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jlmiracle

USPA wants to increase your dues

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Some of you want the USPA to be the enforcers of the Group Member program



If they are not going to hold the DZ to any standard, then what benefit is the program?

Simply put, the GM program only serves as an advertisement for the DZ. And the USPA likes it because one of the "requirements" is that a GM will only allow a USPA member to jump there.... So the USPA can force individuals to become members just so the DZ can advertise with the USPA.

So I ask... If the USPA is not going to hold the DZ at all accountable to any of the requirements... What good is the GM program to the INDIVIDUAL members that the USPA is supposed to represent.

Remember, this is not an organization for DZ's. It is not supposed to be PIA. It is supposed to be an organization that represents the individual members.... So if they don't actually hold a GM to any standard.... What benefit is it to THE MEMBERS?
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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What does "if the board decides" and "we'll provide plenty of notice and full accounting of the decision" mean? break down of costs and their respective increases will be shown somewhere?



The BOD should give their reasons in detail BEFORE they raise the dues, not after.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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>Yes you have, when they lowered the affi course standards 16 years ago.

That would be putting DZ's ahead of members if there were serious problems - injuries and deaths - as a result of that decision.

Do you know of any? Given that we've had 16 years surely we would have seen them by now.

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I would absolutely give up a paper copy. Everything in there is so out of date by the time it is published - fatality reports are on here several months earlier. I have never met anyone who reads boogie articles who wasn't actually at the boogie. It seems that a lot of the magazine is just boring filler.

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faulknerwn

I would absolutely give up a paper copy. Everything in there is so out of date by the time it is published - fatality reports are on here several months earlier. I have never met anyone who reads boogie articles who wasn't actually at the boogie. It seems that a lot of the magazine is just boring filler.



That is similar to how many of us feel. And we could use a number of members saying so, because USPA in general thinks that the paper copy is highly desired by members.

Of course this varies a great deal among members. I would guess that newer members like the paper copy.

I have a bookshelf with paper copies back to 1981, but I seldom refer to them. Sometimes I get out the old issues that contain my articles and admire them. :)

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I think you're onto something regarding who reads the magazine.

Maybe the USPA should develop a one-off special issue that gets sent to jumpers once they get their A license, kind of like a 'Welcome to Skydiving!' thing. It can be specifically tailored to them with articles on gear selection, what to do after AFF, what boogies are and how to prepare for them, how to travel for skydiving, common mistakes to avoid - stuff like that.

You'd only need to update the articles very occasionally and you could do one-off print runs for the year based on the estimated number of new jumpers you expect.

Then make the general skydive mag available online and save all of those printing and mailing costs.

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peek

***I would absolutely give up a paper copy. Everything in there is so out of date by the time it is published - fatality reports are on here several months earlier. I have never met anyone who reads boogie articles who wasn't actually at the boogie. It seems that a lot of the magazine is just boring filler.



That is similar to how many of us feel. And we could use a number of members saying so, because USPA in general thinks that the paper copy is highly desired by members.

Of course this varies a great deal among members. I would guess that newer members like the paper copy.

I have a bookshelf with paper copies back to 1981, but I seldom refer to them. Sometimes I get out the old issues that contain my articles and admire them. :)

FYI

In a 2016 survey of USPA members, 81.4% of those surveyed said they prefer Parachutist magazine to be delivered in print form as their first option. Options 2 and 3 were app based and web based.

Only 11.91% chose web based as their 1st preference, and 10.14% preferred an app delivery.

There is a legitimate argument for print. The best one is the lingering effect. Magazines lay around the DZ, someone's house, counter tops of skydiver owned businesses, etc., where they are routinely browsed through, often by whuffos who might become more interested in making a jump. That advantage dies with digital. Readers must seek out digital media.

The same goes for the lingering effects of the advertising in print. The advertiser pays for the ad once, but the value of the ad continues as long as the magazine is looked at by others.

Something I have not heard discussed is the financial impact on ad revenues by going digital. Advertisers may not pay as much for digital, meaning the savings of eliminating print might be diluted or the magazine income/cost equation may even go backwards.

I don't know the answer but I think we should research that before making any changes. Especially when more than 8 out of 10 members want the rag.
Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

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chuckakers

Especially when more than 8 out of 10 members want the rag.



No.

8 out of 10 respondents to a survey (that was in the magazine?) answered they wanted the rag, not 8 of ten members. I would bet, many members (like me) didn't even see this survey.

