Anyone out there?

[Rt.146]

I sent in the dues for this web site about six months ago, none of the "benefits" of membership have been given, written everyone who would be in the know including, dial-a prayer! Heard nothing back.

[TbirdIntender]

I'm hearing you! I've been a member a couple of years and have never been able to get into the members-only area of this site.

No idea what the issue is, unfortunately.

[losendos]

Try sending an email to the site administrator - webmaster@vintagethunderbirdclub.net. I think I may have had to do that in the past.

[stubbie]

Redstangbob is the moderator from memory. Or try Yoda. There normally around the site.

[Alan H. Tast]

Redstangbob is the moderator from memory. He's normally around the site.

Website administrator is person who's 'overseer' of the VTCI's website/Forum program.

If you're having issues, please contact these people directly - I suggest a phone call for a back-and-forth dialogue - all of the below are directly from http://vintagethunderbirdclub.net/addresses.htm :

President, VTCI
Rod Wake
Vintage Thunderbird Club International, Inc.
P.O. Box 75308
Wichita, KS 67275
(316) 722-2028
vtciprez10@gmail.com

Vice President
Robert McNeill
3650 Ronald Rd, Crete IL 60417
206-304-8971
bobmcneill.vtci@gmail.com

Executive Secretary
Jack Wake
Vintage Thunderbird Club International, Inc.
P.O. Box 75308
Wichita, KS 67275
secretary4vtci@gmail.com

Scoop/Website Staff
Publications Director/Senior Editor/Webmaster
Terri McNeill
vtci.webmaster@gmail.com

For the record, even though I'm the Technical Director, apparently I have no access to the VTCI Membership/'General Discussion' fourm.

[Terry64HT]

I wasn't aware there is a members only area on this site. How do I find it?
Terry
64HT

[Terri McNeill]

I have removed "VTCI members only" area section of the forum… Since our forum is open to anyone, that section has been confusing to members and non-members alike. It used to be password protected for members only, then non members thought if they joined that part of the forum that they automatically became a VTCI member and it was hardly used for what it was intended… The forum is NOT part of your VTCI membership, it is open to all Thunderbird lovers that want to talk about their cars... Sorry for all the confusion.

[Rt.146]

Well, that's, that!

[TbirdIntender]

Many thanks for the clarification, Ms. McNeil. I just successfully clicked into the discussion page.

[Alan H. Tast]

To help those of you who are not 'members-in-good-standing' (i.e. paid members) of VTCI, apparently some clarification is needed.

Those who are paying members of VTCI receive a bi-monthly magazine called 'Thunderbird Scoop' with Club and event news at local and national/international levels, articles on T-bird history, tech articles and member contributions of stories, etc., as well as classified ads. They can also purchase copies of Club-produced publications like the Original Factory Specifications Manuals (OFS) and other Club-offered merchandise through the VTCI Country Store. Believe it or not, there's still people who are VTCI members whose only contact is through a printed publication and not electronically, though that number is decreasing as time marches forward.

The VTCI Forums have been in existence on-line since the early 2000s (with a presence on the Internet going back to the mid-1990s) and available to VTCI members as well as non-members alike via registering to be a part of the VTCI Fourms. To date we have not had a 'subscription fee' to participate in the Forums - expenses incurred to keep this site up and running are paid by VTCI members-in-good-standing, as well as support from those who advertise in "Thunderbird Scoop" and as part of the VTCI Forum. This means the VTCI Forum is subsidized by our paying members - ergo, this site relies on VTCI's members to 'keep the lights on.'

The same thing also applies with VTCI's Facebook group, which Club leadership has been working towards building up as another communications tool with and for our membership. Though not in existence as long as the VTCI Fourm has been, it is another outlet for outreach that's shaped by modern technology.

Nothing in this world is free, so to speak - without support (and subsidization) from dues-paying members and advertisers, sites like this cannot be sustainable unless there are access fees or the introduction of 'pop-up' ads and the like to fund its operation. Lines today are very blurred as to how people receive information and what's expended for such. The preponderance of 'free' access is staggering, but the longevity of many of those groups is questionable. VTCI's existence since being founded in 1968, and the overwhelming body of information encompassed by the VTCI Forum since 2003 that is accessible without restriction, is probably unparalleled by other clubs.

There have been discussions and suggestions about restricting access to certain functions of the VTCI Forum to dues-paying VTCI members, but up to this point in time those who manage and administer the day-to-day operations of this site have struggled with how such a mechanism can be established or instituted, not to mention the added expenditure of time and funds to maintain such a system. So, for now, just remember that you have access to the VTCI Forum thanks to the dues-paying members of the Club and its supporters. And believe me, all of us in the leadership and management of VTCI are thankful to those of you who help to keep this site up and running.

[Rt.146]

Mr. Moderator, this should be in General Discussions.

[Terri McNeill]

First... there is no fee to pay for this website, only VTCI membership if you choose to join. ALSO, the members only group was removed months ago as it just didn't work. It may return in the future but for right now it is gone...

Terri McNeill