2024 Ohio Reef Frag Swap

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Offline AJ

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Ohio Reef Club
« on: January 19, 2017, 23:03:11 »
With Facebook Groups replacing once-thriving forums, there's no longer enough hobbyists in the Southwest Ohio region to create the community and atmosphere we at Ohio Reef Club strive to offer membership. Therefore, we would like to announce that we are expanding  to encompass all of Ohio. We will now be known as Ohio Reef and be located at http://www.ohioreef.com. All the events you have come to know and love will continue as they have in the past. We will be having a frag swap this spring, many action-packed meetings throughout the year and the famous year-end meeting like always. With the addition of members from all over the state, we hope to increase forum activity and the wealth of knowledge that can be offered by the hobbyists.

Offline jeblin

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Re: Ohio Reef Club is now Ohio Reef
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2017, 04:55:45 »
Was there any advanced notice of this change sent to members? I tried getting in to ohioreef.com this morning and being redirected to OhioReef.com gave me a pause as to whether or not someone had hacked the site. I did not want to log in using my Ohio Reef credentials just in case. Not saying I disagree with the change as there has been a decline in all the dedicated Ohio forums of which I am a member. Just not sure going to a "generic" OhioReef is the answer versus losing the identity of Ohio Reef Club ;) Just my 2 cents.

EDITED I guess we cannot type W O R C Reef.org anymore on here without it being corrected to ohioreef ;)
« Last Edit: January 20, 2017, 18:18:10 by jeblin »

Offline delta1190

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Re: Ohio Reef Club is now Ohio Reef
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2017, 06:42:23 »
I think that the members should have voted on this change after all we are a club and that means more than one person!

Offline Miles

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Re: Ohio Reef Club is now Ohio Reef
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2017, 10:05:53 »
I think the change in the site URL broke many of the links in the forums....

Try the links in my sig line.

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Ohio Reef Club is now Ohio Reef
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2017, 10:49:48 »
There will be a little of this and that broken. As folks see them let me know I can fix. Miles your all set.

Offline Miles

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Re: Ohio Reef Club is now Ohio Reef
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2017, 10:53:05 »
There will be a little of this and that broken. As folks see them let me know I can fix. Miles your all set.

Thanks!

Offline Kenn

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2017, 11:23:09 »
I agree that a vote must be taken for the name change as I dont see a need for it.

I was a little surprised that there was no notice of a change before it happened.

Change to the site format is great and needed.



Currently doing a 75g build | http://ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=16275.0| tanks of the past : 26g Bowfront LPS and Fish| http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=4858.0 || 37g a little of everything | http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=7751.0

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."   < K >

Offline thepipbull

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2017, 12:59:48 »
First let me say I understand all your concerns. Myself, AJ, and Brian all had the same concerns with change. Faced with tough decisions and long discussions on the future of the club. We decided it would be in the best interest to open ourselves up to a larger group of people and sponsors. While we never discouraged people from around the state to join we felt the name did. This will allow us solicit new members and sponsors and without be being able to grow the club would be forced to shut down.
Any questions and concerns will be addressed at the February meeting 

Offline AJ

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2017, 13:03:45 »
Very nice response Chris! It was most certainly not a decision we took lightly, but we felt that in order to continue to provide the amenities the members have grown to know and love we needed to expand. There are bound to be a few hiccups along the way, especially with the site, but slowly everything will be changed over to Ohio Reef.

Offline Kenn

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #9 on: January 20, 2017, 14:17:42 »
So, does this mean the W.o.R.C (had to do it this way because the site auto corrected to "Ohio Reef") is being dissolved and reincorporated into Ohio Reef ? 
Currently doing a 75g build | http://ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=16275.0| tanks of the past : 26g Bowfront LPS and Fish| http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=4858.0 || 37g a little of everything | http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=7751.0

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."   < K >

Offline Logzor

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #10 on: January 20, 2017, 14:22:48 »
Ohio has at least seven regional clubs that are pretty well established. Meaning they conduct frag swaps and local meetings on a regular basis. This is probably more than any other state. I can't disagree that expanding the inclusion area of the club is logical approach but are there successful models elsewhere that don't include actual consolidation of existing regional clubs in order to form a larger membership base?