You can get whatever answer you want from surveys if you design them correctly.

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topdocker

***Especially when more than 8 out of 10 members want the rag.



No.

8 out of 10 respondents to a survey (that was in the magazine?) answered they wanted the rag, not 8 of ten members. I would bet, many members (like me) didn't even see this survey.

You can get whatever answer you want from surveys if you design them correctly.

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I stand corrected on that specific sentence, as that was an oversight in wording. Look at my reference earlier in the post and you will see that I said "81.4% of those surveyed..."

I believe this was an online survey, and to address your comment on the amount of people who took it, 3,635 people answered the question about delivery options - or about 10% of the members. That is IMO enough to give a fairly good representation of the membership in total given that there were only 3 possible 1st choice preferences and the other two scored so low. Even if you include a margin of error the print option would still be the overwhelming choice of respondents.

I'm not pro or con on print delivery, but as I said in my post we need to look at the big picture, especially when more than 8 out of 10 members who cared enough to voice their opinions want the rag.
Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

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Well, a better survey would have placed it in the context of whether they want it or not at all, and whether membership dues would be cheaper if they opted for digital or for no mag at all.

I mean, if a non-optional benefit of USPA membership was a free automobile every year, hell yes I'd opt for the Porsche over a Chevy if the cost to me was the same. But I would chose "nothing" if my annual dues would drop by the cost of the Porsche.

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yoink

I think you're onto something regarding who reads the magazine.

Maybe the USPA should develop a one-off special issue that gets sent to jumpers once they get their A license, kind of like a 'Welcome to Skydiving!' thing. It can be specifically tailored to them with articles on gear selection, what to do after AFF, what boogies are and how to prepare for them, how to travel for skydiving, common mistakes to avoid - stuff like that.

You'd only need to update the articles very occasionally and you could do one-off print runs for the year based on the estimated number of new jumpers you expect.

Then make the general skydive mag available online and save all of those printing and mailing costs.



LOVE THIS IDEA!
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

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There is a legitimate argument for print. The best one is the lingering effect. Magazines lay around the DZ, someone's house, counter tops of skydiver owned businesses, etc., where they are routinely browsed through, often by whuffos who might become more interested in making a jump. That advantage dies with digital. Readers must seek out digital media.

The same goes for the lingering effects of the advertising in print. The advertiser pays for the ad once, but the value of the ad continues as long as the magazine is looked at by others.



The other side of that coin...

If you make the magazine a web page, it stays on the web forever, or as long as you pay your web host fees. That web copy is available for anyone in the entire world to view. You can't get more exposure than that. And every article shows up in google searches, by anyone looking for info. They can't get that out of "Parachutist" in print.

As for the advertisers, instead of their ads disappearing in a month, they stay alive online forever. The more time their ads appear in web pages, they higher they rank in google searches. And they have that worldwide audience again, instead of just 35,000 active jumpers. They'll get *more* bang for their buck with online editions.

The number of magazines that get left laying around where whuffos will see them very small. But the internet has more whuffos than you can shake a packing paddle at. Billions of them.

I help out with a website for a small club of 150 people, not a skydiving club. I added Google Analytics to our web pages. This free software makes a call to a Google database every time a page is accessed, and it collects info on the viewer. I have been astounded to note that our little club gets page views from outside our city, around the United States, and even from around the world, and behind the old iron curtain like Russia and China. That's the power of the internet to make your word available to others. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.

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That is similar to how many of us feel. And we could use a number of members saying so, because USPA in general thinks that the paper copy is highly desired by members.




Dead tree magazines are over. Dead and done. The next meeting just ask around the table if anyone has bought one lately. No one wants them anymore. Quit wasting money.
Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

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jlmiracle

***I think you're onto something regarding who reads the magazine.

Maybe the USPA should develop a one-off special issue that gets sent to jumpers once they get their A license, kind of like a 'Welcome to Skydiving!' thing. It can be specifically tailored to them with articles on gear selection, what to do after AFF, what boogies are and how to prepare for them, how to travel for skydiving, common mistakes to avoid - stuff like that.

You'd only need to update the articles very occasionally and you could do one-off print runs for the year based on the estimated number of new jumpers you expect.

Then make the general skydive mag available online and save all of those printing and mailing costs.



LOVE THIS IDEA!

