Many of you should already be aware that the club board resigned earlier this year. This was mainly due to other commitments preventing them from devoting the time needed to run the club in the way they would have liked, and indeed how the had done in the past.

The Fiat Coupe Club is currently being run by Alexis (Begbie) as club president / Chairman with a group of folks nominated by him to help form the new club board. None of these nominated persons have yet been elected into post, and I am not yet sure who will be responsible for said elections. I personally have made it quite clear that I would not wish to be in any position on the board unless said position is elected by and accountable to the club membership. I would also expect any position to be reviewed annually at a club AGM

Being as I am one of those persons nominated to take a position on this new board and also being someone not afraid of change and feedback I thought I would ask you what you would like from your club, or indeed if you think there is still a need for the Coupe club.

This is your chance to let me and my fellow nominated board members hear what you, the club members, and potential members, think of your club.

What do you like about the club?

What don’t you don’t like about the club?

Do you have any thoughts on how you would like to see the club organised / structured?

What would make you join the club, or indeed renew your membership?

What kind of things would you like to receive for your membership fee?

How much do you think it should cost to be a member of the club?

Please remember we require your feedback only with regard the FCCUK Club and not the Fiat Coupé Forum.

Thanks

Bob

I find that my "use" of actual Club facilities is minimal, if at all, but not withstanding your last sentence Bob, I'm more than happy to pay my membership to help support the Forum, which, for all the other things it may be besides, remains an utterly invaluable resource for anyone who owns a Coupe, and will probably become more so as time passes.

I guess club discounts are always going to be useful/welcome, but tbh I don't make any use of the social arrangements. What else is currently on offer?

Here's a thought - whilst an annual gift is nice, personally I'd support those funds remaining in the club instead of sending gifts out - if there's a genuine article which people may desire, why not buy a small stock and sell them to those who want one, for a modest profit?

I joined the club for the discounts. Not too worried about freebies and I dont attend the social events.

I know you dont want comments on the club and forum but I think they should be one and the same and that my membership should contribute to the running of both.

I think the club fees are reasonable but I dont think I would bother if the membership went over £50 a year unless I used some other benefit.

I suspect your reply falls into this category

I would like to understand if there is indeed any desire amongst members to actually have a club. Trying to keep FCCUK alive might just be a case of flogging the dead horse

If the club is indeed dying then it might be best to just put it to sleep

I think a member's club for a declining marque which will certainly have future attraction, if not reachng formal "classic" status, will always be a good thing. it's probably more a question of what is wanted from it.

For my part, I would have thought that would amount to helping with parts availability, keeping the remaining Coupes on the road, etc. Personally not sure what benefit there is in social events (other than organised meets) where frankly the club members who don't attend are just subsidising a pi55-up for the others?

I have been around here for a while, something like 8 years of which 5 of those were as an owner...

I have never attended any club events, nor used any club discounts in that time. I have noticed in that time, that there are a few core members who do use the club events, such as yourself Bob, Begbie, Scooby, Nigel, Bockers, etc, etc, etc and I imagine it would be you and them that will feel the loss more so. But there would be nothing to stop these events being organised as a social event anyway.

I would think that people like Rog, Iceberg, the insurance co's will continue to give a discount assuming the person is affiliated with the forum, due to them wanting to keep a steady and healthy work flow.

So that all said, I personally don't really see the point in the club, never have really and maybe never will. That also said, if the money I pay were to physically fund and go into the forum then I would still pay.

But all that said, thats just me, I am sure many people have got more from the club than I ever have.

As Jim says I have got a lot from the club and really enjoyed the club Winter events. But to me the real value of the club is the forum and the advise and support it offers. In the future it will likely be needed for re-manufacturing of parts where a group buys would help keep cost per item down to affordable areas. I have liked the gifts but would not be sad if they were skipped maybe in favour of a coupe club shop with a selection of branded items. This could then keep the club fee down to minimal levels. Any events would then be wholly funded by those attending only.

To me the important thing is to keep the forum going, without it I would never have bought a coupe and I doubt I am alone in this.

For what it's worth, I agree.

IF, the club was to continue, personally, I would like to see more "northern" club events. Besides the discounts and gifts, the only thing that would make me want to join is organised events.

Also, i would like, if i was part of the club, to see where the membership money is being used and a detail account held of the accounts.

Ross

I suspect that the Forum will soon be able to run alone without the club and develop its own way of funding through paid areas and advertising.

In the past the FCCUK Club members have paid / subsidised the forum through their membership fees. Near full forum access has though always been available to all for FREE.

