To be or not to be ... a club...?

[kev131]

Hi all

This is a subject that Theo, Simon and I have debated a few times and it came more into focus recently when looking at a set of stickers for 3MA and the website.

The main motivating factor for making the change is that it just seems easier to refer to the community as a club rather than... forum members, like minded enthusiasts, 131 fans, etc etc. In view of the number of "members" now it does seem that the "community" has generated it's own momentum and interest, with many people logging on at least once a day. In addition to providing a common meeting place to discuss anything 131 related the group organises at least one annual get together so it would seem that the minimum requirements are present to justify the new description (a formal association of people with similar interests - one dictionary definition).

However it is NOT proposed to have all of the common infrastructure of clubs such as officers, constitution, rules, etc. - I personally cant see the need for that level of organisation as we have successfully negotiated our first year or more without it.

OK - so why have a poll for something so low key? - Well it was felt that it would be presumptuous to just change the name without seeking general consensus from the "members".

Note : The url website address will remain unchanged.

The forum will continue in it's present form with minor tweaks as demand dictates.

Will the name change on the home page? - Possibly - Theo can make a call on that as he is the website administrator.

Please take a few seconds to cast your vote - The poll will last for 10 days.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Kev (in favour of the change!)?

[mick131]

I think it's a good idea personally... . It sounds and feels " right " if you know what I mean 

[Tas131]

I haven't been here long, but I think of it being a forum. It would be a bit weird to be a member of a club when the majority of members are on the other side of the planet and I'm unlikely to meet any of them. Then again, I could be a token club member, a strange sort of mascot.

[mirafioriman]

I think it would be great to be in a club which had members from all over the planet. 

[Thotos]

As Kevin said, the 3 Mad Amigos (Kevin, Simon and I) have discussed (debated to use Kevin's terminology) this subject in the past. Kevin is obviously in favour of a Club while I am not. As Mick (Tas131) said, this is a website and a forum dedicated to our favourite car and the annual meeting that we are trying to organise (3ma). Most car clubs have websites which include forums but there are also lots of Internet forums dedicated to one make or model of car without any kind of Club infrastructure behind it. So what's the difference of being a "Forum Member" or a "Club Member"? Not much as I see it. If you/we decide this is a Club, then we'll need a name for it. So who decides the name if we don't have Club officials, a Constitution, rules etc? 

[mirafioriman]

If we decided it was a club, why not just stick with www.131mirafiori.com?

[parrish]

Many insurance companys will give discounts for classic cars if your a member of a recognised car club.
Are we suggesting a sort of in between situation here? a club that isnt a club!
Personally im happy to change the name to a club (that way a few more might find us on the www).

3MA! is it 3 Mad Amigos then? was that the original title? 'The club of the 3 Mad Amigos' sounds good to me.
Adios Amigos.

[Thotos]

3MA! is it 3 Mad Amigos then? was that the original title? 'The club of the 3 Mad Amigos' sounds good to me.
Adios Amigos.

Errr No! That's just a silly phrase coined by my brother I think. '3MA' came out of the Maximum Mirafiori Mobilisation Attempt (3'M's and an 'A').

Many insurance companys will give discounts for classic cars if your a member of a recognised car club.
Are we suggesting a sort of in between situation here? a club that isnt a club!

That's a valid point and a useful plus point but to be able to get Insurance and/or parts discounts we'll need to be recognised as a Club and for that I suppose we need a 'proper' Club with a Constitution, Committee, Officials, Rules etc. There are plenty of Clubs around (The Fiat Motor Club (GB) for example for UK owners as well as for 131 owners all over the world) that cater for the Fiat 131. In fact Simon is the 131 Registrar of the The Fiat Motor Club (GB).

[eugene]

Eugene here.I am a member of the NNOC(National Niva Owners Club)Lada Niva4x4.I pay 15pounds sterling a year for my membership.I have 7 nivas in total,5 are road worthy and 2 are for spares,however because the club is registered in the UK,i am not able to qualify for any insurance discounts here in Eire.Is this going to happen to you should you become a club!!!.The Lada Niva club is useless to me except for the club news brochure which i receive every three months.Remember there is a lot of work in running a club plus time and commitment.Slan Eugene

[bellamacchina]

In my opinion it doesn't really matter. At least we are all from the same planet, although people in my neighbourhood quite often think I am from a different one. Main interest for me is to speak with afficionados of the Fiat 131,if it is clubwise or not. In Holland we have the FCN, Fiat Club Nederland. They have different sections for different Fiats. Don't ask about the 131 section as it seems like almost nobdy is interested. I am myself member of the SCARB, Alfa Club, here are also different sections and there it works very very well. A lot of members, nice days,apart and together, a great magazine. There is for sure a problem with one type of car. The first year you have a lot of info, later it will probably start to be like in the FCN. Here I am with my car at home. Here with my car at work, here I wash my car, here I change the oil etc. The forum is great because all over the world are members and it is still growing. Take care to keep that at least this way!

[kev131]

And the voting is locked at 5 each....last chance to vote before the poll closes tomorrow...

[Thotos]

It's gone to 5 for and 6 against now. A total of 11 votes out of the 186 members we have on this forum.  So what do the other 175 members think?

[blue92]

My car club here in the US is called fordbastards and it's a club that all you have to do to become a member is register on our forum. The majority of our members do drive Ford Taurus SHOs though. I already felt like this place was a car club. Maybe you guys could start regional sections to the board and there could be regional get togethers and driving events.   

[theredx19]

Kev I think you might need to do further looking into this idea, more on a legal aspect as if it is to be called a club you will need to register it as such and as a ltd company which means having tressurer, chairman etc. This is to cover the liability of a club at a public event even on a road run incase of an accident as who will be liable for this event. I am not discouraging the idea but i would not like to see this info found out the hard way in a court action.

[Thotos]

A Club certainly does not need to be a Ltd company and a Club without funds certainly does not need a Treasurer. I am not sure what the requirements of public liability insurance are but I believe that as long no charge is made for public events (there's no charge to join the 3ma) then public liability insurance is not required. Otherwise whenever you went for a drive with a bunch of friends you would need public liability insurance.