What can our club do for you?

[Dean]

Well guys and gals our club has drastically diminished over the last 5 months or so. I find myself bouncing around various other forums looking for some conversation about reefing, fish keeping , etc... as the posting here has come almost to a complete halt. I see a lot of traffic through out the day but no one posting anywhere. As a member of the board, I would love to hear what we as the BOD can do to rejuvenate our club. Please feel free to voice your concerns and opinions as to what we can do to better serve you and to get our club back to the thriving marine aquarium keeping community that we have all enjoyed in the past.
Please, if you have any ideas and or concerns don't hesitate to post. I am going to continue to update this OP to keep track of all of our ideas and thoughts to make it easier to consolidate them.

Here is the list of OUR agenda:
Generate revenue (To make a lot of the things happen that we want to see we need to generate more revenue.)
- Frag swap entrance fee for everyone ($10.00?)
- Nice logo polo shirts to sell at meetings and events
- Sell raffle tickets for NICE door prizes at the meetings and events Our next raffle will be taking place at our Christmas Social. Details coming soon!
- Encourage renewal/ new charter memberships
- Increase number of sponsorship
- Quarterly frag swaps( encourage more member trading at all of these events), at least two of these to be true to the essence of the hobby and not allow any sales (only trading and giving of coral and equipment).

Encourage new club membership
- Advertising through our sponsors store fronts using business cards, posters, displayed banner. Nanoreefer is actively working on this
- Car stickers
- Advertise the forum / club on Craigslist.
- Hobby newbie forum section to include Q and A section. The BOD is actively working on this. Look for it to be opened up in the next week or two.
- Encourage new member posting on forum not discourage them by flaming or derogatory remarks.
- Would it be beneficial to allow web members to post items for sale?

Liven up our site
- Update the home page weekly with a featured members tank, marine aquarium article, hot topic of forum discussion, newly released equipment on the market, product review news, etc... We are currently working on getting this going. Hoping to announce it for November
- Get Tank of the Month and or Tank of the Quarter back off the ground. We are currently working on getting this going. Hoping to announce it for November
- Get Photo of the Month back off the ground. POTM is back in action! Now we just need you to participate!
- Coral Grow-out Competition It is there!! Get signed up!!

Encourage having at least some of our monthly meetings at members homes to spot light their tank builds, husbandry, hobby experiences, etc...

Get back to having our events!!
- Annual Port Aransas bonfire, critter collection, and social.
- Member/ Sponsor Tank Tour.
- San Antonio Zoo Trip.
- SeaWorld Coral Propagation (behind the scenes) Tour.
- MAAST fishing tournament / trip The "looking for interest" thread is up. I am going to push hard on this after the first of the year and try to plan this for April


This will be an ongoing list, please feel free to add to it. We need to keep in mind that many of these things take revenue and volunteer time so it is imperative that we ALL participate and work together to make them happen. I cant reiterate that enough. That being said, we have some committees that have opening which need to be filled by you. If you are interested in helping with any of these committees please let us know. To my knowledge most of these committees are completely vacant at this time. If i am wrong will those members please come forward to re-stake your spots?

The committee list is as follows:
- Educational Committee- Scutterborn
- Meetings Committee- Pennies2Cents She is seeking a member volunteer to help her plan out our meetings. If you are interested please contact her by PM
- Newsletter Committee- Southern Flame She is seeking a member volunteer to help her compose the monthly newsletter. If you are interested please contact her by PM.
- Marketing Committee- Nanoreefer and BlueKoran 91
- Sponsorship Committee- Pennies2Cents She is seeking a member volunteer to help her visit our current sponsors as well as seek out new ones. If you are interested please contact her by PM
- Tank of the Month and or Quarter - clownfitch/ I am happy to announce that CoryDude would like to continue to head up this committee. He also plans to add to his role a tank highlight series and weekly member tank photos updated on our homepage! If you would like to help please contact him. Thank you CoryDude!

To the BOD and particularly the Officers of the BOD. I sincerely hope that I have not stepped on anyone's toes or over stepped my bounds in starting this thread. Over my few months as being a member of the Board I have seen a drastic drop off in member participation and interest and feel it is my duty as an elected member of the Board to do my part in "Righting the ship" so to speak.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions and ideas so far. Please keep them coming. It would also be great to hear from our new members.

[JimH]

What about a fragging seminar or similar event?

[Dean]

Hey Jim, thank you for your response. We try to hold a monthly educational meeting where we cover various different topics. I believe fragging was covered late last year or early this year but we will definitely hold another fragging meeting in the near future. We have someone looking into getting SeaWorld to hold a coral propagation meeting in the near future as well which would be of course open to all members and free of charge as are all of our other meetings.

[Mike]

Not a criticism, but meetings have been sporatic at best, with most of the focus on the two frag events (let's not call them swaps, since very little trading and all selling goes on) the club has had. Trust me, I have been there, so know what a pain meetings can be to organize and handle. More educational events and things, like tank tours, the Port A trip, etc might help with getting people more involved. Of course with the often poor attendance, it is a two edged sword. Sorry if this comes across as negative.

[allan]

My two pennies... And bear in mind that it's only my opinion.

The problem from my foxhole is that everyone knows everything (of course there's always something to learn).

So what drives a great discussion?

It's the noobs. They come in with questions and bright shiny eyes, and the group descends to assist. Questions and discussions ensue and even the old fossils learn a new thing or two. The new membership has always been the lifeblood of the organization.

New membership?

[JimH]

I agree with Alan. I am in Austin and mostly lurk on MAAST. This is what I see generating activity on ARC: people get excited about new members, about new builds, and about risk takers who are trying new things...

[Dean]

Not a criticism, but meetings have been sporatic at best, with most of the focus on the two frag events (let's not call them swaps, since very little trading and all selling goes on) the club has had. Trust me, I have been there, so know what a pain meetings can be to organize and handle. More educational events and things, like tank tours, the Port A trip, etc might help with getting people more involved. Of course with the often poor attendance, it is a two edged sword. Sorry if this comes across as negative.
That didn't come off as criticism at all Mike. Thank you very much for you input.

My two pennies... And bear in mind that it's only my opinion.

The problem from my foxhole is that everyone knows everything (of course there's always something to learn).

So what drives a great discussion?

It's the noobs. They come in with questions and bright shiny eyes, and the group descends to assist. Questions and discussions ensue and even the old fossils learn a new thing or two. The new membership has always been the lifeblood of the organization.

New membership?
I agree with you 100% Allan. We need to inspire new membership and also embrace them when they come to us for answers to questions and looking for advice. We have the ball rolling on a couple of things to help inspire new membership and of course we are always open to suggestions from all of our members.

I agree with Alan. I am in Austin and mostly lurk on MAAST. This is what I see generating activity on ARC: people get excited about new members, about new builds, and about risk takers who are trying new things...
ARC is a fantastic club with a very tight knit membership. Mike has done a great job there. We could absolutely take a few plays from their book.

[Big_Pun]

Facebook has killed Forums. I find myself on those groups more, not saying they are better but more convenient as they show up on my feed. some groups are little more "adult friendly" and others are very strict. but honestly it's just the ease of having all my groups in one place, includes other hobbies also.
I just pop in and out of maast, just to see what's going on. lately just for sale stuff, few decent threads. not sure what can make people come on here to discuss new things you can just google.

[Bill S]

I like the tank tours and the events.

Yes, I know, it's hard to get people to volunteer for the tank tours. Because no one wants to come across as bragging. We all know there are many great tanks in SA. Volunteer the owners instead. Most everyone would be more than open to the visits.

I also miss the Monday evening chats. They were a ton of fun. I never got much work done.

I'm all for a Sea World or Zoo event again.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

INCREASE TRAFFIC allow webbies to post 1for sale and have it locked (no editing)

SHIRT DESIGN change the shirt design to a black tshirt with a white font hiphop style and also provide polo style MAAST shirt to generate funds. I would like to be able to go to a restaurant with a MAAST shirt. image is everything

DOUBLE the frag swaps and find locations where there is no cost or little cost

INCREASE attention by provide posters, shirts, etc . . . at the sponsor stores




Just some ideas to chat about. Good day

[The_wolfeman]

We've been over this topic many times! People are gonna suggest more meet ups, trips, events etc. you guys will the in return reply with "we'd love to have all those things for the club but we would have to see an interest."

