Okay, so I think it's about time we talk about this.
First I'm going to review my thoughts on Observership, then I think it would be very beneficial if others chime in and we have a solid discussion.
I think that as it is now, offering membership at the Observer level is hurting USNW. The reason for this, I believe, is that other unions do not offer a similar membership. Therefore, people on the fence about what union to join and people who want to be in more than one union chose to become full-fledged members at another union while becoming an observer here. Just look around, this is an obvious trend, and a very troubling one. Although some people can properly contribute as observers, and most claim they can, it is fairly evident to me that people that do this gradually become more active at their "primary" union and less active here. I think USNW deserves better than to be everyone's "secondary" union. Therefore, I think we need to consider some action to address this. I think scaling back observership, requiring more from observers, prohibiting observers from unions that do not themselves offer observership, or simply doing away with observership altogether are potential solutions. I won't reveal what I prefer at this time but I think all of them have pros and cons.
So, now I'd like to know what you think. Do you think, as I do, that there is a problem with Observerships? If so, what do you think should be done to address this problem?
First I'm going to review my thoughts on Observership, then I think it would be very beneficial if others chime in and we have a solid discussion.
I think that as it is now, offering membership at the Observer level is hurting USNW. The reason for this, I believe, is that other unions do not offer a similar membership. Therefore, people on the fence about what union to join and people who want to be in more than one union chose to become full-fledged members at another union while becoming an observer here. Just look around, this is an obvious trend, and a very troubling one. Although some people can properly contribute as observers, and most claim they can, it is fairly evident to me that people that do this gradually become more active at their "primary" union and less active here. I think USNW deserves better than to be everyone's "secondary" union. Therefore, I think we need to consider some action to address this. I think scaling back observership, requiring more from observers, prohibiting observers from unions that do not themselves offer observership, or simply doing away with observership altogether are potential solutions. I won't reveal what I prefer at this time but I think all of them have pros and cons.
So, now I'd like to know what you think. Do you think, as I do, that there is a problem with Observerships? If so, what do you think should be done to address this problem?
Last edited by Jon on Tue Jan 15, 2013 12:25 am; edited 1 time in total