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Nick Feakes
USA
3340 Posts |
 Posted - 17/10/2016 : 18:09:09
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The committee feels that the following submissions would be better placed in their own topic. I will therefore copy and paste each entry giving the name of the originator at the beginning of the text.
Nick
Webmaster |
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Nick Feakes
USA
3340 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2016 : 18:11:55
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This first submission was by Dick Morbey:
However - and as the charming thread about the Queen's 90th Birthday celebrations has demonstrated and following Alan's comments on the "Repository for Works and other Triple-M drawings" thread - there seems to be continuing confusion about the Triple-M Register and where it fits into the overall scheme of things. So in the interest of mutual enlightenment, here goes!
We often hear people say "I'm not a member of the M.G. Car Club, but I am a member of the Register".
Hmmm!! It doesn't work that way!
1. If you are a paid up member of the MGCC - either in the UK or a recognised overseas Centre - you are a Member of the Club.
2. If you are a Club Member who also has an MG, then the Club will attach you to the Register or Registers relevant to the type of MGs you own. That of course depends on you advising the Club of the type of MG you own and any changes to your details and the car's details.
3. But perhaps you are not a member of the Club, but you do have a Triple-M car? That certainly applies to very many of you in this web community. Well, that does not mean that we won't talk to you - indeed we very much want to hear from you so that we can continue to keep the record of your car up to date. But keep in mind that the Register is a Register of Cars. Human beings cannot be 'a member of the Register' - your membership is membership of the Club.
4. So we earnestly encourage anyone who is not already an MGCC Member to join the Club. There are very many reasons to do so, foremost being the ability to use the resources and facilities that the Triple-M Register committee has toiled for many years to put in place to support Members, to help them keep their cars on the road as well as organising competitive and touring events - and much more besides. And the cost of membership is not great! Details are at http://www.mgcc.co.uk/joinrenew/join-now/ or you can call Liz Allsworth at +1(0)1235 555552
5. The Club has asked Registers such as ours that have historically chosen to support non-Members as well as Club Members, to re-examine the way we interact with owners. We will therefore soon be tweaking our on-line systems to ask Forum members to supply your Club membership number when you access these systems. You may also be asked to supply that detail at other times. There are no immediate plans to differentiate between Members and non-members in the support that we offer, but the message is clear: please ensure that you are a member of the MGCC so that you can benefit fully from all that the Register can offer and avoid the possibility of being left out in the cold some time in the future!
Thanks
Dick Morbey
Register Chairman |
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Nick Feakes
USA
3340 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2016 : 18:14:08
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This response was made by George Eagle
Further to Dick's posting - Ron Gammons mentioned at the Council meeting on Saturday 15th that the MG Owners Club had instituted a change whereby any person seeking information/technical advice had to give their membership number first.
Any enquiry from a non member is now turned down; the result has been a big increase in enquiries to Brown and Gammons and other specialist companies.
George
L2023
Webmaster |
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Nick Feakes
USA
3340 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2016 : 18:16:02
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This response was by Powerplus:
Dick,
Thank you for your clarification of the relationship of MG Car Club members with their respective Registers where an MG car is owned, and the position of those who are not MG Car Club members but who are permitted to access the Triple-M website.
However, the important point relating to the constitution, representation, powers and boundaries of the Triple-M Committee has not been covered to complete the picture.
In what constitutionally has become a complicated structure of interested parties, it would be beneficial if the annual publication of the Triple-M Register could now include an additional section which clearly sets out its quasi-legal position, constitution, definition of members and the extent of the Committee's delegated powers.
Whilst this has become a side, but important, issue to concerns regarding the need to rescue Works drawings, it clearly demonstrates the need to have clear perceptions of the organisation.
Powerplus.
Webmaster |
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DickMorbey
United Kingdom
3672 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2016 : 19:06:45
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Thanks for that, Nick.
I think most of us are, broadly, on the same side, so if we elected committee members appear at times to be pontificating about the Register's status as a Register of the MGCC, it's because we are all passionate devotees of the Club.
