Re: [Texascavers] NSS ConventionA reply to William Hart Russell: The NSS Convention moves around enough that it is within a day's drive for most of us every few years. My family has always made it a vacation - a week at convention and a week touring.
I don't believe that digital interaction can ever replace personal interaction and hands on experience. I continue to look forward to the NSS Convention every year that I am able to attend. That said, I do agree that a caver does not have to attend conventions to be a dedicated NSS member. Best regards, Bill Walden ----- Original Message ----- From: William H. Russell To: Philip L Moss ; [email protected] Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 10:11 PM Subject: Re: [Texascavers] NSS Convention > > > I am looking forward to the day when the NSS Photo Salon is shown > live on my 65 inch LCD TV in my living room, along with the > exploration > programs, and video salon, etc. > > > David Locklear > The opinions offered below are my own. I hope the NSS never shows the photo salon or any other convention activities live. NSS membership retention (not recruitment as many would have you believe) is way down. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, the NSS Convention had attendance that was equivalent to 20% of the membership. Since 1976, the largest convention has been equivalent to 14% of the membership and many have been under 10%, although at least one flaw in my model is the fact that membership retention did not plummet until 1995 (Does anybody know what it was the NSS did in 1995 or possibly 1994 to so disaffect its members?) It is my opinion that membership retention is affected strongly by personal interaction among the members. Convention attendance is one of main things that separates a committed member from a magazine subscriber. The NSS can not thrive by having any number of subscribers to the NSS; there are way too many activities that the NSS depends on volunteers to run. Voting generally tracks the attendance at the previous convention. I believe that conventions are the glue that holds the NSS together and we need more glue, not less. The more one can get the benefits of convention without attending and having the personal interactions of actually attending, the poorer the NSS will be. People who routinely attend NSS conventions are more likely to volunteer their time, donate their money, and vote for Directors. Philip L. Moss Former NSS Director and recovering speleopolitician [email protected] On the other hand perhaps the decline in NSS retention post 1995 is because the NSS directorate is holding on to a rosy nostalgia of driving across the country to meet their friends at a convention as the glue that holds the NSS together; while the general society is moving to digital interaction. Cavers along with everyone else increasingly see little need for everyone to gather in one place; and perhaps, given the time and expense as even counterproductive. Retention in any group is affected strongly by personal interaction between the members, but having to drive across the country to do this would appear to be a strategic weakness. In the digital age one should not have to attend a convention to be a "committed member." It might be to increase retention we need to find directors that are more comfortable with digital interaction. They will spend the time and energy to make the digital NSS more than a magazine subscription. Bill Russell ____________________________________________________________ Save on Cell Phones. Click Now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3nRN16uIMOfB5d9pqWzIGDj3k34ppBEmbCU3nNm4idzRCCtx/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] -- William Hart Russell 4806 Red River Street Austin, TX 78751 H: 512-453-4774 (messages) CELL: 512-940-8336
