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Will there be a members list section on the WTA site listing business names, addresses and phone numbers of all its members?
kwatt wrote:Yes.
K.
Oh good! 😀
Funny thing is that since I asked this question yesterday no less than 4 seperate threads have been raised on the same subject? :rolls:
Re: Members list
2 in this forum and 2 in the TAC forum all pretty well covering the same subject. 😉
Re: Members list
Martin wrote:2 in this forum and 2 in the TAC forum all pretty well covering the same subject. 😉
Have I missed something I can only see one in the TAC forum and this one?
Re: Members list
Some of us have been discussing this Martin and I have to say I’m not so sure, with other opinion, that publishing everyone’s name, address and contact details is the way forward in this day and age. Primarily there’s two reasons for this, the first is misuse of the information for marketing purposes and/or poaching engineers. The second is, why should members be “forced” to declare themselves so publically?
Tricky one really. I think we should think about it a bit before doing it.
That said, there’s been some suggestions of alternative ways to do things for the “internet age”. We’ll beat and slag each other off in the closed forum and come back to you on it if you don’t mind with a better answer once the guys have a chance to thrash it out.
In the meantime I need guinea pigs! 😆
Passport photos, sent to Killy or scanned at 300dpi to get the cards on the go and, with them, the company name/details as well as the skillsets that match each mugshot. I don’t care if they are ugly, so long as they match the person.
There are some really exciting ideas surrounding this so please lend us a little support on it and a bit of latitude as we get it sorted out. Once it’s all in place I, personally, hope that it will be really, really useful.
But, as Oscar Wilde probably said, nothing was ever gained by doing nothing.
K.
Re: Members list
kwatt wrote:Some of us have been discussing this Martin and I have to say I’m not so sure, with other opinion, that publishing everyone’s name, address and contact details is the way forward in this day and age. Primarily there’s two reasons for this, the first is misuse of the information for marketing purposes and/or poaching engineers. The second is, why should members be “forced” to declare themselves so publically?
Mmmmmm? 😕
Well on the one hand we have a new TA that wants to be recognised in all quarters….correct?
That is aims and principles are laid bare for public consumption and (no doubt) their scrutiny?
That its sole aim is to be up front on all issues toward trade and public alike?
Why then cannot all it’s members show themselves as being so?….Not as individuals, of course not….but as independent companies showing their company business names, address and contact numbers?
I can see your reluctance and excuses (“poaching engineers” I cannot figure though from a company registered as a WTA and listed on the site? 😕 ) for not doing this first off due to the simple fact that there’s only a handful (maybe 30 or so?) right now that would be published up there. Hardly a force to recon with but you have to get over that. Be up front from the start and be willing to stick your head (and ours) above the parapet don’t ya reckon?From little acorns and all that good stuff…..!
I fully accept the anonimity aspect as far as UKW and its members are concerned….that has to be so but here is a totally different issue. You go to any club (sports club, golf club, trade union club,) or any association or federation and the first thing you can expect to see is a FULL list of its members. Be it 30 members or 30,0000 they are all there on the list. Many are just simply names, they don’t have addresses or phone numbers, in many cases, but they are there and what’s more the admin of that club, federation or association can substantiate each and every one on their list should the need or question arise…. 😉
Think on….stick those company names up I say….me included! 8)
Re: Members list
I think there ought to be total transparency on this.
Why not have companies who are members listed? I cannot see how poaching will come into this for example. Moreover a list of well known names and showing some quality as well as quantity among the membership could become an asset.
If you go that way, I have no problem
Alex
Re: Members list
We need to ask and leave it up to the individual in all fairness.
From my own personal view I feel it would be hard to promote any organisation who’s members are too frightened to declare their association with it.As I say leave it up each person to make their own decision.
Sean
Re: Members list
In the front of every copy of Yellow Pages is a list of all registered Trade Associations. Just scanning at random through that list and going to each of their websites you we see that individual members are usually only found by using their ( e.g.”Find a plumber in your area….”) search facilities.
So I guess that that system could be available on the WTA site? Those brave enough to put their company name up front will be found. Those timid, shy, embarrassed or downright too frightened to be listed need not be at all I guess? 😉
(Off topic slightly…..looking thru the Y Pages, there’s even a “National Fireplace Association”….fancy that eh?….what with winter just around the corner you may need the help of one of their members sooner than you think? :dark: )
Re: Members list
It’s Sunday, I’m in a bad mood and more than a little tired so I’m not going to be nice and I’m not going to beat about the bush, I might do that tomorrow.
What part of, I’ll get back to you wasn’t clear Martin? Since there’s not a policy yet formed to discuss, why are you trying to discuss it?
If you were that interested you’d have gotten to Sibson and gotten involved in the Council thing (still hate the term “Council”). However, until that body has a policy to present to members is it really worth debating here? Or are you just stirring the you-know-what again? 😉
My point is, in a round about way, that nothing is set in concrete.
However, I have been looking about as well Martin and there’s loads of TA’s and the likes, marketing groups, that do not publish their members for the reasons given as well as others. Like, for example, the information is worth a lot to WPs or manufacturers looking for agents, spares suppliers looking for customers, people looking for retailers, people looking to sell software… need I go on? And, there’s the people that will re-sell that information.
From your perspective as a one-man business, no implications. From mine, there’s several and I do not want my companies name published in that manner, it’s bad enough with marketing calls as it is and stupid people calling about things I’ve no interest in.
So, to answer Alex’s first point, you can’t have total transparency as I don’t want my company listed and, I’m only one such instance.
In reverse though I am quite happy to promote the WTA on any signage, paperwork etc. but then I could demand some verification system however I know that the technologies are not in play to do that yet and neither is the budget. Likewise you could insist on a members search function, far better and makes the spammers lives a lot harder and I wouldn’t mind being listed there.
The primary difference between my business and Martin’s is that he solicits work directly from end users whereas, I generally do not. Different businesses and therefore you have to think of all the angles and, as I hope I have demonstrated, it’s not as easy as it looks and it’s not just so easy to have a blanket policy one way or ‘tother
Somewhere in the middle lies the answer I expect.
K.
Re: Members list
In a lesser way, I would be slightly wary of complete transparency as my original e-mail address on my website was spammed a few months back. The spammer sent e-mails supposedly written by me, selling ‘stuff’ ( 😯 ) you know what I mean – to all and sundry. I had some ‘interesting’ replies. 😉
I had to abandon my own web address and set up a new account. Therefore anyone who legitimately sent me an e-mail to that address enquiring about my services would be binned immediately. I was furious and promptly removed my web address from my site.
So I would not reveal my e-mail address on the WTA. Yes to phone number and company details being shown and area covered, what else is necessary?
People are buying your services not your soul. I don’t trust e-mail – too many twits (with an ‘A’) bent on destruction for my liking. Only e-mail from trusted people are allowed now. I would rather phone someone than e-mail any day.
Call me old fashioned if you will – but that’s my point of view.Steve.
Re: Members list
I’m not stirring anything Ken, merely asking questions and both Alex and I are talking the same talk I think you will find. And nothing to do with my absence at Sibson either so please don’t hold that against me. 😉
It’s the councils job to listen to all comments from the shop floor. I represent merely one aspect of the TA and as a fully paid up member am entitled to ask relevant questions, especially during this the very conceptual period surely?
Members list or no members list? That’s the only question asked by me in this thread and no big deal either way in the great scheme of things is it?
Regards
Martin
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