Inliners International Forums General Discussion Bench racing New Dues and web site

Did anyone else get a new dues card in the mail and did you go to the web site? Did you find it? did it seem weird? I never found anything about Inliners, don't know if I was in the right place or not.

Bill, that's just one of the changes being implemented into the club right now. Other changes that are in effect have to do with commercial advertising and a few other behind the scenes things that might not be so obvious or apparent. But yes, the changes that have been talked about for a while now are finally here.

Yes I was aware of the changes but the web site that I was directed to never mentioned Inliners at all, it wanted me to sign up for a thirty day free trial to form my own data base, then gave me the cost per month per member of my data base. It looked like a great place to have your identity information stolen. I don't know what was going on, maybe part of the system was down but it sure was weird.

You must be talking about the data base website. It is more of an administrative tool for the club officers and chapter heads to use for helping manage club business. If you are one or the other, then you already should have a username to gain access into the site. Let me know if you are having problems.

What I received is a yellow card talking about dues. it says "you can now access the clubs information on our new web based database at www.imembersdb.com and on your mobile device at m.imembersdb.com (no www). You can update your personal information, put your picture in your profile, find a members most current information and see what club and chapter events are scheduled for the coming year. You access the database by using an ID and your password is with a one-way encryption so only you know it".

The above membership card also tells you how to get up to 15 months free membership by opting out to the members annual roster.

Yes, that's correct.

Whats correct? That it takes you to a place to buy a database? Or that it doesn't show anything for inliners or what.

There is nothing to buy. Inliners has already bought it, you just are being given the priviledge to access it.

The page it took me to did not have anyway to access Inliners it only offered me the option to buy a new database, Inliners was never mentioned on page that I could find.

I don't think its Inliners intention for you to buy a subscription to this database service on your own as a member, they have already bought a subscription to it as a group or organization. All you need is a user name and password to log-in, much in the same way as you do this forum. You must be missing some details explaining what you need to do. I think you need to contact Linda for directions. I've been using this database for almost 6 months now, and I haven't had to purchase anything, just simply log-in on the page your link takes you to when you click on it.

What I discovered after talking to Linda Henry, the card is a misprint you have to call her to get a user name and password. The new web site will be very nice once it is up and running at full speed. Those of us young enough to understand smartphones and computers will have a ton of information available at our fingertips others will be left out. I hope it is a very secure site otherwise it could turn into a nightmare. Only time will tell, but it appears to be moving us into this century.

I very much resent The 12 Port News faction of this club putting my personal information on the internet without even talking to me about it. It is a further disconnect and division of services and information. All we need is to be spread out more and have our information further scattered. It is proof enough that this was not well thought out that the information on the card does not get you to the information and you have to phone someone to get a password. Do you think a hacker needs one? There is no reason that the information on that site could not be accessible from here. It is evidence that the "leadership" does not like or support this web site and especially the BB. In this day it is dangerous enough that our names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, spouse's name, membership # etc are printed and sent to members but to post it all one the World Wide Web is crazy. I am very seriously thinking of not renewing my membership and demanding that my information be removed from the data base. END OF RANT! I'm Better now.

OK, I just got off the phone with our Membership Chairperson Linda Henry. It seems that Scott snitched me out and emailed her my last post. We talked for quite a while and she explained some of the coming changes to me.

First I learned that our Inliner information has been on the internet since 2006. The new system will be more secure with more protection than we have now. It will be more interactive in that we will each have access to our personal information and will be able to edit it. Our website will be completely up graded and modernized and the Bulletin Board will rolled into the new site. Each Local chapter will have it's own page to be maintained by the local. There will be some connect to the 12 Port News as sample articles will be printed along with the new cover of each issue.

She is going to send more information to me and I will post it. If anyone has any questions you can ask me and I'll get the straight stuff from her. If you don't like me you can ask her yourself. I am hoping that the changes will improve everyone's access to both the information here and in past and future issues of the 12 Port.

I didn't snitch Beater, you raised a valid issue and we all need to be aware of that personal info for the members may be available without their knowledge or consent by creating this database, and that they may not have realized a privacy issue may have been crossed in doing so.

She was very adamant about the security being top notch. She said it has taken a lot longer than expected partly because they want to do it right. Nothing is perfect and I'm sure if someone targets you they can get all of your personal stuff they want.

Anyway I said I would try to help from this end to get questions to her and facts posted here. She and 7 others have spent a lot of time on this and it's a tough job.

