Blake J. Discher wrote:
> At 12:13 PM 5/20/2005, Bob Danielson wrote:
>
>> When/why did VTR.org decide to restrict the maintenance section to
>> members only? Did the people who wrote these articles know that
>> distribution was going to be restricted and not available to everyone?
>> I'm just curious for the rationale behind it.
>
>
> Hello listers,
>
> Earlier today I responded in detail to Bob Danielson's inquiry and
> copied the list, but the reply never made it to the list, perhaps due to
> its length. If you are interested in reading my reply, it is at:
> <http://www.vtr.org/danielsonReply.htm>.
Have read the reasoning behind the decision. Sorry, but I don't agree.
Bad idea, Blake.
Doubt it will increase membership, and it might just put people off from
joining. I notice on the front page that VTR has "over 2,200 members."
Isn't that down from about 3,000 four years ago?
Hell, I might not be one of those people who needs the technical pages
at all often, but I've been a prior member, and now I can't view them.
I've been out of work seventeen months--renewing my VTR membership is
way, way down on my list of needs.
Did you poll the people supplying the articles and ask them what they
thought about your intentions? From your reply, it doesn't seem so.
The issue of bandwidth is a legitimate one--but the VTR ought to be
picking that up as a cost of advertising.
As for site management requiring volunteer help, that's pretty much the
case with every aspect of the VTR and its chapters, is it not? I'm not
denigrating your assistance with the site by saying that--but I am
pointing out that volunteer effort with the site is not exceptional to
what goes on in all of the VTR's various other functions.
The worst aspect of this decision, however, is that it furthers a
continuing trend in the VTR (which I think is reflected in declining
membership) to favoring the preservation aspects of the hobby, rather
than favoring the people who drive their cars regularly and maintain
their cars themselves--it denies them the information they need to do
that unless they have the additional disposable income for membership.
Geez, when I owned my first Triumph, I didn't have two spare nickels to
rub together most of the time--it was my only transportation--and nearly
forty years ago, as a new owner of a used Spitfire, trying to keep the
car together and running myself, I really could have used a resource
such as the Maintenance Handbook. That may not be the case today for the
majority of Triumph owners, but it's no way to _develop_ the hobby.
Look at the example of this mailing list--it runs on volunteer effort,
too, and on voluntary contributions to keep it going. Nevertheless, it
(and its rather valuable archives) are available to everyone. That's
because the guy running it likes the cars, and likes the people who do
the same. The VTR, by locking people out of information on the cars,
sends the message that it is only interested in the people who can
afford it.
You really should reconsider.
Cheers.
--
Never let anyone drive you crazy when you know it's within walking
distance....
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