‘Re-iterating what MRC is all about…’

[clive]

Hi All,

This post is not designed to upset anyone but maybe I can shed some light on all this as the concept of this club was my idea initially !.

From day one MRC was designed first and foremost as a "doing things club for Rotary fans" that would use the internet as no European based club had previously had to provide information and promote the Rotary for all enthusiasts who are like minded.

When I asked Glenn if he would build the internet side of the club I only had one stipulation for the name and that was that it would have .com on the end, this was to ensure that we would attract Rotary people from all over the world who would hopefully bring not only information but also become aware that although a long way behind in terms of tuning compared to the rest of the world, that there was a Rotary following here in the U/K and felt that if we were only a .co.uk that the world would never even bother with us.

The big thing here is to remember we are not first a forum and second a club but the other way around and that without the club this forum would not exist.

Whatever people may say this is a members club because without paying members there is no club and because of this they have the right to dictate the direction and use of their club as witnessed at this years AGM, the results of which will upset many non-members.

Having said the above Glenn and myself share very similar views on making the Club as accessible to as many Rotary enthusiasts indeed the one thing that has plagued this club rightly or wrongly is that certain members have even wanted Rotaries turned away from the club stand at events that we hold throughout the year.

This is something that I have always disagreed with indeed in our very first year some members who are no longer with the club insisted and got very ugly about wanting no non-members or FDUK people on the stands.

The one thing all these people forget is that someone would have to ask the people turning up if they are MRC members and if they are not they must go away and this is something that I will never ever do as I have always preferred to welcome all rotary enthusiasts in the hope that they will wish to join MRC as a paid up member and become a full part of its Rotary community.

So what does a person get from paying money other than the feeling of "belonging to the MRC community".

First of all they will hopefully obtain cheaper insurance through the company\'s we have negotiated discounts with and if they wish valuations on there cars we will supply the nessaccery letters to make this so.

Discounts on AA or RAC membership and its also worth knowing that if you go for the home start packages they offer and you have problems they will transport your car to the specialist of your choice because its a Rotary and requires specialist attention.

We aim to pay back members monies across the year to make owning your Rotary more enjoyable this includes free entrance to The Brooklands Spring Rotor Show, Rotorstock which would not take place at all without members money, reduced admission to rotorstock for MRC members, a fully subsidised Christmas meal,  last year we paid partially for members to have a Rolling Road day out, and coming up will be Trackdays with the first and Brands being subsidised to the tune of £20, and also don\'t forget the Forum itself costs around £1500 per year to operate out on the internet due to it\'s fees etc.

In spite of my wishes to keep MRC as accessible as possible to all Rotary people I can totally see why Full Members get miffed about the forum multi users who even go as far to imply stuff you lot I\'m not paying.

I will now ask the non-members reading this to picture this.

You are standing in the queue  at Asda\'s and the man behind you has just had the same value of goods go through the check out as you did that you had just paid for and yet after he has loaded his bags he is told "off you go, no need to pay".

No imagine how you would feel, this describes how I know many members feel about people taking advantage of the facilities of the club.

At the AGM without our direction the members decided the main club changes would be that as of the 1st March non-members will not be able to start new treads unless they were starting a for sale thread and would not be able to publish e-mail details to get around the no access to PM\'s.

We will however make it clear that we are in no way taking anything of technical content away from non-members as the search facilaty on the site will still assist people even if they are not able to start posts.

I also had reservations that this would deter overseas users of the forum.

Other changes that should also be mentioned are that if any members are obnoxious, abuseive or are downright rude to other members the post will be removed and the access of the person posting will be reviewed, this will also apply if the post is deemed to be bringing the club into disrepute.

This has come about due to members voting that they do not want offensive posts appearing on MRC that have appeared of late.

This is our Members Club and we must respect their wishes because without them there is NO club.