From a car club I would like to see regular car-related events, e.g. track days, 1/4 miles, drive-outs, meets, trips, shows etc

The first 2 club events were excellent - the first one had quad bikes, shooting & off road buggies - the second event had stock cars, reliant robins, capris - 2 excellent days out.

Discounts would also be welcomed...

Looking at the offerings from other car clubs, they all seem to have a monthly (or quarterly etc) magazine, and then the usual discounts on parts & servicing, insurance etc.

The magazine could have a classifieds section, feature member/car section, loads of possibilities. I know a magazine has been talked about before but is yet to happen - but if it was part of club membership surely this would be better?

When i go to various racing events, such as BTCC, i often see Seat owners gathering, along with other marques, for a days racing - so although we dont have a racing series, we could quite easily organise get togethers at race meetings, maybe even any italian race series meetings?? Also things like the italian car days (there are various) - basically proper, official meetings, organised, rather than owners organising meets in their areas.

Groups often get discounted tickets. I'd be happy to help with organising such things as i love motorsport!

Like mike says, we need to make more days out at events, not just meets to go to the pub etc.

I think the forum should be integrated into a new coupe club website (rather than standalone type of thing).
I'd be more active in joining if there were more to the club, but the offering at the moment doesnt really do it for me!

I'd feel very uneasy about the forum becoming any more closely linked with the club.

The forum has always existed outside of the club and benefitted from the knowledge and experience of many people (owners, ex-owners and other enthusiasts) who are members of the forum, but not the club.

Any restriction on people's ability to join and contribute to the forum would result in thye forum being a much poorer place.

However, there is a need for the forum to generate funds and support itself, hence it would be good to get to a position where club membership fees are not used to subsidise the running of the forum.

Advertising would seem to be the logical choice, otherwise how about some sort of levey on Group Buys or discount offers people receive through the forum??

eg. Group Buy gets a £50 discount from the manufacturer, forum members get £46 off and the other £4 goes to help cover the forum's running costs

Yes, there would be all sorts of details to thrash out, but its an idea

could you not have different levels of memberships!

such as

Basic - Discounts to parts and specialists
Activity - Basic + Activity Days
Track - Basic + Track Days
Gold - Everything

I for one would be willing to pay substancially more for track outings!

Think i may not have made my comment about the forum in the best way - i didnt mean that the forum should be available only to members, i meant that we should have a revised/new site about the club, where you can follow the link to the forum and use it as now, without membership etc.

At the moment its an external link (new window) from the FCCUK club page, all i thought was to integrate it more - not to restrict it to members only

I wouldnt be convinced about levels of membership. I dont think theres enough to warrant different levels, plus it would be harder from an admin point of view.

I like eldinhos idea.

id like a track day up here....

...or even just a track!

(actually I reckon Knockhill is one of the best circuits in the world)

Ah, sorry Mark, I mis-understood what you meant

I used to run the local Mini owners club for many years - so I sympathise with anyone who runs a club as it's a thankless task!
The main thing for me would be the profile of the club at shows. Having been to Stanford Hall the last two years we've had a good turnout of cars but no club banner/marquee or anything to show who we are. With a national club it may be difficult to get the stuff to a show but a relay could be set up?

I've also mentioned in the past about having info sheets on each car with car/member/forum information.

There always seems to be some razz being organised but I'm sure a bit of "show n shine" would be good - there are lots of car shows about that we could attend to raise the profile of the car & club - and partners might be more intrested in a nice day out at a show rather than sat in the car holding on while the driver has all the fun. There's a classic car show twice a year in Malvern that we could attend (and it's local to me!) and there must be others.
I'm a member of the club - membership cost seems OK, I've got it back in discounts I think each year. I don't think I can say exaactly why I joined - after years in the mini club and also 2yrs in Club GTi it just seemed obvious!

I'm just waiting for the opportunity to join. Some good ideas here. Strongly agree that the forum should be kept open to all. Any chance of having a multiple choice vote for the suggestions?
Irrespective of what decisions are made, I would just like to say that the forum has improved massively since the days of my 16V N/A (bickering / nonsense / mod-baiting etc). So well done to all concerned.

I want the moon on a stick!

Oh...ok then ... Anything Else Sir ???

I really can't see why the two can't become one, is it really that difficult?

as above great idea, there no end of classic car shows to go to where we could have a stand, like all the other Owners clubs have. even an open day at rolls royce had the ASTRA crew there ffs, amonst other proper cars new and old.

as regards to membership this forum is priceless i think that we should all give somthing back just for the use of the forum.

think fccuk branded things may be a good idea, and funds used towards parts availability somehow is a good idea. personally i hate sites which have adverts springing up everywhere, but i could live with one or two. banners etc so the club is recognisable at events would be good too as all the other clubs seem to have them.

the forum should be linked to the club as well imo. (although im very grateful to have been able to 'loaf ' my way through the last year or so!!!

maybe reduced forum access for non members?


reminds me i really must join soon!

