I'm fascinated with the history of ARC. I found this video tonight from 9 years ago, and while I wasn't here to see Rich as president back in 2015, I feel like most of what is said in this interview is as relevant today as then. Should we be meeting in person more often? Do we as members have the time to meet more often than quarterly in person? Are virtual meetings in between our frag swap events something we should do more of? Should we consider an education initiative? What would make you want to become more involved? Let me know what you think.
Please provide your thoughts
- Thread starter Cook
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Rich Nelson was a good guy, who tried to do many things to help the club. He faced a lot of headwind from a few individuals. I transferred out of state for a couple of years and lost touch with things. When I came back he was gone from ARC. I still have indirect contact through a mutual friend, but haven’t interacted with him in a while.
That said, we used to (pre-Covid) hold monthly meetings in person, as you all are aware, at Shindell’s office building. We only moved to a virtual presence out of necessity and concern about the ARC’s survival if we did nothing. Zoom has checked that box, but few others in my opinion. We are, after all, a ‘social club’, focused on marine reef systems. We have become more like a Reef to Reef, without most of the commercial benefits that they offer. I am going to say this and it may not come across as intended, but here goes, we have lost much of our identity. No one’s to blame, we just need to re-engage in order to recover. Everyone drawn to ARC, comes for a reason. What separates us is a local physical presence. There are lots of fish club and hobbyist web sites. I don’t want us to ever be perceived as just another one.
If we are to restore our presence (pun intended) I think we are overdue for regular in person meetings. In the past, we regularly invited nationally renowned speakers and always had a program plan/presentation of some sort. Usually with a frag swap/sale in the back. Shindell’s fit th bill for those. Perhaps Justin’s church can/has become our new ‘home’, as long as they will have us? It’s a pretty nice venue & central to most in the Metro Atlanta area.
I think we should also began planning on a coral show, of some type. We are in a major metro area and shouldn’t be too worried about what other shows are going on in other states. If we plan & produce it, they will come!
My $0.02
That said, we used to (pre-Covid) hold monthly meetings in person, as you all are aware, at Shindell’s office building. We only moved to a virtual presence out of necessity and concern about the ARC’s survival if we did nothing. Zoom has checked that box, but few others in my opinion. We are, after all, a ‘social club’, focused on marine reef systems. We have become more like a Reef to Reef, without most of the commercial benefits that they offer. I am going to say this and it may not come across as intended, but here goes, we have lost much of our identity. No one’s to blame, we just need to re-engage in order to recover. Everyone drawn to ARC, comes for a reason. What separates us is a local physical presence. There are lots of fish club and hobbyist web sites. I don’t want us to ever be perceived as just another one.
If we are to restore our presence (pun intended) I think we are overdue for regular in person meetings. In the past, we regularly invited nationally renowned speakers and always had a program plan/presentation of some sort. Usually with a frag swap/sale in the back. Shindell’s fit th bill for those. Perhaps Justin’s church can/has become our new ‘home’, as long as they will have us? It’s a pretty nice venue & central to most in the Metro Atlanta area.
I think we should also began planning on a coral show, of some type. We are in a major metro area and shouldn’t be too worried about what other shows are going on in other states. If we plan & produce it, they will come!
My $0.02
Random thoughts:
What did we look like in our "glory" years? And when were out glory years? I came a little bit after the Jin fiasco but have also talked to Seth (twice). Correct me if my timeline is wrong - but from what I've pieced together - the Seth years may have been the glory years for ARC...I think we had the Expo and the club was giving away very high dollar prizes. But on the same token - it appeared to be riddled with corruption and accusations of financial mis-management.
I think we did a rough cost estimate on running an expo and the club would be in the red. I think we were in the red for our first expo.
Based on my life experience - all volunteer organizations will fizzle out over time. Clubs, boards, HOAs...they all come down to a point where nobody has the time to run them and the absolute bare minimum is done to get by. And for whatever reason - they also get divisive...theres always a faction that develops and attacks or someone gets their feelings hurt, et. I've always figured too many pricks with egos and too much disposable income.
As of the past few years - we've just been floating in limbo like a blob. Usually things only work if someone has a vested interest in making it a success, ie, someone is making money and has personal gain.
But like everything else - develop or re-develop a mission statement and set a timeline for events and work towards same
I enjoy our frag swaps and events but its mostly just buying corals and then waiting for gift cards...not too much interaction in between.
