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I would vote to join, despite some negative points about the club, and the political bitching (a large portion of the North and Scotland opted not to renew a while ago because of aforesaid issues) i still think the plus points, as well documented by Jools out weigh the negatives for being a member. I have remained a member whilst many of my good friends have not. I don't think this is anything to do with DuN either. I've asked some of the people concerned and it was DSC issues, not DuN that drove them away. Having said all that i will renew again next year, IMHO there are still a lot of good points about the club. Final comment, personally i'm devastated that Pronto is not deemed worthwhile, must be my writing from time to time:( (FFS that last comment is tongue in cheek:lol: ) |
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... that says it all in two sentences Shaun :( |
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Shaun - your Marakesh Express (Issue 32) was one of the great Pronto pieces, and, I was looking forward to Part2. Did it not get published, was it censored??? (too many locked in toilet escapades) |
if anyone's interested . . . which they are probably not - but I dont really care . . . I vote (for myself only) NOT to join - although I have been a member before. Sure the online forum is valuable, but I find the "clique" very very sad indeed as I also find the level of control that the MT tries to inflict on the forum and membership in general. Most of the time this place is a pi*sing competition or a popularity contest - laughable really. It seems if you dont have a "popular" view - you are not worthy and shouldnt have a view at all - you might even have your view deleted by the powers that be!!! There also seems to be a lot of double standards when it comes to how some members are treated - I for one would much rather support the DD Series directly - cause I think that, followed by the forum, are the ONLY things of value that this "club" has going for it right now! I'm with the 17% on this one - unsurprisingly! Khushy PS - there are some valuable relationships to be made here - I have had loads of advice and banter that has helped me with my biking experiences. I have also offered and would like to think that I have helped people here too - thats what life is about - but the politics and bull*hit that goes on most of the time is of no interest to me?!?!?!?!?!? |
I find it disapointing that a non-member can continuously belittle the efforts of the Pronto team. If the content is coming under fire then the majority of that is due to the material supplied by the membership. Sorry to re-state Jools post but its so good that I feel its worthy of it - especially as the original first post appears to be aimed NOT at whether existing members rejoin but at NEW members....... Quote:
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Pronto Fundamentally disagree with you Frank :) The role of pronto editor is a full voting member of the MT - that was never the case before. With that status also comes responsibility. If the members are not providing information - and why should they they're not journalists - then it is the role of the editor to commission or find interesting material - the editor is not a post box :lol: All you have to do is read what some of the members are doing on here to know that there are some great stories being 'written' every day. You then pick up the phone and interview them! And that's just one small avenue to follow - there's loads more!! If you like I'll guest edit a copy for the club magazine and demonstrate that it isn’t difficult in the least. One final point - the members are entitled to 6 copies of Pronto a year. That's one every two months. How many so far this year? Henry |
The last Pronto was much more interesting than the ramblings about an Arabian desert jaunt, I was in this one! Twice :p |
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So was I, twice :D I did love it as well :lol: |
Pronto is obviously only a fraction of what the DSC is all about but, it is an important "Shop-front" for the club and it members - Henry, if the editors position was a paid one then I could agree with you to some extent - having an idea of how arduous putting together even a simple magazine can be, I only have admiration for the Pronto team... Sorry for hi-jacking the thread! To return to which:- if I'd have thought about it a little more this year I would of bought a lifetime membership as the friends alone I've made on here are worth it. Cheers - Frank. |
The DSC is one of the most active and interesting groups of people I have ever met. If you want advice, amusement, a rant or a ride you have a good chance of finding it here ;) oh, and there's the ridicule, the arguments, the politics, the handbags and the posing too, but everybody expects that anyway dont they :lol: |
