I did some research using the December 2014 mailing list. This list includes full regular and life members but not associates (because they do not receive publications). Fully 57% of the non-associates have an email address on file with the club. And, I did a little more research and found that better than 90% of the new members we've had join over the last year provided an email address with their application.
There's a trend here folks. Newer members rely more on the internet than those who've been members for many years. That follows suit with national trends, younger folks are more likely to use their electronic devices to obtain the information they want.
Knowing this, my goal is to provide club members an opportunity to obtain a roster using electronic media as the primary source. Our club webmaster is working on this right now. There are advantages to developing an electronically available roster that include:
- With an internet connection, your roster always follows you. No need to remember where you last left it. With four Kaisers, it's always a problem for me!
- It costs the club nothing to produce. Save some money here and have it to use elsewhere - on perhaps another Quarterly.
- Members would be able to add other information to their profile that would not be available in a hard copy due to cost. Think pictures of their cars, a short bio, etc.
That said, we will not forget those who are not internet users. In some fashion, a roster will be made available to them, when and if there is a decision to print hard copies. Remember, there are costs associated with paper and they vary widely depending upon the format used, the number printed, and how they would be delivered.
Ultimately, the final decision around hard copy rosters will be made by the elected board of directors since there would be club funds involved.
