[amsat-bb] Re: [Fwd: Possible interest survey questions]

[Emily Clarke <emily@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Actually I am a member of AMSAT albeit a new one - #35042. The "I'm not a 
member" part was in response to your question about membership in the 
President's Club. Now if you want to pay for my membership in that ;-)

-emily


At 12:31 AM 7/24/2003 +0000, Cliff Buttschardt wrote:
>For god's sake put your views on the net!  You contribute far more than
>the damn, silly computer geeks that seem to think the computer is
>everything and the rest of us are jerks!  I'll send you $36 bucks if
>that is what it takes to make your membership known!  WELCOME to AMSAT!
>Your far more valuable to us than internet will ever!  Let us subtract
>20 years from the latest BOD idiocy. and get the job done!   Cliff K7RR
>
>Emily Clarke wrote:
> >
> > Hi Cliff,
> >
> > Busy day today.  Client hired a new assistant who is - well -
> > clueless.  Needless to say, my gain!  :-)
> >
> > WRT to the note, I remember the original post.  Here are my answers:
> >
> > 1.  I would urge the board to consider scaling back SAREX in favour of
> > other programs that might attract wider membership.
> > 2.  Personally I think AMSAT Journal needs to be run like a cost
> > center.  If it involves hiring a full time professional publisher to do it,
> > then we should.  Increases in ad revenue should offset the cost and provide
> > a better appearance for the organization.
> > 3.  Choosing one over the other is divisive and will ultimately lead to
> > even less membership.  My advice to the board is to put the most attention
> > on whatever satellite has the earliest launch date.  If neither has a
> > launch date, then equally attend to both until a launch date for one or the
> > other is secured, at which time move resources as needed.
> > 4. I'm not a member, but if I could afford to, I wouldn't feel elitist,
> > just fortunate to have that amount of money to donate.  However, what I do
> > think is elitist are those who would feel that being a member of the
> > Presidents Club gives them any entitlements other than feeling good about
> > themselves.
> > 5. Since I don't know what ARISS's recruitment effort is, I would say
> > no.  Unfortunately I have concert about whether there will be a human crew
> > on ISS after this year.
> > 6. Yes - I would go further and say that the Area Coordinator system
> > doesn't work.  AMSAT needs to have divisions and sections just like ARRL,
> > The Episcopal Church, the Green Party and other small organizations.  Just
> > because you aren't huge doesn't mean you don't have management issues to
> > deal with.  But as far as a knowledge base goes, it shouldn't rest solely
> > with the ACs who at the moment seem ill equipped to handle a growing
> > organization (and which ultimately keeps it from growing.)
> > 7. Good question - and a tough one.  Should they be asked?  Maybe.  Should
> > they be required?  Probably not.  Should membership in the Presidents Club
> > be used to offset dues?  Definitely not.  Life members and regular members
> > are different than the Presidents club.  Life members have already paid
> > their dues, regular members are paying their dues, and members of the
> > Presidents clubs are just - well - rich guys who like to show off.
> > 8.  Neither - I'm just a bitchy lady with an attitude :-)
> >
> > I think the problem with any poll like this is that the general attitude is
> > "who cares"...  And not without good reason.  If you elect someone to a
> > BOD, you are answering all these questions through the individual you are
> > voting for.  You shouldn't need a "poll" along with it, otherwise you don't
> > have good candidates.
> >
> > However, I do wonder how the BOD candidates get selected.  I'm very
> > concerned that there isn't one [NWKA]6xxx or [NWKA]7xxx call on the present
> > or future board.  It is as if the Rocky Mountains were a formidable
> > obstacle that no one ever crosses.  Yes, I know about travel and all that,
> > but video conferencing is cheap.  No meetings should ever be required in DC
> > unless it's to reward the board for tripling membership.
> >
> > I also worry that with AMSAT centered in DC, it's taking on that
> > capital/political flavour.  It has that "we can't do that" feeling, and
> > that's not good either.  But that's another conversation.
> >
> > 0.02,
> >
> > -eec

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