Hoosier Squadron MSTA

[occam22]

Have you wondered why there are few posts in the indy section of this site?? I have for over a year lol.

The hoosier group seems to communicate through a yahoo group. As of 7-23-15, Im a new member to that group. A few of the members hang out with the ducati club guys on thursdays at brockway pub in carmel. Super great down to earth folks. I cant make it every week but the few times I have, Ive always found friends. Look for the ducati group 

Shoot me a note and Ill try to bring you up to speed if I can.

[Brick]

Yea a lot of local groups have there own way of communicating. Which is good for them. However I have always thought if we all used the MSTA it could encourage others and show how really active the MSTA really is.
I don't have an answer... I'm just a member.


I must be out riding my Super Teneré'!

[stevegrab]

Brick,

With all the changes and issues with the website (not complaining just stating fact) if many of us has moved our outside groups (NE Ohio also uses a Yahoo group) we may have lost more members. I have trouble keeping people active on something they're familiar with, I'm not going to move my group to MSTA web site and lose even more members. Very few have ever registered for a version of the forum and there are maybe 2-3 members who I've seen post much at all. And I'm not an FB user so we're not doing anything there. Nobody else is volunteering to take over or do things differently so that's how I'm rolling right now.

Also any new member that joins should reach out to their state director (once they get the Blue Book) and contact them for "what does the local group do" even those that have active MSTA based stuff will have more info. I've made an effort as an assistant state director to review the new member lists I get regularly and reach out to new members to invite them to join our Yahoo group, or contact me if they want more info on the local scene.

[Landon]

If Pat from KY didn't post the Kentucky events on the forum I would never make it to any of them as I am from Indiana and not on the any Kentucky mail list. Since he post them on the forum and I live just across the river in southern Indiana I make it to their stuff every once in awhile. So its got it benefits of being posted on the MSTA forum also. You never know when members from outside your geographical area might be interested in attending something if they knew about it. They could be passing through on a trip or just want to go for a ride.

In my opinion, all MSTA communication should take place through the forum. If people want to know what's going on they would have to log on and find out unless its printed in a newsletter or Starreview and mailed. Again, that's my opinion and I obviously realize that everyone does not agree.

How do potential members that find the forum know about local lunch rides, day rides, etc to come meet the group if its not posted here at our official forum?

[Patmo]

Just my opinion......

I think that it is best for everyone if we use all communication possibilities and instruments that we can.  I post up the lunch meets for Kentucky, on this forum, the Facebook page for the national and state MSTA, and also have begun using a meetup page.  This is part of a discussion that occurred at the state directors and volunteers meeting at STAR.  I made the point there, and I'll make it here, that if we hope to reach younger people as potential members, we must use social media.  It is the way that more and more people are communicating with each other, everyday.  If FB, or another medium, is not something you do, then it's still possible to find someone in the group that does.  I think it a good idea to check with people locally to you and see if you can find someone that will help communicate club info using those possibilities.  If we hope to attract new members, we have to go where the potential new members are.....more and more today that is on social media.

If we think of our members and potential member as our customers, then we should do all that we can to communicate with them.  Most of the problems that people have with any business are either because of poor communication, or no communication.  Our STAReview does an outstanding job of communicating about regional and national events, after the fact.  It does an outstanding job of letting members know about future events of that type.  But, being a national monthly newsmagazine it can't really do much in terms of publicizing or organizing local events. Word of mouth, local rider websites, Facebook, Yahoo groups, Meetup pages, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. are all tools that can be used to communicate and organize locally.  It's up to us to take advantage of those opportunities.

[Brick]

Yea... What Pat said!


I must be out riding my Super Teneré'!

[Landon]

I guess maybe what I said was not exactly what I meant. I think that the communication needs to at least be posted here, I don't care if its on 15 other sites, but it needs to be published here also. Currently there is a lot of communication via other sites that never makes it to the forum. We are foolish if we don't provide potential new members that find the MSTA website and forum with the details of how to come ride and socialize with us beyond the sanctioned events.

[Brick]

Landon... yes, that is what I was trying to say I the first place. It doesn't matter where else you post but always post here too.


I must be out riding my Super Teneré'!

[Patmo]

I agree....this site should be the "go too"  site for all club information.  We need to continue to steer folks here, even as we continue to use all means available to us to inform and attract current and potential members.

