Affiliation discussion

Dont trust what u see or read on facebook...most people will say alot of things on facebook...ive never heard of an actual group on facebook that was in fact a "group"...its easy to sit behind a social media outlet and say you will do something...if in fact these people were interested in NCFJ...then dont you think that they would have joined the forum? i had actually been interested in several groups on facebook...and to my surprise at the time...there wasnt an actual group behind it...im not saying that the facebook page isnt "real" im saying and i guess i didnt say it correctly but facebook is attached to peoples hips..this forum is not...am i making myself understood...?? i think im haveing a bit of trouble conveying what i really mean to say...basically facebook should NOT be a TELL, or GUAGE.

bigdogdewey2 wrote:

Dont trust what u see or read on facebook...most people will say alot of things on facebook...ive never heard of an actual group on facebook that was in fact a "group"...its easy to sit behind a social media outlet and say you will do something...if in fact these people were interested in NCFJ...then dont you think that they would have joined the forum? i had actually been interested in several groups on facebook...and to my surprise at the time...there wasnt an actual group behind it...im not saying that the facebook page isnt "real" im saying and i guess i didnt say it correctly but facebook is attached to peoples hips..this forum is not...am i making myself understood...?? i think im haveing a bit of trouble conveying what i really mean to say...basically facebook should NOT be a TELL, or GUAGE.

You get no argument from me - that is exactly the reason I started the forum!!

I could not agree with you more on this subject.

David, I am behind you all the way buddy!!
I believe that you and I share the same feelings on this whole idea. What we are looking for are people who are truly dedicated to what brought us together in the first place, our FJ Cruisers. No one here has to be a hard core off-roader to be a part of it. In fact, most owners would think twice before taking their $30k FJ into a place like URE but they bought it to fulfill a desire to fit the image of someone who does. I for one enjoy trail riding but I will never take my FJ onto any trail where it will come out damaged or broken. Does that say I have no balls? NO it says I am smart and don't want to listen to my wife say I told you so, lol. What it boils down to is a group of enthusiasts with the same common interests. Some may enjoy the truck show where it is just a show and shine and others may enjoy the challenge of climbing Daniel in the pouring rain. What David wants, what I want, what Rolando wants, and what several others may want is a group that is real with FJ owners who enjoy a little bit of everything and not just a forum of letters, words, and pictures posted by people who we have never or may never meet. What I want is a group of members dedicated to being a part of something that is real. A group who enjoys all the same interests and is dedicated to making the experience of FJ ownership one to be envied by all others. I know the idea of paying dues may sound outrageous to some but what it does is separate those who truly want to be part of a great group of owners from those who don't. How else can I explain or elaborate on just how passionate I feel about being a part of something that I can truly say I belong to. I just don't know.

Couldn't agree more. Well put Jami.

Soooo.... I am curious where this idea of being a chartered (if that is the correct title)group has gone after the OBX weekend trip.

I know I just joined this forum group last week, but I have been on the FB membership for quite sometime. Albeit not very active. I don't use FB much. I have been a member of TLCA, but let my membership slip away due to being so busy I never renewed my membership when it was due. (Not a very good excuse, but it is the truth).

So here is my thoughts, as a new forum member & wanting to meet some new people with interests similar to my own, I would be willing to come to some of the meet & greets or trail runs to see how my wife & I fit in. If all went well & I could see where we could become active members we would not be against paying a yearly dues if the tools were in place to see that our hard earned money was being spent wisely. However I would be against paying to join in on a weekend outing as my first personal encounter with the group if knowing that my money was being used to pay for a membership in a group we may decide does not fit our lifestyle or interest. This is not to say I would not financially pay my fair share for the time spent with the group & for the service I received. I see the RDU & W-S area members of this forum seem to be active. I don't see a lot happening in the CLT area, which is where I live. I guess someone needs to take the bull by the horns in this area & start organizing, or maybe I am missing it on the forum. My thoughts but I don't think I am the one to do this. I am on the road traveling just about every other week & sometimes more than less.

I have been involved with a couple of groups in the past that were very small, about 20-35 families. It seemed we were always discussing money to keep the group afloat. We did have one salaried person in each group, I am assuming unlike what is proposed for this group at this time. But with the small number of people paying dues we were not putting our funds where we wanted to due to having to pay operating costs.

Hey DS, There are a few of us around the greater Charlotte area who have been going on trail rides together. I would say since Labor day, there has been a few of us at URE at least 2-3 times a month. A couple went today. We haven't really met for dinners, but I don't think that is something we would be against. So far it has mainly riding get togethers.
Here are a few pics from our last larger ride. On this ride, many of us brought our family with us. (they were taking the pictures, so you won't see them in this pic.)


I guarantee their will be another 2-3 runs before the park closes on Dec 14th. If you are interested join us on the Richland road ride next Saturday.

I personally will speak on behalf of my wife, Angie. She is absolutely 110% behind and for a paid membership "club"...I myself am 110% behind and for a paid membership "club". We have both been on rides as she has been bitten by the offroading bug. She ALSO has been bitten by the "socialization" bug especially after our trip to the OBX. We would love to see this grow into a large "family" oriented group. We are also completely not against a paid membership. We know that with the right people in charge and in the right positions that this group can do nothing BUT grow...and we look forward to being a part of it.

Brian, Thanks for the invite to Richland trail. Unfortunately I work weekends. I know it makes it real hard to meetup with most people who work normal 9-5 M-F jobs. I see there is a large group & would really like to join up with you all some time soon. I am planning on doing URE on Dec 14th with who ever else shows up. Between now & then my schedule is pretty busy, but meeting on a M - Th night some where could be a possibility if there was any interest & I hate to be difficult, but I will most likely be out of town a few of those weeks. I don't know my exact schedule for the next couple of weeks, Sometimes I don't know what I am doing the next day until I get up & find out I need to go out of town. But I must admit I love to travel, weather it be by car or flying.

