Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Things looking up?

[Jools]

OK, after a long day at work, finally got some time to offer some response.

For most of my time in the DSC I've been straightforward member, the same as anybody else. I put myself forward for the MT a few years back as Regional Coordinator and spent about 9 months doing that before stepping down due to a series of very difficult personal circumstances. I put myself forward for election onto the MT as Pronto Editor at last years attempted AGM, mostly because the MT would not have had enough members for the club to continue if people hadn't stepped up. So, out of 7 years membership, some 18 months in total on the MT.

As an ordinary member, I tried to maintain an objective, mature and thoughtful approach to any issues that affected the club, also taking care to find out all the information I could, from every angle, before making my mind up. I am also scrupulously honest and straightforward. I have never been part of anybody elses agenda and never will be, I have my own forthright views that I am more than willing to stand up for, and I haven't changed a lifetime's values simply because I'm now on the MT of a small bike club.

That's the background, so what I can tell you with complete candour is the story from both sides of the fence.

The MT is currently made up of 5 elected members and a couple of co-opted people. That's not nearly enough to create a critical mass of folks to get their shoulder to the wheel and keep the momentum going. We really need more people to step up, contribute whatever they can to the running of the club and help move us forward. As Skids said, some people are not brave enough because to join the MT is to invite incessant negativity and vitriol from some self-appointed critics, especially in past years. Thankfully, those days seem to have passed, at least on this site, and I have not been subject to any personal abuse. So, what if you do put yourself forward and get elected, what will you find when you get onto the MT?

Well, what you won't find is a professional management team, just a bunch of well meaning amateurs trying to run a decent bike club in an appropriate manner. We all have other lives and other commitments and, not surprisingly, people often put their family and work commitments ahead of the DSC. Have you ever tried getting a few mates together for a beer, or a game of golf , or whatever social event? A nightmare trying to get everyone's calendars in sync isn't it? Before you know it weeks and months have been added to your intended meeting date. It's the same with MT meetings, despite the fact that we've all got target dates in the calendar for MT meetings none of us are in a position to say to our bosses "I can't do that shift or that business trip, I've got a bike club to run" or say to our partners "Whose birthday? Yours? Sorry I've got a DSC meeting". Life gets in the way and we all have to balance our commitment to the DSC with life's realities before getting lined up to meet.

Of course we do meet in a regular if rather elastic, haphazard sort of way, and have phone conferences when it's impossible to meet face-to-face (remember we're also scattered all over the country geographically), so things do get done - just at a creakingly slow pace that frustrates me as much as anybody. When we do some of these things, some stuff gets done very well, other stuff gets done acceptably well and we make a complete ******** of other stuff - Communication being one of the rubbish bits, just like any other management team you can think of.

But think of what has actually happened since September when the club was within a whisker of implosion. We have new posting rules, new moderators and there is a policy is place that the rules and moderation are as 'light touch' as possible, and yet this board has stabilised and there are very, very few flame wars (I hope that's not because we also have very few posts by our standards ). I am also hard pressed to remember the last time that anybody's post was pulled or somebody's views were censored - although I'm not a moderator so I don't have a total insight on that. Of course some of the 'traditional' events have been organised for members once again - the forthcoming track day being the biggest of these, and I said when I took on the Pronto editorship that you would get a Winter, Spring, Summer and Autmn edition of Pronto and members have had the Winter and Spring copies as promised.

There is still a mountain to climb, but what I can tell you is that the MT genuinely tries to do it's best by all members of this club, so quite where the conspiracy theorists get their 'insight' from God only knows - C O C K Ups? Yep, plenty of those, but conspiracy theories? Nah, not unless I'm intensely naive and stupid.

Ooooh look, and how long has it been since the last 'War and Peace' post from Jools? There's another deliverable Have you missed me?

[andyb]

the problem is that when your looking up......you miss whats right in front of you....

[YMFB]

I agree the forum does seem friendlier and without the general bitchiness that was ever present at one time. The DSC maybe somewhat quieter but thats not an entirely bad thing IMO.

I am an occasional forumite on the ISC as well as other unrelated to motorbike forums and obviously the ISC is the new home for many ex DSC'ers and thats good as long as they dont spend time sniping.

My only disillusionment with the MT is that at the nearly AGM promises were made and although made in good faith Im either missing something or they have not been made good. Having said that as Im not in a position to offer any assistance to the MT I feel unable to criticise them too harshly either. This is because they give their time freely and ar able to do so.

[bradders]

Originally Posted by Jools

But think of what has actually happened since September when the club was within a whisker of implosion. We have new posting rules, new moderators and there is a policy is place that the rules and moderation are as 'light touch' as possible, and yet this board has stabilised and there are very, very few flame wars (I hope that's not because we also have very few posts by our standards ). I am also hard pressed to remember the last time that anybody's post was pulled or somebody's views were censored - although I'm not a moderator so I don't have a total insight on that. Of course some of the 'traditional' events have been organised for members once again - the forthcoming track day being the biggest of these, and I said when I took on the Pronto editorship that you would get a Winter, Spring, Summer and Autmn edition of Pronto and members have had the Winter and Spring copies as promised.

Jools, that will be coz there is hardly anyone here!! lets face it, the board is close to dead at the mo, has been since it was closed last year for months, and nothing is happening to try and resurrect it that I can see, and its the same peolpe posting all the time in a vein attempt to keep the pulse beating

[Rattler]

I see green shoots!!!

In reality the DSC trackday will offer a real litmus test for where the club currently is.

Is the DSC as good as it was? No, but is it as bad as it was? No.

It should be a club that offers benefits and value to members and potential members alike. Where visits to the board or engagements / meetings with members should be a positive experience.

It's about people; individuals making an effort and contributing positively to the greater good that will slowly rebuild the club. It may never be the club it was before, but maybe it doesn't have to be?

Amen

[Chris Wood]

Ask not what your DSC message board can do for you,....

Splitters.

[psychlist]

Perhaps if the MT had put as much enthusiasm into the regions as it did into DD some 3 or 4 years ago then maybe a lot of people wouldn't have gotten so disenchanted and then maybe the "troubles" wouldn't have been such a disaster for this club. When I was running DSC Sussex we had an active, vibrant region that seemed to dissolve as soon as I stepped down. The same seems to have happened in Surrey! What are the MT doing to keep BHCN alive? Perhaps if the MT had had any notion of responsibility to the clubs lifeblood (then as now, the regional membership) then maybe things could have been different, but it seemed that you had to have the same opinion as the MT or you got pushed aside or even expelled!
I'm not going to be fit enough to ride this years trackday which is the only benefit to me and I'm not sure whether to renew in September. It really doesn't matter now as this AGM'll just go the same way as every other AGM I've been to over the past few years and nothing will change except my membership status, maybe it's too late for any change, much like the attitudes of some...

[John W]

okay, so a few thoughts from me.

Firstly, I used to be a member, but chose not to rejoin.
My reason had nothing to do with what went on, because to be honest I was not visiting the forum at that time, and the first I knew was when the forum was already locked. I wasn't even getting time to read the Pronto.

I would much rather have a forum like this where there is a healthy level of inteligent posting, with a low noise threshhold. Sure, there will always be banter, there has to be. That is what you get between a bunch of mates.

I have never been involoved in the racing side of the club, so for me there was little incentive to pay money to be a member.

As for the regional meets, this club is no different to any other in that there will always be a group of people that do the majority of the work, and are also the people that keep the areas active.

Trying to get people who have left to pastures new to come back is always hard work. Its easier to try to get fresh members, because they don't have the baggage of what has happened in the past so could happen again.

I have other comments but given that most of you probably don't know me, your probably dismiss them anyway

In closing, keep up the good work guys. It is a thankless task, but some of us to recognise the effort and are grateful for it.

Cheers,
John.

[WeeJohnyB]

Mr Psychlist dear boy, how lovely to see you on the site, hope you are on the mend mate.

I don't disagree with what you are saying, (and appreciate all the history), but every club is run by a couple of individuals, plus a few who do stuff and 99% who do nothing except be a member (which is absolutely right). The old 'you only get out what you put in' doesn't really apply as long as people are happy to depend on others to do stuff and the others are happy to do it. (if you see what I mean).

When I set up what was the BHC all those years ago, there was nothing at all locally. I got help from the then MT with a list of members in the area and an address to write to ask if they wanted to come on the first ever local rideout. I was very lucky that Fordie, Jools, Keefyb, David Cook and Monty showed up and we've been friends ever since. We were also lucky that when I gave it up, Fordie stepped up to the plate. Your question however is a very valid one. What are the MT doing to maintain and develop one of the most active regions in the country? Every region is slightly different, but I bet they all have one thing in common - they are like mini-versions of the club in that they are run by one or two people and without that person, little gets done as most people (it's their right) are happy to participate but not organise - that's their right as a member and quite rightly so. I am not at all surprised that Sussex and Surry both 'disolved' after key people stepped down, but if BHNC dwindles away to nothing, it will be a sad day.

Most if not all the regional events are organised locally, eg BMF by BHNC, Popham by Roy, Raid the lakes by the NW guys etc etc.A regional coordinator on the MT should be ensuring there is a proactive person running the region and that good ideas are shared around and there is enough organised locally to keep people interested. But none of us can expect the MT to do everything and in my view, they should be dealing with the big stuff and ensuring their is an infrasructure in place to encourage members to organise things locally. For example, one of the best things I ever did with the DSC was the trip the BHC (and some others) made to Yorkshire and met up with the boys up north, brilliant, absolutely brilliant and a lasting memory, but all organised over the board and a few emails and calls, job done (with no MT input)

Now if the MT are serious about the regional structure and 'grass roots' of the club, then they should use some of the £20,000 they have stashed away to buy me a Ducati and I will be delighted to run a thriving region.

WeeJohnyB

[bradders]

one of the reason Hants still gets on is that there are more than 1 or 2 organising things.