[rx7veilside]

hi clive have just read ur post and have to say i am very dissapointed.i do now fully understand why u have a membership fee as most likely the numbers do not allow for the running of the forum solely from sponsorship.
without non members making new posts i have a fear the site may become a lonely place,as i have posted before that mrc and fduk need to have united stands at trax/japfest etc.the rotary scene is not big enough to sustain a split community and that is why when u go to these shows the turnout is maybe not as good as it could be.excluding non members from posting and the like will possibly leave the mrc stand at shows looking very sad and sparce as i feel there will be a bit of a backlash from non members.i hope to still show my face as i enjoy these shows,but i am not into trackdays etc so the discounts were never really the issue,same for insurance.
i may be wrong but i think this is a bad move by mrc

[rmagictastic]

Rx7 you are correct, sponsorship alone does not pay for the clubs online facilities.

Since my first visit to this site up till now, the people on this forum have helped me no end, whether it be with advice, parts or just general info and history about our cars.

There has been many occasions when I and many other (if not all) people on this forum have needed advice, which has been delivered.

Think of all the parts that are offered on the site, where else can you source such a selection of specialist parts? And from people who are trustworthy (and traceable)?

Yes we are a small but growing community, all with the same interest, we should and for the most part do share our experiences and comments.

I would like to reiterate what Clive said above: ‘WE ARE A CLUB’  not a just forum or sales area.

We have a very precious commodity in the wealth of knowledge and experience; this should not be taken for granted.

And if i have to pay £25, (half a tank of fuel) for the forum so that we can communicate to one another, then I reckon that’s more than a fair price to pay.

(forgetting the savings I make on parts, in advice where I can DIY instead of going to a tuner  ect.ect)

My 2p Worth

Nick

[satch]

i do now fully understand why u have a membership fee as most likely the numbers do not allow for the running of the forum solely from sponsorship.

If this is the case,why not pay the paltry amount that\'s being asked for???
Don\'t tell me it\'s because there\'s nothing in it for you,that\'s just a cop out :2Rolleyes If we all had this attitude there would be no club.

[JamesFD3]

Agreed Satch,if you can afford to buy and run an RX-7 then 25 quid for membership to a great club like this is pocket change and worth every penny.

[bnaellis]

I don\'t think £25 pounds is the issue.
I think the attitude of some members to non members is the issue.
People have rights, they can either become a club member or not. The forum access to non members has over a period of time been limited and looks as if it will be limited yet further. Whether this is right or wrong ? people will have there own opinion about it. But the lack of respect, and sometimes being treated like a child, or some low down outcast is not what this club is about, but of late that is the attitude of some club members towards non memebers in their posts. Then we wonder why people can\'t be bothered to renew their membership and stuff.
When the club originally wanted to encourage forums users to become members of the club itself and not just the forum, they were encouraged to do so by friendliness, and by making people feel both welcome and part of a community in which they could benefit from further by becoming full members.
Now the stance seem much more aggressive, people aren\'t friendly, they don\'t make non members feel welcome, or part of the community in which they can benefit from further by becoming full members, they aren\'t treated with respect and are pressured rather than encouraged to become club memebers. This isn\'t even from the people who run the club, this from the ones who think they run the club who don\'t.

[nikp]

Agreed Satch,if you can afford to buy and run an RX-7 then 25 quid for membership to a great club like this is pocket change and worth every penny.

Agreed too! these aren\'t cheap cars to maintain - so a membership fee of £25 (£20 on subsequent membership fees) is not a lot to ask for.

[rx7veilside]

u dont get the point..brian is able to look at this from both aspects but the other posts border on aggressive..rolling eyes and frown on the posts..nothing so far to encourage me to join,shame as i have allways enjoyed myself on the forum and have given info as well as taken it..apart from brian replying to my orig post about afr..the info was supplied on fduk and rx7club with no sermon attatched

[Brett]

I think we are moving away from the point of this thread a little here.  As far as I\'m aware non members will still be able to post, but your ability to create your own threads will be curtailed.  

