USPA Solo Challenge

[billvon 2,400]

>I don't need need them to me tell how I should jump, where I should
>jump, what gear I should jump. Who I should jump with. And most of all,
>how I should teach newbies to jump . . .

But then you post:

>There reticence to denounce the "Nova" canopy

Now you want them to tell you what to jump?

>They banned Blast Handles.

Now you don't. Which is it? Should they denounce stuff that doesn't work, or should you make up your own mind?

>There silence on Tandem Mills.

Now you want them to tell you that Tandem Mills are not how you should teach newbies to jump?

>Skyride? What's that? . . .The persecution of Jan Meyer.

So you want to them to take action against Skyride - and be OK when a director helps Skyride win lawsuits?

I don't like a lot of what USPA does, but overall they've done more good than harm. But I can't see where you're coming from on this. If you want USPA to butt out of everything but defending us from the feds - fine. Then you have to be OK with them not fighting tandem mills, not denouncing the Nova, and not covering other sports (like BASE.) Not their job.

Or you can want them to set basic educational standards and promulgate safety information. If that's the case, you have to be OK with them having opinions on gear (like blast handles) and enforcing basic educational standards (like what you can and can't do with your students.) I don't think you can have it both ways.

[peek 20]

D: Skyride? What's that? . . .The persecution of Jan Meyer.
B: So you want to them to take action against Skyride - and be OK when a director helps Skyride win lawsuits?

Bill, Jan Meyer did not "help Skyride win a lawsuit". Besides, no one won anything, there was a "settlement".

Give it up!

[NickDG 23]

Wow, rough crowd tonight . . .

Hang some mistletoe and have a beer . . .

NickD

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

>Skyride? What's that? . . .The persecution of Jan Meyer.

So you want to them to take action against Skyride - and be OK when a director helps Skyride win lawsuits?

Bill - where do you get this erroneous information?

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

Jan, now that the ball is rolling on this who or how many people get to decide what strings are attached to it?

I would expect the BOD to take this up at the next meeting. It will go through the GM committee.

Now just to get the story straight:

The BOD passed a motion that said:

Quote

“Move to designate any Group Member DZ who is willing to participate in the ‘Solo Challenge’ Program to be designated as a ‘Skydive Training Center’ (or similar phrase) until such time that certain criteria has been established to retain the designation of a ‘Skydive Training Center.’”

An explanation of this is also quoted in the OP.
Specifically the Summer 08 minutes state "A decision was made to set the criteria at the next board meeting". That would mean the next BOD meeting in Feb 09.

Then in the Oct Professional it says

Quote

As a component of the USPA Solo Challenge Program, Group Member DZs have been asked to show their support by registering as a USPA Training Center, which will be signified in Parachutist and on our web site the by the "TC" logo. The designation means that the DZ offers and encourages student progression jumps and it indicates DZs where returning first-jump customers will be welcomed. Training Center DZs also commit to providing USPA with the names and email addresses of their first-jump customers.

Why? Most first-time skydivers never receive any encouragement to consider skydiving after their first jump. We wanted to change that.

Now each week, USPA sends an e-newsletter to these first-time skydivers as a way to motivate and encourage them to return to the DZ and continue their skydiving experience. Here is an example of the e-newsletter.

The sample email does not have an opt out link.

The Oct-Dec mags have the statement

Quote

These drop zones provide skydiving training beyond the first jump.

explaining what the green TC means.

So there are 4 issues about the Solo Challenge/TC program(s) that were not authorized by the BOD.
1. sentence in mag
2. requirement of DZs to send personally identifiable info to USPA of first time jumpers
3. unsolicited emails being sent to new jumpers as a result of #2.
4. no way for a new jumper to opt-out of emails from USPA

I have no idea how and why these things were added.
Is there anything else that needs to be added to this list?

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[stratostar 5]

Quote

and be OK when a director helps Skyride win lawsuits?

&

Quote

Bill - where do you get this erroneous information?

