Re: AGA

[krandall@world.std.com]

At 04:11 PM 7/20/99 -0400, you wrote:

>I guess I am in sort of limbo about the organization. I do know that while I
>was a member, the TAG was often not as big as I wished and it was often very
>late arriving. But then, so are some other magazines that are published by
>hobbyist organizations, (specifically, Discus and Cichlids groups). I always
>rationalized that you have to put up with such things because of costs,
>volunteers, etc

You've got it.  We _are_ an organization of volunteers.  Moreover, we are
an organization run by a few HAGGARD volunteers, which is growing faster
than we can handle it.  The MC, (management committee) which runs over a
list similar to this, has _exactly_ the same problems this list has, with
conversations getting head spinningly long and complicated.  We have a
Steering Committee chair (me) who got the job by blinking first in a
meeting, agreed to hold the position for a period of 6 months, while a
permanent chair was found, and is still <sigh> in that position 18 months
later, since no one else seems to want the job either.  

The editor, Neil Frank, has had the position for almost 10 years, and is
close to burning out.  (I think there are a couple of good possibilities
for replacements, but we're still in the "talking" stage.

>I would imagine that the real reason I didn't rejoin was that I was never
>reminded that my subscription was about to run out. Just to be sure that I
>hadn't signed up for three years and forgotten about it, I emailed the AGA
>to ask if I was still a member. After hearing nothing, I contacted Karen R.
>and was able to find out that I was no longer a member. The AGA person who
>responded, told me that he only has membership records going back as far as
>last month???? I am sure this person is a volunteer and I believe he is new
>as well. So, I was not too disturbed by this. Should I have been?

It is always hard when you have a changing of the guard, even more, when
the same person (in a different country) has been doing the job very well,
but her way for YEARS, and then the torch gets passed to someone else.  Add
to the difficulty of having these records change hands physically, the fact
that Jack's computer had a major crash shortly after the change-over, and
you can see how things got quite messed up for a while.

>One of this list's members commented that she thought she was a member
>because she sent in her membership fees in January. However, she added that
>she had never heard anything back from them. So, she was not really sure if
>she was a member.  

Normally, people know their membership has been received because they start
getting the magazine.  When there are glitches in magazine production, the
system breaks down.  This spring, Neil had a number of family "crises".  He
was very ill with pneumonia, followed by his son, away at school ALSO
getting pneumonia and getting sick enough that he spent several  weeks in
the hospital, these illnesses were followed quickly, by business in Alaska,
and another son's wedding.  

Even if that were all not happening in Neil's life, there is the ongoing
problem of getting people to write material for the magazine.  If he
doesn't get enough material, it's hard to put an issue together. 

We are now discussing the possibility of adding a second publication to the
AGA line-up.  This would be a short "newsletter" that would go out during
the months opposite TAG to keep members up to date on AGA news and business
matters.  We are currently seeking a person to act as editor of this second
publication, and Neil just asked me to post a message on APD asking for
volunteers.   I'll do that if and when I finish wading through all this
stuff!<g>

> have heard others wondering out loud if the
>organization really existed, or whether it just a phantom organization .
>Does anyone know for sure? Karen, if you are back in town now, could you
>give us some information that might ease some of our fears here? How about
>you Erik? 

There is no doubt that the organization exists.  Our membership is growing
at a tremendous rate, and the state of the treasury is very good.
Enthusiasm for planted tanks and the AGA is high.  Some things that we are
_trying_ to get organized are an education committee, chaired by Paul
Krombholz.  Olga is working on an extensive member survey for this
committee.  I owe her a response on that, but have been too busy trying to
keep up to date on this.  Erik has done an outstanding job as our
technology wizard, taking care of our web site and mailing lists.  Merrill
Cohen is chair of a committee trying to get local representatives willing
to share information to and from aquarists in their local areas. (we have
very active "pockets" of membership in Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver
and New England.  Sound familiar?  It _really_ helps to have AGA people
active in their "home" communities)  We try to arrange AGA meetings within
the context of larger conventions.  We've had as many as 30 AGA'ers get
together at NEC conventions, but it requires local AGA'ers to get things
like that organized.  We  had a group of 9 AGA'ers (and some spouses) who
went to the Amazon together last spring!  We do a lot of fun stuff!

There are other committees as well, and we are _always_ happy to entertain
new ideas.  I think that James has found, it's pretty easy to get the "ear"
of AGA MC members.  We are also _always_ looking for people who want to get
further involved in helping make AGA an even better, stronger organization.
 We _want_ to be a _great_ organization, but we will never be better than
the core group of workers can make us.  The more workers we have, the
better the organization will work.  Wanna help?  James is!

>>From all that James has written about the AGA sponsoring the
>Showcase/Contest, I have the feeling that the AGA is alive and well with a
>wonderful reputation in the industry. 

I think that is true.  Amano paid to fly Neil Frank to his Aquatic Plant
Summit in Japan a couple of years ago as the representative of AGA.  Amano
takes us seriously, so does Tropica and Dupla.  I think people in the
industry take us seriously.

>However, from what I have heard on
>this list, I am beginning to wonder about it. 

I find it interesting that most of the complainers are not even members.
When they _were_ members, did they try to help out?  Or did they only
complain, or as we've seen on this list, stamp their feet and leave if
things didn't go their way?  

George is a different story.  Don't get me wrong, I _LIKE_  George, and I
_think_ the feeling is mutual.  But George has an axe to grind with one
specific member of AGA who _not_ even a member of the Management Committee.

>If no one else is concerned, and the little rumblings I have been detecting
>don't really mean anything, so be it. I think I can live with it.

I willingly admit that there are things about the AGA that could be better,
especially if we had more help.  But it's a _good_ group of people, and I
believe it's a worthy cause.  You can join us in trying to make it even
better, or not, as you see fit.  I hope you are the type who'd rather work
to improve something than to sit around grumbling, complaining and doing
absolutely nothing.

Karen
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