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Non member view and thoughts about the Gauge O guild


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Guest Jack Benson
2 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

 

The thing I do find odd though is the habit of including each contributor's membership number with their name and I've also noticed that in the GOG Gazette. 

A very telling example of the mindset amongst the GoG membership.

 

Cheers and Stay Safe

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8 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

........

The thing I do find odd though is the habit of including each contributor's membership number with their name and I've also noticed that in the GOG Gazette. I'd have to search high and low for my membership number (if any) for any of the societies I belong to.

 I think you've nailed it.  The "Guild" is all about seniority and patronage. It's about as relevant to today's scene as Hornby tinplate..... and there will members of the group that would take me to task for suggesting that.

Toodlepips,

Vernon

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6 hours ago, fail safe said:

Oooh my numbers smaller than yours, I must be more important.

 

A number is just that. A number. It is no different to people on here having RMWeb Gold plastered under their name or talking about how long they have subscribed to something. I am not a 7mm scale modeller nor a guild member. But if things like this are the biggest issues you can raise then you have the problem, not them.

 

I am sure that the Guild needs modernising and updating to make it more relevant to today. Once upon a time people seemed to look at being a member of a group as being an altruistic act of support for something and a way to be in contact with like minded folk. Now though we end to look at what value we get from it and that is where the Guild seems to fall down.

 

Craig W

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48 minutes ago, Craigw said:

But if things like this are the biggest issues you can raise then you have the problem, not them.

 

That comment is uncalled for. If you have read the rest of the thread you might have noticed that a low number and longevity within the Guild carries a certain Kudos and a claimed seniority over other members.  

I would also say that supporting RMWeb with Gold membership is also rather different, Unlike those that confer a status on a low number I am not fussed whether there is a Gold badge or not, I do know it's cheaper than when Andy passed the hat around in pre Warners days. 

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On 07/08/2020 at 12:52, Hibelroad said:

Another thread on this forum has noted that exactoscale track components are now only sold through society stores, so to obtain 7mm components it would be necessary to join the Scale 7 Group  Why don’t the Guild sell them through their Stores ? Err... Oh.

 

What do you need them for?

 

What you need is aprons and mugs!

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On 08/08/2020 at 08:39, laurenceb said:

I first saw Brian Daniel's superlative diesels in yhe Gazette and dont recall any wailing and gnashing of teeth

Probably because most of the teeth were still sitting in a mug (from the Guild stores) soaking in Steradent

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Readers will note I have a bit of a downer on the G0G stores.

 

Of late I know that improvements are being made.

 

My gripe is that the G0G was formed in 1956, the year of my birth, and when I joined a few years back, I went to the stores expecting the same sort of supplies that were available from the likes of the EMGS and the S4 Society. both of whom I'd just left.

 

To say I was mildly disappointed was an understatement.

 

To take a hypothetical example..........  What if the G0G were to take on the 7mm range that ABS once offered before Adrian Swain passed away?  Yes it would cost money, but what are membership fees for?  I'd prefer to have a range of kits available through the stores that were making a small amount of money for G0G rather than getting into three shows a year on the cheap. 

 

Since the Guild was formed, allegedly to keep Gauge 0 alive, I'm surprised they've not been making it really worthwhile to be a member, but apart from discounted shows and a Gazette, the technical information therein all being available elsewhere. What's the point?  

 

Certainly my continued membership is very much in doubt.

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Guest Jack Benson
10 hours ago, Craigw said:

 

 It is no different to people on here having RMWeb Gold plastered under their name or talking about how long they have subscribed to something.

 

Craig W

That gratuitous comment is inexcusable. The RMweb gold is updated by the publisher not the member, the trait of perceived senority within the GoG is typified by the member adding their membership number to any correspondence within the gazette and forum.

 

Cheers and Stay Safe

 

 

Edited by Jack Benson
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If I remember rightly, when the GOG forum was started it automatically put your membership number on it. I've never bothered to change it but obviously others have.

 

While I am a long time member I have been saddened and appalled by the tactics and behaviour of most of the current management to try to ensure that they or their cronies are elected at the forthcoming AGM. Most unlikely that I'll be renewing my membership. As many have pointed out, there is very little benefit to being a member that anyone new to O Gauge can't find online or with other organisations. The GOG simply hasn't moved with the times and most those in charge do not want change.

 

Terry

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1 hour ago, Jack Benson said:

That gratuitous comment is inexcusable. The RMweb gold is updated by the publisher not the member, the trait of perceived senority within the GoG is typified by the member adding their membership number to any correspondence within the gazette and forum.