Good question..... I wish I had an answer

I still can't get my head completely around why the two, according to some, should be kept completely separate? Surely one can't survive without the other? I'd much prefer my club membership fee going towards the upkeep of this forum, which cannot be cheap, instead of gifts.

We do without doubt have a great community here but we'll lose it, (if we haven't already), unless we get it right this year...

Me too. It's the only reason I paid for my membership, hoping it would go towards the upkeep of the forum.

I use the forum as much as I can and have used no benefits/discounts you get from being a member, so I know which one I would prefer

Sorry Matty, I dont agree - the forum was around before the club and can survive on its own, although we do need to find a new way of financing it as I agree it should not be subsidised by club members fees when its open to everyone

If you restrict forum membership to club members only, you'll end up with only a hardcore few posting on here and the forum will be a much poorer place because of it.

I've had my coupe for seven years, been a member of the forum for all of that time and have donated to the upkeep of the forum, but I've never joined the club.

Why have I never joined the club? - I dont think I would have attended any of the events (they always seemed to fall at inconvenient times and the other half wouldnt want to come along which makes it difficult), I'm not bothered about the free gifts and, yes the discounts would have saved me a few bob (mainly at Motormech, but Paul's very reasonable, hence I dont mind paying his going rate, knowing its going to help ensure his services are available in the future)

If access to the forum is restricted in any way, it will surely die a slow death due to lack of new members when the existing ones sell up and move on.

I joined the club as I felt I was using the forum alot and wanted to contribute to its upkeep.

I let my membership lapse as I didn't really used the benefits (apart from the forum - which I could use for free).

I would like to see the traders who advertise on here offering a compulsory discount. Not a set amount, just a discount for club members. call it an advertisment fee if you will.

The same could be done for track days, ie offering a cheaper price for club members.

Finally, I think we should have an area for technical information for members - obviously you can get the information from other sources, but it would be useful if it were all in one place. I know most of the stuff is on here already, - was talking about eper, part numbers, wirirng diagrams etc.

I would pay for the above.

As a new coupe owner I am looking forward to becoming a member in April so keep it going.
I would like to see some of our more experienced Coupe owners organising ‘Lessons/demos’ in how to fix this and that…for example the Oil cooler and pipes, Thermostat etc.

You get the picture, these are simple for most of the long term members but this is my first older car and I could do with watching someone else do this to build confidence.

Just a thought and knowing you lot it’s probably on offer already…

Some interesting thoughts here guys.

Keep the Forum FREE

Any more? Your Board are listening

Although this does raise the interesting point of 'how is the forum paid for?' - because if it ever starts showing adverts, I'm out of here...

Go on Fiat Forum for 10 mins and check out their advertisement system. Sometimes when you are trying to post it gives u an advert before u can.

Ross

Brilliant idea!

Yeah, but if they tried that on here Stan would bankrupt a couple of companies by lunchtime

Lol

Ross

Keep the forum free and allow overseas donations by paypal etc. I think any overseas users would donate to FCCUK.

At the moment it's U.K. credit cards only.

I can see Ads....off you go now

The club could offer new members a one off car check ie
Is it straight...modified?

I'm obviously only looking at this as one of the new kids on the block and what I would like to be offered.

Think that would be a legal nightmare

Would it, why? If I asked you to look at my car and give me your opinion could I hold you to that in a court of law.

Open your mind to this being part of possible coupe meets where we could actually pick up info to help keep the car on the road longer...rather than polishing a shed.
I have read threads on here where some members (for example-Peter from Aldershot) actually go out of their way to help and that's just one I have noticed i'm sure theres loads on here.

While this is, in theory, a nice idea I think the practicalities of arranging such a thing are too much to overcome. We already have some pretty good/detailed how to guides and I'm confident that if you ask, a member local to you would give you a helping hand. I certainly would, but unfortunately today I'm wearing a skirt so I dont have any pockets.....

Or just stand there and watch/bug Rog while he does it!

Very much my feeling on things Graeme.

Like many posters and even moderators on this Forum, I no longer own a coupe, but I'm on here on a daily basis.

Last year I made a donation to the club and would do so again if it helped keep the Forum free to all users.

What do you like about the club?

Layout & thread subjects are excellent, its generally very reliable, tidy and fast. You can pretty much get an anser to anything.

What don’t you don’t like about the club?

Those who moan about posts/my posts. They should just deal with it.

Do you have any thoughts on how you would like to see the club organised / structured?

