Astronomical society approval!

[wookie1965]

5 minutes ago, glafnazur said:

When I first attended our Society it was a bit like that but I was fortunate that I went with m brother-in-law. After only a couple of months I was asked to join the committee at the AGM for some new blood and one of the first things I mentioned was that the society wasn't an inviting place to new people. I told them that I understood that they only met once a month so they all congregated into their little groups to catch up but if they wanted to build the membership up then they had to be more welcoming. I don't think they had even realised what they were doing but it has changed around and we are friendly welcoming bunch now.

These met every week and once a member could go on a Friday as well so twice week so I have no idea why they ignored me. 

A friend on here went the same club and messaged me saying they have a click and if you are not in it they ignore you don't think he has gone back either. 

[iantaylor2uk]

20 minutes ago, Wanderers said:

What I object to is the fact that they want to assess my suitability over those 3 meetings. What are they assessing? Accent, school, skin colour, level of education? At 63 I'm well passed that kind of bs.

I doubt that they are assessing you at the meetings. I think they will simply assess you on your application form, and I doubt you will need to put any of those details down on the form. 

[Mr H in Yorkshire]

1 hour ago, Wanderers said:

It blends nicely with my ear hair!

Otherwise what about a couple of tiny ear man buns, very on trend. PS I'm just jealous as I've more hair in my nostrils and ears than on top!

[Herbig]

No I don’t think that is normal. As someone else has said, most clubs let to come along a couple of times to see if you like them and you then decide to join or not. This is how it works at our club. NLO in Sidmouth Devon. 

[iantaylor2uk]

24 minutes ago, Herbig said:

No I don’t think that is normal. As someone else has said, most clubs let to come along a couple of times to see if you like them and you then decide to join or not. This is how it works at our club. NLO in Sidmouth Devon. 

This is how it works at this unnamed club as I understand it. You can go to 3 meetings but if you want to go to more you then have to join (or not). 

[Gfamily]

51 minutes ago, iantaylor2uk said:

This is how it works at this unnamed club as I understand it. You can go to 3 meetings but if you want to go to more you then have to join (or not). 

We always welcome non members, the difference being that we ask members to pay £1 subs, whereas guests pay £3.

 

[Wanderers]

4 hours ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

Otherwise what about a couple of tiny ear man buns, very on trend. PS I'm just jealous as I've more hair in my nostrils and ears than on top!

Me too!

[Wanderers]

5 hours ago, iantaylor2uk said:

I doubt that they are assessing you at the meetings. I think they will simply assess you on your application form, and I doubt you will need to put any of those details down on the form. 

What would they learn from the form?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

2 hours ago, Herbig said:

No I don’t think that is normal. As someone else has said, most clubs let to come along a couple of times to see if you like them and you then decide to join or not. This is how it works at our club. NLO in Sidmouth Devon. 

And it's an excellent society.  I've been a member for a couple of years but living in Kent I only visit occasionally.  My Dad's a regular though!

[Franklin]

6 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

The problem is, who vets the committee ?

Exactly. I'm sure 99.9% of astro societies are genuine and legit, but there are some strange folk in this world, and unregulated groups of people, under the pretense of some "club", can and do have the means to basically bully innocent people. I know this from experience as it happened to me in Sheffield back in 1979 when I was just a 10 year old kid.

[iantaylor2uk]

10 minutes ago, Wanderers said:

What would they learn from the form?

Your name and address, for a start. If you're Rolf Harris (is he still alive?) you probably won't be accepted!

[Franklin]

Just now, iantaylor2uk said:

Your name and address, for a start. If you're Rolf Harris (is he still alive?) you probably won't be accepted!

But what if it is Rolf Harris who's running the club?

[dweller25]

53 minutes ago, Franklin said:

But what if it is Rolf Harris who's running the club?

He’s dead

[Tiny Clanger]

7 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

He’s dead

He is, however his career as a popular entertainer with an apparently unblemished character lasted for 60 years and got him an OBE before he was arrested in 2013 for offences in the 1960s to 80s. I'm sure he would have passed many clubs 'is he a good chap?' assessments through all those six decades.

[Franklin]

On 19/02/2024 at 22:04, Wanderers said:

My local society told me that if I want to attend I get 3 meetings and then the committee decide on my suitability. 

I'm 63 and well past that!

Is that normal? If so it's easy to see how people get put off. 

Anyway, if you need any astro related advice just post your question and the SGL community will help.