My understanding of his post was to say, when Glen Bangs went to the skyscam DZ up in Pennridge Pa. and ran his mouth off talking shit and trying to swoop the staff to come to work for him over at X-keys, that ended up getting the Sherman Anti Trust charges filed against US (the membership driven ORG called USPA) and then we all had to pay out of pocket for Glen's big fuck up. (running his mouth and trying to throw his, I'am bigshot @ USPA weight around)

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[CSpenceFLY 1]

That's the part no one was supposed to hear while they were trying to fry Jan. Anyone ever see Wag The Dog?

[LloydDobbler 2]

Quote

So there are 4 issues about the Solo Challenge/TC program(s) that were not authorized by the BOD.
1. sentence in mag
2. requirement of DZs to send personally identifiable info to USPA of first time jumpers
3. unsolicited emails being sent to new jumpers as a result of #2.
4. no way for a new jumper to opt-out of emails from USPA

Dunno if anyone else knows the email marketing world, but this is a serious issue that sets both the DZ in question AND the USPA up for liability. The DZ could see trouble due to sharing said info without the person's consent (from both the individual and the government), and the USPA is violating the federal CAN-SPAM Act by sending unsolicited email without both an opt-out method and the clear identification of their mailing address and contact info.

Not to mention, it will possibly wind up hurting the USPA's rep with these people more than it helps. Dunno about you all, but I hate unsolicited email. Like I said, I work in the field of email marketing, and I know what a great marketing medium it is in terms of ROI (when done right). At the same time, I wouldn't hesitate to call up a DZ and chew them out (and report them to the FCC) if they shared my email address without my consent.

Not cool.

Signatures are the new black.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

I could be wrong, but when I read the information sent to my DZ, I understood that the student could, but didn't have to give the contact information, and if they did that it would be used to contact them to try and keep them interested in continuing to skydive. I don't recall anything about a weekly e-mail newsletter however.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[diablopilot 2]

Having seen the package that was sent to DZs I thought the USPA got it's information not from the DZ's records but instead an extra optional postcard clearly printed by the USPA for the USPA, and collected and returned by the DZs.

As to the issue of potentially misleading people to think that non designated "TC's" don't do continuing education, that's something that needs to be addressed.

I still think the USPA has missed the mark when it comes to who should be educated about this program. It should be sold/pitched to the instructors first and foremost, as they are the ones who will have the most influence on first time students to return. Instructors are the second biggest and most effective marketing tool skydiving has behind video sales, and getting them all on the same page is nothing but good. This is marketing/motivation 101 folks......

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Quote

“Move to designate any Group Member DZ who is willing to participate in the ‘Solo Challenge’ Program to be designated as a ‘Skydive Training Center’ (or similar phrase) until such time that certain criteria has been established to retain the designation of a ‘Skydive Training Center.’”

Jan, I'm having trouble understanding why anyone would vote on something that was worded like this. Especially with the track record the EC has.

[Communications 0]

Quote

So there are 4 issues about the Solo Challenge/TC program(s) that were not authorized by the BOD.
1. sentence in mag
2. requirement of DZs to send personally identifiable info to USPA of first time jumpers
3. unsolicited emails being sent to new jumpers as a result of #2.
4. no way for a new jumper to opt-out of emails from USPA

The intent of the USPA Solo Challenge is to reach out to the 300,000 first-jump customers each year that go home with a video and great experience, but most of whom never receive an invitation to really try our sport. To do so, we need their names and their email addresses. We also want to promote those DZs that are eager to accept new students. As a result, we came up with the Training Center concept as a way for student-oriented DZs to help us reach those first-timers. The concept and the materials were presented at the last board meeting. To date, 746 first-timers have opened USPA’s e-newsletter, and 96 have actually accepted the solo challenge.

Quote

1. sentence in mag

The “TC” explanation is to help new skydivers find DZs that are encouraging and have student programs. Any Group Member DZ that agrees to promote student training, display promotional posters, and send first-jumper info to USPA, can be registered as a TC. The statement doesn’t say anything about DZs that don’t participate, just like the Group Member statement doesn’t say anything about DZs that aren’t Group Members.

This wording was done here at HQ, without intent to "strongarm" or persuade anyone. It was simply created to summarize what the TC should mean to the public, without giving all the detail of what’s required.

Quote

2. requirement of DZs to send personally identifiable info to USPA of first time jumpers

The requirement is that participating DZs make a card available to first jump students, then return those cards that do get filled out.