Club arranged trackdays?

What would make you join the club, or indeed renew your membership?

Probably would never pay to join, far to tight for that. It doesnt offer anything of value that you wouldnt expect to get for free.

What kind of things would you like to receive for your membership fee?

Discounts on stuff I guess, parts etc.

How much do you think it should cost to be a member of the club?

£20-30

I think certain parts of the forum should only be accessible to members. This is used quite effectively on the Biker's Oracle website. Technical discussion is permitted on the open forum but manuals and how to guides require membership. The How to Guides on here are excellent and well worth the membership fee.

Also, ideally I would like the club to help provide parts/service support for the Coupe as parts become more scarce. Can't see it ever being like the MG Owners Club where they have enough new/reconditioned parts available to make a new one.

Only been to one meet so far briefly but would probably attend more events.

John

I don`t know if that would work seeing as people have to be constantly reminded of their existence by Bockers .

I`m going to be coming up on my first year of being a member of FCCUK (after using the forum for just over 3 years) and I don`t grudge a single penny of it. I don`t need any discounts for specialists as I do all my work myself and i`ve had no desire to go away down country to go to the official FCCUK events.

TBH the forum is my main reason for paying my membership fee because through it there has been more offered to me in the way of meets than any official club events,The Big Coop Meet being an excellent example of what a club meeting should be with FCCUK`ers from all over the country getting together .

Baz

All down to the Forum not the club


Again a Forum related issue


Nice idea I will take it on board. Club track days available to Club members only?



The Forum is only FREE because FCCUK club members, donations and the Forum board make it that way. Without the club and its paying members the FREE to use and advert free forum you have come to love may not have a future

The club board are currently working hard behind the scenes to see if there is any way we can keep things just the way you like them. It is not an easy task though as the forum is an expensive beast, even with the help of the forum board offering us ways to cope with the costs.

The Coupe club has a group of enthusiastic people who would truly love to keep this club running and make it even more accountable to its members. If most of those who visit and use this forum regularly commited themselves to joining the Coupe club then keeping the club alive, and the forum how you like it, would be a much easier task.

You don't want to pay?

Then don't be too surprised if you see some big changes arround here!

Bob, have you any figures on what the forum costs? ie. what proportion of the club membership fee is used to subsidise the forum? Is if £5 or £25??

What about a 'basic' membership where the membership fee was only to subsidise the forum?? I think this would be of interest to people

Could we then restrict participation in Group Buys and For Sale to such members and above,but without restricting non-members ability to view the threads? I strongly believe its key that we dont restrict content or the forum will slowly die.

Easily enforced - make it a rule that you have to post on the thread to confirm interest (much like now) - non-members would be restricted from posting (like the 'old' For Sale section was) and told why....

I have to be honest I'm currently not a member and feel quite guilty I have yet to contribute anything! I am wanting to be a member and was looking to join when I bought my second coupe approx 6 months ago! But I was quite reluctant to join when it seemed quite a few people were having issues with their memberships!

I wouldn't make much use of the events and discounts but still want to contribute as this forum has saved me lots over the 2 1/2 years I've owned coupes and I also bought my second one off here!

The costs given to the Board for the forum are about £1000 + VAT PA. Cost per member all depends how many members the club attracts and there in lies the rub. It is near impossible to give a defined figure on cost per member for the Forum until you know how many members you have.

So does the club charge say £20 for membership and commit only to funding the forum, until we better understand what membership numbers we have and thus what financial position we are in? The downside to this route is that there is NO real obvious benefit to becoming a member, other than club discounts and the knowledge you are keeping the forum Add free and open to all.

Then again perhaps restricted access to non members is the way forward? We would need to ensure that the club fully funds the forum before this could happen though, and we would also need to accept that there are some people out there that would never pay, and probably choose to leave

I must confess that I too have thought about not paying for club membership recently. This was not because I didn’t value all that I received for my, what is in effect a tiny, subscription but because I was not 100% sure of where my money was going. This issue though will be resolved with the club now planning to produce and publish the detailed accounts for ALL members to see, as well as providing an AGM for club members to question their board.

So to those who ask “What do I get from the Club?”

You get

A club and members dedicated to all aspects of the car you have chosen to own.

Access to other club members who are prepared to offer help and advice to their fellow Coupe owners and potential owners.

Access to a dedicated Coupe forum. A forum that you probably read exhaustively before deciding to buy a Coupé and a forum that you still use, often daily.

A forum where you can ask for most ANY information you need to know.

Still expensive?

You tell me

Bob

Dont critisize him for being honest, I imagine there are a quite a sizable chunk of forum user/browsers that have exactly the same opinion. Most of those that dont pay do contribute by posting up responses, surely that in itself is adding value to the forum (though not the club) ?