Same old song and dance. Not to step on toes but nothing ever comes of these threads. You guys actually dig your hole deeper by asking what the community wants and then never doing any of it. People want to see their input come to life, even if it's only one out of a hundred, that's progress. So unless something has changed behind the scenes and someone is ready to act on these suggestions I wouldn't hold my breath on an over abundance of activity occurring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Justin]

Great thread. I would agree with many on the thread, that most folks on the site are "lurkers" and come by to check out various threads and what not. I myself for several years am guilty of doing that. I have noticed that I tend to gravitate toward the For Sale forum as I see more topics there than in other areas and my curiosity tends to lead me there.

Prior to posting more frequently on MAAST, I used to go to Nano reef a lot, mainly because of the several tank builds, members are a wealth of knowledge and the comments are more constructive then some folks feedback on ReefCentral and to see the tank of the month write up, builds and photos. To me ReefCentral is the "site of knowledge" with tons of info and pictures for anyone in the hobby to learn from. The problem I have as what I can assume others face, is that is it too intimidating to post stuff on it for fear of harsh negative criticism and the sheer number of people reading it. I think this is where MAAST can truly excel over the other big sites by allowing "newbie" posters to get their feet wet with the concept of blogging and get some suggestions and praise for their efforts.

I would suggest the following ideas for our group:
-Have product reviews and write ups
-Members can present their tank systems via power point to the group.
-Tank tours of members and Sponsor tanks
-Have sponsors come out and do presentations on the following:
Ex. Why they got in their business
Ex. Issues, trends they are seeing in the industry
Ex.Any new product or offerings they have in the "pipe"
-Discuss topics that are not usually covered but "tickle" your imagination to try
Ex. NPS tanks
Ex. Continuous Automatic Feeding systems
Ex. Species specific tanks
Ex. Fish breeding
Ex. Debates like Bare Bottom vs. Sand tanks; Running Skimmer 24 hrs or partial/ not at all
-DIY "showoff" Members show off the details of their best DIY project
-Have an actual Frag Swap, absolutely no selling will take place and it happens once a year

Bottom line, I think if we can get some good dialogue going on at our meetings on some truly unique topics and possible raffles for prizes or discounts from Sponsor groups, it might get the attendance to rise.

Then again, this could all be rambling but it is my .02!

[Bill S]

INCREASE TRAFFIC allow webbies to post 1for sale and have it locked (no editing)

SHIRT DESIGN change the shirt design to a black tshirt with a white font hiphop style and also provide polo style MAAST shirt to generate funds. I would like to be able to go to a restaurant with a MAAST shirt. image is everything

DOUBLE the frag swaps and find locations where there is no cost or little cost

INCREASE attention by provide posters, shirts, etc . . . at the sponsor stores




Just some ideas to chat about. Good day

The "For Sale" section is probably the most debated part of MAAST. Don't disagree on the one post thing, but not sure how you could easily manage it.

One of the things we lost with the "not for profit" thing a few years ago, was the "fun stuff" at meetings. There were raffles and door prizes at every meeting, and there were nice shirts to buy. They aren't expensive, we buy ours from Queensboro - they have polos on sale quite often for $10. And re-orders are a snap, so we don't have to keep a bunch in stock (which has been a problem).

Frag Swaps... Here's where we kind of disagree. If it's a real "swap", instead of a place that gets overwhelmed with vendors and hobbyists with hundreds of frags, I'm all for it. Bring 'em in bags - not big frag tanks. Way simpler too. Bring your old hardware too. Maybe make that a part of regular meetings?

Don't disagree about promoting. If someone would get me posters/flyers, I'm driving around town all of the time, and it would give me an excuse to stop.

[Big_Pun]

We've been over this topic many times! People are gonna suggest more meet ups, trips, events etc. you guys will the in return reply with "we'd love to have all those things for the club but we would have to see an interest."

Same old song and dance. Not to step on toes but nothing ever comes of these threads. You guys actually dig your hole deeper by asking what the community wants and then never doing any of it. People want to see their input come to life, even if it's only one out of a hundred, that's progress. So unless something has changed behind the scenes and someone is ready to act on these suggestions I wouldn't hold my breath on an over abundance of activity occurring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

agree, no one wants to leave their houses lol. seriously everyone is busy with their day to day stuff to invest time in this club, including myself

[Big_Pun]

agree bill the non profit thing is for the birds!! what does it really help the club with

[Dean]

We've been over this topic many times! People are gonna suggest more meet ups, trips, events etc. you guys will the in return reply with "we'd love to have all those things for the club but we would have to see an interest."

Same old song and dance. Not to step on toes but nothing ever comes of these threads. You guys actually dig your hole deeper by asking what the community wants and then never doing any of it. People want to see their input come to life, even if it's only one out of a hundred, that's progress. So unless something has changed behind the scenes and someone is ready to act on these suggestions I wouldn't hold my breath on an over abundance of activity occurring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very valid points and thank you for bringing them up wolfman. Your honesty and concern are very much appreciated! I can tell you that we as the BOD genuinely want to see this club thrive. Please keep in mind that having a successful club does not only rest in the hands of the board but the membership as well. We have had meetings pretty much every month (unfortunately some of the more fun ones were cancelled)and have had very little to no participation or attendance from the general membership. It would be much easier to get the club going again when we get participation from everyone. Our monthly Educational Meetings as well as our Quarterly BOD Meetings are open to the public. Even if someone thinks " Well I don't need to know anymore than I do about fish parasites.." that doesn't mean that their attendance to the meeting where they bring there experience and knowledge into the conversation wouldn't make for an even more interesting and enjoyable meeting. We encourage everyone to come to these meetings and bring anyone who may have an interest with you also. We need participation!

I completely understand what you mean by the BOD not following through with some events in the past and just letting time slip away until it is too late to act. In fact I started this thread hoping to get some rejuvenation for the club and some feedback from everyone! If something isn't happening that the membership wants to see happen then by all means it needs to be made public. We need to hear your voices telling us what you would like to see happen! It was your votes that put us in these positions to make the things you want to happen, happen. So tell us what you want to see happen! This isn't "the same old song and dance" as not everyone on the board has been in that position for long and perhaps the topic has been raised many times but I promise you all of the feedback is NOT falling on deaf ears. I apologize to the general membership that the BOD has been suffering a lack of "follow thru" over the past 6 or 7 months and on the behalf of the BOD I am here to say that is no longer going to be an issue. We just need you to give us the opportunity to make it happen.

So please everyone, give us some guidance as to what direction you would like to see the club go in and give us the opportunity to make those things happen!

Thank you very much for your feedback and honesty!

On another note. Most of our committees have vacant volunteer spots. Please be thinking to yourselves whether or not you would like to volunteer some of your time to the club to help us make MAAST a club we can all enjoy. There will be more on this to come.

[Dean]

agree, no one wants to leave their houses lol. seriously everyone is busy with their day to day stuff to invest time in this club, including myself

I am sure there are plenty of members who do have a couple of hours a month to spend in support of the club. There always has been and I am sure there always will be. I wish you felt differently about it as you have tons of experience and knowledge in the hobby and would be a great asset on a committee or as a BOD member. You would also have a lot to bring to the table in our monthly meetings.

[Big_Pun]

I am sure there are plenty of members who do have a couple of hours a month to spend in support of the club. There always has been and I am sure there always will be. I wish you felt differently about it as you have tons of experience and knowledge in the hobby and would be a great asset on a committee or as a BOD member. You would also have a lot to bring to the table in our monthly meetings.

a lot of people who where true hobbyist and not here to just make buck are gone, passion for the hobby is gone. I'm even a lil burned out a little. when I see posts for meetings I just skip over them, the last couple of years seems like all energy and time has been put in to "policing" members, think that had a lot to do with it also.

[Dean]

a lot of people who where true hobbyist and not here to just make buck are gone, passion for the hobby is gone. I'm even a lil burned out a little. when I see posts for meetings I just skip over them, the last couple of years seems like all energy and time has been put in to "policing" members, think that had a lot to do with it also.
I know some things in the MAAST past has put a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths but we will get passed it. Where I am sure some hobbyists get burnt out and move on to other things I can assure you that the hobby is alive and well and the club will get back on its feet. Its time to put differences behind us and embrace the hobby that brings us all together.

