My Rant With The ACBS And The Link That Started It All.
Since my rant this last weekend with the ACBS I have learned several things. One of them is that when you shoot off your keyboard at a large group, you will hit the hardest working person in the heart, before you even wing the main target. I also learned that I am a fool for not having the foresight to see that….. Maybe it’s my place in this play. To be the trouble maker, to call out what needs to be called out. I have my reputation as a nice person to loose and not much to gain here. But its worth it if it makes the classic boat community a better place. But in the process, if ripping the heart out of a good person that is trying like hell to make a difference as well, than it was a foolish rant. I was crushed when I realized that. And for that I am sorry…. Egh!
There are more positive ways to tackle the problem…. possibly helping the webmaster, not trashing her….I have over the last week, shared many emails with the webmaster, and to be honest, she has already tried all that I have ranted about. Dang! I feel like Fred Flinstone being caught in his ballet lessons…… Obscure reference.. But true…It’s tough, forums can be very difficult to build. And finding experts in a group that is not Internet driven can be the most difficult. That and the Asian hookers, and Viagra spam, and it’s enough to say,”forget it”. Just the monitoring of it can be a part time job. And the larger they get, a full time job.
The sad thing though is that it needs to be done. Online information is critical for the ACBS to maintain one of its key mission statements… “To serve as a communication channel for our membership, the public, and any other entities regarding information relating to historic, antique and classic boating. This includes serving as a clearing house and referral service for all information relating to historic, antique, and classic boating”. Otherwise it all falls onto each local chapter, and thus makes the main ACBS seem rather political and out of touch!…. Oh crap here I go again… Here… Click on this and please enjoy the woodyness of it all…
So there, now I am as guilty as the ACBS in there linkage use… I told you, it’s very cool.
All you have to do is look at where ACBS is having their winter quarterly board meeting to know how out of touch they are. They are going on an ocean cruise!!! Talk about elitist! I know that the ACBS does NOT pay for the board members to go on the cruise, but still, don’t ya think that’s a bit overboard?
Andreas – a disgruntled ACBS member
Oh boy! It is strange, and not sure how to have a show at the meeting. Maybe its an old cruise ship, that would be cool. Like a 100 foot something. Lots of varnish and ladies dressed up as flappers. you know… just like the roaring 20’s… Oh! wait! That was before the great depresion right…I would suspect that the choice of were to have the meeting might change, based on turn out and the new economy that we are in. I did see the ad.. But a lot is changing these days. I hope.
Matt,
You are been too over the top in your deference to ACBS. The core issue here is that they “don’t get it”, sure the web is a mess, but thoughtful people can navigate it and it opens the whole planet to our message.
They should make it happen whatever it takes.
Be sure you show them the emails your received as well as posted comments. My membership hangs in the balance. John Rothert, Powhatan Va.
Oh Crap! I am trying to be positive. I don”t want to hurt any one person. Because of the volunteer situation, I realized that when I unintentionally flogged the webmaster. She is trying, and for a volunteer, any help is appreciated. But as a group. I am not sure. The new President is supposed to be a very cool guy, and gets it. And from what the web master told me, they are trying. The issue is that the bulk of the membership may be out of touch, because they are. Most are retired and dont use the web like we do, or are not in the working world and have yet to feel the social change. They may have in the wallet, but not in the vibe of the country. Going on a cruise right now is wrong and clearly out of touch. The show should be in the most depressed town in the US, and the show helps the town. Trust me, that town will be easy to find. 20 miles outside of any major city, and its a depresion we are in. And I for one want to help. Even if its just for a weekend. After all many of these boats have been there before. In fact that should be the theme of the show. Depression boats, and how folks lived then. Read the history books, folks still had a life, went boating and went to movies. Life goes on. OK they used newspaper instead of toilet paper… But…. Wait, woody boater is like a daily newspaper… oh god… DO NOT WIPE YOUR BUTT WITH THIS WEB SITE….
Matt,
As luck would have it, I got my bill for my ACBS dues TODAY. This ain’t cheap, sixty bucks, one wonders why they have to have a volunteer webmaster at those rates?? I am sure that nice lady is doing her best and giving generously of her time, but if the ACBS won’t list as a link the premier DAILY woodenboat web site,just because they want to call it a blog or whatever….well that makes me think twice about what they are doing with my dues money. And whether or not to send the check for ’09!
I am the one that said, only half in jest, that I had a pile of ACBS handbooks, each the size of a phonebook,and that they killed enough trees to make or repair many a wooden boat printing those babies. To be sure, those books are a great reference guide, but it only comes out ONCE A YEAR and this web thing is instanly updateable/editable/and searchable etc etc.
My turn to rant. But this IS a matter of genuine concern. They should list Woodyboater and be done with it.
John Rothert, Powhatan Va.
This is the place to rant away. I understand the frustration. They did link us last week by the way, and we are going to try and have the web master as an author. What is healthy about this, is that they can read why they may be loosing folks, OR why attendance is down. I know they will think that this is bad. Lets sensor this. But if they are cool headed and can see things in the 2.0 world. It might save the ACBS. Otherwise it will eventually become totally irrelevant. I see this every day with the 5 boards I am on. One of which I am the chairman now, and one that named me the pillar of the community. Dear God! The rants are from passion and care. I hope they dont mistake them for anger. Keep ranting. I am also hoping that someone would speak up from the ACBS. They need to.