It is after all the 'mother ship' from which the Register's activities derive and we harbour the fervent hope that owners can understand where the Register fits into the overall MGCC jigsaw and will wish to support it through membership of the Club. Speaking for myself (a member since 1968) there have been occasions when I have questioned what the Club has done for me, but in truth it's at the heart of Triple-M activities. Just consider for a moment the many ways in which the Club supports our activities:
- The archive at Kimber House
- Umbrella organisation to support and protect participants in road and other events
- Sponsoring organisation for liaison with the DVLA
- Promoter of Triple-M specific races (especially recently)
- Framework for sociable activities
- Publications
- and much more ...
And yes, we know that the MGCC is a broad church and has to cater for an increasingly wide range of models, but I can tell you from first hand experience and contact with the highest Club top brass, that the MGCC attaches huge respect to the Triple-M Register. That relates in part to the fact that without our cars the MG heritage might have fizzled out before WW2, but we are especially valued fore the fact that we are a lively bunch of people who use our cars as ambassadors for the marque.
Like all Clubs, the MGCC's success depends not just on members enjoying the benefits to be had from their membership, but also trying to put something back, so that our community can prosper into the future.
Our Register Committee is constantly looking to refresh its composition and the way we do things. We are currently looking for someone who is able to take over as Treasurer when Bob Milton's term ends within the next 12 months. So if you can envisage yourself in Bob's place or would be interested in getting involved with the Committee's work, now would be a great time to put yourself forward!
Dick Morbey
PA/PB 0743
Frieth, Oxon, UK |
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Simon Johnston
United Kingdom
5999 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2016 : 19:31:36
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Just to address powerplus's request for information on the structure of the Register, the Committee, etc., the Club Rules, which can be found in the Members' section of the Club website, pretty much explain all.
Simon J
J3437 |
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Malcolm Eades
United Kingdom
379 Posts |
Posted - 27/10/2016 : 09:09:04
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Club "management" at all levels, mostly volunteers, always have a conflict to deal with: if one does not differentiate between members of the Club and non-members, e.g. in ticket pricing, championship eligibility or access to parts of the website, then members will question why they bother to pay their subscription (and for some, the monthly delivery of "Safety Fast!" is not an adequate answer). Conversely, if one is inward-looking and too member-focused, the Club, Register or local Centre starts to feel cliquy and unwelcoming. When I was on committees and chatted to prospective members, it was sad how often I heard "I went to such and such natter, but because I have a modern car, no one spoke to me" or similar responses involving what was essentially a cold shoulder, when new members are the key to the health and survival of the Club. I also heard "I only joined for the cheap insurance but it wasn't any cheaper so I didn't renew", suggesting that the Club had failed to convince that member that technical support and social activities are what it's about.
Every Register, Centre and Branch has core members, for whom their special-interest group is essentially their club, but as Dick has done, it is important that everyone involved is reminded of their context as part of the umbrella organisation that makes it all possible.
The internet has produced more curved balls for committees to deal with, like cross-border "membership" and the decline of the paper-based media. It sounds as though the policy is now to have a members-only section on websites, which I think is as it should be. All we can do is try to convince prospective members to "come on in; the water's lovely".
Malcolm
M Type
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DickMorbey
United Kingdom
3672 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2017 : 03:17:15
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MGCC members will have been delighted to see the Safety Fast! front cover page picture of Duncan Potter's C-type at full chat at Brands Hatch - and there's some interesting material in Jeremy Hawke's Register multi-page spread article too.
Don't miss out - you know what to do!
Dick Morbey
PA/PB 0743
Frieth, Oxon, UK |
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Peter Scott
United Kingdom
1240 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2017 : 19:40:35
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A very interesting discussion.
I guess that most people who use this forum feel that they are 'members' of the Triple-M register and will continue to do so whatever explanation of the legal situation is available.
HOWEVER I agree that there should be, readily available, an explanation of the legal position. And it should be on this web site. I for one never (well hardly ever) visit the MGCC website. There has never been anything of interest for me on it. Or more correctly I could not find anything of interest to me. (I have ducked very low to avoid the brickbats).
The question of access to information by non-members of the club is a more tricky issue. The answer needs to be a compromise between the two extreme views. Members should gain something for their subscription but we do not want to 'cut off our nose to spite our face.'
Retiring gracefully, Peter |
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