Yeah, and I know you have been critical in a good way about the higher ups and she is one of the ones spearheading the changes to the club. So I know her intentions and ambition toward change will help tremendously. It also helps if you are read into what is happening, and often times we haven't been. I'll let her know that yours and all other members voices and concerns are important to the clubs survival, and that's all I was doing when I relayed your thoughts about the security of the info being able to be accessed by people that might not need to know that info. She is one of those people that works behind the scenes and has a lot more influence within the club than we realize.

Scott

Beater, I find it totally laughable your use of the term "snitched me out" in reference to the absurd comments you made on this board, yesterday. As a Moderator on this thread, you have a responsibility to hold a neutral position, to be helpful and informational, not confrontational. Might I remind you, this is the second time in two weeks you have been called out for 1) posting offensive statements and 2) for making personal comments on a subject you obviously know nothing about. Personally, I find it healthy that members read and respond to statements that are objectionable, having to Moderate the Moderator so to speak. Perhaps your appointment as a Moderator was a mistake, as you seem to lack the self-control necessary to make yourself effective. In a effort to keep this from recurring, maybe you should adopt a "think before you speak" policy.

41 Coupe, Thank you for your concern, insight, and timely reminders. It is very helpful of you to to inform me of what you perceive my responsibilities to be,such as remain neutral in club matters. May I remind you that at this time I am a dues paying member of this club and I have as much right as anyone else to express my views. I have done that due to questions from those concerned about rumored changes.I volunteered to be a moderator here. At no time was I told that I had to give up my right to express my concerns about the safety and wellbeing of the members of Inliners International and the others who use this Bulletin Board. I was not told that taking this position lessoned my status as a member. I have some serious concerns. At our local chapter meeting today others expressed some of the same concerns and a few more. Mrs. Henry and I have agreed to try to address member's issues as well as get some factual information to our members. If you would like to be part of the solution your help would be appreciated. If my involvement is no longer desired by the members of this club please let me know before I renew my membership.

41 Coupe, Beater is a great guy and I really respect his input both as a friend and fellow Inline enthusiast. I personally took no offense at his comments as I know his true frustration about these club matters being sorta' concealed from all of us. Beater is one of those guys that would go that extra mile to help out a person and I would for him. So no harm or foul done as far as i'm concerned.

Scott the club is paying for the new data base as well as this site, are they going to keep both or does the new data base include a BB that will replace this one? If not are they going to do away with the BB? Linda told me that only 7% of the members even viewed the BB, so it is basically useless as a club informative media if that is the case. I am one of the 7% and without it I will most likely become disconnected from the club. I doubt that I would search the DB for info on a regular bases. I personally enjoy seeing what others are doing. I do miss some of the discussions that used to be on here and often wonder why many of the guys disappeared.

Bill, Linda said she will respond to my post in a few days. She is busy with personal things right now. I will post it for her as she is not a member on the BB and was having trouble logging in. I will also make sure that everyone's questions get to her. She told me that this has all been covered and explained in her columns in the 12 Port News. I am in the process of digging them out to read. I don't know how far back I'll have to go, to the Colorado Convention I think. Tom

Bill, I haven't heard any talk of eliminating this BB or future ones. But a lot of talk of the new website to include a BB, so I would assume they intend to keep it.

Beater, For your information I'm already part of the solution and have been for over a year, a prime reason you received my comments. In addition, there are no plans to alter any of the content between the old website and the new one. If it's on the current one, it will be on the new one. And that includes the Bulletin Board.

There has been a group working for some time on modernizing the web site and general Club record keeping. This has been a long and sometimes frustrating process.
At the risk of being "secretive", the desire was to have a working product available, rather than having a series of over-optimistic announcements.

I have always seen the web site and Bulletin Board as recruitment tools.

The Bulletin Board has some of the same problems as the Club as a whole. There are almost 6000 members on the Bulletin Board and less than 1500 active Club members. The big questions are: Why don't they keep active? and Why don't they support this resource by joining the Club?

Although much of the Web is "free", someone has to pay for the service (server, band-width, etc.)

This freedom, coupled with anonymity in the past has caused attacks and name-calling.

Thankfully most groups have grown up and this is not as big a factor as it used to be.

I have full confidence that we will be pleased with the improved web site and it will be an even greater asset to all of us.

Will Willis

This is the information we needed. Linda told me that it was frustrating because things have taken longer than expected. I read her column in the latest 12 Port and it explains what the group is trying to do. I wish it had been posted here.

