BOF AGAIN

[Electrocuted]

After posting the above I went to the BOF website (actually to look up the White Rose details as I was told it has a Trail O event included) and I noticed the item on the new membership schemehttp://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/index.php?pg=1&action=news&id=MjQ3Mw==&rtn=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5icml0aXNob3JpZW50ZWVyaW5nLm9yZy51ay8=
We could have done with that at last nights Club Committee meeting.
I note that (after the debacle this year where we got younger rather than older) they are doing away with membership cards "because no-one ever asks to see them". I can remember presenting mine when I first started orienteering in the Midlands but very rapidly became recognised and so didn't bother.
Do I take it we all agree?

I've never presented mine at an orienteering event but do all the time in Cotswold to get my 15% discount. How is this going to work? Or is this one of the 'benefits' they will be changing. It would have been nice to have full information before the AGM.

[daffdy]

After posting the above I went to the BOF website (actually to look up the White Rose details as I was told it has a Trail O event included) and I noticed the item on the new membership schemehttp://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/index.php?pg=1&action=news&id=MjQ3Mw==&rtn=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5icml0aXNob3JpZW50ZWVyaW5nLm9yZy51ay8=
We could have done with that at last nights Club Committee meeting.
I note that (after the debacle this year where we got younger rather than older) they are doing away with membership cards "because no-one ever asks to see them". I can remember presenting mine when I first started orienteering in the Midlands but very rapidly became recognised and so didn't bother.
Do I take it we all agree?

I've never presented mine at an orienteering event but do all the time in Cotswold to get my 15% discount. How is this going to work? Or is this one of the 'benefits' they will be changing. It would have been nice to have full information before the AGM.

It seems that Cotswold have been accepting membership cards for a discount, but technically they shouldn't - you are supposed to print out the voucher in the Discounts section of the BOF website. I don't think any of the discounts actually require you to present a membership card.

[Mrs H]

It's an interesting item on the BOF new page. I wonder why, given that it states:

We are seeking to reduce our costs as much as possible

there is no mention of abandoning the production of Focus. Surely this would free up Caroline to do a multitude of actual marketing jobs including getting timely news items on the web page and save oodles money as well

[Electrocuted]

After posting the above I went to the BOF website (actually to look up the White Rose details as I was told it has a Trail O event included) and I noticed the item on the new membership schemehttp://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/index.php?pg=1&action=news&id=MjQ3Mw==&rtn=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5icml0aXNob3JpZW50ZWVyaW5nLm9yZy51ay8=
We could have done with that at last nights Club Committee meeting.
I note that (after the debacle this year where we got younger rather than older) they are doing away with membership cards "because no-one ever asks to see them". I can remember presenting mine when I first started orienteering in the Midlands but very rapidly became recognised and so didn't bother.
Do I take it we all agree?

I've never presented mine at an orienteering event but do all the time in Cotswold to get my 15% discount. How is this going to work? Or is this one of the 'benefits' they will be changing. It would have been nice to have full information before the AGM.

It seems that Cotswold have been accepting membership cards for a discount, but technically they shouldn't - you are supposed to print out the voucher in the Discounts section of the BOF website. I don't think any of the discounts actually require you to present a membership card.

I didn't realise that, but then again, I've had no correspondence addressed to me from BOF since my husband and I took out family membership - everything is addressed to him only. Since from next year we will both be individual members I will be expecting my own copy of everything (saving costs - perhaps not).

[AndyC]

I didn't realise that, but then again, I've had no correspondence addressed to me from BOF since my husband and I took out family membership - everything is addressed to him only. Since from next year we will both be individual members I will be expecting my own copy of everything (saving costs - perhaps not).

BOF website says
"We will still only contact those people who are the ‘default’ member of the membership unit."
-that was specifically about membership renewal- but......

[AndyC]

It's an interesting item on the BOF new page. I wonder why, given that it states:

We are seeking to reduce our costs as much as possible

there is no mention of abandoning the production of Focus. Surely this would free up Caroline to do a multitude of actual marketing jobs including getting timely news items on the web page and save oodles money as well

Do I detect a vested interest my friend?

[Mrs H]

Everything I do for orienteering is voluntary - but I do have a vested interest in the sport

[graeme]

Unless you have it as your homepage I can't think why anyone would go to the BOF site for up to date information about WTOC.
If you didn't know already, Google takes you straight where you want to go.
Two cheers for BOF not wasting my money paying people to work weekends providing redundant services.
(and three cheers for those working weekends unpaid to provide the primary data.)

[Mrs H]

Well as the shop window for the sport to the greater public shouldn't the BOF site try to be topical and newsworthy and up to date - after all someone from outside the sport might be looking

Why waste all your marketing resources preaching to the converted as in the case of Focus?

[AndyC]

Graeme,
your argument is perfectly valid for those of us within the orienteering "community" BUT an outsider hearing about the WTO (maybe, Heaven forfend, a journalist) might expect to find information on (or be easily linked from) the website of the ruling body of the sport. (I wouldn't I'd look at SOA as it was in Scotland but then I'm in the know).
Mrs H and others will confirm that journalists have a low attention span and any hindrance tends to cause them to go somewhere easier losing possible publicity for the sport.
I'd answer your valid comment about not paying a BOF person to update over the weekend when volunteers were doing it for free with the suggestion that a prominent link would have resolved that easily (or an auto update -but I'm not an expert there)

[roadrunner]

After posting the above I went to the BOF website (actually to look up the White Rose details as I was told it has a Trail O event included) and I noticed the item on the new membership schemehttp://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/index.php?pg=1&action=news&id=MjQ3Mw==&rtn=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5icml0aXNob3JpZW50ZWVyaW5nLm9yZy51ay8=
We could have done with that at last nights Club Committee meeting.
I note that (after the debacle this year where we got younger rather than older) they are doing away with membership cards "because no-one ever asks to see them". I can remember presenting mine when I first started orienteering in the Midlands but very rapidly became recognised and so didn't bother.
Do I take it we all agree?

I've never presented mine at an orienteering event but do all the time in Cotswold to get my 15% discount. How is this going to work? Or is this one of the 'benefits' they will be changing. It would have been nice to have full information before the AGM.

It seems that Cotswold have been accepting membership cards for a discount, but technically they shouldn't - you are supposed to print out the voucher in the Discounts section of the BOF website. I don't think any of the discounts actually require you to present a membership card.

The voucher thing was news to me too, although I've not used the BOF card for a discount there for ages since I get the same through my running club. It seems a bit insecure, though - I can't see anything that stops a non-member from printing off the voucher and using it.

[MIE]

Couldn't resist it:

According to the JK2013 flyer there are 2 Easters (or at least 2 JK's ) in 2013.

The first one is the expected date of 28th March to 1st April and will be the dates for JK2013.

The second is 18th April to 21st April 2013 and will host JK2014 in South Wales.

It would appear that there will be no Easter weekend in 2014