Have you seen the new SSA 'Where to fly' web-site?

Seems to me that being listed is another value provided by being a
member, business or chapter.
Question keeps getting asked- what do we get for our money?
I know of one site that, upon seeing Where to Fly on Friday, is signing
up as a business member on Monday.
UH

wrote:
Seems to me that being listed is another value provided by being a
member, business or chapter.
Question keeps getting asked- what do we get for our money?
I know of one site that, upon seeing Where to Fly on Friday, is signing
up as a business member on Monday.
UH


That is one point of view. Another is that SSA should be doing whatever
it can to promote soaring, and that involves publicizing all soaring
sites, even if that means that the SSA must forego some revenue in the
short run. After all, what is the purpose of SSA? An organization with
the goal of maximing its revenue, or an organization with the goal of
promoting soaring?

Greg Arnold wrote:
wrote:

Seems to me that being listed is another value provided by being a
member, business or chapter.
Question keeps getting asked- what do we get for our money?
I know of one site that, upon seeing Where to Fly on Friday, is signing
up as a business member on Monday.
UH


That is one point of view. Another is that SSA should be doing whatever
it can to promote soaring, and that involves publicizing all soaring
sites, even if that means that the SSA must forego some revenue in the
short run. After all, what is the purpose of SSA? An organization with
the goal of maximing its revenue, or an organization with the goal of
promoting soaring?

Give business members the full treatment (picture, web site link,
mapquest link, etc.) along with a prominent SSA Business Member logo,
limit non-members to name, address, phone number, email...

Albert Gold wrote:

"Why have they chosen not to do so, and how can we change their minds?"

If they join, maybe we could offer them free advertising on the "where to
Fly" page.


Jack

The source of the information on Where to Fly comes from Chapter and
Business members themselves. Much of that is not yet current despite
several reminders to update this info by Dianne Black Nixon.
How would you suggest that info for others be gathered and confirmed to
be correct?
Seems to me that if a club or operator spent the money to be a business
member, $200/yr I think, that it quite likely would pay off much more
than that in additional business.
UH

wrote:

Seems to me that if a club or operator spent the money to be a business
member, $200/yr I think, that it quite likely would pay off much more
than that in additional business.

In other words, most or all soaring operations would be listed if they
were rational profit-maximizers. Assuming that is the case, some have
made a bad business decision by not joining. But I don't understand the
argument that -- since they have made a bad business decision -- it is
OK to deny information about them to soaring pilots and prospective
soaring pilots.


UH

Greg Arnold wrote:

In other words, most or all soaring operations would be listed if they
were rational profit-maximizers. Assuming that is the case, some have
made a bad business decision by not joining. But I don't understand the
argument that -- since they have made a bad business decision -- it is
OK to deny information about them to soaring pilots and prospective
soaring pilots.

If they can't support the SSA, what other corners are they cutting?


Jack

Jack wrote:
Greg Arnold wrote:

In other words, most or all soaring operations would be listed if they
were rational profit-maximizers. Assuming that is the case, some have
made a bad business decision by not joining. But I don't understand
the argument that -- since they have made a bad business decision --
it is OK to deny information about them to soaring pilots and
prospective soaring pilots.


If they can't support the SSA, what other corners are they cutting?


Jack

So the SSA's decision to include or not on the webpage really is a
safety decision, and the SSA makes that safety decision on the basis of
whether the operation has enough sense to affiliate with the SSA?

Greg Arnold wrote:
So the SSA's decision to include or not on the webpage really is a
safety decision, and the SSA makes that safety decision on the basis of
whether the operation has enough sense to affiliate with the SSA?

No, the SSA will (probably) list any entity that makes the effort to
provide reliable contact information. It seems to make perfect sense
that the proprietor of an operation should be the one to decide whether
they will be listed by the SSA.

-Tom

Greg Arnold wrote:

So the SSA's decision to include or not on the webpage really is a
safety decision, and the SSA makes that safety decision on the basis of
whether the operation has enough sense to affiliate with the SSA?

Humor- and patience-deprived today are we, Greg?

I believe there are any number of good reasons -- from the economic, to the
practical, to the political. I wonder why you are so adamantly opposed to
the current revitalization of the SSA and the choices of it's leadership
that you can't give it a reasonable time to work out?

Huge changes, with limited resources, are afoot and the SSA needs to
apologize to no one for the progress we are currently making and that which
we can see not far off. Anything which shores up the current base is a good
choice.

There are those, both here and in the wider soaring community, that will
never get on board with the SSA, no matter what its future holds -- for
reasons I consider irrational, but that's just part of human nature. Whether
they are individuals, or clubs, or commercial operations, their inability or
unwillingness to be part of the solution doesn't really make them part of
the problem -- it just leaves them increasingly nowhere as the SSA's
momentum increases. Those less obtuse will, eventually, see the light. The
SSA would be doing its current and future membership no favors if it
legitimized the rest by including them.


Jack