My MD Club - Not liking it

[agbkyle]

I think after the xmas party on Friday I'm just gonna quit. It's nice to meet people who share the hobby but they are so disorganized IMO.
Me and my buddy joined a year ago after their treasure show so we could go on the open hunt the following year (this year). Guess what? No open hunt cause they can't find anywhere to hunt so we lose out again this year. I wouldn't even care if it was another seeded hunt as long as we get to do something for our time and money.
They said you HAVE to be part of the treasure show ( in September) to go on the open hunt so we spend 8 hours doing the show and STILL no club hunt...
Think I'll quit and join another local club.

[RWJR13]

Hell...We use parks and playgrounds......I'm the HuntMaster at our club and I always have a monthly Fun Hunt and 2 seeded hunts a year...Sounds like they just don't want to take the time....Sorry to hear that......

[13rannon]

Run for PRESIDENT.

I know what you mean though. Our local club here isn't very interesting either.

[agbkyle]

Originally Posted by RWJR13

Sounds like they just don't want to take the time...

That's my thoughts exactly. I'd join yours if I weren't so far away. Sounds like you guys do it right.

[agbkyle]

Originally Posted by 13rannon

Run for PRESIDENT.

I know what you mean though. Our local club here isn't very interesting either.

I don't want to be any more a part of this club.
That's another thing. The guy that runs the website never updates it. It's so stale. Still annouces that it's just a few weeks away from the show. Hell that was in September. So I spent an entire weekend building a nice new up to date fancy website for them and offered to run it. The Prez didn't even want to take 2 minutes to look at it and the guy that runs it now and NEVER updates it didn't want to give it up. He says no one ever gives him anything to update it with. I emailed him 3 times to update a fantastic find page with one of my finds and all 3 times it was ignored.
I'm done trying to help them.

[wooddux]

I feel for ya, thats one of the reasons I left my club, disorganized and to a degree very clickish. No other clubs around me and not many people detect. so I guess Ill stay hunting alone.

[blackhole]

You are doing good on our own.

[bobby-in-mass]

To All Club Members,

*** asked if I could send this out and I am a little late with this due to computer problems here at home. Sorry it's late, message follows:
cant update web site or even get emails out..not one person wants to be president and the guy that is acts like its more a hassle and has an attitude
I went to 1 meeting and cant say I'm impressed

[DougF]

Like many other clubs and organizations, the internet has wiped out a large part of their reason for being. I have another hobby where I belonged to an organization. That hobby is now so centered on the internet that the membership in the organization has nosedived and no new members are joining. Forums like this now serve most of the needs that were served by the detecting clubs. I joined a detecting club once, but found that they were mainly into beach detecting, which I have little interest in.

[LSM]

Originally Posted by DougF

Like many other clubs and organizations, the internet has wiped out a large part of their reason for being.

Great point; one that I hadn't ever considered but upon reflection, you're totally right.

Personally speaking, I'm of that very narrow age range where I'm young enough for internet to be a fully integrated part of my life, yet *just* old enough to have a few adult years under my belt prior to internet reaching the ubiquity it enjoys today ( I do remember acoustic modems, though ).

When I was in my late teens and early 20's, I was a member of all manner of clubs and organizations. Just as you said, today, due to the advent of internet and one being able to communicate with like-minded people absent the hassle that goes with club membership, today I find myself a member of *no* clubs or fraternal organizations whatsoever.

Bad information doesn't exist for very long in the web; the level of expertise found on your average, established internet forum is just so much greater than what any club can offer. I think 'clubs' in general are going the way of the dodo, for this very reason.

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by agbkyle

I think after the xmas party on Friday I'm just gonna quit. It's nice to meet people who share the hobby but they are so disorganized IMO.
Me and my buddy joined a year ago after their treasure show so we could go on the open hunt the following year (this year). Guess what? No open hunt cause they can't find anywhere to hunt so we lose out again this year. I wouldn't even care if it was another seeded hunt as long as we get to do something for our time and money.
They said you HAVE to be part of the treasure show ( in September) to go on the open hunt so we spend 8 hours doing the show and STILL no club hunt...
Think I'll quit and join another local club.

People like to do the best they can at our Yacht Club.We have one rule carved in stone. "If you complain about the event, or lack of one, your in charge next year."

Before you become a quitter, step up to the plate and give it a try being a leader. It is easier to correct some thing you know about then go someplace and start over.

Metal Detecting and Prospecting do not have a set return on your monetary investment. One common theme, is I didn't find enough to pay for my equipment, but I found friends.

I don't know you personally, or the members of the club you think are inept. They had a club before you arrived, and will have one after. What will you have when you leave?

Bill

[beerdoodle]

Originally Posted by Landshark

People like to do the best they can at our Yacht Club.We have one rule carved in stone. "If you complain about the event, or lack of one, your in charge next year."

Before you become a quitter, step up to the plate and give it a try being a leader. It is easier to correct some thing you know about then go someplace and start over.

Metal Detecting and Prospecting do not have a set return on your monetary investment. One common theme, is I didn't find enough to pay for my equipment, but I found friends.