What did we look like in our "glory" years? And when were out glory years? I came a little bit after the Jin fiasco but have also talked to Seth (twice). Correct me if my timeline is wrong - but from what I've pieced together - the Seth years may have been the glory years for ARC...I think we had the Expo and the club was giving away very high dollar prizes. But on the same token - it appeared to be riddled with corruption and accusations of financial mis-management.
I think we did a rough cost estimate on running an expo and the club would be in the red. I think we were in the red for our first expo.
Based on my life experience - all volunteer organizations will fizzle out over time. Clubs, boards, HOAs...they all come down to a point where nobody has the time to run them and the absolute bare minimum is done to get by. And for whatever reason - they also get divisive...theres always a faction that develops and attacks or someone gets their feelings hurt, et. I've always figured too many pricks with egos and too much disposable income.
As of the past few years - we've just been floating in limbo like a blob. Usually things only work if someone has a vested interest in making it a success, ie, someone is making money and has personal gain.
But like everything else - develop or re-develop a mission statement and set a timeline for events and work towards same
I enjoy our frag swaps and events but its mostly just buying corals and then waiting for gift cards...not too much interaction in between.
We had a good run when Mojo/Chris Horn & Raj came back as Pres/VP. The following year they also stepped back due to some kind of operational irregularity. We had about 300 show up for frag give aways each of those 2 years. The following 2 years we moved up to the GA World Congress Center as Shindell’s was not adequate for the numbers attending. We had somewhere between 500-1000+ show up to hear Sanjay Joshi and (I forgot the other) ? speak the 2nd of those years. We raffled away door prizes of about $4-5 grand, many donated by sponsors. I won a frag $aw! We bought, chopped up and gave away at least a 1000 frags.
Word to the wise, I developed a nasty pulmonary infection, likely thanks to coral origin bacteria ‘of unknown type’, per my MD.
Gnashty/Gary Nash, Seth, myself & Dylan (?) had it that 2nd year. The first 1/2 of that year was great! Then Gary landed a big job and had to step down.
There is more history, I will just leave it there.
I was away about 3-4 years, during the Rich to Jin days.
Sponsors also like it when new people get into the hobby, and we help with that.
Word to the wise, I developed a nasty pulmonary infection, likely thanks to coral origin bacteria ‘of unknown type’, per my MD.
Gnashty/Gary Nash, Seth, myself & Dylan (?) had it that 2nd year. The first 1/2 of that year was great! Then Gary landed a big job and had to step down.
There is more history, I will just leave it there.
I was away about 3-4 years, during the Rich to Jin days.
Sponsors also like it when new people get into the hobby, and we help with that.
Pareto principle, 80% of results come from 20% of effort/people.
Having a small group of like minded people willing to coordinate and promote a vision will usually make things happen. Once things get moving, the energy spreads.
We have kind of been on cruise control. Time to inject some nitro!
Having a small group of like minded people willing to coordinate and promote a vision will usually make things happen. Once things get moving, the energy spreads.
We have kind of been on cruise control. Time to inject some nitro!
I served on the board with Rich that year ( and for the next 4 years…). He was a breath of fresh air back then and had great vision for what the club could become. We had a back to basics mentality and tried to push membership and membership participation.
Things are a bit different now and I remember being part of several transitions during my tenure in the board. One of the largest challenges was overcoming the competing social media outlets folks were using to learn about the hobby and buy and sell stuff. One of the biggest changes we made (not a popular one) was to allow non-supporting members to sell on the forums. Our goal was to drive more activity to the forum.
The biggest change I see in the club since its inception is from a social interaction forum to a marketplace forum. Driving members to activity and participation around our hobby is the biggest challenge. I’ve made some suggestions that have been met with approval but have not yet made it to fruition i.e., pico tank…we need something get folks to buy in and want to participate. Why not expand our freshwater presence or partner with AAAA, many of us have salt and fresh water tanks. Something that will get folks coming back for more. It needs to be fun.
Things are a bit different now and I remember being part of several transitions during my tenure in the board. One of the largest challenges was overcoming the competing social media outlets folks were using to learn about the hobby and buy and sell stuff. One of the biggest changes we made (not a popular one) was to allow non-supporting members to sell on the forums. Our goal was to drive more activity to the forum.
The biggest change I see in the club since its inception is from a social interaction forum to a marketplace forum. Driving members to activity and participation around our hobby is the biggest challenge. I’ve made some suggestions that have been met with approval but have not yet made it to fruition i.e., pico tank…we need something get folks to buy in and want to participate. Why not expand our freshwater presence or partner with AAAA, many of us have salt and fresh water tanks. Something that will get folks coming back for more. It needs to be fun.