[Pennies2Cents]

Great thread.

Ex. Debates like Bare Bottom vs. Sand tanks; Running Skimmer 24 hrs or partial/ not at all



This sounds very familiar! :) Lol.

[Flyride95]

In order to increase traffic you have to be able to compete with Facebook.
Web members I feel should be able to post items for sale. They just post it in trade right now to you are gaining nothing but keeping that member away from the forums.
In order to bring income in just charge more for the events. Charge 10$ to get into a frag swap or 25$ for a membership. And have 4 frag swaps a year. So either you will make 10$ off there one visit or 25$ member.
Giveaways at the frag swaps. Back in the day there was Rodi units or protein skimmers or gift cards given away. It was a ton of fun. Sell raffle tickets for those items.

In order to get more people interested do like I said to do last year. Each month go to one of our sponsors locations and hand out flyers and put a maast banner up so that way they know there is a place to go to. I'm quit sure the sponsors would love this.
And last but not least bring back the port aransas trip! It was depressing that it did not happen this year. You don't have to make it expensive just have knowledgeable people to go out there and do some netting and a non fire.

[Flyride95]

Btw I found maast by searching on facebook for answers about my gha. I had no clue via the stores. We I think need to fix that and get our name out.

[furam28]

I found out about Maast from JJ at Zephyr. Thank you JJ. One thing MAAST can do: order some decals that say "MAAST Sponsor" and hand it out to shops so they can stick them on their store windows. Good way to get the name out.

Also, the site doesn't have the "alive" look and feel. Maybe its the fonts and the color scheme. Maybe its because the images in posts are low resolution. Maybe its the 2014 Q1 TOTQ image on the homepage that hasn't changed in a while even though its almost Q4. If you see something different on the homepage every time you visit the site: it gives the impression that the site is alive.

[Zack]

If we take away charge exclusivity of sales than what more do they have? No stores offer discounts, the equipment library is rundown and no more real high ticket raffles. Sales rights are really the only thing charters have, seeing as how webbies get in for 5$ to sell at the swaps I don't thing taking that privilege away would be good.

[Flyride95]

I agree. That is why I said to raise the frag swaps to 4 times a year and charge 10$ for Web members.

[Flyride95]

Btw guys there was a reptile expo here in San Antonio. I don't know if any of you guys have ever been but it basically is the same thing as a frag swap and they charge 10$.

[Mike]

BTW, as a non profit, we can have raffles twice a year and there is no reason we can't do door prizes anytime. Membership is $25 and correct me if I am wrong, but we have not even been charging members or web members any fee for the frag "swaps". Even when the club was paying $ for food.

As you said, that was in the past, so let's move forward.

[Scutterborn]

Mike, we charge at the door. Every person who went to the swap last month was signed in and paid the correct entry fee. I'll admit I did let two ladies in who were simply waiting for their husbands at the record show next door. They didn't have any idea who or what we were about and were curious.

Now, with that being said, the frag swaps are horrible from a financial aspect. The rent for the hall is around $180. The food was $564. We had 3 new charter member sign up as well as a new sponsor. That's means we we lost several hundred dollars doing the swap. I really don't mind spending the money on the club meeting but I need to remain financially responsible for the club as well.

The catering is what kills us. We'd pretty much break even if it wasn't for the food.

I propose we go back the the good old days and start up doing a potluck food system again.

[Scutterborn]

Also, I'm astonished that anyone wants more for sale posts on this website. Honestly, I spend less time on this site due to them. I've tried starting posts to excite the crowd. I dunno. Seems like everyone is selling and buying and just on auto pilot.

Without participation in forums other than the "classifieds" how can we ever expect people to get excited?

[Poor Boy]

a few suggestions that were inspired by other clubs...

* Motorcycles
* Removing Competition
* Partnerships with other clubs (for our gain)
* Gun Running
* Smuggling (frags of course) :wink_smile:
* Prospects (same as a noob, but they do stuff for ya.)

[Dean]

Thanks everyone for your input and replies. Please keep them coming. MAAST is what it's members make of it and i am confident that we can throw some spark back into it and get off the ground running. It is time to pull together and make it happen. I am keeping a running list of ideas and thoughts that everyone has and will hopefully continue to provide which will ALL be presented to the BOD inour next upcoming meetings. I emphatically encourage everyone and anyone who wants to see MAAST become a club that we can all enjoy to attend these BOD meetings and support the club by attending the monthly educational meetings.

Here is the list of OUR agenda:
-To make a lot of the things happen that we want to see we need to generate more revenue. Frag swap entrance fee for everyone ($10.00?), nice logo polo shirts to sell at meetings and events, sell raffle tickets for NiCE door prizes at the meetings and events, renewal/ new charter memberships, increase number of sponsorship, quarterly frag swaps( encourage more member trading at all of these events), at least two of these to be true to the essence of the hobby and not allow any sales (only trading and giving of coral and eqiupment).

- Encourage new club membership. Advertising through our sponsors store fronts using business cards, posters, displayed banner. Hobby newbie forum section to include Q and A section. Encourage new member posting on forum not discourage them by flaming or derogatory remarks. Would it be beneficial to allow web members to post items for sale?

- Liven up our site. Update the home page weekly with a featured members tank, marine aquarium article, hot topic of forum discussion, newly released equipment on the market, product review news, etc...

- Get Tank of the Month and or Tank of the Quarter back off the ground. New committee members needed?

- Encourage having at least some of our monthly meetings at members homes to spot light their tank builds, husbandry, hobby experiences, etc...

- Get back to having our events!! Annual Port Aransas bonfire, critter collection, and social. Tank Tour. San Antonio Zoo Trip, SeaWorld Coral Propagation (behind the scenes) Tour.


This will be an ongoing list, please feel free to add to it. We need to keep in mind that many of these things take revenue and volunteer time so it is imperitive that we ALL particpite and work together to make them happen. I cant reiterate that enough. That being said, we have some committees that have opening which need to be filled by you. If you are interested in helping with any of these committes please let us know. To my knowledge most of these committes are completely vacant at this time. If i am wrong will those members please come forward to restake your spots? The committe list is as follows:
- Educational Committee
- Meetings Committee
- Newsletter Committee- Southern Flame has done a great job but due to what i feel like is a lack of member interest she has not composed a newsletter for us in a while. Hopefully she will maintain this committee but might like some help.
- Marketing Committee
- Sponsorship Committee
- Tank of the Month and or Quarter - I am happy to announce that CoryDude would like to continue to head up this committee. If you would like to help please contact him.

To the BOD and particularly the Officers of the BOD. I sincerely hope that i have not stepped on anyones toes or over stepped my bounds in starting this thread. Over my few months as being a member of the Board I have seen a drastic drop off in member participation and interest and feel it is my duty as an elected member of the Board to do my part in "Righting the ship" so to speak.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions and ideas so far. Please keep them coming. It would also be great to hear from our new members.

[Dkray944]

I would agree with some of these post. I moved to TX 3.5 yrs ago and have been in the hobby for over 10yrs. I went to some of the local fish stores every Saturday morning looking for unique coral and not once did I see anything promoting MAAST. The only reason I found MAAST is because I searched for saltwater clubs in the San Antonio area and finally came across it. I was looking for people that shared the same passion. I think in order for us to grow the club we have to get our LFS involved in promoting it. Maybe it's as simple has handing out fliers with the receipt once a month. Also I attended the latest frag swap but to be honest wasn't really able to connect with anyone other then the sellers. Everybody had name tags on which is good however I know everyone based off their web name. So maybe next time we'll have everybody write both. The other thing I think we need to do better at the swaps is promote actual trading vs buying and selling. I think the venders were great so I think we should continue to have them but I also think we should have a trade only section. Everybody that comes(including sellers) brings a bag with a picture of the mother colony. The frags could then be placed in sections according to value. If you see one you like you could swap yours out. I think the key to any successful club is attracting new members and building relationships within. Hopefully this helps.