Maybe we should be addressing the reasons why people choose not to join the club (or we should highlight the benefits of joining the club).

For myself the one big benefit are the discounts that I can get at powerfiat if I join. That is easily worth the joining fee.

I second that. I've found this forum very useful as a tool and I'd hapilly donate to it from overseas.

There is no criticism I just explained that without any income the forum that he is used to would cease to exist!


Indeed. Perhaps you could now take a read the first post on this thread where you will I did ask that


The discounts are indeed one of the best benefits of club membership

IF you use powerfiat or motormech. For some people in scotland (tartandude excluded ) the discounts arent as important.

Ross

Ross there must be an Alfa - Fiat Specialist that is close to where you live. Have you approached them to see if they would be interested in providing a discount to members of the Fiat Coupe owners club?

FCCUK a club run by the members For the members

Bob

Well tbh, there isn't really anyone that i would want to use.

If there was, then yes a specialist would be interesting for discount. I can understand why the guys local-ish would use this, but not for me personally.

Ross

I still think we need to make the club a lot more appealing, as i mentioned earlier in the post.

Has anyone looked at other marque owners clubs to see how they're structured? They all are MUCH more substantial. Some examples:

Alfa owners club

Mini owners club

Ford Focus owners

There are so many more - they are all much more attractive than the current fccuk club. They all have monthly magazines or newsletters and all offer so much more. Their websites are full of stuff. Only a few of the links on the FCCUK club have anything on.

Lets stop faffing so much over the forum and focus on making a club. The forum then falls into place within this. The forum will lose its 'value' if its all restricted.

Is the £1k per year figure for keeping the forum going the best deal?? (not doubting, simply asking ). Why does it cost that (again, not doubting....)

Lets organise days out at race meets, car events, join in with other fiat clubs, track days - lets be a club!! At the moment we're an active forum organising things here and there. Lets look at what others do and adapt. I'm creating a coupe book, another member is working on a haynes style manual, lets make a service directory. Theres so many things we could do to make it work!!

I'll offer my help in bringing together a magazine, printed or PDF (think i'd quite enjoy it), and maybe some other things. I run a business myself so often find myself chokka, but i'd be happy sparing some free time for nothing in order to make things more interesting.

Sorry if i sound blunt, but it seems we're missing a trick here. To warrant a decent membership we have to make it worthwhile and appealing to a wide range of people

My opinion -

From someone who doesn't get a chance to use the Forum very much these days, I can see the argument for integrating the Forum and the Club as one, but the Forum needs the breadth of content that comes from keeping access free.

Paying membership which helps keep the Forum going seems an ok idea, except that unless there is something significant which is only available to members, then it could be questioned as to the value, since the majority get it free!

How you resolve that one I don't know.

As a member for several years I have attended the Christmas and summer club events and would continue to do so and these were something that you couldn't do in the same way locally. I think thses sort of things are still worth developing (along with other ideas) for Members.

Perhaps some suggestions based on what other clubs provide and take a poll?

Mark0904 - you have some good ideas there. I agree with everything you have said.

James

So do I james

I think something needs to be made clear here.

The Club FCCUK and the Forum Fiat Coupe Forum are not the same.

THE CLUB
Was run by Scooby, Bobbs, Kayjey and a board of several others, all of whome resigned recently.
Currently the club is being run by a group of nominated persons under the leadership of Begbie.
The new board are looking to make the club more accountable to its members with elected officials, club AGM etc.
A club run by the members for the members
The club has in the past supported the forum with donations from fees taken for club membership.


THE FORUM
Is currently being run by Kayjey, Bobbs, Scooby, and I beleive Nigel. The forum needs funding to survive so either the club continue to pay or the forum finds other ways to make money.

I think it should be left as it was with the club supporting the forum. I never really realised there was a difference till now. It was just kayjeys beautiful pink world

Like Paulw, and you Bob I have been a member for some time and attended Christmas and summer doo's and these have been great. Bobbs and Scooby put a lot of effort into organising these events. (Particularly enjoyed that Red Day at Donington)
(Oh, and the gents toilets in Harrogate ) Though I’ve never taken advantage of any discounts or anything as I never remember


I don't think the club is big enough to change. Doesn’t KJ mention 200 odd members somewhere in his post? Not a lot is it and for this reason I think Marks ideas, and a few others in a similar vein are flawed. Look at the other car clubs, Mini’s and Ford for instance and I think you'll find a much bigger membership. We would not raise enough numbers for a regular magazine or track day type events.

