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From: Byron / Kaneohe / HI
Date: 08 Aug 2004
Time: 15:01:50
Hey all, it’s been quite some time since I’ve posted on Wing Talk; Germany, the move to Hawaii, two kids, Oma/Opa, a new house, and a new job have all taken a toll on the time I have to dedicate to Wing Tips and Red Wing in general. In fact, I’ve allowed my RWCS membership to lapse but hope to have the time, talent, and energy to get more involved sometime this year. I do still monitor the site on a regular basis and thank all the many volunteers on the site for their selfless efforts to keep the ship running.
It’s with great interest, a smile on my face, and the same appeal associated with watching a soap opera that I review the many posts made to Wing Talk regarding the RWCS/BOD (Board Of Directors) year after year. The rush of posts after convention is as predictable as the tide but is exactly why Wing Talk is on the web. As Rusty said, I was much more active in moderating in the past but have found that the Wing Talk community does a wonderful job of applying pressure when and if needed.
Just a quick side-bar… In my travels across Europe I have spoken with many people that say they love the USA and it’s people but cannot tolerate the policies of the Bush Administration. The parallel here is that many on Wing Talk speak generically about the “RWCS” when they should be speaking more precisely about the policies of the BOD.
In reflection of the posts made recently it seems that people are “Screaming To Be Heard.” I borrow this title from a book on my wife’s shelf, the full title is “Screaming to be Heard: Hormonal Connections Women Suspect, and Doctors Still Ignore” amazon link… http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0871319144/qid=1091992247/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-3806128-9838458
It seems what is happening is that people are using one of the only means possible to express themselves but because Wing Tips is not formally associated with the RWCS the powers-that-be (barring Wally) do not feel compelled to respond even though many of our comments come from bonafide RWCS members. I’m reasonably confident that many on the BOD monitor this site but can only conclude there is a non-spoken rule among the group that Wing Talk is forbidden territory.
I honestly believe that all it would take is for some entity on the BOD to read what has been posted on this site, sit back and reflect on what is being stated with a customer-service-oriented frame of mind, and then make a post acknowledging what has been said and propose an implementable solution to what they see is the problem. This approach would acknowledge your concerns and probably release steam from the boiler.
As Wing Talk is probably the best thermometer on the web regarding RWCS membership satisfaction I do not understand why it is necessary for Gale to pull together a formal letter other than the fact that it would rationalize a lot of what has been stated and force you to organize your thoughts and force a focus on solving the business problem. Now that I’ve stated that, since the BOD is ignoring your posts and taking a hear-no-evil, see-no-evil approach Gale’s methodology may be the only option available; but this is for people that want to change things instead of just howling at the moon.
I think the BOD does a lot of great things to support our passion and must be congratulated for their hours/days/years of effort. At the same time, I think many on the BOD still think of the organization as a “club” instead of a customer service oriented, money making (even though it is non-profit) business that must be treated as such. I know that many on the BOD have been there for years and take with them a certain philosophy from election to election. I expect it was the weight of their years and accumulated power that, very unfortunately, forced our elected president (Corrinne) to resign her post. I personally am a bit peeved that Corrinne saw no other option than to leave the organization and wonder why this topic has never shown up on Wing Talk. I expect that further investigation will show that Corrinne was trying to do something she felt good for the organization, possibly even change some long standing operating philosophy, and was not supported by others on the BOD.
So, what’s my summary? The RWCS is a great organization full of many great people! Some people in the RWCS are "Screaming to be Heard;" others are quite happy. For some reason, the BOD must be force-fed when it comes to dealing with issues. More overt work on the part of the BOD to solicit comments/issues on their web site and then resolve them would probably solve a lot of problems. Vote for the “Customer Service Oriented” candidates in the next election. I would love to hear more about why Corrinne resigned her post.
Thanks for reading this far,
BBBush