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Fundamentally disagree with you Henry :D I do think the content of any association or club paper must be provided at 80% at least by the members. We're not a company paying somebody to do that bl00dy job... The best evidence I've got for that is "L'echo des Conti" which I receive from the Ducati Club de France about every 2 months and in which you will struggle to find 2 articles written by the same member. Everybody takes part in it, they write about their ride-outs, the club's endurance races, trackdays, etc... And don't forget we're French, and so lazy. Guess if we were German :lol: And their magazine quite good. The paper used itself is not as good quality as the one used for Pronto (less money on the other side of the Channel I guess) but the content is existing and intesresting. If ones think Pronto's content is poor, ones take their best pen and help making it better. I'm not used to defend the MT (I do want to stay neutral in all those political b0ll0x) but I do think Pronto is what we make with it. poor members' participation = poor Pronto. that's it. I may be wrong again, but I do believe in what I write and my opinion is not influenced by any of all the conflicts which hurt that club... |
I'd love to write an article for Pronto, but I don't actually believe I have anything of interest to say - I'd just like to be in a position where I did have something to contribute. Based on that, I won't complain about the content. I've said it before, but I thank everyone who volunteers their time and effort to make this club what it is, and puts up with people belittling their efforts. As far as joining - I voted yes right back at the beginning of this thread, but I've been thinking about it more carefully.... When I was a non-member I was happy with a yellow 996bip with standard pipes.. now it's got a single seat, termis etc. When I was a non-member I thought I was a reasonable rider... then I met the BHCN crew... When I was a non-member I thought I could drink.. then I met the BHCN crew..:D :D My knowledge and enjoyment of my bike has been increased tenfold through the people I've met in this club and the parts I've acquired from members etc. 38p per week? Bargain. Martin |
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Is that where Fil2's coming from? poor you :lol: I understand you point about Pronto, hard to write something when we don't have anything to say... My problem was more with the "if Pronto is like this that's because of one person" thing... In boxing that would be a kick in the beewax :lol: : totally wrong and unfair :) |
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Yes, Fil2 was one of the first people I met in the DSC, made me very welcome on my first ride - then blew straight past into the distance :lol: ... But all the guys n gals from BHCN are nice people, I just wish I could out to ride with them more |
FWIW As a new person I would say to join up to see if it is for you and to get the benefits that many of us have already had. The club is (mostly) full of great people with a passion for ducatis. The events are great fun and the banter when you get to know people is brilliant. As an existing member I have rejoined, I can't exactly say why tbh but as a paid up member I would like to pass a quick comment on the pronto issue if I may without hijacking this thread further than it already is. Please note that I do not expect to be flamed for this, it is my view, not particularly controversial, just facts as I see them. At the AGM the cost of Pronto was highlighted and frankly I think it shocked many of us as it was clearly the most expensive part of the club. There were many comments that align to the many comments on the forum about the value of pronto and how it could be done better and or cheaper. I recognise, as do many, the value of non web based communication and indeed have enjoyed some of the issues of pronto. My beef is not so much with who writes the content but with it's value in it's current form. At the AGM I openly, then in private offered my time to assist in looking at alternatives or changes to pronto to either reduce the cost of club communication whilst at the same time see if we could improve it. I was not requesting MT status, was not even looking for recognition by shouting about it, I just wanted to help the club rather than just be a moaner. After hearing nothing for some time I extended my offer again to a number of club individuals and once again was informed I would hear from them. To this date I have heard nothing and it grates on me every time I see a comment from certain individuals about how hard it is to keep the club running about how much time it takes and about how it would be better if people were helping. I have offered to help and have been ignored. I now do my best to avoid any post where my comments may get misconstrued or seen as anti DSC as quite clearly I am not. For information, my real day job is as a Business Transformation Manager. I look at businesses and identify how things can be improved, money better spent and customer satisfaction improved. I feel I may have been quite useful as a resource to this club had anybody anted my help. |
now that's an interesting post :) |
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Thank you very much for your thoughts, i have been hoping to see part 2 myself in the last 2 issues (vanity or what:lol: ) it did take me a while to finish part 2, but it has now been held over in favour of other articles. I think the locked toilet, and believe me Moroccan toilets are BAD was the worst bit:eek: Too much of that pysclist bloke if you ask me.:rolleyes: |
