CLC number locations? And other profile layout tips

[Stefan Bartelski (CLC Webmaster)]

The internet is absolutely loaded with all manner of car related forums. From make and marque specific forums, to restoration, paint and body, and general automotive discussion forums. Many hundreds of them, if not thousands exist. The huge majority are entirely free for anyone to participate. That is how internet forums have always worked. In fact, I can't even think of another automotive discussion forum that requires paying in order to participate. The idea of it goes against everything forums like this even exist for in the first place. It is and always has been about freely exchanging information amongst enthusiasts and encouraging others to get interested and involved in the hobby or with certain cars, and helping those who are. Requiring people to pay in order to participate goes against everything that made internet forums great in the first place.

How exactly does anyone actually believe charging for forum usage will actually improve this forum? The only argument to be made here at all is the reduction (but NOT elimination) of scammers, but there are other better ways to deal with that to don't discourage participation.

I still can't think of any other automotive related forum that requires payment to participate. Don't try to compare it to joining a car club, they are NOT the same.

Just FYI, the forums for the Oldsmobile Club of America are also for their members only. In their case, non-members cannot even see the forums.

Stefan

[MultipleCaddies]

Just FYI, the forums for the Oldsmobile Club of America are also for their members only. In their case, non-members cannot even see the forums.

Stefan

And just how active is their forum vs. ClassicOldsmobile.com, where I'm registered and participate occasionally?

[Jason Edge]

In answer to your question about members whose CLC membership lapses. There will be a process to regularly take recent expired memberships and change their forum status to read only. Then, if they rejoin the club, their forum status can easily be changed back.

This has been an excellent tool in persuading those lapsed members to renew in our 63/64 Cadillac Chapter.  As the 63/64 Cadillac Chapter Director, I have to scan for lapsed members and remind them that they need to keep their CLC membership current if they want to remain a member of the Chapter and the Website. We had already made the transition to a "Public Restricted" site for CLC members on January 1, and it is much easier now to get active website forum members to renew! 

We do hope all of our non-CLC members will consider the many benefits to CLC membership. As a few non-members have stated, there are many social media sites out there that are free (I am a member of at least a dozen Facebook groups), but you will not find them offering the benefits you will see at benefits.cadillaclasalleclub.org  For those that want to join, sign up today at join.cadillaclasalleclub.org

[MultipleCaddies]

This has been an excellent tool in persuading those lapsed members to renew in our 63/64 Cadillac Chapter.  As the 63/64 Cadillac Chapter Director, I have to scan for lapsed members and remind them that they need to keep their CLC membership current if they want to remain a member of the Chapter and the Website. We had already made the transition to a "Public Restricted" site for CLC members on January 1, and it is much easier now to get active website forum members to renew! 

We do hope all of our non-CLC members will consider the many benefits to CLC membership. As a few non-members have stated, there are many social media sites out there that are free (I am a member of at least a dozen Facebook groups), but you will not find them offering the benefits you will see at benefits.cadillaclasalleclub.org  For those that want to join, sign up today at join.cadillaclasalleclub.org

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only thing new that is being "offered" with CLC membership is the ability to post on the forums after the 1st, correct?

So, help me out here.. all of the other benefits that you list weren't enough to get some folks to pay for a membership before, so why will they now?

Your multiple posts on this subject read much like a car salesman pushing the same rehearsed lines. They weren't effective prior to this policy, and they will be even less so now that you're putting up yet another barrier to entry. I think you're going to end up pretty disappointed with this sales model. The benefits you list just aren't that enticing for most casual forum users. The people who are already members will of course support this policy, because they want their paid dues to mean something, to make them feel like they've earned something. It's a way to dismiss the "free riders" that they perceive as not being worthy of posting here. Is the goal here to maintain a tightly knit clique that pats each other on the back and turns up their noses at everyone else, all the while steadily declining? If so, well I believe you've nailed it.

You may wonder why I keep posting so much and so adamantly about this.. well it's because it is so obviously a mistake. An entirely preventable, regrettable mistake, that has been made numerous times across the internet, and the end result is ALWAYS the same. You're sticking to a hopes and dreams sales tactic that just isn't going to get people interested in paying just to participate on this forum. It's really unfortunate that yet another perfectly good forum is going to go down the same failed path as many others before it. People continue to prove that they simply will not learn anything from history.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

quote from: MultipleCaddies - Today at 09:58:59 AM
You may wonder why I keep posting so much and so adamantly about this.. well it's because it is so obviously a mistake. An entirely preventable, regrettable mistake, that has been made numerous times across the internet, and the end result is ALWAYS the same. You're sticking to a hopes and dreams sales tactic that just isn't going to get people interested in paying just to participate on this forum. It's really unfortunate that yet another perfectly good forum is going to go down the same failed path as many others before it. People continue to prove that they simply will not learn anything from history.

I am sorry to read your thoughts on the current matter regarding CLC Membership to be on the Forum, but, everyone is open to their own thoughts and actions.

But, to be blunt, since you joined the Forum, you asked for information regarding your 1976 Fuel Injected Cadillac that you were trying to resurect, and have received totally free information about how to fix it, etc, etc.  from many informed Members.   https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/index.php?topic=173180.20   Surely just the information you received to assist you in your attempt to resurrect this car would have been a lot more than $25.00.   I would hate to think what you would have been charged in the open market.

This initial question was your only interaction with the CLC, up until you started questioning the the need for Membership.   Financial Membership.

As the CLC is a Not for Proffit Club, the Financial Members have to cover all the costs of running the Club, and the Internet Forum is just one of the areas that costs money, so why should free-loaders be able to benefit, at no cost, at the expense of the Members.

There is a large financial cost in running an Internet Forum, that has to be covered, or it will fold.   The Administrators and Moderators do not receive any payment or reward for what they do, yet they spend much of their own valuable time keeping the thing up and running, yet receive so much abuse for maintaining the Rules that were set by those higher up.

Further, notice that the Commercial Advertising on this Forum is virtually nonexistent?   The Board took the decision to not fill the Forum with multiple Commercial Advertisers to pay for the Forum.   Go to a lot of other Forums, and one has to wade through a myriad of commercials to get to where they want to go.   Talk about frustration.   Those Forums rely on the Advertisers to pay or everything, and make huge profits, at the expense of the Forum Users.

Remember that if one wants to join one of the Chapters, they HAVE to be a Fully financial Member of the CLC.

Bruce Reynolds,
Forum Moderator.     

[Carfreak]

Further, notice that the Commercial Advertising on this Forum is virtually nonexistent?   The Board took the decision to not fill the Forum with multiple Commercial Advertisers to pay for the Forum.   Go to a lot of other Forums, and one has to wade through a myriad of commercials to get to where they want to go.   Talk about frustration.   Those Forums rely on the Advertisers to pay or everything, and make huge profits, at the expense of the Forum Users.
     

Reviewing the ClassicOldsmobile forum which a certain non-member stated he often visits plus Jalopy Journal, Corvette Forum and a few others, right from the start you have to weed through ads and annoying pop ups. Many of the ads were not even automotive related - Best Buy, Ashley Furniture, Comcast, Geek Squad, vrbo, T-shirts, Office Supplies, etc. 

As mentioned above, the CLC hosts a very limited number of paid automotive-related ads.

I sure as heck would not want to have to tolerate annoying ads like those other forums in exchange for allowing non-members to post here for free.