 

[John Yorke]

As a new \'non member\' [for my own personal reasons] I do tend to agree with rx7veilside, this I feel will most likely alienate perspective members, having been a member from the outset I too have seen this club grow into what it is today, I do think by these restrictions you are likey to slow the growth of the club.
Think about this, someone from the Japanese car community comes up with a blinding deal be it a new meet, venue, special offer on goods how is he going to convey this without the ability to post a new thread.
I have a love of rotary\'s and most likey always will and hopefully will see you guys over the comming years.
Best of luck with your exclusivity

[rx7veilside]

but this all started when i asked about afr readings etc..now had someone then replied then anyone both non member and members alike would have benefitted from the knowledge of what afr is good at idle and what is not that is what it is all about to me.the sharing of info whether a member or not.if someone took objection to me posting why then post a sarcastic reply rather than ignore my post.i would have been less offended if no one had replied than i have been about being called a freeloader etc.i have a lot of experience over a vast amount of cars as i have had everying from a ford anglia to an impreza p1.if i can share any knowledge i have built up then i will willingly do it regardless of who is asking..even if it was the person calling me a freeloader.i only manage if lucky to attend a couple of shows a year due to being a shift worker at heathrow..that is japfest where i bothered to turn up in the rain to support the club(vast amount of people didnt maybe about 20 cars max non members included)and trax which was on fduk stand.i must say this has left a very bitter taste in my mouth

[2qk4u]

I will not benifit from any of the financial benifits,discounts ect as Im not in the UK.I thought about becoming a member and decided not to as I dont see how it would benifit me apart from total access to the forum. I recently posted on the forum looking for some help and advice and got almost no interest ? Maybe it was just bad luck or was it because I am a non member ?
Why would anyone pay to join a club without seeing what is about first and if it will benifit them,for instance I only have my FC a couple of weeks and if I sell it on in a few months it would be a waste of money,at least if I get to use the forum first and am keeping my car then I would know what im paying for...
I can understand where this is coming from but if you limit the club too much it will have no members.
If it changes I will not be able to post if I have a problem or have some advice to share....?

[Carl]

I will not benifit from any of the financial benifits,discounts ect as Im not in the UK.I thought about becoming a member and decided not to as I dont see how it would benifit me apart from total access to the forum. I recently posted on the forum looking for some help and advice and got almost no interest ? Maybe it was just bad luck or was it because I am a non member ?
Why would anyone pay to join a club without seeing what is about first and if it will benifit them,for instance I only have my FC a couple of weeks and if I sell it on in a few months it would be a waste of money,at least if I get to use the forum first and am keeping my car then I would know what im paying for...
I can understand where this is coming from but if you limit the club too much it will have no members.
If it changes I will not be able to post if I have a problem or have some advice to share....?

Overseas members are catered for,they will recieve a guest membership because they will not be able to get any financial benefits as those in the UK.
Regards
Carl

[Carl]

but this all started when i asked about afr readings etc..now had someone then replied then anyone both non member and members alike would have benefitted from the knowledge of what afr is good at idle and what is not that is what it is all about to me.the sharing of info whether a member or not.if someone took objection to me posting why then post a sarcastic reply rather than ignore my post.i would have been less offended if no one had replied than i have been about being called a freeloader etc.i have a lot of experience over a vast amount of cars as i have had everying from a ford anglia to an impreza p1.if i can share any knowledge i have built up then i will willingly do it regardless of who is asking..even if it was the person calling me a freeloader.i only manage if lucky to attend a couple of shows a year due to being a shift worker at heathrow..that is japfest where i bothered to turn up in the rain to support the club(vast amount of people didnt maybe about 20 cars max non members included)and trax which was on fduk stand.i must say this has left a very bitter taste in my mouth

But you are having a free time of it while others are paying for you to have the priviledge.
I think that you would be a great asset to the club as a member so please join usand we can party! :Party  :chat
Regards
Carl

[2qk4u]

Can I have a guest membership please ?