I used to be the editor of a large one-make international bike club...make no mistake, it's a very hard job. It does rely on members to make interesting contributions. |
... but you can make it easier for them - which ain't happeneing if you look at what Lily said above, talk to Webby or many others. That's a real editors job. |
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Anyway the abridged version is that I voted yes to joining the DSC. |
In a nutshell:- Great club,great people for frankly laughably low cost. The Management Team seem to make stuff happen but are paranoid about dissent. Debate is good. Control freakery is bad. Pronto is frankly a joke. If members wanted a paper based membership magazine they would support it and write articles for it. The absence of copy speaks volumes. The amount spent on Pronto based on last years accounts when the club can't be at risk funding trackdays etc is unbelievable. The recent edition took about three minutes to read and contained little that had not been aired on the Board and at rideouts etc months ago. Lilys comments are enlightening. There is a strong whiff of sentimentality about this whole Pronto debate. It should be replaced with a cheaper more modern equivalent and the money diverted to better uses. On balance great club but it needs to think through its real purpose in life (and no thats not the same as proposing a new constitution). Dave |
this thread is great ! thanks for all the input peeps glad I did the right thing ! (still that does leave me £25 less to spend on carbon bitz ! LOL) still no roundal G |
"A Sense Of Belonging" Any organistion be it a club, charity, company, plc etc., regardless of whether it's "workforce" is entirely voluntary and unpaid, part-time, fulltime, salaried etc., has a duty to those who buy its products. One of those many "duties" is to improve. And it matters not whether you pay 1p or 100p per day - that payment is a sign of the trust and the value you place in the organisation. That value is reflected each and every time a member posts; each will have different view on what the DSC should deliver (and how it delivers it - hard or soft media - meetings - track days - merchandising etc). Occassionally comments have been made re the "DSC" that have been interpretted as negative, and, have not been seen by the MT as a signpost that something is amiss. Many people have offered help, input, advise, labour, ideas etc. to the MT, but it does appear from many posts that unless your input is rosy red and not gaudy yellow, the MT responds with "piquer" as they would say in Tonio's "L'echo des Conti". It is the responsibility of those in office (the MT) to take onboard the memberships comments, to seek out the rational behind them, and forge them back into an improved DSC "product". That is one of their responsibilities of office. To reach out to those members offering their services, knowledge and time to achieve that constant state of improvement. As an example - it is no sense appealing for folks to come forward if you either do not respond to them or do not give them a fair hearing and feedback. A sign that all is not as it could be is the fact that we see daily folks posting here who are not paid members. Additionally you have all of those "ex members" who did not renew memberships and have left altogether. These two items alone are another alarm bell ringing that should not be ignored. No one has a monoploy on good ideas, and no one is perfect. But together improvement does not remain a dream, it becomes an achievable goal. |
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Excellent summary! |
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That is an excellent post, very well written. It's a real shame that it will fall on jaded and cynical deaf ears where it's needed the most. |
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great post:) you coming back to the UK soon?:cool: |
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Not true, its an ethos I, for one, wholeheartedly support and try my best to live up to all the time :pig: |
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I know Paul, I wasn't referring to you :) |
Athelstan, that's a great post. Along with Paul I also share that view. When I was elected to the MT I wrote out what I aimed to do as regional coordinator. One of the bullet points, and the one which I do my utmost to adhere to was: - Act as the voice of the members within the management team (not as the voice of the management team to the membership - there's a big difference) Anyone can read the full post - it's a 'sticky' in the regional organisers forum. I can't pretend that I've delivered everything I set out to do, but it's not for the want of trying. Ultimately, I was voted onto the MT and I can be voted off if the members decide I haven't done enough, but I am comitted to working hard on their behalf to make the club better in whatever way I can. |
The time for words is over Jools ... action this day is a worthy slogan Henry |
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Your wish is my command :-) |
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thanks Lizze ! proud I am now !! |
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