[furam28]

On a side note, a lot of newbies search for saltwater corals and hardware on craigslist. One member of the BOD can take the responsibility to make one monthly post on craigslist about MAAST so newbies can discover us. Of course don't spam... no one likes spammers!

SAOSA does it for their FB page and seems they have been quite successful: http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/for/4624924655.html

[Poor Boy]

let me get serious for a second. this might help the post count and the selling issue.

why not set it up to where you need a certain amount of posts and have to be a member for a certain amount of time before the selling forums even open up. say 150 posts and 2 months.

you could also set up a trade rating system so new cats and old schools can know who is safe to sell to and who isnt.

just an idea...

[Zack]

Poor boy, there is a rating system! It opened up a few months ago and has run very smoothly :)

[Big_Pun]

let me get serious for a second. this might help the post count and the selling issue.

why not set it up to where you need a certain amount of posts and have to be a member for a certain amount of time before the selling forums even open up. say 150 posts and 2 months.

you could also set up a trade rating system so new cats and old schools can know who is safe to sell to and who isnt.

just an idea...

been done in past,

[JamieP]

I check r2r most days and I find what keeps me interested in that sight is the vendor forums. They're always posting interesting topics to think about or try. There are always pics of corals up that I have never seen before. The vendors keep that site fresh and the site allows the vendors lots of room to do what they can to promote their sites.
RC is more of a serious site with lots of rules and I use it as more of a I have this problem what should I do.
It would be great to be a little of both here on Maast.
I have no idea who the experts on all the different types of corals are that I could turn to with a specific problem. I have tons of shrooms from the mundane red discosoma to the wwc bounce, but I don't know who wants or cares to talk about the difference between a wwc bounce and a pz godspawn.

[jrsatx20]

Allowing to sell with certain amount of post

The problem with this is....

New Web members will post things like "cool" "nice" "looks good" just to get their posts up. Too much moderating to do.


Waiting the months new members just won't wait the time

[350gt]

Better than not posting at all IMO..... It bumps threads, and gets the site going(hopefully)...

Has this ever been implemented on this site?

I mean, how many years have we wondering how to get the site moving?.....

And it wasnt recent activities that left a bad taste in ppl's mouths...

When i bought my tank used in 2010, i heard the same stuff from the seller and about the politics of the site.... He was tired of it and leaving the site....

[Dean]

And it wasnt recent activities that left a bad taste in ppl's mouths...

I have personally spoken to quite a few people who have indeed left the club in light of recent drama which is what I was referring to. At this point that is all in the past and not the purpose of the thread. I'm hoping to hear some positive feed back on what can be done to generate more club interest. Any ideas?

[350gt]

Well its good they left....
Instead of sticking around and trying to get things turned around they tuck tail and run cause of a little drama...

[350gt]

Funny how since they left and a few others, the drama has stopped..

[Big_Pun]

I have personally spoken to quite a few people who have indeed left the club in light of recent drama which is what I was referring to. At this point that is all in the past and not the purpose of the thread. I'm hoping to hear some positive feed back on what can be done to generate more club interest. Any ideas?

you haven't been around long enough to know full story of everything that has gone on here, some stuff was even before I got here.
the thing is this hobby has a high turn over rate and many have burned out, all the newbs seem to just wanna sell frags and make that a goal to pay for the hobby, as I've said not many true hobbyist left. social media has changed and forums all seem to be slowing down. Sorry but even most of the current BOD seem ready for jan 1st to get here.
the forum has tried everything no one wants to go meetings when you can get info on YouTube or Google, I did like the old days when we had door prizes and raffles at meetings.

[Big_Pun]

Funny how since they left and a few others, the drama has stopped..

it's been nice without them

[Dean]

you haven't been around long enough to know full story of everything that has gone on here, some stuff was even before I got here.

I am not really concerned with all of the history of past drama and not really sure why my length of club membership has any relevance. I'm seeking interest in the club moving forward. Do you have any positive ideas on how we can all work together moving forward towards rebuilding comradery in our club and generating new interest?

[Dean]

Well its good they left....
Instead of sticking around and trying to get things turned around they tuck tail and run cause of a little drama...
Yep. Any ideas on how the club moves forward ?

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Dean I would like to thank you for everything you do volunteering your time. You are an active member and attend the meetings. You make a good leader.
We need more Deans. This is positive thread looking for ideas to be successful. A lot of people here have a ton of passion, are positive, and have bright ideas.
Find those people and you will find your good ideas. Facebook has become very successful. You need to do a study on the successes and bring it here.
I have been surfing facebook. If you want to chat about anything there lmk.

[ktipp]

I didnt read all five previous pages but has anyone looked into why other forums work? Is anyone on another good forum who can chime in on why successful? Likes and dislikes. Maybe take some good from that...

I have learned alot from this site. The members have all been helpful. I have yet to run i to any drama.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Just some ideas to chat about

Start a facebook thread where members can post their ideas of what they like. Who knew about the new artificial reef in Corpus?
Who knew that it is now illegal to import any of the 20 species of coral recently listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)?
Start another thread where you can bring information and education from web and facebook to here. endless topics
Merge and consolidate forums. How many know of the frag swaps in other towns? Who knew about the Corpus frag swap?
There is so much information. The information is endless. Bring it here.
Start a window into facebook and www. Take it to the next level. Doing the same will result in the same results.
Out with the old ideas and in with the new ideas.

[allan]

...and not really sure why my length of club membership has any relevance. ?

I don't think Chris was being confrontational, but length of time will always yield an understanding of all the ideas brought up in the past, success and failures of those initiatives. It's all there for the reading pleasure of all, but it's a lot to read and most won't.

When folks suggest webbies selling on the site after a few months or a certain post count, well that's an old idea that we used to have here on MAAST. It's a nightmare to mod that. Most of the old timers remember those times, although most of the nightmare was behind the scenes.

MAAST wasn't/isn't a place designed to sell, bottom line. But we keep circling back to it. Perhaps MAAST has become the k-mart to face books Walmart.

The problem I have with Facebook is that historical conversations become buried. So there's constantly a reiteration of past topics to provide updates. I'm a FB member of a group for dobermans, but there's not any long builds or topics, just updates and stuff. Although, because of the nature of FB, every few weeks someone else is bringing up raw diets, cropped ears, or loose leash training.

[alton]

MAAST is a reflection of its members, more have torn down there tanks and sold them then have set up new ones. BOD will have to start visiting stores and place cards /posters/ banners to get the newbies coming into the market to join MAAST to keep it going. I have been here on MAAST for a long time, some good, some bad, and some I do not want to bring up. We are just going through strange time where more are leaving the hobby then are coming in and we have to change that. Whether you call it a meeting or a sponsor visit but once a month something needs to be held and advertised at our sponsors stores, if nothing else we pick up newbies coming through the door. I challenge everyone to make the next meeting at Terry's store, one to show a sponsor why they should continue to sponsor and two to show MAAST still maters.

[Southern Flame]

^^+1 Alton


90 gal reef <3 250 build<3
MAAST

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Alton do you think its too much to ask which BOD/MOD and all people elected either directly or indirectly,
will be attending meetings before the meetings happen? On a regular basis.
You may find the information to be interesting. I accept your challenge Alton.
If its during a Cowboys football gm ill have to dvr it. :)
I like the challenge Alton. By the way my family has 6 tanks in the house. The passion has never left.
In fact the passion has grown. Mostly by expanding and exploring more than just the tank.
I believe I will have to add a room to my fish room. :)

There is a corpus frag swap Oct11, To make the meeting Oct 12, I am going to try.

[alton]

Alton do you think its too much to ask which BOD/MOD and all people elected either directly or indirectly,
will be attending meetings before the meetings happen? On a regular basis. If half of the BOD cannot make a meeting or a get together at a Sponsors store what kind of message is then sent to the members who do show and do not see there BOD in attendance?

You may find the information to be interesting. I accept your challenge Alton.

If its during a Cowboys football gm ill have to dvr it. Have the meeting on Saturday?

Yesterdays game was fun, I only watched the second half, but of course the Cowboys only played in the second half so it worked out perfect.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Oct 11 is a mandatory quarterly event to be held by all bod. Correct me if I am wrong.
Notice how I brought in the idea of the mod too. I never see them. They are able to moderate but not attend meetings.?