I think I can give some insight into why the BB and website have not helped us as much as they could. It is partly as Linda told me that it is supported by old technology. I think that made it hard to keep things up to date. Just for example the last "From The Front" is from the Fall of 2013. The same is true with "Chapter Chatter". Since those are just reprints from the 12 Port that could be an easy fix that would tell users that the club is still alive. There are only 17 Tech Tips and the Race rules are from 2009. Some of the links in the "Casting #s" no longer work. The calendar is from 2014. These kinds of issues have probably not given new viewers the best impression of us. I think the "Member Pages" could be a great asset. Maybe a 12 Port Archive could be there. The Chapter pages will also put some of the responsibility on the locals.

Although the search feature on the BB is some better than it was my latest search only went back to 2013. I remember a few years ago that there was a problem and I think that in order to keep the BB up a limit was placed on searches. This may be taken care of with the new system but if someone comes here looking for information and they can not access the vast information from the early days of this Board they won't stick around.

Several of the members of my local were concerned about the club roster and their information being accessible on the website. Some were concerned about it even being on the internet. They asked if there could be an option on the application form to opt out of the roster.

All together it sounds like it should be a more functional site and maybe it will help attract and keep new members.

Hey Beater, I read you paragraph expressing your members concerns about having their information pirated from the new database and had a good chuckle. Do you know how many years this organization has been mailing a printed roster to its membership? In my case that number would be 15. What do you do with your old copies? Lock them in a safe or hide them in a closet to avoid all that personal info from getting into the hands of those who pick up your trash, or worse yet, those who sort that trash at the recycle center. With a membership averaging around 1500, what percentage do you think toss their copies in the trash, when the new one arrives. Remember this is an International organization so the roster is sent to members all over the world. Who knows where your info could be. And, Oh, my God, it's an annually renewable source for those would-be evil-doers who want to dig for it.

The roster, as it exists on the new database, is on a totally secure platform, accessible only to II members with a username and password created and maintained by the individual. It is 100% up-to-date, not obsolete the minute you get the new one in you hands. When a new members info is entered, it goes straight to the roster and the individuals assigned Chapter. When a member becomes inactive, their name is removed from the roster and the Chapter Head is notified. Now, which scenario is of more concern?

If your members are still worried about this, you need to tell them "Sorry guys the train has left the station and has been for several years. It will be leaving again, when to 2015 roster is printed.

A subject given some thought as opposed to a knee-jerk reaction oft times produces a clear answer.

If someone wants to steal your information, there are easier way to get it than trying to hack a secure database or going dumpster diving for an II members roster.

Silly, simply silly.

I am glad that our concerns have given you so much to laugh at. I hope it brightens you day. I thank you for being a part of making our information more secure. The tone of your responses is also reassuring as it makes it plain that the issues of club members is of great importance to you.

I know that our information has been on the internet for years and will be. That is probably necessary for management of information and club business. I do know that the roster has been printed and distributed yearly for a long time. Even that was a concern for some. Those are on paper and I would bet that most of them no longer exist. They have been burned, composted, shredded, or are buried in a landfill. Some are sitting on book shelves mostly in members homes. But where ever they are we can do nothing about them. That is no excuse to keep putting it out there especially on the internet. My house can be broken into but I still lock the doors.

From what Linda told me we will all be getting a user name and password to access the new site or at least the Member Pages. One of the things we will be able to do is print our own copy of the roster when ever we want. So anyone with $28-$32 has access anytime. I realize that there a lot of places where information about us is available but should we add to it? Or more importantly should the club add to it without our knowledge or permission?

In our area a residential burglary ring was recently operating.They were working in 4 counties. They were using cell phones and computers to pick the best place and times to hit. What a handy piece of information our roster along with our event calendar would be for them. I'm not much of a criminal anymore but I could use the heck out of it. You know the club officers will be at the conventions for days. The local officers will be at Chapter events. They were usually in and out in minutes.

Since your suggestion is that the best thing I can tell our members is, "Sorry guys the train has left the station...." the best information you have offered is," When a member becomes inactive, their name is removed from the roster and the Chapter Head is notified." Is that our only option?

I'm sorry to be so "silly" and I'm sorry to be treated in such a dismissive manner.

For the most part In all this. Is this is more secure Then the Obama Heath care. Were as once you sign UP YOUR INFO is OUT there
for every an anyone to SEE!!!

What a stupid statement. Twisted

Not really any different then YOURs

I think this whole thing should be dropped. This data base is not totally secure, as no data base is. That has surely been proven by the number of major hacks that have occurred and continue to occur over the years. If we gave any thought to how much information we all have that can be accessed by the local ten year old we would most likely have a fit. Things like our doctors, drug stores, grocery stores, credit card companies, banks, federal,state, local governments and the list goes on all have more of our personal information on file than we can imagine. I first started using computers in 1964 and have witnessed many changes since then and the only thing that I am totally certain of is that anyone who thinks their data is secure is insane. We come up with a new way to increase security today and tomorrow someone defeats it. Our new database company is probably doing their best to protect all of their customers but if someone wants in they will get in. I try not to give my info to scammers and that is probably the best defense we have. I think it is time to stop making comments about each other because it will only harm the club.