Membership supporting the forum is the way to go IMO. Though as Paul says, we need to have something significant that is available only to members, in order to attract numbers. Up to now we had free gift, window stickers, and summer and Christmas events. The last summer event was opened up to non-members due to lack of numbers and we haven’t had a Christmas event this year.

The one biggest thing that would increase membership numbers in my opinion would be to do away with the April to April membership period and allow members to join at any time for 12 month period. That shouldn’t be too hard to administer, surely one of them has got a computer

You could have a point C2D the Mini forum and the Focus forum look good but you are never going to attact that level of membership as there aren't enough Coupes.

Jim hits the nail on the head...

But isnt the smaller amount of members due to the fact it needs to be more enticing??

More exciting club = more members?

Theres 4715 members on here, and i know that every one of those isnt going to join, but....

I think its due to a number of reasons, not just one you can thing pin point:
It could be more enticing
It could offer more events
It could offer a magazine
It could offer track days
etc etc etc

But there will still be a large proportion of people who won't join it, as they don't wnat any of that, or will only join for a discount, but then will be dissappointed to learn that their money has subsidised the annual summer event and not a magazine.

I would imagine its very much a case of not being able to please all the people all the time

I think and agree with Bob above, their needs to be a greater definition between the club and the forum, the forum should be self funding, through either money from adverts, paying to sell your car and other items (how about a % on sales like ebay and even voluntary, may only be a few pence, but it will all add up) Then the forum can be left to run by Kayjey, the mods and with input from the club, but not run by the club.

I think the bluriness comes from everything in the past being run by Scooby & Bobbs, so there was no clear break between the 2, and not that that was a bad thing, but now it seems it is due a change.

For the club I have no idea what to do, as if its just purely the club and no forum funding, I doubt I would join again, as I have no need to.

In terms of the forum, I would suggest, bring back the donate button, try to encourage a % pay back on sales, pay for selling items, claw money through adverts, ask Mark to put a £1 on his book for each one sold, things like this.

Just some further thoughts from me

When I was in the VFR club there were several useful sections of their forum you couldn't access without joining, and the joining fee was a good deal lower so joining was a no brainer.

I think Club Members Only events, track days and rolling road days that are arranged and organised via the forum would be a great way of increasing members, the forum is the main way that the club gains exposure so giving people a little bit more incentive to join apart from the discount and small gifts would be a good idea. It would only involve adding another section and it would not isolate those who feel no need to join the club because they do not own a coupe anymore, as they could still join and enjoy benefits that dont only apply if you drive a coupe.

The coupe has a small enthusiast following but i think alot of interest is generated by the forum, it is a busy place as it functions not only as a technical site but a social portal as well, so people feel happy to be a part of it even if tuning and diy maintenance is not really their kind of thing.

If you dont like cars in the first place it would be unlikely that you would be here at all, so offering club benefits that would appeal to a wider range would certainly help dispel any worries that to much reliance is put on a hardcore few (who love coupes) to keep the club alive.

P.S: i think running the forum as a business could encounter difficulties and would put alot of strain on the people who run it and the moderators, alot more controls would have to be put in place if you are going to have fee paying customer displaying their goods on here.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Great post.

Ross

Having not yet seen any club accounts we don’t yet know exactly what the club funded. There were no Christmas or summer events in the 2007 /08 membership year and yet the club has been handed over with no surplus of funds. We must therefore conclude that Christmas and Summer Events were not subsidised from funds.

There appears to be an urgency (From outside the Club) to get all this sorted quickly and start taking money off people. I personally am uncomfortable to start doing this until we know exactly where we are going, what we are providing and what any money taken is going to be spent on.

Since the formation of the separate club board communication between club and forum boards has not been easy. It has led to a lot of mistrust on both sides when in effect we are both trying to provide a similar goal, a club and forum for Fiat Coupé owners.

The new club board have been asking a lot of questions of the old board in an effort to try and find out where the club is at and indeed if it is worth spending any time and effort trying to save and keep it.

I am sure Keyjey is also extremely frustrated with the new club board. To him it appears that we are asking too many insignificant questions and dragging our heels with regard getting things in order, taking money and keeping the members on board.

agreed.

i also think its worth mentioning that IMO one of the reasons there is such a great community here is because the club is smaller than some of the other clubs mentioned.

in almost every newbie thread people metion what a great community we have, especially those coming from other larger clubs.

obviously the club needs fresh blood to survive, but i hope that any attempt to increase member numbers is carefully designed so as not to be detrimental to the community that makes fccuk what it is

^ agreed, regarding the club I would happily pay a membership fee for some organised track, RR and other events like AutoItalia.

Personally I don't think that social events should be paid for from club, I would rather pay separately for the ones I choose to attend.