I am curious if a State, Tri-State, or Regional reef club model is any more successful than that of the local reef club. The national level works because it's an information and communication hub. It's not a reef club, though. There are no meetings and very little face-to-face interaction. They are exclusively profit driven. Reef clubs are typically different, they thrive (or suffer) from face-to-face events and the interpersonal communication within a local community. Can a statewide club form a hybrid, the communication hub and a strong local membership? This depends on attracting lots of people to post on the forum. I think that will be a challenge given that most hobbyists have migrated to the national forum where their posts have more exposure and value.

We hope the transition goes well for you guys and the state-wide approach invigorates the membership base. I think all small reef clubs are feeling the pinch and it's usually just a handful of people keeping the torch lit and providing the majority of member services with virtually no compensation.


« Last Edit: January 20, 2017, 14:30:47 by Logzor »

Offline thepipbull

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #11 on: January 20, 2017, 16:07:51 »
Ken
Everything will be ran the same and the name change is more impart to inhibit new growth by opening our advertising to new viewers. With the decline memberships it is very hard to ask for sponsorship without being able to give them a return on their investment in us to provide new members.
If the lack of new memberships and participation were to continue we would no longer have a club. Just a bunch of people trying to borrow tank tools off one another
I hope everyone see the positives to what we are trying to do and will come to the monthly meeting to support us     

Offline thepipbull

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #12 on: January 20, 2017, 16:10:11 »
Very true Logzor
And thanks for the well wishes
I’m sure most of have been involved and still monitor the other clubs and see them declining as well. Some for lack of interest and others for personal conflicts and petty drama
Either way we need to drum up new excitement to inhibit membership growth which in turn will help us with sponsorship growth.
We have a lot to offer for our premium members and hopefully will see a lot of growth 

Offline merlin3

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #13 on: January 20, 2017, 19:40:58 »
Cant really say that i am for the name change. To me it doesnt make sense. If i am getting on a forum to learn or research then i am getting on a forum with hundreds of thousands of users and posts that i can search. If i am on a local forum, i want it to be local people and not people from 3 hours away. This is not a business but a hobby for most and we would rather meet with other locals to share ideas. One of the advantages to premium membership is access to the tools(which i have only used once). So now you have a guy in toledo that joins and wants to use the par meter. That is not convenient or thoughtful for the other local members and you cant buy tools to cover every area. The club has done fine financially between the frag swaps and premium membership. A better course of action would have been to push premium membership with incentives. Overall i think this is a poor choice and one that should have been voted on by the members rather than a dictatorship.

Offline delta1190

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #14 on: January 20, 2017, 21:49:49 »
I agree with Merlin he hit the nail on the head as it is only a few people use the tools that are available to us and after the post of the nallance in the club account what makes the bod think the club is dying


Offline Steve

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2017, 22:03:31 »
I don't see how changing the name changes much as far as the local club is concerned. Pretty sure people from Cleveland, Columbus and other places aren't going to support our local meetings or fragswap anymore than they already do. As far as bringing people to the sight, it was as easy to access W O R C as it is to access Ohio Reef and most of the areas know we exist. I think the thing that bothers me the most was the seeming secrecy in which it was done. I believe also, that it should have been discussed and decided by the club, if that is what we are. When I saw the changes on the board and no announcement had been made yet, I posted on the forum asking what was going on? My post was deleted and I was told that AJ would be making an announcement soon. If I cannot post on the board to find out what is going in the club, what does that say?

Offline Twizted1

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2017, 23:53:22 »
http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Publications-Files/Publications-for-Non-Profits/NonprofitHandbook

Apparently this link does not apply. My intentions where only to say that people should educate themselves about things to try and better the situation. But in my attempt to help I have posted the wrong link. My apologies.

Offline west chester reef

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #18 on: January 22, 2017, 00:52:52 »
One glitch is even though I checked remember me. I have to log in everytime?

Offline erinwalling

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #19 on: January 22, 2017, 08:53:47 »
One glitch is even though I checked remember me. I have to log in everytime?

Try backspacing out the 60 (in the section where it says keep me logged in for ).  That seems to have resolved that issue for me.

Offline Kenn

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #20 on: January 23, 2017, 10:37:49 »
The club name change issue has not be properly addressed gentlemen.

A vote from the club needs to be taken and the old club dissolved PER club bylaws.