Kind of like the BPA's Starter Mag but for those just qualified.
Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

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gowlerk

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That is similar to how many of us feel. And we could use a number of members saying so, because USPA in general thinks that the paper copy is highly desired by members.




Dead tree magazines are over. Dead and done. The next meeting just ask around the table if anyone has bought one lately. No one wants them anymore. Quit wasting money.



That is so, so true. I'm a bit of an information junkie. The last magazine i read was an issue of Economist about a year ago.

I used to spend 1/2 hour once or twice each day at the magazine stand. Now you would have to drive around for 1/2 hour to find a magazine stand. Even with a good app on your phone.

Why read an article about the new katana 4 canopy when its pro's and cons are discussed on forums in DZ. USPA should pay for a section on this site for all its business. Or buy this site. Or even have its members lobby for a special section for USPA business.

Problem with that is dissenting voices may be more common. Where a editor can dismiss dissenting views, aka a magazine.

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>8 out of 10 respondents to a survey (that was in the magazine?) answered they
>wanted the rag, not 8 of ten members. I would bet, many members (like me)
>didn't even see this survey.

Right. And if you took a poll here, you'd probably find something like 4 in 10 people want it - because the people here, in general, do more on the net than they read on paper.

It's difficult to get a completely nonbiased survey. You could do it by going to DZs and hounding people about it, but even then you'd get a bias - people who jump regularly.

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billvon

>And if you took a poll here, you'd probably find something like 4 in 10 people want it - because the people here, in general, do more on the net than they read on paper. It's difficult to get a completely nonbiased survey. ...



That is exactly right. Some people say that to create an unbiased survey or poll, that you need to be an expert at it, or trained to do so. I can believe that. That is why I am suspect of most surveys.

Well, I'm off to the meeting in a few minutes. Wish us (all) luck.

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chuckakers

******Especially when more than 8 out of 10 members want the rag.



No.

8 out of 10 respondents to a survey (that was in the magazine?) answered they wanted the rag, not 8 of ten members. I would bet, many members (like me) didn't even see this survey.

You can get whatever answer you want from surveys if you design them correctly.

top

I stand corrected on that specific sentence, as that was an oversight in wording. Look at my reference earlier in the post and you will see that I said "81.4% of those surveyed..."

I believe this was an online survey, and to address your comment on the amount of people who took it, 3,635 people answered the question about delivery options - or about 10% of the members. That is IMO enough to give a fairly good representation of the membership in total given that there were only 3 possible 1st choice preferences and the other two scored so low. Even if you include a margin of error the print option would still be the overwhelming choice of respondents.

I'm not pro or con on print delivery, but as I said in my post we need to look at the big picture, especially when more than 8 out of 10 members who cared enough to voice their opinions want the rag.

Chuck-

I know its a picky detail of semantics, but it is an important differentiation. Thanks for responding and recognizing, I really appreciate that. That's a good response rate, but those that really like the magazine are more likely to respond than those who are apathetic about it.

Parachutist has really gotten away from its intended purpose: to be the official information conduit to members. Back in the day, the magazine was how you heard what the BOD decided, who won the Nationals (and every competitor had their pic in the "Nationals issue."), and incident reports. Other entertainment articles appeared, but those were not the focus of the magazine.

Today it is completely different. The magazine is trying to entertain a broad spectrum of jumpers (age, experience, disciplines, location, Nationality) and the information aspect is minimal.

I work in two dental offices with stacks of magazines out in the reception area. They are in near pristine shape after months of being out there, people just do not read them. USPA must know that print magazines are dead. The questions are how long are you going to ask the members to subsidize the dying patient and for what reason.

Hope all is well.
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>USPA must know that print magazines are dead.

Honestly I don't care if people think print magazines are dead, or if USPA is "behind the times." USPA should do what its members want, even if it's not the most fashionable thing to do.

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billvon

>USPA must know that print magazines are dead.

Honestly I don't care if people think print magazines are dead, or if USPA is "behind the times." USPA should do what its members want, even if it's not the most fashionable thing to do.



Yes and no. If continuing to have a magazine means we bankrupt the organization, then it is the wrong thing to do. I bet a majority of members would vote to have $5 dues!;) That doesn't make it the right decision.

More what I mean, is that USPA should be looking at an elegant way to exit the magazine business while still getting information and entertainment to its members.

And fashion does matter when it comes to attracting the next generation of jumpers.

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