Comments on The Blockhead Blog: STC Action Plan

Excellent points, everybody. These are the same qu...

2009-06-23T22:07:41.076+01:00

Excellent points, everybody. These are the same questions I'm asking, and I really hope that the Society can overcome both the immediate funding issue and the secondary, but not-so-unrelated problem of providing value that people are willing to pay for.

Do you realize that the last time STC dues went up, our chapter's membership dropped by 50% in a single year? So, by raising dues, the STC actually LOST money from our chapter. I don't know how the membership will respond if the dues are increased further, or if STC were to levy a fee on members for the current year.

And Bill S has a good point... As VP of my chapter I know who all the current members are, and who the non-renewals are from previous years. If the Society implodes, I still have the information, and we can still provide support to each other (though not as a tax-exempt org, which we are in the USA).

Milan, my personal experience in two non-North Ame...

2009-06-23T16:47:23.471+01:00

Milan, my personal experience in two non-North American Chapters makes me hold exactly the opposite view to yours. Many Chapters thrive despite the (very minimal) input from the Board/Head Office, not because of it.

If the STC implodes, your "chapter" will...

2009-06-23T16:42:47.667+01:00

If the STC implodes, your "chapter" will still remain. Your chapter's leadership has everyone's contact info. No reason you couldn't still get together locally on your own. Yes, you lose some funding models and such, but honestly, life can go on.

I would like the STC to come out of this on top. I think there is a lot of potential for a global society. But, I think it needs to abandon many of the outdated practives and offerings and start fresh. Will some members not like it? Absolutely. But who likes egg shells in their chocolate cake?

"What can STC give me that I can't get ch...

2009-06-23T13:55:15.047+01:00

"What can STC give me that I can't get cheaper, or for free, somewhere else?"

My chapter, maybe.

Could we organize our own, without Head Office? Possibly. But the reach of the larger organization somehow makes it easier to reach certain corners of the local scene. It would take some time to replicate that reach, I think.

Oops -- I forgot that I had signed up for the June...

2009-06-23T13:11:48.853+01:00

Oops -- I forgot that I had signed up for the June 22 "town meeting". I think the STC forgot me too, because I was supposed to receive a reminder and log on details by e-mail, wasn't I? Yet, I didn't.
On the whole, I agree with you, David.