This card asks for the student's name and e-mail address. We found this to be the only reliable way to get in touch with first-jump customers. We tried having DZs hand out cards with USPA web urls and contact info, but it didn’t work. The DZ is asked to have the customers complete the cards, then send the cards to USPA.

Quote

3. unsolicited emails being sent to new jumpers as a result of #2.

E-mails from USPA are never sent unsolicited. First time jumpers are invited to fill out an information card which clearly states that they will receive an e-mail from us. There is no requirement for the first time student to fill out or return this card.

Quote

4. no way for a new jumper to opt-out of emails from USPA

The sample e-mail on USPA's website does not have an opt-out link because it is a sample. Every live e-mail newsletter that goes out from USPA HQ is sent via the ConstantContact service, has an unsubscribe link, and fully complies with all SPAM laws.



Riggerpaul, I do not know why your e-mail was unanswered, and I apologize for that. E-mails sometimes get mis-routed to spam or junk folders - a phone call could have eliminated your confusion. I'll pass your concerns on and have them contact you. Can you send your e-mail or phone number?

If anyone has any questions at all, I would hope you all know where USPA HQ is and how to get hold of us. If not, you can find everyone's phone extensions and e-mail addresses at: http://www.uspa.org/AboutUSPA/USPAStaffDirectory/tabid/151/Default.aspx.

If you're not comfortable with a phone call or e-mail, we have a MySpace page (http://myspace.com/_USPA), a blog (http://SkydiveUSPA.wordpress.com), LinkedIn account & group, and this dropzone.com account. I hope that is enough for everyone's different communication styles, but if not, please let us know how else we should make ourselves available.

Ed Scott
Executive Director

www.uspa.org

Read the USPA blog!

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Quote

Quote

So there are 4 issues about the Solo Challenge/TC program(s) that were not authorized by the BOD.
1. sentence in mag
2. requirement of DZs to send personally identifiable info to USPA of first time jumpers
3. unsolicited emails being sent to new jumpers as a result of #2.
4. no way for a new jumper to opt-out of emails from USPA

The intent of the USPA Solo Challenge is to reach out to the 300,000 first-jump customers each year that go home with a video and great experience, but most of whom never receive an invitation to really try our sport. To do so, we need their names and their email addresses. We also want to promote those DZs that are eager to accept new students. As a result, we came up with the Training Center concept as a way for student-oriented DZs to help us reach those first-timers. The concept and the materials were presented at the last board meeting. To date, 746 first-timers have opened USPA’s e-newsletter, and 96 have actually accepted the solo challenge.

Quote

1. sentence in mag

The “TC” explanation is to help new skydivers find DZs that are encouraging and have student programs. Any Group Member DZ that agrees to promote student training, display promotional posters, and send first-jumper info to USPA, can be registered as a TC. The statement doesn’t say anything about DZs that don’t participate, just like the Group Member statement doesn’t say anything about DZs that aren’t Group Members.

This wording was done here at HQ, without intent to "strongarm" or persuade anyone. It was simply created to summarize what the TC should mean to the public, without giving all the detail of what’s required.

Quote

2. requirement of DZs to send personally identifiable info to USPA of first time jumpers

The requirement is that participating DZs make a card available to first jump students, then return those cards that do get filled out.

This card asks for the student's name and e-mail address. We found this to be the only reliable way to get in touch with first-jump customers. We tried having DZs hand out cards with USPA web urls and contact info, but it didn’t work. The DZ is asked to have the customers complete the cards, then send the cards to USPA.

Quote

3. unsolicited emails being sent to new jumpers as a result of #2.

E-mails from USPA are never sent unsolicited. First time jumpers are invited to fill out an information card which clearly states that they will receive an e-mail from us. There is no requirement for the first time student to fill out or return this card.

Quote

4. no way for a new jumper to opt-out of emails from USPA

The sample e-mail on USPA's website does not have an opt-out link because it is a sample. Every live e-mail newsletter that goes out from USPA HQ is sent via the ConstantContact service, has an unsubscribe link, and fully complies with all SPAM laws.