I’ve only been around for 2 years or so, so I have no clue what the club used to be like before Covid. From the time I have been a member, I will agree with what Dave said about it becoming more of just a marketplace to sell things, as opposed to an active and engaging forum.
A great example would be the random pic of the day thread. I intentionally wait a day or two to share pictures, because no one else has posted anything. And there are tons of times that will happen for a week or more. I get not everyone has a fancy camera, or is into photography. But you can get any of the number of clip-on lenses for a phone, some of which even have macro lenses, and still take pretty good pictures.
The pico tank “challenge” is also a great idea, and has been mentioned to the board and slightly discussed at the last few meetings. I’m all for it, even though I don’t need another tank
, and really hope there’s enough interest for us to do it.
I’m also all for more in-person meetings that aren’t solely based around buying/selling coral. Most of the recent frag swaps have been on weekends that I work, and I haven’t been able to attend. Clearly that’s no one’s problem but my own, but I’d still like more chances to interact with fellow reefers. It’s great having others to bounce ideas off, ask for their opinion on something, or ask for help if in a pinch. I’d far sooner trust one of you guys than a family member to take care of my tank while I’m gone for an extended period.
A great example would be the random pic of the day thread. I intentionally wait a day or two to share pictures, because no one else has posted anything. And there are tons of times that will happen for a week or more. I get not everyone has a fancy camera, or is into photography. But you can get any of the number of clip-on lenses for a phone, some of which even have macro lenses, and still take pretty good pictures.
The pico tank “challenge” is also a great idea, and has been mentioned to the board and slightly discussed at the last few meetings. I’m all for it, even though I don’t need another tank
, and really hope there’s enough interest for us to do it. I’m also all for more in-person meetings that aren’t solely based around buying/selling coral. Most of the recent frag swaps have been on weekends that I work, and I haven’t been able to attend. Clearly that’s no one’s problem but my own, but I’d still like more chances to interact with fellow reefers. It’s great having others to bounce ideas off, ask for their opinion on something, or ask for help if in a pinch. I’d far sooner trust one of you guys than a family member to take care of my tank while I’m gone for an extended period.
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Bring back the old style meetings. Pick a restaurant , meet up, talk about the agenda , than drink and roast each other until we come to a mutual agreement. Everyone’s sees than differently in person.
We use to have meetings at Taco Mac at the Prada. Club got food, alcohol was individual based. I’m sure a few of us own/run eateries that would work with the board.
Lot of members would plan to sell coral before hand and all meet up for trade them.
We use to have meetings at Taco Mac at the Prada. Club got food, alcohol was individual based. I’m sure a few of us own/run eateries that would work with the board.
Lot of members would plan to sell coral before hand and all meet up for trade them.
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@ichthyoid remember the days where I would get banned and have to show up in person to talk shi… I mean plead my case ;D
Thanh,
You became the bane of Seth’s existence. He really had it out for you! I’m glad you’re back…
You had nicer corals
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Seth never really bother me too much in person at meets and what not. We were mostly cordial. Acroholic, god bless him, hated me too at the beginning. He came around with the share love of Porsches and acros lol. I think meeting in person always shows a different side of people.
I've been thinking a lot about Hunter's post giving away frags to new supporting members and thinking I could definitely get supporting members with new tanks started on a halfway decent CUC. That led me to wondering if we had a list somewhere of benefits of being a supporting member, and obviously it wasn't hard to find this post.
I notice that it says "New supporting members may also receive a starter pack of corals". Does that still happen these days? Are there enough people willing to give something away to new supporting members (especially those new to the hobby) that it makes sense to formalize it some way? Maybe the board posts an open call for volunteers, and those of us with stuff to give away either contact you privately or publicly in the post and let you know what we have. You can use that to compile a list that you can send to new supporting members so that they can reach out to us directly if there's something they'd like to have. Not only does it help people get started, it helps build community as new members get to meet other ARC members in person pretty early on.
Just thinking out loud.
I notice that it says "New supporting members may also receive a starter pack of corals". Does that still happen these days? Are there enough people willing to give something away to new supporting members (especially those new to the hobby) that it makes sense to formalize it some way? Maybe the board posts an open call for volunteers, and those of us with stuff to give away either contact you privately or publicly in the post and let you know what we have. You can use that to compile a list that you can send to new supporting members so that they can reach out to us directly if there's something they'd like to have. Not only does it help people get started, it helps build community as new members get to meet other ARC members in person pretty early on.
Just thinking out loud.