[Dean]

Oct 11 is a mandatory quarterly event to be held by all bod. Correct me if I am wrong.
Notice how I brought in the idea of the mod too. I never see them. They are able to moderate but not attend meetings.?
Shane the BOD meeting date has been changed to October 12th to coincide with the monthly meeting. And yes, as you know it is a mandatory meeting for the BOD. We also highly encourage ALL members of the club / site to attend the BOD meeting. All voices need to be heard! Our club's successes will be greater with more member participation in these meetings.

I also want to thank you for the kind words in a previous post Shane.

[Big_Pun]

Shane so you believe that part of the problem is lack of some BOD participation, that's what i gather from your questions? if so why didn't you stay on the board and continue to help the club, also why are you a web member still and not charter to show your support ?

[Big_Pun]

so what does the " not for profit "status do for club. also would the club be able to do more things if it dropped that identification?

[Dean]

I don't think Chris was being confrontational, but length of time will always yield an understanding of all the ideas brought up in the past, success and failures of those initiatives. It's all there for the reading pleasure of all, but it's a lot to read and most won't.

I promise you that the last thing I am looking for is confrontation. I have respect for Chris and Tony both. They bring a lot to the site and have the potential to bring a lot to the club. My point was that it is time to leave the past behind us and move forward.

I have read a lot of the old threads with a similar topic to this one. The major difference between those and this one is that the membership is constantly changing with people leaving the hobby and new people coming in to the hobby. If we don't request ideas from the club members on a regular basis and also not follow thru with those ideas then the site/ club ends up where it is now. So I think it is important to hear from everyone, even if some of the ideas have been brought up many times in the past.

Seeing how much interest this thread has generated is very encouraging. Please keep the thoughts flowing.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Shane so you believe that part of the problem is lack of some BOD participation, that's what i gather from your questions? if so why didn't you stay on the board and continue to help the club, also why are you a web member still and not charter to show your support ?

Chris Im glad you asked, DJ and I are very busy and we had talked together and felt it was in the best interest of MAAST if we had someone with the same passion for MAAST but with the ability of more time. We both are very busy and we both decided to step down and allow a great opportunity for another member. I do believe that the MOD joining in the meetings will help the BOD tremendously and also will improve the site. So yes. We need the MOD in the meetings.
Im glad you asked Chris. Chris I had to ask you arent you on a BOD too?
You have a lot of skills and I know you would attend all the meetings.

[allan]

Hmm, I've always seen moderators at the meetings before, Shane, so I'm a little confused as to your comments.

But at the very least, for the sake of conversation, the moderators are under no obligation to attend. No one is, save for the BOD, under any kind of obligation to attend any meetings.

Where you stipulate that mod attendance would help tremendously, doesn't really hold water. It hasn't had a positive or negative effect lately. Nor can the success of the previous years be associated to the attendance of a few moderators.

Re-read Alton's post. He's got the right of it.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Allan you havent been at the meetings. I allways respect you Allan cause your taller than me. Just having fun
I allways said you would make a good leader but if you never attend why should the MOD.

Now getting back on track wouldnt it be nice to see who actually is going to attend? so members can see before the meeting

[Zack]

so what does the " not for profit "status do for club. also would the club be able to do more things if it dropped that identification?

I've always wondered that, as it certainly does open up possibilities, however, if I'm not mistaken it prevents us from paying taxes at the end of the year (don't quote me on that).

[jcnkt_ellis]

I've always wondered that, as it certainly does open up possibilities, however, if I'm not mistaken it prevents us from paying taxes at the end of the year (don't quote me on that).

From what I've been able to glean, we are classified as a Social Club and not a tax exempt Non-Profit. More info is still needed to really know what we are.

[Dean]

MAAST is a reflection of its members, more have torn down there tanks and sold them then have set up new ones. BOD will have to start visiting stores and place cards /posters/ banners to get the newbies coming into the market to join MAAST to keep it going. I have been here on MAAST for a long time, some good, some bad, and some I do not want to bring up. We are just going through strange time where more are leaving the hobby then are coming in and we have to change that. Whether you call it a meeting or a sponsor visit but once a month something needs to be held and advertised at our sponsors stores, if nothing else we pick up newbies coming through the door. I challenge everyone to make the next meeting at Terry's store, one to show a sponsor why they should continue to sponsor and two to show MAAST still maters.

Great post Alton. Those thoughts would make you a great candidate for leading the Sponsorship Committee. :)
You are one of our club's pillars for sure. Thank you for all that you have done for us.

[allan]

Allan you havent been at the meetings. I allways respect you Allan cause your taller than me. Just having fun
I allways said you would make a good leader but if you never attend why should the MODs

Uh, that's is untrue. Unless you're referring to the last year in which I've lived in Dallas.

When I was down there, as a mod, I've been to the meetings, and have seen many other mods at them as well.

But to get to the brass tacks, MODs aren't required to go to the meetings. It's not in the job description. Although I do think they should attend as members, as any other member, their status as a mod has absolutely no standing whatsoever in whether they attend or not.

You're comparing apples to oranges. Getting membership up, more of an attendance at the meetings, but most of all, most important of all, get the discussions on MAAST flowing again. That's what you should be focusing on.


But we get back to you asking that one little question, that one little thing that's tickling the back of your mind. Should we know ahead of time who will attend.

We've always ran some sort of sign up for the larger events, and even the minor events tend to have a litany of folks committing to attendance. So why do you keep sounding off with the same question over and again?

[350gt]

That would be a start...

Getting to the LfS's with a banner and cards..

Ive talked to a few peeps recently at lFS's that had no idea maast existed..

[allan]

That would be a start...

Getting to the LfS's with a banner and cards..

Ive talked to a few peeps recently at lFS's that had no idea maast existed..

Tony, right? I always forget the names behind the screw names.

You know I met Kristy for the first time outside AD and she had a sign up booth searching for new membership. The thing is a club like this can't run on auto pilot. It takes active commitment from its officers and committee members to keep it running and growing.

Early on the intent of the club was (one of the intents anyway) to get Macna to San Antonio. I believe their response at the time was to hold a few large conventions to see how we did. We did one and it failed. Our local community wasn't large enough and we didn't attract the throngs that typically attend Macna.

It does seem if our interest in the hobby has declined over the years.

[allan]

Dani,

Welcome back. Sorry if your request for information went unanswered. You actually reported the sticky that outlines the for sale thread rules.

As a webby, you can only trade (which it looks like your intent) which occurs in the trading forum.

I'm fixing to move your post above but will leave a link so you can find it later. Just look at the top and it will have the "for trade" link at the top of the page in the new location.

[Dean]

I check r2r most days and I find what keeps me interested in that sight is the vendor forums. They're always posting interesting topics to think about or try. There are always pics of corals up that I have never seen before. The vendors keep that site fresh and the site allows the vendors lots of room to do what they can to promote their sites.
RC is more of a serious site with lots of rules and I use it as more of a I have this problem what should I do.
It would be great to be a little of both here on Maast.
I have no idea who the experts on all the different types of corals are that I could turn to with a specific problem. I have tons of shrooms from the mundane red discosoma to the wwc bounce, but I don't know who wants or cares to talk about the difference between a wwc bounce and a pz godspawn.

You should start a thread anytime you would like to have a conversation! If everyone would do that then we would constantly have tons to talk about. As far as mushrooms I would be willing to bet that most reefers in MAAST have a mushroom or 1200 in their display tanks. :)

Please don't hesitate to start a new discussion topic! In fact I am patiently waiting to participate in one that concerns the differences between a WWC Bounce and pz godspawn. :)

[BBQHILLBILLY]

this should of been moved lol the quote is below:shades:

[Dean]

Sorry shane but you lost me with that one. LOL



On a side note I will continue updating the opening post of this thread with all of the ideas and feed back so that we can insure everyone's ideas are discussed and considered in our upcoming meetings. If for some reason you don't feel comfortable posting to this thread but want to share an idea or thought feel free to send it to m via PM.