Our elected officers cannot make this change without an club vote.
Currently doing a 75g build | http://ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=16275.0| tanks of the past : 26g Bowfront LPS and Fish| http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=4858.0 || 37g a little of everything | http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=7751.0

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."   < K >

Offline delta1190

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #21 on: January 23, 2017, 11:54:55 »
i second that my friend!!!!!!!!!!!

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #22 on: January 23, 2017, 11:57:44 »
The business name is not changing or dissolving. It is still western ohioreef club EIN 205611428. We added an additional url and changed the banner so we can solicit members from other parts of ohio to get more forum activity. That is it, no other reason for the change.

Offline Kenn

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #23 on: January 23, 2017, 12:05:01 »
Of course its changed. Try typing in the real club name an see how it corrects you.

The officers are using loopholes. It was dishonest and deceitful for the officers to make this change without consulting the established members before a change was made.

I am very disappointed in how this was handled.

Currently doing a 75g build | http://ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=16275.0| tanks of the past : 26g Bowfront LPS and Fish| http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=4858.0 || 37g a little of everything | http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=7751.0

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."   < K >

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #24 on: January 23, 2017, 12:08:40 »
It corrects it so urls are not broken in old posts, signatures etc.... Why would you call us dishonest and deceitful? That is a pretty crappy thing to say.

Offline AJ

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #25 on: January 23, 2017, 12:15:52 »
That does hurt Kenn, with the amount of time and effort we put in to making this club grow and prosper, without compensation, to call us dishonest and deceitful is petty.

Offline Kenn

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #26 on: January 23, 2017, 12:23:35 »
Did you put a club name change to a vote of the club? Or did you do this behind closed doors?

I am sorry if your feeling are hurt. But you did what you did and only try to rationalize it when questioned about your actions.

This is a Club. Not a business. Our profit margin doesn't need to grow annually for us to be successful.
Currently doing a 75g build | http://ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=16275.0| tanks of the past : 26g Bowfront LPS and Fish| http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=4858.0 || 37g a little of everything | http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=7751.0

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."   < K >

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #27 on: January 23, 2017, 12:27:25 »
Its not about profit margins it is about the graph below. This club has never given any indication or previous history that it is trying to profit. Heck the club gave away $5,000 to coral restoration in Florida just over a year ago. We encourage gift certificates for sponsorship to give to members not cash from sponsors.

Offline Miles

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #28 on: January 23, 2017, 12:33:00 »
I really noticed this in the last year.... I used to check the page daily for new updates but it got to the point where weeks could pass and there was very little happening. It got to the point where I was checking the forums maybe a couple times a month. I think any change that can generate more traffic/posts is a good one. I don't know about everyone else, but if I'm not actively engaged with others in the hobby, I tend to lose interest.

Offline jeblin

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #29 on: January 23, 2017, 14:01:03 »
Its not about profit margins it is about the graph below. This club has never given any indication or previous history that it is trying to profit. Heck the club gave away $5,000 to coral restoration in Florida just over a year ago. We encourage gift certificates for sponsorship to give to members not cash from sponsors.

I've been a member since August 2008, and from looking at everyone's join date, the oldest one that has commented on this thread so far ;-)

Looking at Brian's chart, what happened in 2011-2012 when posts per year dropped by 10,000? If I remember correctly, that was when we had a lot of in-fighting and people left to create/join another reef forum, and then you had the whole thing with Aquatic Specialists/Joel that further drove people away (long story for those that don't know).  I don't know what happened during 2014-2015 to lose another 8,000 posts as I haven't been active in awhile. I'm like Miles where I would stop by and check the forums to see what has been happening recently. Started getting active again last month and then the name change.

I can't say whether I'm for or against the name change, but I can say I am against the way it happened (overnight without members being notified - or even premium members). I'll still visit like I do, but I think I liked our little piece of Ohio Reef Club better than the whole Ohio Reef...just my 2 cents though ;-)

Offline ohioreef

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Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #30 on: January 23, 2017, 18:33:51 »
Now I wish I would've hung on to the ohioreef.com URL! I could've sold it to W.O.R.C for tons of money! LOL

Offline ohioreef

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Re: Ohio Reef Club
« Reply #31 on: January 23, 2017, 18:37:37 »
I've been a member since August 2008, and from looking at everyone's join date, the oldest one that has commented on this thread so far ;-)

Not any more!  ;)

 

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