AAW and symposium

Re: AAW and symposium

Sean Troy

>John, It couldn't have been said better. Sean

Re: AAW and symposium

John K Jordan

>How does one join?

JKJ in East TN

Re: AAW and symposium *LINK*

Carole in VA

>John,

Here's a link.


AAW Membership

Re: AAW and symposium

Rick Allen

>Thanks John!

Re: AAW and symposium

John Lucas

>Thanks Carol I realized after I went to bed that I had forgotten to put the link on.

One thing I forgot to put on there is that you can use the directory to find clubs near you or in some cased just finding a turner near you. Those of us who live in smaller towns had to look a little harder to find fellow turners.

We just started a club in Cookeville and without any advertising at all it has grown to 16 members. As soon as we find a permant place to have a meeting we will advertise and then I expect it to grow.

Re: AAW and symposium

John K Jordan

>Thanks.

Does anyone get spam from listing your email address? (I notice there is a check box to "Delete my name from mailing lists" that AAW makes available to others.)

I get maybe 2 spam emails per month on one account and 2 per year on another account. I'd hate to start seeing the type of nonsense I hear others get.

Are there any downsides to NOT making the email address available?

Maybe I'll follow my own advice - set up a separate email address just for that membership and see if it picks up any spam.

JKJ in East TN

Re: AAW and symposium

Greg in Oshkosh

>Our problem is how to keep our club from growing further. We have never advertised. We started off with a dozen members and are now at 62. We are stretching the ability of our facilities to seat all that show up for meetings (over 40) and want everyone to have a great view of the demos and a chance to participate.

We are really trying not to put on a membership limit and have a waiting list. Anyone have any ideas???

Re: AAW and symposium *LINK*

Mark Kauder, Phenix City, AL

>Thanks for you posting, John.

I joined the AAW as soon as I found out about it as a new turner. I wanted the magazine (any turning information was welcome), felt that supporting an organization full of people with the same interests a me was right and proper.

As far as symposia go, since attending my first one, Turning Southern Style, they have become a near addiction. The camaraderie of other woodturners and the learning opportunities are incredible. For instance, last weekend, I went to the Southern States Symposium. When first looked at the demo rotation, I was not really interested in anything listed, but went because I would get to see other WC and WOW members like Terry, John, Ruth, and I always meet some of the lurkers. I also get to see vendors and develop personal relationships - very important when you buy much of your wood and tools via mail. Once I got there, I got my first taste of the instruction of Stuart Batty. WOW, what a fantastic demonstrator - best I have ever seen. I am now working with the other clubs in the region to get Stuart down here for a series of 2 day classes.

It is a terrible addiction - were I retired, I would probalby just move from symposium to symposium. I am trying to figure out how to make it to the 2005 Ohio Vally symposium. Where else would you find a line up like this Jimmy Clewes, J. Paul Fennell, John Jordan, Ray Key,

Richard Raffan, Chris Ramsey, and Chris Stott.

The problem is, I am demoing at the North Carolina symposium the next weekend. I need to stay married and keep my day job.

So many Symposia, so little time.

Mark


http://www.ovwg.org/turning2005/

Re: AAW and symposium

Mark Kauder, Phenix City, AL

>Consider splitting the club, or having 2 meetings a month (beginners and advanced), with occasional combined meetings.

Just an Idea.

I am hoping to get to that point with our club. 25 members now. I would like about 50. Care to send some my way?

Mark

I agree with Mark

Terry Daniel

>Splitting the club would be better than turning away new turners. You might also check with the schools and etc. to see if there is a bigger place you could meet. Our club is about the same size as yours and it outgrew my shop a year ago so we moved to our local volunteer fire station. We do a yearly art show/sale and give a percentage of the sales to the fire station and we also donate turnings for the auction twice a year. Our club has become the largest source of revenue for the station.

TD

Re: AAW and symposium

Mike Brazeau

>Greg.

I am President of the Golden Horseshoe Woodturners Guild in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, 150th Chapter of the AAW. We serve a geography from west end Toronto around the end of Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls and for about an hours drive in all directions. Even a few that drive almost 1 1/2 hours. Our guild is about 12 years old and has grown from about 130 members in 2001 when I joined to a roster of almost 200 with 170 currenty paid this year. Our executive has kicked around limiting membership for almost two years and I have looked at the demographics of trying to split out another chapter. We decided to let it run and overall conditions will determine what happens. We get 100 -110 out for meetings and have made extensive use of the video cameras from Woodchuckers as well as a roam-around digital movie camera we just purchased. They make up for the fact that you can't get everyone around the lathe. We use two 27" TVs now, but are probably going to work on a video projector setup. Powerpoint presentations can then easily be done.

