some shows, the chances are a lot of members already know some people anyway, theres at least four people from our VW club here at the moment.

The website and forum is a very useful resource for me, a place to gain loads of information about my new camper and chat with like minded people, keep up the good work

 

[baron]

it ain't broke, don't go trying to fix it!

interesting that most of the commented replies say keep it as it is, but the votes say the exact opposite

which is precicely the problem with a formal club, everyone thinks it's a great idea, no one wants to do anything about it (says the guy who still hasn't written owt about deluxe vans....)

I consider this to be a great club anyway

and as I've said before, look at other net based communities like hoodride and restowagen, they don't need to formalise as a club to make an impact (rw aren't a club are they?)

 

[Anonymous]

Yes I had noticed that the votes say opposite to the comments ..

But I've decided ....

I am going to leave things as they are - I think we can even get the best of both worlds because I have sorted out a 15% discount for EarlyBay members - membership will constitute just signing up to the forum, and your username will effectively be your member 'id' !!

We will also effectively be the EarlyBay club to get a free stand at the VolksWorld show next year ...

Between us Im hoping we can fix up some Meets, shows, camping events, that kind of thing...

Hope this suits all the EarlyBayers !!

 

[Justin & Muttley]

I think that's great!
I'm no club expert (that's for sure) but I like the 'feel' of the forum and would hate to see it change - you (and everyone too) do a great job!
Thanks
J&M

 

[Cali-Bay]

Yes I had noticed that the votes say opposite to the comments ..

But I've decided ....

I am going to leave things as they are - I think we can even get the best of both worlds because I have sorted out a 15% discount for EarlyBay members - membership will constitute just signing up to the forum, and your username will effectively be your member 'id' !!

We will also effectively be the EarlyBay club to get a free stand at the VolksWorld show next year ...

Between us Im hoping we can fix up some Meets, shows, camping events, that kind of thing...

Hope this suits all the EarlyBayers !!

This sounds great to me. Personaly i think the more formal a website or club gets then thats when the politics start. I think this forum is a real change from the norm. Its real good to come on here, great bunch of people all into the same stuff :mrgreen:

Feels like home to me :lol: