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Do you want Sidecarist via snail mail or email??????
Quote from CCjon on January 28, 2022, 8:31 pmAm curious to which our membership would prefer: receive your Sidecarist magazine via snail mail knowing it can take up to 5 weeks to be delivered or have it sent to your email account the first week of the month?
To give you an understanding of how the process works, I'll use some approximate dates. The next issue of The Sidecarist, March-April issue will be put together on this schedule:
1). By 15th of February, the editor must have all the content, articles, photographs, etc. in hand.
2). By the 20th, he will complete assembling the draft layout and send back for review/proofing
3). By the 24th, any changes or edits will be done, the draft is then sent to the printer for final print draft.
4). By the 26th, the print draft is sent out for approval before printing.
5). With all approvals back, magazine is placed on the schedule for printing, binding and labeling.
6). By March 5th, bundles are dropped off at Post Office.
7). You should receive the magazine in your mailbox between March 8th and the 28th or later, that depends on USPS delivery to your zip code. In talks with the printer and others, we do not expect the Postal service to improve their delivery times.
8). If you want the Sidecarist as an e-magazine sent to you as a pdf file, you could have it the first couple of days of March.
We are not currently emailing the magazine to anyone, but that could be done if enough members wanted their Sidecarist via email. It does not justify the extra work to email it to only a half dozen members.
What do you think?
Please respond to the attached poll and make your opinion known below.
Ultimately this would be a decision the USCA Board would have to make.
Thank you for participating and making your wishes known. We're listening to you to make the USCA better.
Jan "CCjon" Daub
President
Am curious to which our membership would prefer: receive your Sidecarist magazine via snail mail knowing it can take up to 5 weeks to be delivered or have it sent to your email account the first week of the month?
To give you an understanding of how the process works, I'll use some approximate dates. The next issue of The Sidecarist, March-April issue will be put together on this schedule:
1). By 15th of February, the editor must have all the content, articles, photographs, etc. in hand.
2). By the 20th, he will complete assembling the draft layout and send back for review/proofing
3). By the 24th, any changes or edits will be done, the draft is then sent to the printer for final print draft.
4). By the 26th, the print draft is sent out for approval before printing.
5). With all approvals back, magazine is placed on the schedule for printing, binding and labeling.
6). By March 5th, bundles are dropped off at Post Office.
7). You should receive the magazine in your mailbox between March 8th and the 28th or later, that depends on USPS delivery to your zip code. In talks with the printer and others, we do not expect the Postal service to improve their delivery times.
8). If you want the Sidecarist as an e-magazine sent to you as a pdf file, you could have it the first couple of days of March.
We are not currently emailing the magazine to anyone, but that could be done if enough members wanted their Sidecarist via email. It does not justify the extra work to email it to only a half dozen members.
What do you think?
Please respond to the attached poll and make your opinion known below.
Ultimately this would be a decision the USCA Board would have to make.
Thank you for participating and making your wishes known. We're listening to you to make the USCA better.
Jan "CCjon" Daub
President
Quote from BSchraeder on January 28, 2022, 11:11 pmThis raises a couple of issues.
1. It is in the Constitution that new members receive a copy of the Sidecarist.
2. We have members that do not have emails or access to the internet.
I think we have an interesting, well put together magazine, that a lot of our members really enjoy reading.
I feel that if we put this into internet form we will loose a lot of the charm and personality of the magazine.
I have no solution to the unpredictable mail but I think we should keep producing the hard copy of the Sidecarist.
Belinda
This raises a couple of issues.
1. It is in the Constitution that new members receive a copy of the Sidecarist.
2. We have members that do not have emails or access to the internet.
I think we have an interesting, well put together magazine, that a lot of our members really enjoy reading.
I feel that if we put this into internet form we will loose a lot of the charm and personality of the magazine.
I have no solution to the unpredictable mail but I think we should keep producing the hard copy of the Sidecarist.
Belinda
Quote from Al Olme2-blocked on January 29, 2022, 4:37 pmThe last time we ran this poll we were threatened with mass cancellations if we went digital.
A
The last time we ran this poll we were threatened with mass cancellations if we went digital.
A
Quote from CCjon on January 29, 2022, 6:09 pmPeople, please reread the original posting, nothing was said or insinuated about making The Sidecarist exclusively online. The poll is to find out how many members if any, have an interest in receiving The Sidecarist as an e-magazine via email IF that option were available.
The reality is in this day and age, more and more people are getting their news and reading materials online, computers, iPads, iPhones, etc. What we don't know is how many of those young people are now part of our membership.
It would not be impossible for some members received their magazine via USPS as they do now and others receive it via email. But one cannot justify the extra effort needed to make an e-magazine available if only a few desire it, thus the poll.
People, please reread the original posting, nothing was said or insinuated about making The Sidecarist exclusively online. The poll is to find out how many members if any, have an interest in receiving The Sidecarist as an e-magazine via email IF that option were available.
The reality is in this day and age, more and more people are getting their news and reading materials online, computers, iPads, iPhones, etc. What we don't know is how many of those young people are now part of our membership.
It would not be impossible for some members received their magazine via USPS as they do now and others receive it via email. But one cannot justify the extra effort needed to make an e-magazine available if only a few desire it, thus the poll.
Quote from Joe Norris on January 30, 2022, 9:49 amI used to be hard over in the "make mine print please" camp, but now that I'm retired and establishing a winter home down south, I find that the less physical mail I get, the better. So, if i were able to get the magazine electronically, I'd be all for it.
I used to be hard over in the "make mine print please" camp, but now that I'm retired and establishing a winter home down south, I find that the less physical mail I get, the better. So, if i were able to get the magazine electronically, I'd be all for it.
Quote from Mikel Murray on January 30, 2022, 11:59 amSnail mail
Snail mail
Quote from J.R. Lewis on January 30, 2022, 12:46 pmI want min by mail. I share it with other people.
J.R.
Ambassador at large.
I want min by mail. I share it with other people.
J.R.
Ambassador at large.
Quote from mwnelson on January 30, 2022, 2:37 pmI, too spend part of the year away from home so mail is an issue. I'd welcome an email version. Could it be an option for those who don't want print?
Mark Nelson #6473
I, too spend part of the year away from home so mail is an issue. I'd welcome an email version. Could it be an option for those who don't want print?
Mark Nelson #6473
Quote from dholaday on February 1, 2022, 10:15 amWhy not both on-line and mail?
Have a link to an on-line version and let people opt-out of [or opt-in to] mail version?
Duncan
Why not both on-line and mail?
Have a link to an on-line version and let people opt-out of [or opt-in to] mail version?
Duncan
Quote from Al Olme2-blocked on February 1, 2022, 11:13 amBoth versions are pretty easy to accommodate from a software point of view but there is an issue with costs. The issue isn't the cost of software to develop a digital version, that's relatively cheap [depending on how much manual stuff is involved]. Part of our cost for printing and mailing is based on volume. If we convert a sizable number members to digital, our cost for printing will, at some point, go up. Does that lead to a two-tiered membership price? That's something for the Board to decide, hopefully with member input.
The elephant in the room is controlled access. We should obviously make access to The Sidecarist a "members only" thing since it's the principal benefit of membership. That means the installation of a piece of software to do that. We can control access manually now for things like access to the [now unused] Board Forum. It's not reasonable to do manually for all members and non-members. We discussed the installation of a software component that would help automate membership creation and renewal along with a couple of other things and it would provide the access control needed to make this work. That's a big project and I'm trying to get out of this job. I've been doing it for ages and I'm not going to start a big new project.
So.... Any volunteers out there who want to take over the website and work on installing and maintaining these two new software projects?
Both versions are pretty easy to accommodate from a software point of view but there is an issue with costs. The issue isn't the cost of software to develop a digital version, that's relatively cheap [depending on how much manual stuff is involved]. Part of our cost for printing and mailing is based on volume. If we convert a sizable number members to digital, our cost for printing will, at some point, go up. Does that lead to a two-tiered membership price? That's something for the Board to decide, hopefully with member input.
The elephant in the room is controlled access. We should obviously make access to The Sidecarist a "members only" thing since it's the principal benefit of membership. That means the installation of a piece of software to do that. We can control access manually now for things like access to the [now unused] Board Forum. It's not reasonable to do manually for all members and non-members. We discussed the installation of a software component that would help automate membership creation and renewal along with a couple of other things and it would provide the access control needed to make this work. That's a big project and I'm trying to get out of this job. I've been doing it for ages and I'm not going to start a big new project.
So.... Any volunteers out there who want to take over the website and work on installing and maintaining these two new software projects?
Quote from Donbmw on February 2, 2022, 12:09 pmI prefer mail. I take old issues of magazines I get to my Doctors offices.
I prefer mail. I take old issues of magazines I get to my Doctors offices.
Quote from SwampFox on February 4, 2022, 6:58 amQuote from J.R. Lewis on January 30, 2022, 12:46 pmI want mine by mail. I share it with other people....
Same here. Although I personally might read it online, I prefer the option the share the print version of The Sidecarist with other people.
Quote from J.R. Lewis on January 30, 2022, 12:46 pmI want mine by mail. I share it with other people....
Same here. Although I personally might read it online, I prefer the option the share the print version of The Sidecarist with other people.
Quote from HHShort on February 8, 2022, 4:53 pmprefer mail, I find taking my lap top to the bath room and having it teetering on my knees a little cumbersome.
prefer mail, I find taking my lap top to the bath room and having it teetering on my knees a little cumbersome.
Quote from rogersfr on February 9, 2022, 6:44 amOnly want it by mail; I do not like reading info on the computer; much prefer being able to take my time and thoroughly read something that I can go back to over and over if necessary.
Only want it by mail; I do not like reading info on the computer; much prefer being able to take my time and thoroughly read something that I can go back to over and over if necessary.
Quote from Gary Shearer on March 9, 2022, 6:59 pmMy 2 cents. I am in charge of another club with a monthly newsletter, to several hundred people in the USA and Canada. We had a combination of both email and snail mail. This past year our cost of printing 15 sheets in color skyrocketed and it was going to cost about $100 a year per member to receive the newsletter. Everyone chose to go the email route, except for a single member who chose snail mail and paid the rate.
All good? I am in Arizona this month and the WiFi connection is horrible, taking nearly an hour to just download the newsletter. It was finally sent out. Now all I need to do is find out where to mail the single snail mail item! That address is apparently still at home.
I was a member for years with another club but when that cost went to $100 for a printed newsletter four times a year I dropped out.
So, knowing what all is involved with a monthly newsletter and the USCA cost is reasonable for each of us, I would say keep sending it via snail mail.
Gary Shearer
My 2 cents. I am in charge of another club with a monthly newsletter, to several hundred people in the USA and Canada. We had a combination of both email and snail mail. This past year our cost of printing 15 sheets in color skyrocketed and it was going to cost about $100 a year per member to receive the newsletter. Everyone chose to go the email route, except for a single member who chose snail mail and paid the rate.
All good? I am in Arizona this month and the WiFi connection is horrible, taking nearly an hour to just download the newsletter. It was finally sent out. Now all I need to do is find out where to mail the single snail mail item! That address is apparently still at home.
I was a member for years with another club but when that cost went to $100 for a printed newsletter four times a year I dropped out.
So, knowing what all is involved with a monthly newsletter and the USCA cost is reasonable for each of us, I would say keep sending it via snail mail.
Gary Shearer
Quote from Christopher Pachuta on March 30, 2022, 7:32 pmI still prefer a hard copy by mail. I think that the quality of the Sidecarist Magazine is spectacular and I love showing it off to friends and family so they can see the wonderful family that we have.. (beyond my own rig)
Electronic version is nice, but nowadays we have so much on on phones and computers. It's good to actually look forward to getting something in the mailbox other than junk.
Other problems with the electronic version that was possibly eluded too was access and unlawful sharing. What's the point of wanting to becoming a member if you can get all your material for free?
Membership is more than just paying dues for a printed magazine. Membership is a chance at networking and keeping track of our fellow hacks- the few and the proud.
Let's keep them running and ride safe.
-Chris Pachuta (Phila, PA)
I still prefer a hard copy by mail. I think that the quality of the Sidecarist Magazine is spectacular and I love showing it off to friends and family so they can see the wonderful family that we have.. (beyond my own rig)
Electronic version is nice, but nowadays we have so much on on phones and computers. It's good to actually look forward to getting something in the mailbox other than junk.
Other problems with the electronic version that was possibly eluded too was access and unlawful sharing. What's the point of wanting to becoming a member if you can get all your material for free?
Membership is more than just paying dues for a printed magazine. Membership is a chance at networking and keeping track of our fellow hacks- the few and the proud.
Let's keep them running and ride safe.
-Chris Pachuta (Phila, PA)