BCA News Sheets

damian

Active member
I am pleased to announce that BCA has now found a willing volunteer to produce regular items of BCA news. The first of these is available directly on BCA's website. It is intended that these will be produced quarterly with a link from here and, in the near future, also an e-mail version going to those members who opt in.

Many thanks to Robin Weare for "volunteering".

Damian Weare
BCA Secretary
 

damian

Active member
Of course, it's only useful if it's accurate. Fewer than 12 hours after I posted it up, the external poll company we are using decided to change it's Christmas working dates and has suddenly decided the poll must close at noon on 18 December. I have asked them to get a move on with sending out the poll paperwork and hopefully members will still have 3 weeks from receipt to return. Apologies - about to update the BCA website.
 

cap n chris

Well-known member
Brilliant! - just a thought: would it not be a great way of creating an emailing database to email everyone for whom BCA has contact details with the option of opting out of future correspondence, rather than expecting people to opt in to create a mailing list?
 

damian

Active member
Cap'n Chris said:
Brilliant! - just a thought: would it not be a great way of creating an emailing database to email everyone for whom BCA has contact details with the option of opting out of future correspondence, rather than expecting people to opt in to create a mailing list?
Our advice is that this is not really consistent with the legislation. It is also important to note that not all members are anywhere near as positive about this as you (and I) are. At the AGM there were, for example, two Regions whose reps had been sent to speak in strong terms against any attempt to find our members' opinions by email or the internet.
 

Inferus

New member
Cap'n Chris said:
Brilliant! - just a thought: would it not be a great way of creating an emailing database to email everyone for whom BCA has contact details with the option of opting out of future correspondence, rather than expecting people to opt in to create a mailing list?
Indeed. It is not spamming as the news-sheet suggests - interested people/groups receiving emails about potentially important caving related matters, makes sense to me. Automatic opt-in I say!!

As I type a reply appears:
damian said:
Our advice is that this is not really consistent with the legislation. It is also important to note that not all members are anywhere near as positive about this as you (and I) are. At the AGM there were, for example, two Regions whose reps had been sent to speak in strong terms against any attempt to find our members' opinions by email or the internet.
Which two regions and why? Regions still stuck in the dark ages? So two Luddites were against, how many were for it? Or are we not allowed to discuss this - maybe write a letter, send a pigeon to keep it hush-hush??  :-\
 

damian

Active member
Inferus said:
Which two regions and why?
CNCC and CSCC. You'd have to ask them why, of course. I would hazard a guess that they have simply canvassed their members who probably reflect a cross-section of the population and, therefore, contain some who are more than happy to give away personal data and there are others who are very worried by the prospect. To be honest I can appreciate the views of both sides.
 

Inferus

New member
damian said:
Inferus said:
Which two regions and why?
CNCC and CSCC. You'd have to ask them why, of course. I would hazard a guess that they have simply canvassed their members who probably reflect a cross-section of the population and, therefore, contain some who are more than happy to give away personal data and there are others who are very worried by the prospect. To be honest I can appreciate the views of both sides.
Thanks for the reply. A cross-section is always a dubious comment when it comes to organisations or bodies!
Giving away personal data is what they do to become insured, is it not?
As it is, had I not read this thread (nearly didn't) and thus the most recent BCA news-sheet I wouldn't be aware of this new fangled online thing. I wonder how many others will be in the dark because of this strange policy?
 

Simon Wilson

New member
Inferus said:
damian said:
Inferus said:
Which two regions and why?
CNCC and CSCC. You'd have to ask them why, of course. I would hazard a guess that they have simply canvassed their members who probably reflect a cross-section of the population and, therefore, contain some who are more than happy to give away personal data and there are others who are very worried by the prospect. To be honest I can appreciate the views of both sides.
Thanks for the reply. A cross-section is always a dubious comment when it comes to organisations or bodies!
Giving away personal data is what they do to become insured, is it not?
As it is, had I not read this thread (nearly didn't) and thus the most recent BCA news-sheet I wouldn't be aware of this new fangled online thing. I wonder how many others will be in the dark because of this strange policy?

Are you confusing two quite different issues, one to take polls electronically and another to opt-in the receive news by email?
 

Inferus

New member
It may be viewed that way, Simon. However, this is a thread about news-sheets, so I'd expect discussion about opting in to refer to these. I see no reference to polling etc - there was "future correspondence" mentioned which is a fairly broad subject.
My original reply was intended to agree with Cap'n and automatically opting in to receiving relevant information from BCA (i.e. news-sheets), which is a sound idea in my opinion.
Polling is a different subject matter and has no relevance here - and to be honest would be completely worthless unless everyone opted in to provide a balanced view (a bit like polling people on here, you only get a vague idea -or dare I mention the recent farcical election polls)!
 

kay

Well-known member
damian said:
Inferus said:
Which two regions and why?
CNCC and CSCC. You'd have to ask them why, of course. I would hazard a guess that they have simply canvassed their members who probably reflect a cross-section of the population and, therefore, contain some who are more than happy to give away personal data and there are others who are very worried by the prospect. To be honest I can appreciate the views of both sides.

I thought CNCC's objection was to do with disenfranchisement of those members who do not use the internet? ie not against the idea, but they wanted to be inclusive. Though this is second hand as I wasn't at the meeting which discussed this.
 

Simon Wilson

New member
kay said:
damian said:
Inferus said:
Which two regions and why?
CNCC and CSCC. You'd have to ask them why, of course. I would hazard a guess that they have simply canvassed their members who probably reflect a cross-section of the population and, therefore, contain some who are more than happy to give away personal data and there are others who are very worried by the prospect. To be honest I can appreciate the views of both sides.

I thought CNCC's objection was to do with disenfranchisement of those members who do not use the internet? ie not against the idea, but they wanted to be inclusive. Though this is second hand as I wasn't at the meeting which discussed this.

I was at the meeting and you're right Kay. The CNCC are not luddites.
 
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