marshian market (1 Viewer)

[jeremy]

since when can only members post in this part of the forum?????has it always been this way or am I losing my mind????I broke my red/orange monti today and was going to sell the pieces off for cheap, but it says I am not allowed to post.... Paid member already have their B/S/T forum...... Whats going on??????????

 

[andrew7b]

since jan.(new yrs)

 

[jeremy]

Ok... So I can get good deals... But am not eligible to give them......WOW!!!!

 

[flipside]

Jeremy,

Please don't take it personal. Many people here understand your frustration. The BOD decided that it was high time to get back on track with it's mission statement, and I quote:

MARSH is a group of individuals in the greater Houston area interested in the husbandry of marine ornamentals and saltwater aquariums.

Our Purposes:

-To exchange information within the group to share cumulative experiences and to ensure successful husbandry of our members' aquaria;
-To participate in education within the club through speakers, Internet presence, outreach, newsletters, and interaction with the trade;
-To promote captive propagation and breeding; and
-To promote conservation both within and without the hobby.

Before, most activity occurred in the B/S/T forum. The intent for the new rule was to get the club back on track.

Personally, I have my reservations about the decision (as many of us do) but I "definitely" respect it.

 

[FireEater]

The way I see it, is that if you have the money to be in this hobby, then you have the money to spend a measly 35 bucks a year for membership.

 

[rxonco]

The way I see it, is that if you have the money to be in this hobby, then you have the money to spend a measly 35 bucks a year for membership.

Agreed

 

[jdeveaux]

$30.00 ;-)

 

[jamesw]

I agree with Mark. Go ahead and join MARSH - then sell your frags. You can use that money to fund your membership

Cheers
James

 

[d2mini]

Agreed.
Pay the membership, sell the frags, and you've paid for your membership.

 

[snookfish]

Only problem with that idea is that some of use don't have the time to go to meetings or patronize the affiliated vendors due to where we live and family responsibilities (like myself). so why give MARSH $30. I could use that money to buy a new fish, frag, equipment, gas for my car, kids dinner, etc. The problem, like most everything, is that a few crap non-members on here to make a quick buck ruined it for people like me that love the concept of MARSH, but being a member is not feasable, paying the $30 membership would net me ZERO! but thats o.k. i have noticed a big uptick for Houston fish Box. I'm sure they are happy with the decision (sarcasm not intended). Solutions to these problems are seldomly as simple as we want them to be. i respect the BOD to do what they did and even talked to jdev about it. But I have noticed that the traffic here has gone away. and if that is what the BOD wanted then they found success. i still adhear to the mission of MARSH I just can't reasonably financially support a community that i don't participate with. it's not like a donation to a non-profit, it's a membership with benifits. not being able to enjoy the benefits is why i don't send my $30 in.

 

[CBBSteve]

I get $30 worth of information here at least once a month...

It's worth it to me just to have the club in existence.

good luck,
Steve

 

[jeremy]

I agree with you Snookfish I too do not have the time, because of my job and family life, to participate in any of the benefits of being a member. I really love MARSH and there are alot of great people on here. I dont want to profit off of my Coral and I rarely ever sell anything on the forum.

Please look at the third line posted in "Our Purposes"

Our Purposes:

-To exchange information within the group to share cumulative experiences and to ensure successful husbandry of our members' aquaria;
-To participate in education within the club through speakers, Internet presence, outreach, newsletters, and interaction with the trade;
****-To promote captive propagation and breeding; and
-To promote conservation both within and without the hobby.

IMO this is exactly what I am trying to do.

 

[jdeveaux]

Actually MARSH is a registered Not-for-Profit but that said it is about the community and if you don't participate with us then you are correct that it does not make sense to put money into it. I'm not sure how you are drawing the conclusion that we have less traffic. We actually have more members and traffic right now than we did for the same time frame in the past 2 years. I'm definitely more inclined to go with quality over quantity any day, and I'm definitely working to get us more in line with our mission statement.

The best part is that some of the best and brightest in the community are now coming back to MARSH because of our actions.

At the end of the day I can tell you that all of my time and money that go into MARSH do so with no expectation of getting anything in return. What I get from MARSH is the community of friends that don't mind me talking about fish all day

 

[jamesw]

Well - I guess if you consider the "benefits" of the club are only going to meetings and buying and selling then yes, I can see your point of view.

But to me - being part of a 12 year old HUGE aquarium society, being able to read these forums and ask questions, and being able to go on the tank tours, frag swaps, and collecting trips are all HUGE benefits too.

At the very least, consider the time and cost just to run the forums. I've run a big forum (reefs.org) before and know what's involved.

Cheers
James

 

[ShaneV]

MARSH is just as much an online community as it is real world community. The dues also pay to cover the website. If your read/post on the website, that ability is paid for by memberships.

The traffic here in the discussion forums, has actualy increased since the change was implemented.

 

[d2mini]

I don't have time to go to meetings or events and I don't think i've ever used my marsh card at a local vendor. No biggie. It costs more than $30 for just one standard fish in this hobby.

 

[rxonco]

I've paid my dues, but not to get some type of advantage or get ahead. I do it to help keep the club going. It's only $30. That's a small price to pay in comparison to the amount of money spent on this hobby over a year's time. I attend very few events and haven't been to a meeting in years. That being said, I rely on this site for the wealth of knowledge and opportunity it brings. Without dues paying members, MARSH would have to do it on donations. We all know how far that would take us.

 

[RR-MAN]

I've paid my dues, but not to get some type of advantage or get ahead. I do it to help keep the club going. It's only $30. That's a small price to pay in comparison to the amount of money spent on this hobby over a year's time. I attend very few events and haven't been to a meeting in years. That being said, I rely on this site for the wealth of knowledge and opportunity it brings. Without dues paying members, MARSH would have to do it on donations. We all know how far that would take us.

I agree $30 is not much. I think for some people it's not about the $30 but the fear of commitment.

And Randy, how much have you spent on the new set up so far???

I think it's time to close this discussion.

 

[snookfish]

Guys, I'm not advocating a mutiny, or somehow I'm in it for purely greedish reasons. If you want to pay money for whatever services you do or don't get, then thats your right, I'm just saying that there are people like me out there and thats what I (big I) think about it. overall I've meet some very nice and generous people and I don't expect Jdev to do this for free. overall this is a good site and is a good resource. I don't know the facts on increased membership or traffic, I'm only going off my perception of when i check the site. But clearly, there are enough people here to make this work and clearly there are enough members that don't want people like me here, so I'll take that message. clearly there are enough members trying to convince me with thier comments I'm not what they want, so I won't get a membership and you can have the site you want, I get that! I just wanted people to know there are resons for not being a member and it's not as simple as "sell your frags to make up the difference for dues" or " I don't mind giving to MARSH, it's only $30"

 

[rxonco]

And Randy, how much have you spent on the new set up so far???

I think it's time to close this discussion.

Well, I say I've still got a looong way to go. My wife says it's been too much already. Mother's Day gift will make her forget about upcoming purchases for a while.