How long does my ACC membership last?

[Lupe]

Why, I'm glad you asked!

Membership with the club is for 1 year. In the past, your membership expiration date (renewal date) was put on the label on your newsletter to remind you when to renew, and then a reminder letter was also sent the month of your expiration.

As more and more folks provide email addresses and are okay with getting email alerts, we have now started to send renewal reminders via email to those we can, and still send snail mail letters to those who we can't contact via email. Your expiration/renewal date will still be on the newsletter label if you get the newsletter in hardcopy format.

I'm still playing with the database and mail merge/email merge options, but I think soon I'll be able to also send your renewal info as well as all your basic membership info in a personalized email when we send the newsletter via PDF. This will let those who aren't getting the newsletter in hardcopy still stay informed about their renewal date, and seeing your membership info will also help you to see if anything is out of date/incorrect/or needs to be changed.

Anyway, this public service announcement is because I've realized a couple people weren't sure how long their membership lasted, and I figured if a couple folks weren't sure, then maybe it was something that more people didn't know about!

If you are not sure if your membership is up to date or expired, feel free to PM me or email me at membership "AT" arkansascanoeclub.com and I'm happy to double check for you.

Also, if there are still folks on the message board who aren't being recognized with the special Member blue font, then please email me and I'll coordinate with Scott to get that updated for you. If you contact me about the blue font issue, be sure to give me your Membership name as well as your name on the message board. Unfortunately we haven't yet come up with a good way to automate recognizing members on the board, so it's a kind of clunky, labor intensive, less than perfect system. We're still mulling over possible ways to improve that in the future...thanks for patience and understanding in the meantime!

Thanks all!
Cheers,
Heather aka Lupe
aka Helping out with membership

[Fish]

You know, when the blue font first appeared, I was ambivalent at best. It seemed to me that it shouldn't matter who is "in the club" and who is not on the message board. I'm sort of an anarchist that way I suppose. :) But the idea has grown on me - I think it is a good way to show who is paying for all of this. This message board. These great teachers at Canoe School. This Lee Creek access. These hourly updating Hailstone, Richland and Cossatot gauges. This Rendezvous. These winter roll sessions. This state conservation work. Etc.

If you see someone's name in blue, think about sending them a PM and thank them for paying for all of this stuff.

- Fish

[KAYAKN]

Heather
Give me a shout when you get a chance. 318-423-1690
Adam

[Half Ton]

Just to re-iterate the fact that not all members have "special font", don't be dissin' on someone who doesn't have the font.....cause they might just be a member.

And additionally, here's a thanks for those that pay for the above work that fish mentioned but don't have "special font".

And furthermore, here's a reminder that not all members want a "special font".

What is the deal segregation anyway? didn't everyone get past color differences since the summer of love and Obama's election?

Why must paddlers, or message board users be praised or judged by a color.

If you see someone's name in blue, think about sending them a PM and thank them for paying for all of this stuff.

Definitely not soul boater material. nope.

[okieboater]

Jeez, kids grow up!

Who gives a rip about the color of a person's name on a message board?

[Fish]

Well, 1/2-T, if font don't matter, then why not blue font? And are you actually lecturing me on inclusiveness while also excluding me from the esteemed ranks of the "soul boaters"? Et tu, Tonnage?

Personally I don't care whether my font is blue or orange or green or dark gray. I don't care whether yours is either. I don't go hatin on anyone of any font, and never advised anyone else to. If you pay your dues to the ACC, choose whatever font you want. So maintain that cooler-than-thou-soul-boater image if that's your thing in life. Whatever butters your bread, dude. You're still Team Stupid material any day. (Um, I guess that won't mean much since we obviously have stupendously low standards for membership and don't rule out anyone, so long as they are stupid enough to boat with the likes of us.)

But if you don't pay your dues, then thank someone who does, whatever their font color may be. Nothing wrong with being a freeloader - ACC members happily support a lot of them (just ask the folks whose I mooch every year at Canoe School) - but at least be grateful to those who foot your bills.

Crying all night because I am judged unworthy to be a soul boater...
Fish

[Half Ton]

Hey, I pay dues too.... and just wanted to make that point for others who do pay as well, but whose names are not in bright blue. Just making a point. Just like not all members want a blue font. Again, just making another point.