From the forum, hopefully it would not change, except for a better system for verifying and charging professional sellers.

^Yep, exactly. A few events a year plus a couple of days such as Autoitalia, part of membership.

Then other events organised whereby we pay to go should we wish, some we may even get subsidies for for being a club, some may be social etc.

I called Brands hatch this week to ask if, as a car owners club, we could have our own designated area at something like the BTCC, and possibly small discount off of ticket prices for us as a club/group. Will report back what the outcome is. They sounded accomodating. We could then class this as a meet and a day out, paid for seperately hopefully with a discount ticket price or special arrangement

Another example - http://www.fiatracing.com - also called one of the organisers and mentioned us turning up to a raceday. Sounds like great fun and again potential to 'sort something out' for us as a club.

Just some examples

I think in many ways things would be far simpler if the club and forum just merge. Until recently even I as a mod didn't understand the separate structure.

This is understandable since the URL here is http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org (Fiat-Coupe-Club-UK) and not Fiat-Coupe-Forum-UK : http://www.fcfuk.org ....Ahh NOW I see why that URL wasn't chosen

So, who's in charge of this now? Begbie? Kayjey?



Yup I totally agree with this, but again this seems to be dragging on....



This is the bit that gets to me...lose the club frankly.



When was the last board meet? Do we need the club? Can't the forum just run like it does, with a member only section which would cover discount codes - trackdays - group buys etc etc. To me, this would seem the best option as we're going nowhere. Get the donate function back. Let Carl advertise/have his own section, he's suggested this god knows how many times yet nothing is done...

Having been around when James Northam ( some of you may remember him & Kayjey ),

I am always inspired by their efforts, they REALLY gave up a LOT, including personal affairs to help the FORUM & the club.

Personally, the amount I saved with Nigel & the manifold claim alone could have paid for the club for 5+ years.

I haven't renewed this year, simply cos I am lazy, but I do appreciate the hard work put by the minority & appreciate it.

Remember when the forum went down ?

How many seeked refuge in the FIATFORUM ( a great bunch by the way )....

you'll only appreicate this place when it's gone I'm fraid

Taz

Yes it could. But it would not be a non proffit undertaking like the club is



Taking money off Carl would be the simple solution. The ammount of funding Carl was talking about would actually cover ALL the forum costs and mean the forum could still be free to all.

You would then have the forum operated as a business and another business fully funding that forum. I am sure it could go this way if people wished.

Seems to me like you don't think too much of the community aspect of this place though if you are prepared to throw it away so easilly.

Is this a dig? Or should I take it as tongue in cheek?

Throw the community away?? I suggested losing the club - *not* the forum. All of the fellow owners I've met has been through the forum, not the club...

Why would the forum become a business? One tiny small section with my name on it, doesnt make the forum any different or a business. How does that change the forum so much?

Maybe if certain mods put their dislike of me aside things might move on.

And funnily enough carl isnt the only one to say/think this.

Ross

I think most people will see that as rather confusing.

Ive been here near 5 years i guess, maybe more?

To me the forum, here, is run by Nigel, Begbie, Kayjey etc etc

The Club, well doesnt really exist to me, there isnt anything i can see bar a few meets??? Wrong? I have always seen the club run by Scooby and Bobbs only, and only known moderators and certain users attending events. The club seems to me to be a circle of old friends, long term owners. Thats how it seems.


Its very confusing to say the least.

The member only section which offers discount codes is the club.

Only the club has the not for profit ethos, IE Run by members for members. That is not to say the forum is going to change into a money grabbing venture, just that it is already different, and is now more visibly split from the club



Carl you paying the Forum what you have offered would keep the forum open and fee free to everyone. This would be a great solution however one day you could decide you are fed up with Coupe and move on to pastures new. That needs to be taken into account.

The Forum / club would then be back to square 1.

And for the record I was not making any criticism of you, I don't know where you got that from!



The club was the front that took the money off members and used some of that money to pay for the forum fees. Like Peter said it was the club side that arranged discounts for MEMBERS at various outlets and the Club that arranged Two club events each year.

Does this mean that if the forum makes money, that royalties will be provided to people who have supplied how-to guides and technical advice?

Ross

Was i refering to anyone in particular? Im sure the few two faced individuals know who they are


Perhaps if people could also be bothered to involve me in any discussions things may be helped. Paying 1 year or 2 in advance would settle your concerns would it not?

I dunno, all the dosh the forum needs paid say 2 years in advance and a few personal prejudices hold things back. The offer wont stand forever.

I dont think this is the issue Carl, The forum is owned by Kayjey who can run it as he wishes, take advertising or not as he wishes.