I don't know you personally, or the members of the club you think are inept. They had a club before you arrived, and will have one after. What will you have when you leave?

Bill

peace of mind........................

[agbkyle]

Originally Posted by beerdoodle

peace of mind........................

You took the words right out of my mouth

[Silversmith45]

I started out by taking over the newsletter when the one doing it decided he didn't want to do it any more. I took it from a page or page and a half to five or six pages. I exchanged newsletters and information with about a dozen different clubs in different states. This was all before the Internet. The members liked the newsletter so much, I was elected president at the next election. I held that office for several years and continued to do the newsletter. As you can see, once I get started... I told them, if I was going to be the President, the whole idea behind the club was to have fun and enjoy metal detecting. I tried to make it interesting for everyone. We tried to find someplace to hunt each month, and had a big planted hunt with lots of prizes each year. The main downfall of most clubs is that most sit back and let a few do all of the work. These people get tired of that after a while. Everyone needs to put something back into the club. We had a couple of members that opposed almost everything we did. It got to the point where everyone was going to quit because of them. We ended up electing them to take over the club, and everyone else dropped out and started a new club without them. Held on the same night and time so they couldn't attend both. We even drew up new by-laws where the charter members could reject memberships of people they didn't feel would add to the club. We never had to use those. If your club isn't what you want, start your own. There must be others that feel the same way you do. Do your part. Just remember, when it's no longer fun, it's no longer fun.

[agbkyle]

Originally Posted by Silversmith45

I started out by taking over the newsletter when the one doing it decided he didn't want to do it any more. I took it from a page or page and a half to five or six pages. I exchanged newsletters and information with about a dozen different clubs in different states. This was all before the Internet. The members liked the newsletter so much, I was elected president at the next election. I held that office for several years and continued to do the newsletter. As you can see, once I get started... I told them, if I was going to be the President, the whole idea behind the club was to have fun and enjoy metal detecting. I tried to make it interesting for everyone. We tried to find someplace to hunt each month, and had a big planted hunt with lots of prizes each year. The main downfall of most clubs is that most sit back and let a few do all of the work. These people get tired of that after a while. Everyone needs to put something back into the club. We had a couple of members that opposed almost everything we did. It got to the point where everyone was going to quit because of them. We ended up electing them to take over the club, and everyone else dropped out and started a new club without them. Held on the same night and time so they couldn't attend both. We even drew up new by-laws where the charter members could reject memberships of people they didn't feel would add to the club. We never had to use those. If your club isn't what you want, start your own. There must be others that feel the same way you do. Do your part. Just remember, when it's no longer fun, it's no longer fun.

Well put. I tried to add to the club by creating a brand new up to date current website and was going to maintain it and keep it current. I spent an entire weekend creating one from scratch and put it out there off my own website and sent them the link so they could view it. The president wouldn't take 2 minutes to click the link and check it out and the guy that runs the website now that NEVER updates it didn't want to give it up. Bottom line is I'm done trying and it isn't much fun when they're only out for themselves and not the whole of the club. They enticed us for months leading up to the show that if we did our part in the show we'd go on an open club hunt and now month by month goes by and nothing. That alone is turning me off now. I did my part helping out and spending 8 hours at the show and now they're not doing their part and it doesn't seem like they're even trying.

[Silversmith45]

I'm sure that you are not the only one that feels that way. If you can find enough others who are serious about having a good club, it may be time to start a new one. Before you do, make sure that you won't be doing everything yourself. You might as well hunt by yourself if that's the way it's going to be.

[S.S.Tupperware]

thinkin of goin to my first meeting this fri. I am usually out at the beach. It has been around for a while. I hunted with a few people, buthe usually doesn't go and the other pawned his. It would be cool to meet some new people with like interests, but would also like with time be a place to find places to hunt, I just am having a hard time to find decent land spots... i do spend most of my time on the beach, but i also like to hunt more dirt.

[fred sanford]

Don't let them sour your grapes. I agree with some of the others. It seems that you have the motivation and drive to do start your own club. I would move on from them. If you don't, they will just bring take your happiness away.

[bwiswell]

Originally Posted by agbkyle

....I did my part helping out and spending 8 hours at the show....

That is the type of attitude that is an asset to a club. Clubs are what you make them into. Try another club in your area. The next club my very well appreciate your willingness to help.

[junkhunter]

rather click ish.I took a few cw items to a monthly meeting.If i had posted these everyone would know them at a glance.We had are best find vote.My navy fuse got beat by a standing liberty quarter.Nobody thought a broken pipe was cool.It didnt even cross my mind they wouldnt know it was a fuse.With a date no less.A few meetings later We go on a relic hunt.Wich was only good thing i ever got from club.They all bugged out in 2 hours,no finds.I stayed all day.Got a barber quarter and a rail key and lots of whats its.I figured out after that they were all coin shooters.No coins,no interest.Mind you i love coins but the rail key was much rarer and cooler.Took it to next meeting.All they wanted to see was barber.I never went to another meeting.