 

Cheers and Stay Safe

 

 

 

 

Jack

 

I think there is a bit of a confusion as to what a Gold member is

 

"

What is RMweb Gold?

This is a new ‘Membership Club’ that’s open to everyone. Members enjoy a host of benefits which include access to the BRM Digital Library of 160+ magazines going back to 2007 and ALL issues going forward, a free ticket to one of Warners’ three leading exhibitions and the ability to sell items through the new RMweb Classified Forum. There are other benefits too (listed below) and more will be added throughout the year.

 

How much does it cost?

Monthly direct debit: £4.99 (minimum of 1 year)  "

 

From what I can see its a subscription to a commercial activity which gives the member additional benefits, not a badge of honor

 

As for the GOG, it will reflect the opinions of those who run it on what they perceive the members want, if the membership want change then get involved, run for office

 

Like others I enjoy football, and comments by younger players/supporters quite often make my blood boil when they say its run by old grey haired white men. I go back to my playing days (teens, twenties and early thirties)  our local FA was ran by these people (every now and again I was summoned to explain why I was politely asked to leave the field of play). If it was not for the time these people freely gave up running local football there would be no football. These old grey men were replaced by younger folk over time who themselves became older grey men being replaced by younger men themselves. 

 

The reason for a lack of younger (or ethnic in footballs case) is the reluctance of these people willing to join in at the bottom and progress through

 

From a young age I have benefited greatly from the steady group of grey older men willing to take their part in society, whether its from youth groups, association football or older work collogues, and may I say railway modelers. Some better than others and unfortunately the odd anchor occasionally creeps in along the way

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1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

 

Since the Guild was formed, allegedly to keep Gauge 0 alive, I'm surprised they've not been making it really worthwhile to be a member, but apart from discounted shows and a Gazette, the technical information therein all being available elsewhere. What's the point?  

 

 

 

For a group with no point, it has survived over 60 years and has a membership that the EMGS or the Scalefour Society would love to have. In fact, if you add those two together and treble it (bearing in mind that many folk are members of both) you get somewhere near the GOG numbers.

 

Not bad for an organisation that hasn't made it worth being a member since it was formed.

 

If it was only "allegedly" formed to keep gauge alive, what other purpose could it have had?

 

This is a direct quote from the history of the Guild from its website.

 

"By 1960 the production of and the market for O gauge was rapidly being lost and there was grave danger of the scale disappearing or at least becoming the preserve of the favoured few.

Letters appeared in the model press urging O gauge modellers to get together and form an association to further the cause."

 

They saw it coming and formed in 1956 to try to halt the slide.

 

another is 

 

"An initial capital of £25 was raised to get the Guild off the ground and the principal stated aim was to convince the trade that there was still a viable market for the scale. An early success was to persuade Bonds to make a new mould for their rail chairs and within a year they had sold over a million!"

 

So the aim was always to convince the trade to produce 7mm models, not to trade directly themselves.

 

They were just a bunch of enthusiasts worried about losing trade support for their modelling.

 

So why the "allegedly"? It was the reason given at the time and history hasn't changed that.

 

 

 

 

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Guest Jack Benson
19 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

 

Jack

 

I think there is a bit of a confusion as to what a Gold member is

 

 

Not at all, my comment was in response to Craig W. He seems confuse the use by GoG members by adding theIr membership number with the RMweb Gold avatar.
Though I find it rather odd that you question my comment whilst ignoring both Dave (Chris P Bacon) and the original by Craig W, were they not visible? 

 

Cheers and Stay Safe

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3 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Just in case they try to sue me:mocking_mini:

 

Perhaps they will introduce a new class of membership especially for the situation. GOG - Grumpy old gits.

 

Can I say that on RMWeb? I apologise in advance if not.

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1 minute ago, Jack Benson said:

Not at all, my comment was in response to Craig W. He seems confuse the use by GoG members by adding theIr membership number with the RMweb Gold avatar.
Though I find it rather odd that you question my comment whilst ignoring both Dave (Chris P Bacon) and the original by Craig W, were they not visible? 

 

Cheers and Stay Safe

 

 

Jack

 

Not trying to find fault with either your comment or the others for that matter and I sincerely apologize if any taken. Just pointed out that the gold avatar is not a badge earned other than by paying a subscription,

 

Neither having a go at the younger members standing, rather the opposite.

 

As for the internal politics of the GoG. I haven't a clue.   