The club would be run by its members, have AGM, votes etc, and be non profit making.

The forum is non profit making as well at the moment, but only because it cant actually generate a profit by itself, (in fact it was subsidised by Kayjays own pocket in the early years I believe). It now takes revenue from the club for running costs.

That is what the community comment is about, the club would be owned by the community (as I understand things) the forum wont be (probably). But its all very complicated and there is no clear direction for the club, because if the forum no longer needed the funding, what would the club actually be for?

Hench this thread

What club.

I really dont see anything. Its a membership for discount before you have a big bill at motormech or suchlike. What else is there??? The main reason people join the club is to get a discount on work. Or maybe just that feeling of being a member of something. The forum is the "club"

There was non or too little interest in past events, that kinda says it all.

No H2yper!

Thankfully this forum has written into the small print (Terms and Conditions) that you must own the copyright of any material you post and that you will always be responsible for all your posted content. You accepted these terms and conditions when you ticked the accept box as you registered.

This is a really positive thing about this place and to my mind one of the hidden virtues that makes it so much better than some other forum. Many of those other forums say explicitly in their T&Cs that all posted content (Other than images) becomes the property of the forum.

Well i suppose that is fair enough. But you see where the problem arises. If the forum uses "very helpful parts" donated for use by the forum to "make profit" (if it came to it) then what would be the situation involved?

Ross

Eh?

Exactly......This is what the new folks would like to change.



The forum and the club probably should be one and the same. You would need to ask those people listed at the top of this page why it can't be that way though.

Its difficult to word what i mean.

Basically if the forum uses content that is the property of others as bob has pointed out to make profit from the forum, what kind of situation would arise then.

Ross

What do you mean?

Ahh I see what you mean

Indeed, a claim for royalties

What ya mean?

Right just to explain how i feel after reading everything. Basically i dont care if there is a club and forum or just a forum or the club and forum are the same thing, all i care about is making it fair for everyone. If there is gonna be money from the membership used for events, will there be a rebate if you dont attend any? Will there be events held that arent 300+ miles away? Would it be sub sections of the forum, having a budget to use for the members in that area?

Ross

Tis true yes, but that is the way it already is, and Kayjey isnt going to start selling 'H2yprs top posts' on ebay. Not only because none will buy them but because they belong to YOU and he cant.

So this only a theoretical problem

Hang on all, here's a really blonde thought.

Why carnt the "club" pay the forum costs?

It already does, keep up carl

Yeah i dont really expect that to happen. Unless people start buying bags of shite, then i doubt my posts will be valuable.

But I think that the forum cant be profit making. And it shouldnt be either. Clubs/forums are usually there to encourage people of similar interests to meet/chat together. Exchange of knowledge etc. There is no need for profit making, but being self sustaining is also necessary.

Ross

I think that is the aim of everyone involved Ross

So why is it mentioned Kayjey has to subsidize the costs, and the need for advertising?

But I don't think you are a club member anyway Ross?
So what is "fair"?

As a club member I don't mind part of my subscription going to support the forum: Whether it is "fair" that I subsidise non paying forum users is for me to decide.

I happen to believe that "fair" or not it is worthwhile.

HAD in the past to not has to now, the club subsidizes the forum as things stand.

Right. What is also unfair, is that the Scooby and Bobbs neglected their "duties" and didnt bring my membership with them to TOTB 2006. And since then have never got my membership. I would happily donate to the forum directly, as this is the only "real" benefit i have had, but up until now, there has been no facility to do so. However, if the donate button previously was for the forum and not the club, my mistake. I doubt however it was.

Ross

More Forum than you realise take more money than is needed to run them Just look for the ones that restrict you from areas and ask you to pay for increased access, more PMs, avitars, signatures etc.

Yeah. But funnily enough i pay for membership of another club to gain access to members section and technical info. Just because this forum doesnt charge, doesnt mean to say that people wouldnt pay.

Ross

edited to add : That forum is run by a club who have "detailed" accounts on what everything is spent on and has a proper board and have an AGM etc.

Is when you donate, using the donate button probably at least 5 times a yearly membership fee over a year and still dont get allowed in the members section at least. Or a thanks, or even an acknowledgment of receipt for that matter.

But wouldn't it be better if the Club and / or Carl paid the forum bill for this place?

This would help keep those adverts off the forum and keep the Forum as is.

WHAT

As Bob says

That isnt a matter for this thread Carl, I suggest that sort of comment should go to Admin directly. because no-one here can really answer that. I imagine (although cant actually say for sure), your money went to forum costs, to be a club member you quite correctly have to join through the normal channels.

Was it clear your money was meant to be for club membership?

Agreed Mitch, well said.

I'm confused