Riggerpaul, I do not know why your e-mail was unanswered, and I apologize for that. E-mails sometimes get mis-routed to spam or junk folders - a phone call could have eliminated your confusion. I'll pass your concerns on and have them contact you. Can you send your e-mail or phone number?

If anyone has any questions at all, I would hope you all know where USPA HQ is and how to get hold of us. If not, you can find everyone's phone extensions and e-mail addresses at: http://www.uspa.org/AboutUSPA/USPAStaffDirectory/tabid/151/Default.aspx.

If you're not comfortable with a phone call or e-mail, we have a MySpace page (http://myspace.com/_USPA), a blog (http://SkydiveUSPA.wordpress.com), LinkedIn account & group, and this dropzone.com account. I hope that is enough for everyone's different communication styles, but if not, please let us know how else we should make ourselves available.

Ed Scott
Executive Director

Why was ALL of that not put into a nice neat package for OUR representatives to vote on?

[popsjumper 2]

Dang. It seems like every time they turn around the USPA and the BOD are shooting themselves in the foot. How many feet do they need to lose before they get out from under that table and join us in the sunshine?

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[billvon 2,400]

>Bill - where do you get this erroneous information?

From two other board members.

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

>Bill - where do you get this erroneous information?

From two other board members.

Who are these BOD members and what exactly are they telling you?

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[Thanatos340 1]

Quote

>Bill - where do you get this erroneous information?

From two other board members.

If those two members are discussing the settlement and reason for making the settlement with you, Are they not Violating the terms of that settlement?

Please let us know which two members of our board are violating the Settlement agreement with Skyride and exposing our USPA to further costly legal action.

BTW Bill..
You know that this statement "and be OK when a director helps Skyride win lawsuits?" is NOT True yet continue to post this and other statement like this.
1. The USPA did not Lose the lawsuit. They settled the lawsuit.
2. According to the Judge in the case, the reason he allowed 4 of the 8 counts against the USPA to proceed had absolutely NOTHING to do with Jan. It was because of the alleged actions of OTHER members of the BOD. Read the Ruling, everything else is just opinion and hearsay.
3. The fact that at least one member of Executive committee that decided to settle this matter without input from the BOD was a Direct Business associate of Skyride.

You can scream it was Jans fault all you want, It does not make it true.

[peek 20]

Quote

>Jan: Bill - where do you get this erroneous information?

Bill: From two other board members.

Ah, now we're getting somewhere. You have been attacking Jan regularly because of what two USPA BOD members have been telling you.

How about believing two other BOD members that tell you otherwise?

[chuckakers 370]

Quote

Quote

The “TC” explanation is to help new skydivers find DZs that are encouraging and have student programs.

Quote

Ed - I don't get it.

First of all, what the hell does "DZs that are encouraging" mean in your reply? Are you saying that there are DZs out there that don't want people to continue jumping after #1? Even if said DZ is "tandem only", I would bet the DZO would still like to see them and their money again.

Second, there are only a very small percentage of drop zones that don't offer training programs. Seems to me it would make a lot more sense to just indicate drop zones that don't have training programs, rather than putting a bunch of "TC's" next to the ones that do. So right off the bat, either USPA is doing everything ass backwards - as usual - or there was another motive for that decision.

Next, who the hell thought this up? Do you honestly believe that sending a tandem passenger (the VAST majority of all first jumps) an e-mail "challenging" them to continue will have any significant effect on our tandem-to-progression-student ratio or up-jumper population? Do you really believe that giving a pin (or badge, or whatever) to students who make their first solo skydive will tempt tandem passengers to continue beyond their "t-shirt and tandem"? Once again, USPA has missed the mark. We once had a program that recognized young jumpers for their accomplishments. It was the Falcon and Eagle awards program. I guess it didn't work, because you guys canned it as too expensive (even though the recipient threw down 20 bucks for a number and a patch). Now you want to do basically the same thing at a slightly different point in their jumping history.

You cite some numbers in your reply. You said 476 "first-timers" clicked on your e-newsletter and 96 accepted the "solo challenge". What you did not say is how many of those "first-timers" were "t-shirt" tandems vs actual progression style first jumpers (AFF, IAD/static line, AFP, etc.). Of the 96 that accepted the challenge, how many were already a few jumps into a progression program by the time they got the e-mail, and would likely "take the challenge" no matter who made it or what the medium was to present it?

