Resource Directory

[Mike Cunningham]

It's now June and we still don't have our current Resource Directory. I wouldn't be granted, nor would I expect a 6 month extension on my membership if I had failed to pay my dues in the time frame specified. A time frame that the AAW states was needed in order for inclusion in the '07 Directory.

I write this because I was looking for my '06 Directory, the outdated, old but only available guide to members and services and realized just how far into the year we've gone with no new Directory.

I realize this is not the end all, be all and there are other, more serious issues, but for Pete's sake, where the heck is the Directory? Yes, I heard about problems with publications..........months ago and obvious.

Mike

 

[Brian Hahn]

You've got a while longer to wait.

The announcement was a couple of weeks ago: 2007 Resource Directory - update

 

[Mike Cunningham]

Thanks Brian

I missed that one, must have been busy staring at my mailbox

 

[underdog]

Speaking of the '06 directory...

Last year I traveled to Minnesota, and decided I may as well try to contact some AAW members while there, to see if I could hang out and talk shop...

Out of 8-10 contacts listed as living in that town, only one of the members listed had correct contact information. I was able to contact one fellow who had moved to another city, and one lady who had a working email address. All the others either had disconnected phone numbers or emails that bounced.

Does the AAW not keep it's contact information updated?

 

[Jake Debski]

Speaking of the '06 directory...

Last year I traveled to Minnesota, and decided I may as well try to contact some AAW members while there, to see if I could hang out and talk shop...

Out of 8-10 contacts listed as living in that town, only one of the members listed had correct contact information. I was able to contact one fellow who had moved to another city, and one lady who had a working email address. All the others either had disconnected phone numbers or emails that bounced.

Does the AAW not keep it's contact information updated?

If the contact info for the AAW is anything like our chapter I'd say you were fortunate to find a working e-mail. We are constantly asking for email updates at meetings. Seems some folks change email and ISP's almost as often as their underwear. Also with the advent of cell phones, internet phone, etc. Things change to rapidly to have a totally current contact info guide. How many folks bother to inform the AAW of changes in their info? I'm betting it is very low priorty for most of us.

 

[Mike Cunningham]

A membership benefit

The AAW touts the Resource Directory as one of the benefits of membership. I wonder how that's gone over with first time members who've yet to receive this benefit, half way through their first year.

Having said that, I still value my membership and appreciate the workload that Mary and other staffers have. Just seems that a professionally run organization shouldn't have such problems as a Resource Directory delayed for 6 months and the Journal reaching members, at times as varied as 6 weeks. Aren't they all shipped out on the same date?

Mike

 

[Clem Wixted]

Getting precious little for my membership

I think the AAW is becoming very low priority for me.

We now have an exeutive director and since he's been on board it seems like things have gone backwards. (I'm thinking of the on line-membership issue.)

Maybe volunteers were in fact doing a pretty good job and things were done pretty much on time.

I'd better not get started, I've said enough already.

Clem

 

[underdog]

To be fair,

I've found the resource directory to be invaluable. I can find those folks who are demonstrators, and have longstanding email addresses quite easily.

It's just in that one instance I was pretty disappointed.

I have to add though, that of the AAW members I've tried to contact in our area, I've not had much success in recruiting them as members, and have gotten little or no response from most of them.

Some of that is probably due to incorrect contact info or the message just not gettting through to the folks it's intended for. There's a lot of spam these days, and I dare say a goodly number of legitimate emails are flagged as such, and are never seen, much less read, by the intended recipient.

But it's still disappointing that I've not been able to recruit these woodturners to our club. We'd love to have them, and I think our club would benefit even the most experienced turners.

 

[Ron Sardo]

The AAW touts the Resource Directory as one of the benefits of membership. I wonder how that's gone over with first time members who've yet to receive this benefit, half way through their first year.

Having said that, I still value my membership and appreciate the workload that Mary and other staffers have. Just seems that a professionally run organization shouldn't have such problems as a Resource Directory delayed for 6 months and the Journal reaching members, at times as varied as 6 weeks. Aren't they all shipped out on the same date?

Mike

Strike Two
I'm also waiting on the promised sharpening DVD.

 

[Mark Pruitt]

Put it Online!

Hard copy is impossible to keep updated. By the time any kind of directory goes to press, its information is already outdated. It would be far better to make the resource directory available online. AAW members could be assigned user IDs and PWs to ensure that it is a member-only tool.

 

[Mike Cunningham]

Online directory

Yes Mark, and that's sitting out there in Limbo as well.

Mike

 

[Clem Wixted]

Hard copy is impossible to keep updated. By the time any kind of directory goes to press, its information is already outdated. It would be far better to make the resource directory available online. AAW members could be assigned user IDs and PWs to ensure that it is a member-only tool.

It seems to me that Jeff was working on just that a year ago, and was very close. And then who knows what happened. Nothing has changed in over a year, except things are now taking longer and the printer is being blamed. I used to be in the printing business, so I know what that really means.

Clem

 

[Steve Worcester]

It seems to me that Jeff was working on just that a year ago, and was very close. Clem

Jeff wasn't directly associated with it, but in any case, us "new" moderators are not associated with it at all.

As far as the data that goes in the directory, it comes right off of the membership application. If you don't update it, it doesn't get updated. We have the same issue with the POP (Professional Outreach Program). People change their email info and never tell us, but we actually go out and try to get ahold of them and update the info by calling their last known phone numbers in the database. We still get about 10/qtr that are no longer valid.

 

[Mike Cunningham]

Thanks

Thank you Jeff for your work.
Mike

 

[Steve Worcester]

Thank you Jeff for your work.
Mike

He is retired so to speak, but I will pass it on to him.