mbroberg
IAP Activities Manager, Emeritus
So, you ask, what is going on with the membership cards?
1 Problem:
There is an "S" missing from Scott Greaves' signature. It is my fault, Terredax spelled it the way I sent it to him. However, Terredax is no longer available to fix it. I have asked a designer who works for a marketing company that I met at the MPG to take a look at it. She may or may not be able to fix it. If she is unable to fix it I am going to contact Unionboggle, who offered his help in this post. If it can't be fixed we might be starting over. But I am wondering if it is worth it.
1 Concern:
One day shy of 2 weeks and only 82 members have expressed the possibility of purchasing a membership card by voting in this poll. I figured (incorrectly obviously) that there would be between 100 and 200 members who would be open to purchasing a card. At less than 100 people I'm not sure it is worth pursuing. I spoke with Jeff and he has reservations as well. After all, if the initial release only attracts 82 people then future sales would be dismal at best. I can't see where purchasing equipment and supplies when so few people are interested makes much sense.
Apparently many members do not want just a membership card, they want a membership card that will provide them with benefits or discounts on products. That is not an unreasonable expectation, but it is an expectation that I cannot promise at this time and I am not going to try to line up benefits or discounts prior to producing a card. Once (or if) the cards are distributed the individual vendors would have to decide what discounts they are willing to provide card holding members. How would on-line vendors know whether or not a customer has a card? Jeff told me that with the new forum software a star or other symbol could be displayed beside a member's name to indicate that the member has a card. So it is possible that at some point discounts or benefits could be attached to the card, but that was not, at least in my mind, the intent of the card. Vendors have always had the option to offer discounts to IAP members and most members that I have talked to already recognize the benefits of IAP membership in terms of knowledge and friendships shared. We don't need no stinking card for that. The card was just a tangible means of displaying pride in membership in the IAP.
We'll see how this shakes out.
1 Problem:
There is an "S" missing from Scott Greaves' signature. It is my fault, Terredax spelled it the way I sent it to him. However, Terredax is no longer available to fix it. I have asked a designer who works for a marketing company that I met at the MPG to take a look at it. She may or may not be able to fix it. If she is unable to fix it I am going to contact Unionboggle, who offered his help in this post. If it can't be fixed we might be starting over. But I am wondering if it is worth it.
1 Concern:
One day shy of 2 weeks and only 82 members have expressed the possibility of purchasing a membership card by voting in this poll. I figured (incorrectly obviously) that there would be between 100 and 200 members who would be open to purchasing a card. At less than 100 people I'm not sure it is worth pursuing. I spoke with Jeff and he has reservations as well. After all, if the initial release only attracts 82 people then future sales would be dismal at best. I can't see where purchasing equipment and supplies when so few people are interested makes much sense.
Apparently many members do not want just a membership card, they want a membership card that will provide them with benefits or discounts on products. That is not an unreasonable expectation, but it is an expectation that I cannot promise at this time and I am not going to try to line up benefits or discounts prior to producing a card. Once (or if) the cards are distributed the individual vendors would have to decide what discounts they are willing to provide card holding members. How would on-line vendors know whether or not a customer has a card? Jeff told me that with the new forum software a star or other symbol could be displayed beside a member's name to indicate that the member has a card. So it is possible that at some point discounts or benefits could be attached to the card, but that was not, at least in my mind, the intent of the card. Vendors have always had the option to offer discounts to IAP members and most members that I have talked to already recognize the benefits of IAP membership in terms of knowledge and friendships shared. We don't need no stinking card for that. The card was just a tangible means of displaying pride in membership in the IAP.
We'll see how this shakes out.