I remember just how active and engaged ARC was back in the 2007–2008 era (before I had to tear down my tank for a cross-country move), and honestly, I’d really love to see us find a way back to something like that. It wasn’t just a marketplace back then… it was a genuine, thriving community. Seeing where we are now, I think we’ve got a great opportunity to reinvigorate the club.
One big goal, at least from where I sit, is figuring out how to steal back some of the thunder we’ve lost to the likes of Reef2Reef… but without sacrificing ARC’s nonprofit, non-commercial identity. We’ve got something they can’t offer: a local connection, where people know your tank, your LFS, your water conditions… where you’re not just some anonymous screen name in an endless crowd, and if you need help, there's someone local who can provide it. There’s a lot of value in that, we just need to give people reasons to remember it.
So, here’s what’s been bouncing around in my head:
Regional, Informal Meetups - I’ve floated this before, but I’ll throw it out again: I think semi-regular, casual meetups by region (north, south, east, west, maybe northeast) could go a long way toward rebuilding the club’s sense of connection. Not everyone can commit to the big, once-a-quarter events in some central location, but grabbing coffee or lunch/dinner every few months at someplace maybe 30m away, for something casual without a big agenda besides talking shop? That’s a lot more approachable, and it helps spread out the effort, too, while helping strengthen the sense of community and desire to stay involved. Personal relationships matter.
Stronger Cross-Promotion Between Facebook + ARC Site - We’ve got a lot happening on the Facebook side, but how often are those folks actually getting drawn into the ARC website and forums, much less actually supporting the club as members? I wonder if we could find ways to highlight why the site matters - maybe advertise club-only deals, exclusive raffles, or perks like starter packs for new supporting members, and just generally advertise the benefits of forum participation - why its a destination worth their time. We could even offer something like an extra raffle ticket at events for supporting members, or a nominal $5 door fee for non-members. Little things, sure, but they give people just that little nudge to engage with the club more deeply.
Edit to add: I think re-posting some select content from the website - notably, and with permission of course, from the "random pic of the day" thread - to Facebook might be some nice low-hanging fruit to drive further engagement via FB. It'd generate attention and activity there, which is a win no matter how you look at it, and would be easy to do, as we should be able to get at least a few posts a week out of that alone.
More Community-Focused Content + Challenges - People need reasons to visit the site beyond just buying and selling. Fun threads like the “random tank pic of the day” couple be paired with things like seasonal photo contests, pico tank challenges, member spotlights, DIY tutorials, and more local vendor or LFS features… these kinds of things help keep the forum feeling alive and active. They give people little hooks to check in regularly, even when they’re not looking to buy or sell anything.
Renewed Welcome + Mentorship Initiatives - I really liked the mention @shanepike made about starter frag packs for new supporting members, and I wonder if we could tie that into a lightweight mentorship idea or something similar. Maybe we put out a call for a few volunteers willing to be “go-to” people for new members (especially those brand-new to the hobby). Something like this would, I think, help people feel more connected to the community early on, and boost the odds they stick around and find reasons to support the club with their hard-earned money.
I know there are more than a few of us with 3d printers here, perhaps there's something cool we could think up that most all new members would like that we can print out with our logo on it. Some things that come to mind would be frag plugs, hanging/magnetic frag racks, coral acclimation stands, the dry/knob side of a magnetic scraper, nori holders, etc.
A Clear, Shared Mission + Member Involvement - Lastly, maybe I've missed it, but I think it might be helpful for the board and active members to work up a refreshed mission - something that clearly says, here’s why ARC matters, here’s what sets us apart, and here’s where we want to go over the next year or two, and how we're going to get our active members involved, while recruiting new ones. Once that’s laid out, it’s a lot easier for folks like me to figure out how we can help (and a lot easier for leadership to rally support). It’s hard to aim at a target if you don’t know what it is, after all.
And on that note, I'd love to see the LFS' that support us actually support us with some advertising, and not just a nominal annual fee. Maybe we could work up some nice signs/placards or little displays/dioramas or something that we could ask them to place somewhere prominent for us, ideally next to the register? Perhaps something those of us with 3d printers could produce? By the same token, maybe we can drive our membership to more visibly support their LFS and give them reason to continue to support us financially. Personally, I'll drive an extra 20m to an LFS that IS a club sponsor, but how do we convince others to do the same?
Edit to add: for that matter, how do we actively demonstrate to our sponsors - extant and potential - that supporting us is worth it? Do they count the number of times they give a discount - which maybe doesn't always apply to what we're there buying, and so doesn't get logged - and for that matter do they see that discount as a benefit, or a liability?