Yes, conversing the "butter battle" or "font battle", in this case, is a bit touchy, but so seems a lot of other stuff, you know?

All I'm sayin is segregation is alive and well, and while it is not necessarily a bad thing, it ain't a good thing either. Especially, if were gonna start saying that one color or the other, or the buttered side up verses the buttered side down is better - when in fact, we are all boaters.

I just have this thing for conformity that I can't stand. It comes from watching to much star trek or something......Be assimilated or die. You know.

Red, green, blue, light blue it is all a color and that is all, but as someone else stated....

I think it is a good way to show who is paying for all of this. This message board. These great teachers at Canoe School. This Lee Creek access. These hourly updating Hailstone, Richland and Cossatot gauges. This Rendezvous. These winter roll sessions. This state conservation work. Etc.

If you see someone's name in blue, think about sending them a PM and thank them for paying for all of this stuff.

Obviously, it is easy for discrimination to occur -when it isn't even meant to - in which the non blue fonters are not recognized as being contributers to the ACC.

All I'm sayin is others besides the blues and greens do pay dues, but for the record, I don't really care to be a special member blue font because If it comes down to being recognized as an ACC member or a "nobody", I'd rather be a nobody who doesn't separate my self as one of "us" or one of "them", but rather as "a boater" - besides I don't really like big blue font, and yes I pay.

Well, 1/2-T, if font don't matter, then why not blue font? And are you actually lecturing me on inclusiveness while also excluding me from the esteemed ranks of the "soul boaters"? Et tu, Tonnage?

well, you got me there, and thanks for the team stupid invite I also hope that you "FISH" realize that I was just ribbing you a bit, and got the response from you that I expected.....and a zinger it was, as expected

Okieboater - I hope you realize that I don't really care and that it ain't a big deal to me, but instead just a humerous point of dialogue and debate.....at least to me.

[Fish]

When have you known me to take anything very seriously? :) I have a knack for falling into traps... just ask the guys who spent the night with me on Boss Hollow this last year...

Obviously, it is easy for discrimination to occur -when it isn't even meant to - in which the non blue fonters are not recognized as being contributers to the ACC.

Wait, we're discriminating against people who choose to not have their board name in blue? So there are people who don't want to be associated with ACC membership, and so others are persecuting them when they assume they aren't ACC members? I am outraged at this!


Actually, I never asked to be put in "blue" on this board. But I don't mind it either. I've found ACC to be a good organization for boaters in the area - all boaters, not just members. I don't mind being seen as part of that organization. But that doesn't mean I don't like or associate or make fun of boaters who aren't paying dues or volunteering for ACC. Hell, I'm a freakin chapter president these days (didn't ask for that either ), but my strongest pitch for membership at meetings has been, "I think ACC is a good deal for your money, but you're welcome to come to every event and do everything whether you pay dues or not." More than half of the folks who use the roll sessions we foot the bill for are not paying members. Not sure how ACC can be less elitist and more inclusive than that...? Granted there may be some folks in ACC that feel differently than that, but in my experience they've been the exception to the rule.

No organization of people is perfect. I used to bi**h about the ACC too not that many years ago, and I never did anything to try to change it. I finally started volunteering when I didn't like my own hypocrisy more than I didn't like ACC. :-) Since then, I've been an advocate in the club for folks exactly like I used to be. Like you are now Half-Ton. I've focused on getting the club to do more for younger, independent paddlers. And other folks have joined me in that too, and it's made a difference. I don't expect any of the young-guns, the soul-boaters, out there to ever thank us. I d**n sure wouldn't have when I was them! :)

As always, I've spent too much time on this. Y'all have a good day, and thank Half-Ton a bunch, because he's not only paid dues, but he volunteered a hell of a lot of his time to organize river cleanups and such. We may look like we're trying to rip a new one in each other on here occasionally, but I have nothing but respect for the guy, even if he is a soul boater.

- Fish

[hellbender]

god says you have no boater soul,so sorry infidels!

[Half Ton]

I thought that was what that ole atheist Alfred Einstein said, Hellbender.

But then, it doesn't go so well with the infidel part.

Fish, don't you be spreadin' those malicious rumers round about me, I have a nasty reputation to uphold you know :shock:

[Regud]

I'm in BLUE! Yeah! Thanks Heather and Scott!