[jrsatx20]

Shane you keep saying all this stuff is on facebook. I dont have a facebook. So why dont you start a thread about what you have seen or heard on fb. Btw ya your post was in the wrong section. We are discussing getting the site back on track. "What can our club do for you".

[Dean]

I dont have a facebook.

I don't either. Facebook crosses the line of privacy too much for me. I think the forum arena best suits the need of a Hobby Club.

[jrsatx20]

lmar was a bomb for whatever reasons. but since then we havent gained any new non local sponsors. dont know if word of mouth hurt us, or we are just not marketing ourselves correctly.

hard not to bring up the past, the past has gotten us here and we need to learn from it.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Shane you keep saying all this stuff is on facebook. I dont have a facebook. So why dont you start a thread about what you have seen or heard on fb. Btw ya your post was in the wrong section. We are discussing getting the site back on track. "What can our club do for you".

Thats fine Ruben. all good. Thank you

[alton]

lmar was a bomb for whatever reasons. but since then we havent gained any new non local sponsors. dont know if word of mouth hurt us, or we are just not marketing ourselves correctly.

hard not to bring up the past, the past has gotten us here and we need to learn from it.

Some sponsors look at us as competition because of all our coral sales

[BBQHILLBILLY]

do i have the right place here

My Rastas and Utter Chaos are doing awesome. The purple death palys, amognst the other zoas are rocking.
Tha passion is stronger than ever. I need to get my hands on the ultimate chaos. Hopefully theres on in corpus for me.
Whos going to corpus? o yea Who's passion has dwindled? The only thing that drives me nutz is my rodi.
I have to get a new membrane. O yea my pellets are driving me crazy. I need to try one of those allinone pellet.
My tangs are growing bigger. I know im gonna need a bigger tank than my 7ft 210. hmm
There is so many awesome fragsters out there. Its nice to see what everybody is growing in there tanks.
You should assign a surfer to bring in all these ideas from facebook and web and do random posting of information in another thread.


lol this is confusing. This is just a brainstorm between jobs. What I was trying to say is that the interest in the hobby is stronger than its ever been. It has not declined. Members are not posting here. So if this is all you do is surf MAAST, I can see where you would come to the conclusion that there is a lack of interest in the hobby. I hope that helps a little from what I was trying to say. lol my bad

[jrsatx20]

Thank you shane. Move along you still don't get the thread.

[slm222]

I'm sure this has been covered and if so or if this is the wrong place then let me know and I will delete my comment. But as an outsider the biggest thing I notice and would turn me off to frequenting the site, if I hadn't joined and saw how great the site was when Allan, ace and soo many others where contributing and had a tank, is all the bickering and the alienating. Why would I want to join or contribute when I could be flamed for a future hypothetical post.

One thing I saw here in corpus during the summer was an ARC member, I knew this because they had a vinyl sticker on the back of their car. It was cool to see there are others out there all over the place who are into this money eating hobby like you are. Little things like that are free advertising for the site.

[jrsatx20]

We had discussed stickers long time ago, but I don't think it ever got off the ground.

[Dean]

Car stickers is a good idea. I added it to the advertising list of to do's.

[Pennies2Cents]

We actually had some.. Although not many.. I believe they were being sold at one point. Sherri might have 1 or 2 if any left.

[alton]

Let see new MAAST Polo shirts, window stickers, beach towels, speedos(where did that blast of the past go?)

[350gt]

Put me down for some speedos

[Dean]

Put me down for some speedos

We will pass out the speedos at the fishing tournament along with the large brimmed bahama momma beach hats.

[Pennies2Cents]

Uhhh Oh!

[Scutterborn]

We will pass out the speedos at the fishing tournament along with the large brimmed bahama momma beach hats.

With that comment I'm tagging back in!

[350gt]

Im fine with speedos and some blue blockers..

[FireWater]

Only if we have MAAST socks to go with my sandals.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Jogging pants -> black with white hip hop design -> ill buy

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Its not a bad idea to find someone who can print (that doesnt cost much). The money would goto MAAST hopefully to bring in professional speakers and pay for the events. It really is a good idea.

[Bill S]

GaryP had a MAAST Speedo/thong at the Sea World event...

Oh, and I used to have a MAAST sticker on my car!

[350gt]

Only if we have MAAST socks to go with my sandals.

Lol like u dont have some already

[Dean]

The opening post has been edited to reflect our work in progress.
Please feel free to volunteer if you can help out with any of the listed committees. Your help will make all of the difference in the world. We need you!

Also, rsvp for our October 12th meeting! We hold these for all of you, the least you can do is come to them. :)

[Dean]

The opening post has again been edited to reflect our work in progress.
Please feel free to volunteer if you can help out with any of the listed committees. Your help will make all of the difference in the world. We need you!

Also, rsvp for our October 12th meeting! We hold these for all of you, the least you can do is come to them. :)

[Kristy]

We did stickers for cars and they were gorgeous. I sadly am driving a new car since then but Mike's has held up nicely. Please print more and I'll happily buy another.

[Dean]

We did stickers for cars and they were gorgeous. I sadly am driving a new car since then but Mike's has held up nicely. Please print more and I'll happily buy another.

I will definitely look into these. Thanks!

[Kristy]

You should be able to find all the details about those stickers in the front office forums. Shoot me a text if you have questions. If I recall correctly, the vendor was someone John (firewater) and Jack (txav8r) knew and they were able to get us a good deal.

And hurry please... I miss mine! :)

[FireWater]

All the info for shirts, cards, stickers, and all the other stuff I did is in the front office under media or marketing I believe.

[Dean]

All the info for shirts, cards, stickers, and all the other stuff I did is in the front office under media or marketing I believe.

Yes sir. Found it. Thanks.

[FireWater]

No prob. I can still get a hold of the guy that did the stickers. He's in Schertz right off I 35.

[Dean]

Seeking approval from our higher power. :)

[Mr Cob]

I breezed through the thread and noticed some talk relating to the not for profit status. If I remember correctly the only reason MAAST ever moved forward with that status was in the hopes of hosting a MACNA one day.

I thinks it's very obvious that we are a LONG ways away from that.

So perhaps that might be a good place to start in both the front office and with the membership. Start knocking out the pros and cons of not for profit.

Maybe that really is hurting the club? Honestly I don't see us being ready (if ever) to host a MACNA. I believe this was originally Big bird's vision for the club way back when which seemed very premature considering we could barely get LMAR off the ground.

[Big_Pun]

what are the benefits of non profit to this club?

[Zack]

If I'm not mistaken, we do not have any status currently. We used to be a social club but not anymore
if I'm not mistaken. Don't quote me on that. Was there any specific benefits you guys were looking at that we could not obtain previously?

[Zack]

I know we are reviewing all the documents to see where we stand.

[Mr Cob]

what are the benefits of non profit to this club?
Good question. I can't think of any if we do not plan to host huge events like MACNA.

[Zack]

What benefits do you guys feel is missing from the status?

[Dean]

As promised, the opening post has been updated with our progress. Take a look and throw us some feedback!

[Zack]

Bumping this up! We're gonna have a whole bunch of new board members and officers so what do you guys want to see done in 2015!??

[kkiel02]

What about a large meeting with Austin reef club? Let's see do something to get people excited again. Also maybe we should ask our lfs to help promote our website. We need to get the word out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kkiel02]

I wouldn't mind trying to bring in some higher end coral suppliers but I wouldn't want it to turn out like tmac where it left us with a black eye. Let me know what the board thinks and if you want me to send out feelers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cammed_02]

What about a large meeting with Austin reef club? Let's see do something to get people excited again. Also maybe we should ask our lfs to help promote our website. We need to get the word out.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Several LFS have been contacted and we have implemented ways to help get the word out about MAAST.


I wouldn't mind trying to bring in some higher end coral suppliers but I wouldn't want it to turn out like tmac where it left us with a black eye. Let me know what the board thinks and if you want me to send out feelers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think the problem with this is not enough people are willing to spend the cash on the higher end stuff to make it worthwhile to the suppliers. I will definitely bring this up to the Board and get everyone's thoughts. Thanks for the feedback Kevin, it's always welcome.