Ed, the point of my reply is not to discuss the "strong arm tactics" some are accusing the organization of, or the legalities of DZs providing data to you. The point of this post is to question the logic of the program itself. The issue of turning first-timers into long-timers has eluded you guys since the T-10 days and you still don't get it. Retention happens at the DZ. You can send all the challenges, toy badges, and e-whatevers you want and it won't make a substantive difference in our roster.

You want more long-term skydivers? Make inviting first-timers to the weekly party mandatory. Or have you not noticed that the first-timer that stays for the party is the same one that we see the following weekend?

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[Communications 0]

Hi Chuck,

Yes, there are DZs that don’t want the tandem student to come back. Other DZs will grudgingly take the student, but aren’t encouraging at all about it. We hear from those students all the time.

I agree that DZs (and their staff) are key to skydiver retention. For years we’ve been asking and suggesting that DZs do a better job. Some do okay but many, if not most, fail to make an adequate pitch and/or to follow-up. They’re simply too busy. At most DZs, after the first-jump, the customer is made to wait, then given their video, a certificate, a hearty handshake, and a “come back again,” then they head for the parking lot. We thought it was worthwhile to get an inviting, encouraging personalized newsletter in their inbox the following week that gives them a chance to see what skydiving is really about. They have a chance to read about real people just like them who found out how skydiving enriches their lives. In the end, all we’re trying to do is get the first-jump customer back out to the DZ for one more jump; it is still up to the DZ to turn that second-jump customer into a skydiver.

The “t-shirt tandem” is by far the first-jump method of choice. We can simply assume they’ll never jump again, or we can make an effort to get them connected to our sport. I’d rather we make the effort. Is this the best way? It is one way; we’re certainly open to better ideas.

Ed

www.uspa.org

Read the USPA blog!

[riggerpaul 1]

Quote

Hi Chuck,

Yes, there are DZs that don’t want the tandem student to come back. Other DZs will grudgingly take the student, but aren’t encouraging at all about it. We hear from those students all the time.

I agree that DZs (and their staff) are key to skydiver retention. For years we’ve been asking and suggesting that DZs do a better job. Some do okay but many, if not most, fail to make an adequate pitch and/or to follow-up. They’re simply too busy. At most DZs, after the first-jump, the customer is made to wait, then given their video, a certificate, a hearty handshake, and a “come back again,” then they head for the parking lot. We thought it was worthwhile to get an inviting, encouraging personalized newsletter in their inbox the following week that gives them a chance to see what skydiving is really about. They have a chance to read about real people just like them who found out how skydiving enriches their lives. In the end, all we’re trying to do is get the first-jump customer back out to the DZ for one more jump; it is still up to the DZ to turn that second-jump customer into a skydiver.

The “t-shirt tandem” is by far the first-jump method of choice. We can simply assume they’ll never jump again, or we can make an effort to get them connected to our sport. I’d rather we make the effort. Is this the best way? It is one way; we’re certainly open to better ideas.

Ed

I can think of better ways to figure out who welcomes students than requiring the dz to send you their customer information.

Here's a few:

1) ASK who welcomes students. DZs that aren't interested can tell you.

2) ASK how many first jump classes the dz holds per year. DZs that hold classes might be interested in students.

3) Check your own records to see where the A licenses are coming from. Don't have that info? ASK for it on the application. With this approach, you can even choose to give some recognition to the DZs that are getting the job done. (Better to catch flies with honey...)

You don't have to make a program that selects for DZs that are willing to give you their customer records.

You don't have to make a note in the magazine that misrepresents the rest of us as not being as interested in the students.

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

The intent of the USPA Solo Challenge is to reach out to the 300,000 first-jump customers each year that go home with a video and great experience, but most of whom never receive an invitation to really try our sport. To do so, we need their names and their email addresses.

This is a task that DZOs need to do not USPA.

Quote

We also want to promote those DZs that are eager to accept new students.

This implies that USPA will not be promoting DZs that don't want new students as much. The sentence in the mag definitely implies that is exactly what USPA is currently doing. USPA is now promoting one group of members over another. It appears that USPA is deliberately and willfully restraining free competition among its group members.

