Hey, check this out! Here's some stuff from the bylaws - and this from the BMWCCA Operations Manual... Interesting, huh? I bet that's even supposed to apply on these here message forums....
I also know one or two of the very small handful of individuals who have been subject to this penalty. You've pretty much gotta do a lot more than ever happens here - and be unrepentant - before you're excommunicated from 'CCA.
It's definitely supposed to apply. Problem is, most of the offenders don't think they are the problem, they think it's the other guy. They see no issue with their own behavior. Like CR said though, there have to be some seriously blatant, repeated violations in order to get to this point (but it has happened!).
Call me demented (and it wouldn't be the first time someone has), but a line from the movie "Animal House" comes to mind while I was reading these posts. When the frat is trying to pick their pledges, one of the Delta's pipe up "We need the dues".......
First of all, that you're referencing a nearly 30 yr old frathouse movie is troubling ...since it's a lot of the immature, frat-boy behavior that leads to trouble and misunderstanding. It's a big reason why I keep skipping my high school reunions every five years - I keep encountering guys that I would have thought would realize that they're not teenagers anymore, and ought to have acquired some wisdom and responsible behavior by now. While I'm the last one who could lay claim to being a choir boy around here, I think the same could be said for everyone. On one hand, the maturity level (or lack thereof) in here would likely embarrass CHILDREN if it were out in the real world. On the other hand, get too strict with clamping down on bad behavior and this becomes a sterile, empty place. There are plenty of places where the atmosphere of censorship is so heavy there's no life in the forums. On the other hand, the "frat boy" mindset some forums foster just leads to cliques and cyber bullying that makes any newcomers or nonconformists to the "pack mentality" pretty unwelcome. I'm mostly content, except for the occasional thread hijackers (those do derail a harmless automotive related thread and turn into something else having nothing to do with the original topic) and political "bombthrowers" that want to turn a common love of BMW's into a "conservatives vs. liberals" divisive talk. If I want political talk, I'll go to CNN or the Fox News website. That's what those sites are for anyway. I agree there needs to be a balance though, and I have already decided how I am going to handle threadjackers from now on (I'll lock my thread every time, if the mods don't beat me to it). As for the political jugheads that want to turn this board into something toxic, I'm going to tell you to take it elsewhere, bub. I think I would favor clarification on what unacceptable conduct is, specifically, without turning us all into rulebook lawyers. Just clamp down on the worst stuff (like spamming and cyberbullying) and I think everything will be fine. Nuf said from me for now.
Ha! Well, since I'm reasonably sure you're kidding, I'm also reasonably sure we have no reason to be cynical about the motives of the club's founders in establishing a 'all-are-welcome' policy. I think it was about joint interest, inclusiveness, and camaraderie; I think I recall Joe Chamberlain commenting that when they started the club, they didn't have any idea if it would have an appeal, so I'm pretty sure the dues weren't about amassing funds, just covering costs, at most. Besides, all organizations need some sort of income stream to cover costs, only logical to charge members dues.
Oh hale yeah, just trying to make a joke, albeit a weak one that was apparently lost on some others .... Your post(s) have brought up good points. I wonder if we will get any sort of feedback from CCA Officers?
One idea I had suggested that I never heard from again was... ...including a one year BMW CCA membership with every BMW or MINI sold. BMW could simply forward the dues collected to the BMW CCA membership. They're already paying upwards of $22,000 or more for the car. What's another $48? Multiply that $48 times the number of new cars BMW sells in a year.
Some dealers already do that from what I have been told in the past. Our local dealer toyed with the idea of a one year membership as part of the deal but then dropped it. I figured it cut into his golf money.....
Hehe...you might change that opinion if you saw this crowd in comparison to the rest of the Intarweb. Among my collection of hats is "staff member on a large open-source software project;" the worst goings-on here don't hold a candle to the personality conflicts we routinely cope with in our forums. With occasional exceptions to prove the rule, this is one of the more well-behaved, well-educated and civil forum communities I've seen, by a decent margin. The maturity level tracks pretty well with what I see at real-world club events. If we tend to be a bit goofy, it's because this stuff is fun.
So what is Off Topic form anyway? The CCA forum is tame, tame, tame as far as forum behavior is concerned. I've seen nothing here that would warrant expulsion. There's some sensitivity at times, but I think we're pretty adept at watching the curbs. As far as the recent events go, here's my take. This forum has sub-forums to address almost every single aspect of BMW ownership, CCA membership and events, and on and on. As I look at it, if I want to have a serious car discussion, then there are forums for that. Use them. And then there's this sub-forum called "Off Topic". That's a great place for sitting back with a beer and shooting the crud with fellow bimmer enthusiasts. If they wander, so be it. As long as tempers stay mellow, we're good. How dare anyone go off topic in the Off Topic forum!!!! Uh, yeah, whatever. Let's not get too stuffy in here.
Some do, Some don't. I MIGHT. If he's only spending $48 to play golf, he's doing it all wrong. This place runs straight down the middle in terms of balance between stupidity and maturity, which is fine. It means I've seen better in some places, and worse in others. All in all, not bad.
I believe it was either under my watch or from my motion that the bylaws were changed to allow anyone "with an interest" in BMWs to join. The founding fathers of BMW CCA wrote specifically that one had to own a BMW to join. I felt that was a bit too strict and changed it, not just for the income but to include anyone with an interest, or those looking to become owners. Made sense to me. Good luck with getting BMW NA to pop for dues for every new owner. They'd rather just start their own club with their own magazine, and don't doubt that for a moment. The $12,000,000.00 they'd save in dues would go a long way toward such a goal. Making the Club and Chapters change their logos with the acquiescence of the national board is just the start.
I think you misunderstood my request, BMWCCA1. It's not BMW popping for the dues, since the money is actually coming from the pockets of the owners, NOT BMW. After all, it's the owners who are buying the cars. Sure, it's BMW that provides the cars, but it's the club that provides the camraderie, the atmosphere, and social support. Why buy just a status symbol when you can buy a way of life as well? My idea wasn't just another source of income, but streamlining the membership process for new owners. Also, I'm not sure why BMW would bother duplicating the efforts of the BMW CCA just for its own sake when the hard work has already been done here.
Again, I've always thought any savvy BMW franchise GM or Owner would automatically include a one year member ship in the Club with the purchase or a new or CPO-ed BMW. To me that's good business at minimal cost to him/her.
They do and I get it from time to time. Nothing more than glossy advertisement bound into a magazine format. Basically useless, full of marketing bovine excrement, IMHO.... edit: Also I should add it is probably only a matter of time before they put Fabio on the cover standing next to a new 7 series...