[Wanderers]

The society have replied to apologise that the email was open to misinterpretation and to reassure me that they have rewritten it.

So all is good in the end!

Except that I might feel rather too embarrassed to actually attend now!

[Albir phil]

53 minutes ago, Wanderers said:

The society have replied to apologise that the email was open to misinterpretation and to reassure me that they have rewritten it.

So all is good in the end!

Except that I might feel rather too embarrassed to actually attend now!

Maybe but at least they will know not to mess with you🤣🤣

 

 

 

 

 

[Swoop1]

I am chair of my local society and we welcome all comers. 

We have an annual subscription to join and visitors are asked for a voluntary contribution to costs.

We suggest 3 sessions as a visitor before deciding whether to join (this basically stops people coming to every session as a visitor and paying less than membership).

If a visitor turns up at any time and brings a telescope with them, they generally get mown down in the stampede to have a look!

[iantaylor2uk]

24 minutes ago, Swoop1 said:

I am chair of my local society and we welcome all comers. 

We have an annual subscription to join and visitors are asked for a voluntary contribution to costs.

We suggest 3 sessions as a visitor before deciding whether to join (this basically stops people coming to every session as a visitor and paying less than membership).

If a visitor turns up at any time and brings a telescope with them, they generally get mown down in the stampede to have a look!

I believe this is exactly the same as the club which is being criticised!

As I understand it, the person who started this thread was told they could attend 3 meetings as a non-member, and if they liked it they would need to join the club if they wanted to attend any more, which apparently involved filling an application form to be a member. 

Sounds perfectly normal to me.

Edited February 22 by iantaylor2uk
typo

[Wanderers]

17 minutes ago, iantaylor2uk said:

I believe this is exactly the same as the club which is being criticised!

As I understand it, the person who started this thread was told they could attend 3 meetings as a non-member, and if they liked it they would need to join the club if they wanted to attend any more, which apparently involved filling an application form to be a member. 

Sounds perfectly normal to me.

Sounds like you might be on the committee of said club 🤣

[Wanderers]

2 minutes ago, Wanderers said:

Sounds like you might be on the committee of said club 🤣

And you're from Chester. Own up Ian 🤣

[bingevader]

On 20/02/2024 at 15:25, Wanderers said:

It blends nicely with my ear hair!

Seriously! Plaited? Or do you use a clip or bobble?

[bingevader]

On 20/02/2024 at 14:54, Tiny Clanger said:

I doubt many astronomy societies would accept any under 16's attendance without an accompanying parent, the safeguarding regulations, and requirement for DBS checks of volunteers working with children, or vulnerable adults, are rightly quite tough.

Rightly so, but sadly so nowadays.

Way, way back, many centuries ago, my brother, two friends and I used to attend Cardiff Astronomical Society in our teens. Parents dropped us off and picked us up. No nonsense. Very fond memories. Excellent Society.

[Wanderers]

2 hours ago, bingevader said:

Seriously! Plaited? Or do you use a clip or bobble?

Sometimes I wax it

Don't ask!

[F15Rules]

I went to an event last summer, organised by a club which promised a session about one of the Meteor showers (the Lyrids, I think), followed by an observing session.

I got my wife to go (yes, really) and there was a session first about Meteors, what they are etc, which was quite interesting. 

We then decamped to a local dark sky site a couple of miles away in the hope of spotting some meteors, sitting on a mat or rug or in our case on folding chairs..

There was a guy nearby setting up a scope, and honestly, it was hilarious..a couple of clearly non astro types walked past him and were promptly regaled with every fact and feature of his scope, how brilliant it was, the best 4" apochromat money can buy, blah blah.  It was a Televue 4"...a nice scope.

Remember, these were people who knew nothing about astronomy, scopes or anything else, and they were clearly nonplussed by this guy's overbearing manner. Not once did he ask them about themselves or their interests or why they had come that night.

My wife thought it all quite amusing, whereas I found it very irritating! She said I should go over and tell him about my scope. 

I said I'd love to, but I didn't want to spoil his evening, and pop his bubble, so to speak, as my scope at the time was a Tak FS128!

I later met a nice friendly chap who offered to let me look through his 20" Dob...and then the clouds rolled in..typical!!!

It did illustrate to me how easy it is to both impress (and scare half to death!) newbies with knowledge, but also how important it is not to assume that everyone knows much about our hobby, or really wants to be "droned to death" about our equipment!

Dont think I'm cut out for clubs.. especially Mensa!!😠😁

Dave

 

Edited March 11 by F15Rules
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