When Beater stops putting out false information about what's going on with the new system, it will be dropped.

Vary well Put Big Bill

Twisted,
The word is very. Spelled V E R Y. Wow!!!!!

41 Coupe,
There is no need to kick a guy for getting the spelling wrong. I think everyone needs to calm down and discuss this topic in a civil manner.

Maybe you will want to "edit" your own post.

Yeah I seen the type-O
But it's members like you and others, paying or non paying are reasons I stopped being a chapter head & a Board member OR a member for that matter. No wonder I don't come around Or post much anymore.
And It just seems to be just Fine for
this club. THAT they do not address things as they should be.
And I'm done with the BS this topic has become.

Bill, May I say that I agree totally. My point here is to question if all of the information in our roster should be distributed? The only way I would know that the red car parked in the driveway of a members home, shown in a google search, is a '65 Mustang convertible is because of information I got from our roster. Printed or on line that is too much info. Name, phone number, email is enough.

What false information???? I asked for some information. I expressed some concerns. I tried to clear up some issues with information I got from Linda Henry. I said I would, at her request, post her response to my first post.

Is not permissible for members of this club to ask for clarification about how their personal information is being safe guarded? Do we have no input into the policies of our club?

Actually if you go back to the beginning of the thread and read it through the matter was pretty well settled before you got here. We were waiting for Linda Henry to deal with some non Inliner issues before getting back to me with more information.

Frankly I think I have tolerated quite a bit of disrespect from you here. Some of the terms you have sent my way include: "laughable, absurd, confrontational,
offensive, obviously know nothing about, objectionable, you seem to lack the self-control necessary to make yourself effective, maybe you should adopt a "think before you speak" policy, good chuckle, as opposed to a knee-jerk reaction, Silly, simply silly." I suppose that in your view "As a Moderator on this thread, you have a responsibility to hold a neutral position ..." I am obligated to take this as some sort of constructive criticism.

Then you use "stupid" to reply to Twisted's post and feel the need to correct someones spelling?

No one on this thread is displaying behavior close to yours. No one else is posting things as negative as you and yet you claim, "Beater, For your information I'm already part of the solution and have been for over a year...." So I wonder if your views are representative of the club's leadership because no one has asked me to remove them.

Well once again, thank you for your help and dedication. You certainly seem to have a knack for problem solving and public relations. Your skills will most assuredly help the club grow and inspire others.

From one Texan to another just let me say, "Bless your little heart"

Hey Beater, I'm so glad you got to see one of my cars. Isn't technology great. Hope you enjoyed it. It's a nice one. I'm honored you found me that important to take your valuable time to search me out. NOT. I hope it made you happy.

You see Tom, I choose not to live in your world of mass paranoia, having to constantly look over your shoulder, worried about the boogy-man in the closet and afraid that there's someone waiting down the block to invade your house when you leave. It must be very depressing to have to live in fear.

You seem concerned with some of the words I've used, like "laughable". Can you site one instance where an II officer, chapter head or any other inliner member has been targeted while attending a convention, chapter meeting or any other II event, where the information obtained can be traced directly to the roster or the website? I suggest the answer to that question is NO. But, in the event that I'm wrong, please explain. Now that's laughable.

Another is "offensive". This relates to your many rants regarding politicians and our government, which I'm sure don't see things the way you do. These statements have nothing to do with this forum and don't belong here. And your latest one where you make reference to the less fortunate and minorities, which by the way was taken down. Even the sentence you use at the bottom of your post is further evidence of your offensiveness.

I think I've made my point here. The new system is coming whether you like it or not. Linda and I have tried to explain how it will be better than the old one, but you refuse to listen, maintaining to this day that you know more than the people who were assigned the task of improving the clubs image and making the website more secure. I'm sure you've noticed all those showing up here in support of your positions. That number would be "ZERO". I'm not looking for support, that was never my intention. I came here to expose the language and tone you've used in your rants and to rebut your lack of knowledge and false information you've offered on various topics.

So, My plan is to silence my comments, for now and let you deal with Linda directly. I know she won't tolerate your nonsense very long. I'll watch from the sidelines hoping in the future you will either wise-up, be proven wrong, or as you've suggested simply go away.... and wait for the next time you trip over your tongue.

Bye