[Dean]

What about a large meeting with Austin reef club? Let's see do something to get people excited again. Also maybe we should ask our lfs to help promote our website. We need to get the word out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We are working on some ideas to get MAAST membership participation in our monthly meetings up and then I plan to talk to Mike with ARC about some combined meetings and possibly frag swaps. We really need to see more of our members participating though before we try to do this.

[kkiel02]

Yeah I agree I was just thinking out loud last night when I was bored. Haha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dean]

Good morning MAAST

I am bumping this old thread in hopes that we may get some feed back from you guys and gals. Once again meeting and forum participation has dropped off drastically despite all of the efforts that your Board of Directors has put forth in meeting topics, prizes, contests, etc... If we are missing something please let us know.

Currently the BOD is discussing the possibility of cutting back our meetings to just quarterly meetings to coincide with our BOD meetings. We put forth a LOT of effort in organizing these meetings and use the club funds to do so. With only the Board members and a couple of club members making it out to the meetings it is hardly worth all of the effort and resources put forth. If you would like to see the meetings continue as they have up to this point then please give us some ideas on topics and locations that would spark your interest.

At any given time through out the course of the day we can see as many as 20+ members browsing the site but no one is posting. If you're interested in what you're reading why not make a comment or join in on the discussion? Start up a new thread, bump an oldie, do something... It has gotten far too quiet in here!

If we are just beating a dead horse let us know. If not, help us wake that horse up. You have a super active Board of Directors just needing some direction in what you would like to see happen.

Throw us your thoughts.

[leliataylor]

Dean first let me say I think you, Zack and the BOD are doing a wonderful job. I applaud all of you for your commitment to MAAST.

Let me start by saying last weeks meeting was the first I have ever attended, not because I did not want to attend, I use to work every Saturday.

We saw a significant decline in member participation on Seahorse.org when the economy went south. Many people were unable to justify the expense of keeping a saltwater tank. In the last year or so I have seen a number of people return to the website and are once again setting up tanks and posting. It has been a very gradual process.

We also see many people that are on the website but never post or ask a question until they have a emergency. Once they make their first post and realize we are there to help is when they become active. We openly ask for updates on their tanks and pictures.

I have seen other organizations advertise on Craigslist about their meetings and organization. It is free. I have also met several people in this area that did not even know MAAST existed. If they mention saltwater I tell them about MAAST.

We were all new to this hobby at one point and were all afraid to join a club or participate where all the "experts" hung out. Maybe a "New Member" meet and greet meeting with a presentation "Getting Wet for the First Time" might help out. Although I would not use the title I gave.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

I'm new here but I can't find the coral area.There's a lot of hardware to buy but I'm looking to buy coral. Please help :) it would be easier to find coral if there was a only a coral area. Thank you have a good day. Most reefers are going to be propagating their coral and they need a place to put their coral for trade or sale.

[Dean]

Dean first let me say I think you, Zack and the BOD are doing a wonderful job. I applaud all of you for your commitment to MAAST.

Let me start by saying last weeks meeting was the first I have ever attended, not because I did not want to attend, I use to work every Saturday.

We saw a significant decline in member participation on Seahorse.org when the economy went south. Many people were unable to justify the expense of keeping a saltwater tank. In the last year or so I have seen a number of people return to the website and are once again setting up tanks and posting. It has been a very gradual process.

We also see many people that are on the website but never post or ask a question until they have a emergency. Once they make their first post and realize we are there to help is when they become active. We openly ask for updates on their tanks and pictures.

I have seen other organizations advertise on Craigslist about their meetings and organization. It is free. I have also met several people in this area that did not even know MAAST existed. If they mention saltwater I tell them about MAAST.

We were all new to this hobby at one point and were all afraid to join a club or participate where all the "experts" hung out. Maybe a "New Member" meet and greet meeting with a presentation "Getting Wet for the First Time" might help out. Although I would not use the title I gave.

Cheryl ,

Thank you for your feedback! You are a wonderful asset to the club and it has been a pleasure getting to know you through your passion of Seahorses.

You have some great ideas for marketing the club. I will bring them to the attention of the rest of the Directors and put them up for round table discussion. Advertise on Craigslist, new hobbyist meeting, and embrace new membership through showing a greater interest.

Also, I know you are extremely busy with caring for your Seahorses but know that the BOD's are always looking for help from volunteers to help out with our committees. Fresh ideas are always welcomed! Thank you Cheryl.

[Dean]

I'm new here but I can't find the coral area.There's a lot of hardware to buy but I'm looking to buy coral. Please help :) it would be easier to find coral if there was a only a coral area. Thank you have a good day. Most reefers are going to be propagating their coral and they need a place to put their coral for trade or sale.

New here? LOL. Hi Shane!

Are you proposing to split the For Sale section into two subforums? One for hardware and one for livestock?

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Yes sir :)

[Dean]

Yes sir :)

A discussion thread has been opened in the front office. Thanks for your input Shane.

[leliataylor]

Dean I would be happy to help out in any way I can.

[EpicWin]

I'm not sure if this is helpful, but these forums seem to be going the way of the dinosaurs everywhere. My first local group in Colorado is having the exact same problems and exact same discussions. It is possible that this type forum for communicating just doesn't suit its members needs any longer. I mean let's face it, Facebook is superior software for posting pics etc.

Also, I suspect that there is a downturn in the number of new reefers both locally and nationally. Could be coincidence, or not. I know I run into more and more people who think keeping a fish tank is cruelty to animals.

Point is this. BoD cannot make this forum a place that competes directly with a Facebook page. So, if the desire is to keep this around find another niche. Get the local shops committed to recommending beginners get on the site and keep it drama free at all costs.

[12_Egg_Omelette]

Facebook sucks for this kinda of discussion. Organization, interaction etc. plus you're on Facebook.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zack]

Facebook is great, but it's insanely hard to do things like tank builds on contests (cgoc) as you'd have to wade through literally dozens of threads to find yours to update it. Also, moderation is very difficult.

[12_Egg_Omelette]

I think it has to do with a younger generation who wants to do the least amount of work possible.

I think forums are a great source of information and serve as a repository for it as well. When you google question pages that typically come up are forums not Facebook.

That's just my two cents. I'm also very anti Facebook.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zack]

Maast myspace?

jk, I prefer the Facebook software to tapa or web browsing here, but the way it "cycles" posts is crazy.

[12_Egg_Omelette]

What do you mean cycles posts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zack]

Facebook cycles posts by last active. So say if I post something and a few other threads get posted and a few below get commented on, my post will be below all these. So new posts or active posts bump others down.

[12_Egg_Omelette]

Got you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zack]

What this unfortunately leads to is sale posts usually dominating the top of the page

[12_Egg_Omelette]

Zack I totally agree with you there buddy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[12_Egg_Omelette]

What would be awesome is if they club could buy expensive rare acros grow them out and once it gets big enough frag them out at a cheaper price for members.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[quicksilverz]

I thought it went Ask not what the Club can do for you but What You Can do For the CLUB!!!!

[Davie118]

No kidding! The only resources the club has is its members. What we put into the club is what becomes available to everybody else. If you want to buy a coral and grow it out to sell to members cheap, go right ahead.

[slm222]

I thought it went Ask not what the Club can do for you but What You Can do For the CLUB!!!!

Since there is no way to interpret sarcasm or lack there of, the most negative connotation will always be assumed.

By what I read 12_egg answered what the title of the thread asked....

[Troy Valentine]

It seems to me that there needs to be a long talk about what relationship the LFS have, or should have with MAAST. What can they offer us? Do we really need them? Can we survive without their support and their ability to reach new hobbyists? I think most importantly, what is our duty to support them and not be seen as a competing entity? Which I can understand why many see us as a competitor rather than an ally. I've never been a fan of selling live stock here. It seems to blur our purpose as an organization. Why would any store recommend any customer to this sight? Once they do they could potentially loose a big portion of business from that customer. Why would they take that chance?
When I was first introduced to this hobby 20+ years ago I was euphoric. I wanted to be exposed to everything all at once, and I could hardly contain my excitement. That excitement has consumed for over 20 years. Its that excitement we need to tap into. Just thinking out loud.....