Hands-on nights where instruction is given brings out 50 to 60 people and a good mix of experience. Demonstrations are taped and availble in our library and are in addition to the $1000 we are adding each year in books, videos and DVDs. I am suggesting to people to bring their own chairs as we only have 110 available in the Knights of Columbus hall we meet in. The last couple of years have shown a churn factor of about 25 members who do not renew and 25 new members. An incredibly successful Woodturning 101, 5 step program was I think greatly responsible for our growth. Since starting three years ago, of about 75 participants, only 15% of those that have taken the program are no longer members. In addition to Woodchuckers in Toronto, we also have a new Lee Valley store nearby, Exotic Woods and All-In-One Wood Tools store in Mississauga that gives us good promotion.

A large membership gives you more resources and more skilled members that can help out. As John Lucas said earlier, I am totally sold on the Chapter or Guild concept. It is an incredible group of people and a great way to learn and pass on your knowledge. Haven't made it to an AAW symposium yet, but Louisville looks promising for 2006.

Mike

Re: AAW and symposium

Molly Winton

>You put it very well John. I agree with you about the expense of the symposiums, but that it is well worth it in the long run. I got the seed planted in my brain for my primitive series after attending a demo by Graeme Priddle at the Providence RI AAW symposium. If you can attend just one of the AAW symposiums, do. The experience is priceless. Local symposiums are also of great value, and often times not as costly. The AAW is a great organization.

Re: AAW and symposium

John Lucas

>Molly

Thank god you didn't say I was the inspiration for your primative series. People around here think I fit the primitive mold very well. John

Re: AAW and symposium

Wally Dickerman in Arizona

>A great post John. I joined the AAW within a month after it was formed at Arrowmont in 1986. I attended the first 7 symposiums, starting at the first in Lexington, Ky. I've attended a few since than. I've demo'd at a couple of them.

All in all, I think that the AAW and the American Woodturner do a great job. The editor has a difficult job trying to satisfy woodturners at all levels of expertise and experience. Not only that, but he has to try to have something for the various types of turning. Segmenters, spindle turners, the "artsy" turners, those who turn only functional pieces, and more. A very difficult job. There will always be complainers, but I think that most people are happy with the magazine. I have my copy of every issue. The first few were mimeographed newsletters. We've come a long way.

Wally

Re: AAW and symposium

John Lucas

>Wally

I was a very active woodworker in the 80's and had so little information availabe. I didn't know about Arrowmont or the Craft Center or John C Campbell, all within a stones throw of me. You couldn't find tools or catalogs especially on turning. And your sure couldn't talk to other turners world wide on the web. Pretty cool.

I hope I run up on some of the older issues of American Woodturner. That would be fun to look at.

Re: AAW and symposium

Keith Tompkins

>great post, John!

Any comments on the spam question?

John K Jordan

>

Re: AAW and symposium

Duane C.Leach

>Wally I think you are right. We will always have complainers. They complain about every thing and everybody. BUT...BUT I prefer to look at it differently. You or any one in charge, can't know if something is broke if no one complains.

As a leader, I look at complaints as an oprotunity to serve, or an opretunity to change things that need changing.

Happy Turning

Duane

Re: Any comments on the spam question?

tek-Brunswick, Ohio

>No, I don't get much spam from being listed with the AAW. But I do get a lot of spam, and it is hard to tell where they got your address. Mass mailers use robot programs to pick up your address from mailing lists and message boards. I was researching genealogy for a while. It is not as interesting as woodturning. ;) My e-mail addresses, I have several, have been on these lists for a while. I get all kinds of advertisements. Most are not related to my interests. Unless my wife tells them I need diet pills, generic Viagra, Rolex replicas and cheap loans; they are random mailings. I do buy things on the Internet, but never from unsolicited sources. A spammer is as likely to pick up your E-mail address from this list as it is form the AAW�s. If AAW gives your address out at least it will be to people hawking legitimate products and probably related to your interests. I run Norton internet security on my computer. It helps sort the spam out and so far it is batting a 1000 on killing virus attacks. I keep my virus defenitions up to date and renew my Norton subscription every year. To me it's money well spent.

Tom

Comments on spam question and tracking?

Stuart Johnson

>Many email programs (I use Netscape) will allow you to track who is using your email. Add +XXX after your email name. For example if an email address is:

name@isp.net change it to name+xxx@isp.net when supplying your address to any suspect sites. The xxx can be any letter combination. I don't know if numbers work and doubt if symbols will.

When you receive an email that is addressed from a site the +xxx will show in the complete "to" header. You can then keep track of what xxx you used. An other example might be name+aww@isp.net. Any email with that "to" can then be sent to a special folder.

I don't know if this feature was added for this purpose but it works and don't know of it causing any harm. I imagine many email harvesters strip any symbols and following letters from address but it is a start.