Quote

As a result, we came up with the Training Center concept as a way for student-oriented DZs to help us reach those first-timers. The concept and the materials were presented at the last board meeting.

Maybe it was presented to the GM Comm that way, but it was certainly not explained like that to the FB.

Quote

To date, 746 first-timers have opened USPA’s e-newsletter, and 96 have actually accepted the solo challenge.

Email bugs, although widely used in advertising, are one of the many reasons I always read emails as plain text and not HTML.
Does this newsletter have an option to be sent as plain text?
I imagine that not many people know you have email bugs in these newsletters. But you admitted that you do know how many people opened the email. Most likely you know exactly who, when and their IP addy as they read the email.

[sidebar] I used to develop an email campaign manager for a large corporation. This application could track a recipient's movement and click thrus on every link in the email. Coupled with demographic data you can perform data mining techniques to ascertain quite a bit about recipients buying preferences.[/sidebar]

Quote

The “TC” explanation is to help new skydivers find DZs that are encouraging and have student programs. Any Group Member DZ that agrees to promote student training, display promotional posters, and send first-jumper info to USPA, can be registered as a TC.

And if a DZ does not want to send first jumper info to USPA they do not promote student training?
I don't think so.

Quote

The statement doesn’t say anything about DZs that don’t participate, just like the Group Member statement doesn’t say anything about DZs that aren’t Group Members.

This wording was done here at HQ, without intent to "strongarm" or persuade anyone. It was simply created to summarize what the TC should mean to the public, without giving all the detail of what’s required.

see above

Quote

Quote

2. requirement of DZs to send personally identifiable info to USPA of first time jumpers

The requirement is that participating DZs make a card available to first jump students, then return those cards that do get filled out.

This card asks for the student's name and e-mail address. We found this to be the only reliable way to get in touch with first-jump customers. We tried having DZs hand out cards with USPA web urls and contact info, but it didn’t work. The DZ is asked to have the customers complete the cards, then send the cards to USPA.

Quote

3. unsolicited emails being sent to new jumpers as a result of #2.

E-mails from USPA are never sent unsolicited. First time jumpers are invited to fill out an information card which clearly states that they will receive an e-mail from us. There is no requirement for the first time student to fill out or return this card.

Quote

4. no way for a new jumper to opt-out of emails from USPA

The sample e-mail on USPA's website does not have an opt-out link because it is a sample. Every live e-mail newsletter that goes out from USPA HQ is sent via the ConstantContact service, has an unsubscribe link, and fully complies with all SPAM laws.

Here's the problem with that. ConstantContact is yet another third party.
Someone agrees that their name and email can be sent to USPA, but now they are getting emails from a company called ConstantContact. All optout urls and embedded links go to their web site. Embedded links get forwarded to urls on the USPA site, after tracking data is logged. Many people know that spammers spoof things like this to get people to optout as a way to verify their email addy and then sell to others. I'm willing to bet ConstantContact does aggregate data mining for the benefit of still other third parties. Plus ConstantContact bugs their emails. They track who opens the email as HTML and who clicks on what link at what time and from what IP addy.


.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[CSpenceFLY 1]

I'll ask you again. Why was that ALL not put into a nice neat package for our representatives to vote on?

I'll also ask the entire board, Why would you vote on ssomething as open ended as what Jan has put in front of us here. Something that someone obviously has changes in store for with no oversight.

It's like someone asking you to sign your name to a blank contract. Hey, can each one of you send me a blank check. I promise I will only make it out for a buck. REALLY!

[kallend 1,623]

If you want to attract tandem jumpers back with a view to training, I suggest putting on the end of every tandem video a 5-7 minute promotion showing all the cool things that can be done: big ways, vRW, crew, wingsuits, raft jumps...

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[DanG 1]

Why is this discussion between a USPA Board member and the Executive Director occuring on dropzone.com and not in private? Is the Board/HQ relationship so broken that this is the only way for a Board member to express themselves?

Or is Jan just stirring up shit with Ed in public for some other reason?

I tried to ask this before and got no response: Jan, did you express these concerns to Ed prior to your post on dropzone.com?

Thanks.

- Dan G