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I am not happy with many of the actions of the current management but from my own personal experience I have never come across this supposed snobbishness over numbers. As mentioned previously I've also met and spoken to a member with a single digit number (7 IIRC) and to Jack Ray who brought about the foundation of the Guild. Both of them weren't in the slightest but snobbish. In fact Jack Ray had some very encouraging  and supportive things to say to me.  I can only speak as I have found.

 

Jamie

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10 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

Not bad for an organisation that hasn't made it worth being a member since it was formed

I don't think anyone's said that. It clearly had a purpose & beneficial impact years ago.

It just hasn't moved with the times, and trade shows aside is an irrelevance to many of us now.

Even if 'impressions' of the Guild are wrong - e.g. a steam bias to the point of being 'anti diesel' when in reality I've always seen D&E layouts & displays when I've visited Guildex - they are still impressions people have got - but how? That's the question.

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2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Readers will note I have a bit of a downer on the G0G stores.

 

Of late I know that improvements are being made.

 

My gripe is that the G0G was formed in 1956, the year of my birth, and when I joined a few years back, I went to the stores expecting the same sort of supplies that were available from the likes of the EMGS and the S4 Society. both of whom I'd just left.

 

To say I was mildly disappointed was an understatement.

 

To take a hypothetical example..........  What if the G0G were to take on the 7mm range that ABS once offered before Adrian Swain passed away?  Yes it would cost money, but what are membership fees for?  I'd prefer to have a range of kits available through the stores that were making a small amount of money for G0G rather than getting into three shows a year on the cheap. 

 

Since the Guild was formed, allegedly to keep Gauge 0 alive, I'm surprised they've not been making it really worthwhile to be a member, but apart from discounted shows and a Gazette, the technical information therein all being available elsewhere. What's the point?  

 

Certainly my continued membership is very much in doubt.

It does seem odd that the G0G has chosen to NOT make available to it's members, items that the previous manufacturer has discontinued (for whatever the reason). I have never modelled 7mm or been a member of the G0G, but I kind of expected it to be like the EMGS, which has for decades made items available that are almost essential for EM modelling, yet difficult (not impossible), elsewhere.

 

From what has been suggested within this discussion, what is the attraction of joining the G0G - very little it seems.

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11 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

I don't think anyone's said that. It clearly had a purpose & beneficial impact years ago.

It just hasn't moved with the times, and trade shows aside is an irrelevance to many of us now.

Even if 'impressions' of the Guild are wrong - e.g. a steam bias to the point of being 'anti diesel' when in reality I've always seen D&E layouts & displays when I've visited Guildex - they are still impressions people have got - but how? That's the question.

 

I was directly quoting somebody who did say precisely that!

 

I have only been a member for about 5 years and I have thoroughly enjoyed the shows. They are amongst my favourite events during the year. I think the magazines are better than many that you can get in the shops from proper publishers and I have always found every single person I have spoken to or dealt with to be most helpful and welcoming. That is enough for me to justify remaining a member.

 

Like you, I have seen a mix of regions, periods and even countries at the shows, with layouts, demo and trade stands showing plenty of non steam era models.

 

So I don't know where these impressions come from either. It isn't my experience at all.

 

 

 

 

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44 minutes ago, Jack Benson said:

Not at all, my comment was in response to Craig W. He seems confuse the use by GoG members by adding theIr membership number with the RMweb Gold avatar.
Though I find it rather odd that you question my comment whilst ignoring both Dave (Chris P Bacon) and the original by Craig W, were they not visible? 

 

Cheers and Stay Safe

 

I don't confuse it at all. The gold badge, number of post and rating are all status symbols in RMWeb , in exactly the same way that the membership number is with the Guild.

 

 

Craig W

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40 minutes ago, Craigw said:

 

I don't confuse it at all. The gold badge, number of post and rating are all status symbols in RMWeb , in exactly the same way that the membership number is with the Guild.

 

 

Craig W

 

The posts and ratings are part of the software so we get no choice in whether they're there or not, as for Gold, I choose to support the site and my avatar was changed. I have no doubt that it isn't about status but making it visible so more sign up so that the site pays for itself.

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Guest Jack Benson
37 minutes ago, Craigw said:

 

I don't confuse it at all. The gold badge, number of post and rating are all status symbols in RMWeb , in exactly the same way that the membership number is with the Guild.

 

 

Craig W

Nope,

 

 I chose to become an RMweb Gold member to  benefit from the additional excellent ‘perks and privileges’ afforded by paid membership whilst the GoG member adds his membership number purely as an attempt to gain perceived status within the GoG. In short, you are irrevocably wrong.
 

Btw, thanks for selecting only my comment, was Dave (Chris P Bacon) invisible?

 

 

 

 

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