[stevegrab]

Pat its hard to keep steering folks here who are intent on using only social media. Or just don't want to use anything new. And I'm more interested in keeping the current members active at this time.

I post my local rides on our Yahoo group. Some of the Columbus guys on are on that list and occassionally show up (unexpectedly) for a ride we do. I personally am not that keen on posting up plans for a ride to a broad audience made up of many unknown people (FB or the general parts of this forum) who may or may not be MSTA members. So if I were to post it here, it would be in a member's only area. But posting it in multiple places while plans are fluid and may only be a few days out is difficult (work and all that).

Everybody in every area is going to do what works best for them and their members. For some like Pat that will be reaching out to everybody through many different sources. For others it will be more limited.

My basic point is if you're going to make more demands or put requirements on the volunteers to "post it everywhere, get on social media, etc" then you'll lose volunteers. We all don't want to do those things or have the extra time.

[RIDEMYST]

Our Florida State Director(s) send out both an email notice and a notice on our State website (which is linked to the MSTA home page) for our lunch rides. We also have a FB page and post to the calendar on this site. I think that covers everything. -JEP-


Sent by using these little bitty keys on my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Brick]

No one said you have to... No new rules. Just what others do and suggestions.

Pat its hard to keep steering folks here who are intent on using only social media. Or just don't want to use anything new. And I'm more interested in keeping the current members active at this time.

I post my local rides on our Yahoo group. Some of the Columbus guys on are on that list and occassionally show up (unexpectedly) for a ride we do. I personally am not that keen on posting up plans for a ride to a broad audience made up of many unknown people (FB or the general parts of this forum) who may or may not be MSTA members. So if I were to post it here, it would be in a member's only area. But posting it in multiple places while plans are fluid and may only be a few days out is difficult (work and all that).

Everybody in every area is going to do what works best for them and their members. For some like Pat that will be reaching out to everybody through many different sources. For others it will be more limited.

My basic point is if you're going to make more demands or put requirements on the volunteers to "post it everywhere, get on social media, etc" then you'll lose volunteers. We all don't want to do those things or have the extra time.

I must be out riding my Super Teneré'!

[Patmo]

Steve......by saying "steer folks here" I mean that we should always remind people that this is the site  that they should check out for the most comprehensive information on the club as a national entity, and not just for all the local information.  If all of the local information was also posted here, then it would be possible for people from all different parts of the country to know what is happening elsewhere.....IF they wanted to know for some reason.  I'm not saying that it is even possible for one person to post on all the many different internet outlets that exist.....for example I have never even heard of the Yahoo site, nor do I do LinkedIn, or Twitter, or any other of the various sites.  But that doesn't mean that someone else couldn't or shouldn't use those sites.  You use what works for you and what you feel comfortable using first and foremost.  But IN ADDITION, I think it would be a good idea tpost up something here so that people OUTSIDE YOUR AREA or list have access to the information also.

[stevegrab]

Maybe the difference is planned/set rides vs. last minute stuff. We used to do more monthly lunch rides, scheduled well in advance. Lately we do less and we've always had last minute ride plans. Last week I posted something on our list on Tuesday about a weekend ride, to see if anybody is interested. Responses trickled in, we tossed around ideas, and eventually set a plan for where/when to meet. I don't have to time to take all that and cross post it here, or anywhere else. And by the time the details are finalized it may be less than 24 hours to the ride.

I hear what all you guys are saying and these are just suggestions. The more its discussed and people say "you should do it" the more I'm feeling like somebody is saying its required. Then I feel like I have to explain why I'm not going to do that. That's on me, its just how I am.

In a perfect world we'd have one primary way to communicate, and not use 4-5 things or more. That to me is part of the problem, but it isn't going to change. Kudos to those who will keep up with the forum, FB pages, private groups and such (reading or posting info).

[Patmo]

Understandable that when it comes to last minute, local rides or meet ups that one would NOT feel the need, nor have the time to post up on a national forum. 

NO ONE should feel that they have to do any posting as a requirement to hold any position in the club.  Everyone should do their jobs as they want to, without having to deal with any criticism or pressure to do more than they feel necessary, or comfortable doing.

Just keep having FUN as the goal and don't sweat the rest......