Well said bigdogdewey2 , We have been bitten by the "socialization" bug too. We both like the outings that we have been a part of so far. We are not against a paid membership either. I think it would make us a tighter group.

dsbike wrote:

Brian, Thanks for the invite to Richland trail. Unfortunately I work weekends. I know it makes it real hard to meetup with most people who work normal 9-5 M-F jobs. I see there is a large group & would really like to join up with you all some time soon.

Gotcha. Well I am a teacher so come winter breaks, spring breaks, and Summers I am up for a ride during the week!

Great discussion on this. I can see both sides. I guess I'm one of the ones who wants to come out to events, but has something come up a lot. I did make the truck show and met some really cool folks, but haven't been able to make it to an event since then. Unfortunately, between my work and my wife's work schedule, I'm almost always a last minute decision. My wife is on call a lot and someone has to take care of the dogs!

I agree that the club is better off being more of a "social" type club that has events and occassional wheeling trips, etc, etc. My FJ is my daily driver and I cannot afford to tear it up at the hardcore trails at URE or other places. I prefer the more mild trips (OBX would have been perfect; Hurricane Creek was a good one) where I can wheel, but not tear the truck up at the same time. That is one thing I find appealing of this club is that it seems to fit this mold. Yes, there are some hardcore folks here who have dedicated trucks for wheeling, but most of us have trucks that we drive daily and need to take care of. There seems to be a great mix on here of experienced and inexperienced off roaders (I fall into the second one... I've off-roaded over the years, but nothing hardcore).

So, would I pay for a membership? Probably so if the events were obtainable for me. If nothing else, I would not be against having a donation link on the forum to help with upkeep of the site and upgrade it so David doesn't have to carry this burden on his own. Anyway, I hope to make more events next year as I can see there is a great group of folks on here and OBX sure looked like fun!

I know I have only been on this forum a couple days, but I do have some experience with clubs, large and small. So here is one man’s OPINION.

Many people with FJ Cruisers are new to the off road experience. They do what we all do, catch the bug and do whatever they can to go wheeling and modding their rigs to go farther off road. Wheeling is a great family activity, my wife loves it and is the navigator for our little group, The Black Sheep.

Novices are going to look to those with experience to help them from everything from tire choice to spotting on the trail. Spotting is more of a necessity for the FJC rather than an option in many cases. If you have driven one, you know why. This makes for strong bonds within a group.

Don’t try to grow too fast, let it happen. People will gravitate toward a club that has a good core and good people. Olde North State Cruisers is a perfect example of such a club. Once you start collecting dues everything changes. Ask yourself exactly how paying dues and spending said money will make the club better?

If it is paying for the forum is required, ask for donations. If it is stickers you want, find out how much and get a design and sell them off ahead of time. I have been in some very well run clubs and also in some very poorly run clubs. The poorly run clubs spend way too much time discussing money.

Enjoy getting together and wheeling, having meet and greets. Put together a few more events. Let the group season a while. If it stays on the tack it is on, then become a club that charges dues.

Stan

snowdog...you bring up a great point...donations...i agree that we should have the ability to take donations. I understand that there are folks out there that cannot join in the wheeling trips or even get togethers due to time, distance, prior obligations etc. Alot of these folks like yourself do enjoy being a part of the group anyway. People like me and alot of others really enjoy helping and talking to to those who cant make it out all the time. My wife and i have made some very good friends and aquaintances from NCFJ. Heck Darrel Combs (dirtghost) and i have started a business out of the friendship and gained alot of support from the folks on here. I wouldnt trade that for the world. I do believe as NCFJ1 said that we (and i mean NCFJforum "club") need to start small and allow folks to come to us. I think there is enough interest in the core that it could be started and sustained. I think also after a few "club" get togethers and events that interest will increase due in part to simple curiosity.

again my $.02

Mike

After further consideration I believe, at this time that it is best to keep our group running as a non paying forum. That being said, the forum will be the only focal point going forward. With the success of the spring show , the Buffalo Wild Wings meet and the OBX run, I believe we have a group of "dedicated core" members that are sure to dependably attend group organized events going forward. We have a great group of people over all and I want to see this group continue to grow, get more technical and continue to develope into a great organization of enthusiasts.

Going forward, I am looking to transform the Facebook page into a "Like" page and will be posting less group information on Facebook during that transition.

Most, if not all the regularly active members are now over here on the forum and I ask that those members continue to contribute and cultivate the growth of our awesome forum.

Thanks to all for making NCFJ Cruisers forum a huge success and I look forward to continued growth and development of the forum and the group!

Thanks

David

I agree with your decision David.




I don't know about all of ya'll but I'm here to get some of you on the trail! Not just URE, I mean the south east. There's alot of great places that I'm looking forward to showing this group and I plan on doing so starting next year.

Let me re-word that...............*starting Dec 2nd.

lrgrnr wrote:

I don't know about all of ya'll but I'm here to get some of you on the trail! Not just URE, I mean the south east. There's alot of great places that I'm looking forward to showing this group and I plan on doing so starting next year.

Coal Creek?

Brian7758 wrote:

lrgrnr wrote:

I don't know about all of ya'll but I'm here to get some of you on the trail! Not just URE, I mean the south east. There's alot of great places that I'm looking forward to showing this group and I plan on doing so starting next year.

Coal Creek?

http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181663