Is there anyone here with experience in managing this sort of re-invigoration? Are there programs or incentives you think we should be looking at? We’ve got a lot of good history and energy we could tap into if we just pull together.
One big goal, at least from where I sit, is figuring out how to steal back some of the thunder we’ve lost to the likes of Reef2Reef… but without sacrificing ARC’s nonprofit, non-commercial identity. We’ve got something they can’t offer: a local connection, where people know your tank, your LFS, your water conditions… where you’re not just some anonymous screen name in an endless crowd, and if you need help, there's someone local who can provide it. There’s a lot of value in that, we just need to give people reasons to remember it.
So, here’s what’s been bouncing around in my head:
Regional, Informal Meetups - I’ve floated this before, but I’ll throw it out again: I think semi-regular, casual meetups by region (north, south, east, west, maybe northeast) could go a long way toward rebuilding the club’s sense of connection. Not everyone can commit to the big, once-a-quarter events in some central location, but grabbing coffee or lunch/dinner every few months at someplace maybe 30m away, for something casual without a big agenda besides talking shop? That’s a lot more approachable, and it helps spread out the effort, too, while helping strengthen the sense of community and desire to stay involved. Personal relationships matter.
Stronger Cross-Promotion Between Facebook + ARC Site - We’ve got a lot happening on the Facebook side, but how often are those folks actually getting drawn into the ARC website and forums, much less actually supporting the club as members? I wonder if we could find ways to highlight why the site matters - maybe advertise club-only deals, exclusive raffles, or perks like starter packs for new supporting members, and just generally advertise the benefits of forum participation - why its a destination worth their time. We could even offer something like an extra raffle ticket at events for supporting members, or a nominal $5 door fee for non-members. Little things, sure, but they give people just that little nudge to engage with the club more deeply.
Edit to add: I think re-posting some select content from the website - notably, and with permission of course, from the "random pic of the day" thread - to Facebook might be some nice low-hanging fruit to drive further engagement via FB. It'd generate attention and activity there, which is a win no matter how you look at it, and would be easy to do, as we should be able to get at least a few posts a week out of that alone.
More Community-Focused Content + Challenges - People need reasons to visit the site beyond just buying and selling. Fun threads like the “random tank pic of the day” couple be paired with things like seasonal photo contests, pico tank challenges, member spotlights, DIY tutorials, and more local vendor or LFS features… these kinds of things help keep the forum feeling alive and active. They give people little hooks to check in regularly, even when they’re not looking to buy or sell anything.
Renewed Welcome + Mentorship Initiatives - I really liked the mention @shanepike made about starter frag packs for new supporting members, and I wonder if we could tie that into a lightweight mentorship idea or something similar. Maybe we put out a call for a few volunteers willing to be “go-to” people for new members (especially those brand-new to the hobby). Something like this would, I think, help people feel more connected to the community early on, and boost the odds they stick around and find reasons to support the club with their hard-earned money.
I know there are more than a few of us with 3d printers here, perhaps there's something cool we could think up that most all new members would like that we can print out with our logo on it. Some things that come to mind would be frag plugs, hanging/magnetic frag racks, coral acclimation stands, the dry/knob side of a magnetic scraper, nori holders, etc.
A Clear, Shared Mission + Member Involvement - Lastly, maybe I've missed it, but I think it might be helpful for the board and active members to work up a refreshed mission - something that clearly says, here’s why ARC matters, here’s what sets us apart, and here’s where we want to go over the next year or two, and how we're going to get our active members involved, while recruiting new ones. Once that’s laid out, it’s a lot easier for folks like me to figure out how we can help (and a lot easier for leadership to rally support). It’s hard to aim at a target if you don’t know what it is, after all.
And on that note, I'd love to see the LFS' that support us actually support us with some advertising, and not just a nominal annual fee. Maybe we could work up some nice signs/placards or little displays/dioramas or something that we could ask them to place somewhere prominent for us, ideally next to the register? Perhaps something those of us with 3d printers could produce? By the same token, maybe we can drive our membership to more visibly support their LFS and give them reason to continue to support us financially. Personally, I'll drive an extra 20m to an LFS that IS a club sponsor, but how do we convince others to do the same?
Edit to add: for that matter, how do we actively demonstrate to our sponsors - extant and potential - that supporting us is worth it? Do they count the number of times they give a discount - which maybe doesn't always apply to what we're there buying, and so doesn't get logged - and for that matter do they see that discount as a benefit, or a liability?
Is there anyone here with experience in managing this sort of re-invigoration? Are there programs or incentives you think we should be looking at? We’ve got a lot of good history and energy we could tap into if we just pull together.
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