VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION New User Forum new members?

I just wanted to get this thread up close to the top of the active list in case a new member comes around.......

:confused: :confused: :confused:

Good point, MrMack. Keep the "New Members" thread near the top of the list so they can see it easily and maybe use it.

I haven't kept count, but it seems since we started with CHAT II, a lot of new members have registered. Maybe Bill Barker can give us the exact number. I think it's great to be getting new interest, and I think the new members are very lucky to have found the very best place in the world to get information for their vintage Chevrolets.

I guess the point is, how can we get these folks to consider joining the VCCA as well as Chat?

Maybe we need mike41 and some marketing advice. (Hey, if the guy can sell hats, he can probably sell memberships to the finest car club in the world too!!)
I'm just thinking it would be great to increase the VCCA membership at least as quickly as the Chat membership seems to be increasing.

What do you think?

After all, Chat wouldn't be here if it weren't for VCCA.

Yeah Ken it seems like we are getting some new surfers, they gotta come and see then maybe they will want to stay. They usually need a little help using the format, and we need to see that that we will be willing to offer that help, and maybe a slight nudge, or should it be a knudge? I guess JYD will correct me, he is a good corrector.

Regardless of whether its a "nudge" or a "knudge", I'm sure the JunkYardHorse will correct whatever may be wrong!!

Hopefully, if we go easy with the new folks and don't push too hard, we may be able to convince some of them to become VCCA members.

A possible way to attract new members might be to print a watered down version of the G & D and offer it free to interested parties. May'be after they see the valuable information that is avalible for such a minimal fee it may give them the nudge they need.

Good idea, my 26 chevy. ......how about some short excerpts from past G&Ds posted right here on CHAT for potential VCCA members to look at. Nothing big, just enough to whet the appetite.

Of course some one would have to scan and post them after getting permission from the VCCA BOD to do it. I haven't looked yet, but I'm sure there's a copyright thing somewhere about using G&D without permission.

Just another idea....

Since the VCCA owns the copyright it is not a violation for another VCCA group or activity to use the material. That is the legal part. Now the administrative part is the BOD permission. As long as the articles are for the benefit of the VCCA and does not compromise the benefits that the members pay for it should be ok to use articles as a new membership attractant.

Or you could send out past copies there must be some laying around.

So, think about this.

There's a discussion going on about whether to post the G&D ads online or not.

IN THE BEGINNING
One thought is that we want to put it in a password-protected directory so that only members can see the ads... and everyone would have access to them at the same time. Right? And that having this secured would be additional incentive for people to join the club. In fact this is a motion being voted on right now by YOUR representatives. Do you know how YOUR rep voted?

OR
But on the other hand, it was mentioned that if you're really trying to SELL parts via the VCCA, then wouldn't it be nice for your ad to be shown to the world - free of charge, via the internet? So the suggestion is to post all ads online for EVERYONE to see and buy or sell.

My 2 cents
Now--- my suggestion is to list ALL ads online, but DON'T list the OWNER's information. MY take is that you need to be a member in order to contact an owner. That's the incentive to join.

And only members can place ads. That's the incentive to join.

But all VCCA members would see the ads at the same time on the internet (resolving the mailing delay issue) and we'd want to make the poster's info available only to VCCA members.

And all people around the world can see the ads, but not be able to respond (because they can't see the owner info. That's the incentive to join.

Your turn
Your thoughts? Remember that it really doesn't matter what you think right now, if (a) you didn't submit a motion last year, and (b) if you didn't let your representative know which way you wanted them to vote in order to represent you.

Yes, I'm provoking you... just a little. hee hee.

In either case... ALL SOLUTIONS COST MONEY. And that's the bottom line why the membership database motion failed last year. If we aren't going to put our money where our mouth is, then we're wasting time talking about it.

One final time... Have you told your representative how you think he, or she, should vote on this motion?
I think it's happening as you read this posting.

---Bill

Maybe you could like they do at Costco and Sams, VCCA members get items for 5% built in discount and pay less than the published price, and post that in large letters at the top of the topic. Maybe outsiders could see right away that for the once a year membership dues they could save a bundle over the long term.

I do know one thing, That if I ever take a demotion from the Lone Star region, to be a National Board Member. I would have my computer tuned in to the VCCA Chatter, and even at a meeting my laptop would be up and running , wireless board in and tuned to VCCA Chatter, In between answering phone calls and reading letters, and letters to the editor. But that is me...The Wacky One!

Just a thought about the incentives that Bill mentioned.
If I was on the outside looking in I might think of this as the flyer you get from a big chain store,you know the one advertising
a item on sale but when you go to get to the store said item and there out of stock and no rain check avalible.You then feel it was a ploy to get you in the store.

MrMack.....look who's stirring the pot!!!! Bill must think the beans are burning.

Not a bad idea, but there are some drawbacks not unlike my 26 chevy's comments. My first thought was that if I saw an ad for a "chevygizmo" I wanted and wasn't a VCCA member, that "chevygizmo" would probably be long gone by the time I sent in my application and got my VCCA number back so I could respond to the ad. On the other hand, missing out on that first "chevygizmo" might be strong incentive to join VCCA and be ready for the next "chevygizmo" ad that appears.

In the end though, Bill nailed it down when he said the bottom line of what happens is how the BOD feels about spending some money to provide these services.........it seems to me that if the BOD was in favor of a suggestion like Bill's, we would need an electronic membership database tagged onto this chat site for it to work. That kinda died last year didn't it........do we move on or keep riding the same tired horse??

And MrMack...........I concur......tuning in to VCCA Chatter is the place to hear and feel the heartbeat of VCCA!!!

Boy, ya know..........I just read my post and I would really like to be more positive, but ........ahhhh I guess I just need an attitude adjustment.

(Here we go again)