1. To encourage the growth of the marine aquarium hobby in South Texas.
2. To educate and inform members and the public about care, keeping and propagation of marine fish and invertebrates.
3. To prevent abuse to marine animals in general, and to conserve the marine environment by promoting intelligent, planned reef management systems.
4. To promote higher standards of health and care provided by local commercial outlets.
5. To organize workshops, seminars and discussions related to all aspects of the hobby.
6. To raise or generate funds and create financial resources to meet the goals.
7. To coordinate with and support similar societies devoted to like-minded interests.

[EpicWin]

It seems to me that there needs to be a long talk about what relationship the LFS have, or should have with MAAST. What can they offer us? Do we really need them? Can we survive without their support and their ability to reach new hobbyists? I think most importantly, what is our duty to support them and not be seen as a competing entity? Which I can understand why many see us as a competitor rather than an ally. I've never been a fan of selling live stock here. It seems to blur our purpose as an organization. Why would any store recommend any customer to this sight? Once they do they could potentially loose a big portion of business from that customer. Why would they take that chance?
When I was first introduced to this hobby 20+ years ago I was euphoric. I wanted to be exposed to everything all at once, and I could hardly contain my excitement. That excitement has consumed for over 20 years. Its that excitement we need to tap into. Just thinking out loud.....

1. To encourage the growth of the marine aquarium hobby in South Texas.
2. To educate and inform members and the public about care, keeping and propagation of marine fish and invertebrates.
3. To prevent abuse to marine animals in general, and to conserve the marine environment by promoting intelligent, planned reef management systems.
4. To promote higher standards of health and care provided by local commercial outlets.
5. To organize workshops, seminars and discussions related to all aspects of the hobby.
6. To raise or generate funds and create financial resources to meet the goals.
7. To coordinate with and support similar societies devoted to like-minded interests.

Well put! And great point about the stores not wanting to lose business. Here is why they should support MAAST without hesitation. First MAAST supports them. I can't count the number of times I see a newb pointed in the direction of the LFSs. A recommendation is the best free advertising out there. Also, I always see threads about what stock the various stores have. If they are unwilling to show some reciprocity and want to be greedy with the newcomers, it is really the newcomers who are missing out and we as a club shouldn't support that.

Second, it isn't the newbs who are really spending the money. I remember when I got in I thought 50 bucks was way to much to spend on a tank. It's really the intermediates that spend, and they generally know about MAAST.

Finally, it's a community and whether they like it or not the LFS are part of it. MAAST, in its heyday, was the pillar of the community and what's good for the goose is good for the gander. In other words a strong community with supportive LFS means more money for them.

[Mr Cob]

I think some of the members and LFS are missing the point behind sponsorship. Yes, it's cheap advertising but it's the LFS and other online vendor sponsors that should support the hobby and clubs like this in any way possible... free giveaways, discounts, host a meeting etc. Somewhere along the line MAAST in general got the idea that we need to do more for the sponsors, mainly the LFS. That's backwards in my opinion.

The club goes through this (slow and stagnant) from time to time and a lot of it is based on the economy and individual life events.

I will always be a member first and sponsor second but i have a few life events over the last couple of years that have slowed my posting and sharing down. We all go through it at some point.

Just focus on the mission statement and encourage charter membership to keep the club going. There is a wealth of informatiom on this site that is indexed allover the place in search engines.

Since we are no longer "not for profit status", why not take advantage of some of the google adsense money by throwing a few related/targeted adds on some of the pages? That will help keep revenue up and steady.

What are the hits like on each page? Use the pages with the most hits and put some free cash in the bank which in turn can help support the mission statement. Plus... a lot of vendors pay for google adsense advertising so like i said it could be reef related and targeted.

ARC does a good job with this part.

[Dean]

I think some of the members and LFS are missing the point behind sponsorship. Yes, it's cheap advertising but it's the LFS and other online vendor sponsors that should support the hobby and clubs like this in any way possible... free giveaways, discounts, host a meeting etc. Somewhere along the line MAAST in general got the idea that we need to do more for the sponsors, mainly the LFS. That's backwards in my opinion.

I agree with this 100%. As a business owner myself, when I pay a sponsorship fee for a little baseball team or other not for profit organization I am not turning to that organization for benefits but rather using them as an outlet to show support for the community. The average everyday hobbyist selling or trading their own excess or no longer wanted livestock or equipment should not be perceived as competition to our sponsors. I also agree that this limit has been pushed on occasion by some members in the past but gets addressed when it gets to the point of the seller moving enough livestock or goods to warrant a sponsorship to keep the sponsorship playing field level.

I recently joined a Facebook group to move out a lot of my own livestock and equipment as we are moving in a few weeks and felt the need to drastically downsize before hand. A few of our sponors here post multiple for sale topics daily on that group right inline with hobbyists who for the most part do out sell them yet they are still very active in that group. My point there is that our for sale section here is not what has kept our sponsors from being active in the club after what I have witnessed there.

We need to continue being an active community and giving the time that we can to the club. Post a question if you have one. Most questions will lead to discussions which will always be there for members to read and educate or entertain themselves with. Unlike Facebook, our forum stores this information for easy access by simply using the search function to answer a question of concern. Keep it friendly and family oriented and the club will thrive.

[alton]

I want to echo what Dean and Rob have stated because some of our past sponsors looked at MAAST as competition, but as we are selling used goods on here that means we are buying something new from hopefully our sponsors. Now helping our sponsor lfs, so many want to order online instead of using our great lfs sponsors. The draw back to online for most items is WARRANTY! Yes buy it online and most if not all after 30 days you have to go back to the manufacture for warranty and shipping. A quick story I bought a Ecoxotic light from Louis, at 11.9/12.2 months I lost some of the LEDs. Took it back to Louis he contacted Ecoxotic and in a couple weeks I had a brand new one, I have had the same thing with lamps. And since most items have MAP pricing it will be the same price as online. Between all of our sponsors they can get you most everything on the web, and yes you will pay sales tax but remember the WARRANTY. Now a plug for our online Sponsors, Russ and the bunch are the greatest so please give them a chance before using other online stores. Okay I will get off my step stool now and finish with I like the smaller friendlier MAAST, Dean and the crew are doing a great job! I still would like to see a banner and cards in our sponsors stores when I walk in?
Oh yea one last plug, if there is that special fish that you just have to have, you might want to try MCC/Mr. Cobs Corals! details coming soon.

[Dean]

Yes sir :)

Done.

[ck24]

I am new on here. I have been snooping around on here for a couple of months. I've been in the hobby for 15+ years and I've have lived in several large city's and I always get on the local reef forum. From my perspective I don't feel like paying $25 to be able to post thing for sale on a forum or be able to see a special category that only paid members get to see. People come and go from the hobby and many don't like to buy their equipment new every time. The for sale forum is how you get people active on your forum. I know this is a area that can create many problems. But I use Austin reef club for the fact I get the same opportunity as any other member to buy or sell something. It's a shame I know there are many reefers in San Antonio but they don't seem to be on this forum very much. Just an outside perspective.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dean]

Correct me if I am wrong but you do have to be a Premium Member ($25.00 fee) on ARC to post items for sale there as well.

[ck24]

I'm not sure haven't sold anything but I have bought. Also you can post.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dean]

I'm not sure haven't sold anything but I have bought. Also you can post.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The for sale section is set up very similar here as it is on ARC as well as the web member and charter (premium) member benefits as far as being able to start for sale threads.

There are also quite a few more benefits that our Charter Members are eligible for outside of the sale forums that with out the charter member dues would not be possible. There is much more to it than the ability to sell and have access to charter member only forum sections.

Take a look in the monthly meetings forum section as well as the contest forum section for a couple of the benefits I am speaking of.

[ck24]

I probably will be joining. I have just seen other clubs go thru this. They where free and started charging and the traffic was reduced to less that 50%. This is just my two cents.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dean]

I probably will be joining. I have just seen other clubs go thru this. They where free and started charging and the traffic was reduced to less that 50%. This is just my two cents.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Charter dues have been collected for quite sometime. Years....


We appreciate your input and hope to see you around. :)

[Zack]

While opening up the for sale to everyone could boost traffic, Im not sure how beneficial that would be to advancing our mission statements of education. Last year it was really bad with sale posts totally blocking any educational posts and many members left.

With that being said, charter members enjoy many benefits outside of sales privleges.