AAW Board Election results

[Mike Brazeau]

Happened by the AAW website this morning and election results are up. Congratulations to new board members in January, David Heim and Molly Winton. Also to our president Greg Schramek. Rather disappointing number of members who participated in the vote, 815 members which is nominally about 5% of the membership! Thank you to those currently serving and anyone that has served in the past.

 

[RichColvin]

Mike,

I see the low number of voters as a positive sign, so let me present it in a different light.

The membership of AAW is so large (by your estimate it is ~16,000) and geographically dispersed that most of us don't really know the people running for for board seats or officer vacancies. I wouldn't know who is better than another to take a leadership role.

I've been involved in organizations in the past where I felt the need to run for an office, or get involved in the operation of that group, because I felt it was headed in the wrong direction. I don't feel that way about AAW, nor have I ever heard anyone else say that.

This also indicates that what AAW are doing as an organization is correct. If it weren't the participation would be much lower.

As it is, a great many woodturners can enjoy the purpose of the AAW, and not get involved in the bureaucracy of administering the AAW.

I like to see how it has evolved from pure turning to including things like carving and texturing (e.g., work by Dennis Paullus and Dixie Biggs). I like that there are specialty groups like Pen Turning and Ornamental Turning (e.g., Jon Magill) which have been pulled into the fold. And, I especially like the broad range of talent that is accommodated : from newbies to professionals who earn a living at this.

There is really only one thing I would change, and that is the name. I think it is time we became know as the International Association of Woodturners. AAW's reach isn't held neatly within the U.S. of A.

Kind regards,
Rich

 

[Mark Hepburn]

Well said, Rich. I hadn't considered this viewpoint at all, but it certainly seems valid to me.

 

[john lucas]

I agree with Rich on all points. I usually vote but I don't know why because I rarely know the people other than their statement. In this case I know Molly but don't really know her qualifications only that she's a good person and seems to care about the AAW. But then that probably applies to all of the people who run for office in the AAW.
I agree about changing the name to International Association of Woodturners. I know there are other groups but with the changing technology pretty soon we will be able to converse with anyone in any language over the internet just like we are talking now. How cool would that be to have turners from Pakistan or Cambodia or Russia, etc all participating in the forum.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

John,

That would be cool, and there are already some people from all over on the forum now.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

I think it is time we became know as the International Association of Woodturners.

I guess we should buy up the current patches, etc before the Elvis effect takes place.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I read the candidates statement of qualifications to see if they talk about their business background. I look to see what their thoughts are about direction and goals of the AAW. I assess the strength of their writing skills. I also look for disqualifies like a political agenda or if they just talk about themselves. None of this is a guarantee of voting for the best candidate, but it is likely to be a vote for a qualified candidate.

It's easy to see why the participation is so low. The AAW is so low-key about the election. It hardly gets second page billing. It's the squeaky wheel getting the grease syndrome because we're so constantly bombarded by requests for our attention that the quieter things get overlooked. I would say that most woodturners aren't that concerned about who is at the helm although they should be.

I don't like the idea of the name change. I think that, at best, it is presumptuous. Other countries have woodturning organizations. The number of international members isn't very large. We would be much better served by more closely focusing our resources rather than engaging in pretentiousness.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

I guess we should buy up the current patches, etc before the Elvis effect takes place.

Yep. You never know what the street value of those patches will be down the road!

 

[Charlie Knighton]

I think it is time we became know as the International Association of Woodturners

I always wanted to start an "Orion Association of Woodturners"CLUB........would be a neat patch and even could include a Mars club......guess they could turn the petrified wood I am sure they will find building underground colonies.........hehe

 

[john lucas]

Most Martian wood is Red.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

And dry

 

[Bill Boehme]

Any more thoughts about deciding on who to vote for or why so few members vote?

 

[john lucas]

It would be nice if there was a little campaigning of some sort. If we could here from people who like or don't like that person for some reason it would help. How are they selected to run. Is it just voluntary or do they need some votes of confidence from their club or others.
As you stated earlier all we have is the written statement which to me doesn't really tell me much. I mean I used to help write resume's and some people sounded like God's right hand man when I got done. Always felt a little bit guilty about that but my job was to get them hired and I was pretty good at it. Doubt anyone was quite as good as I made them seem but then that's up to the interviewer to knife through the BS.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I've seen some candidate statements that don't really say much and others that where the candidate provided outstanding descriptions of their qualifications and their vision for the future direction of the organization. When the choice is between several outstanding candidates the decision isn't easily made, but the good news is that the winner will be outstanding.

Professional organizations such as the IEEE and other engineering technical societies don't allow campaigning for good reason ... they want to keep politics out of their organizations and have the candidates be selected on the merits of their achievements and stated objectives. I think that the AAW was wise in adopting the same sort of model and think that it would not be a good thing to allow campaigning. In reality, it's hard enough as it is to convince someone to consider being a candidate for the board. Despite the fame and glory , there's the zero pay and more work than a real paying job.

 

[hockenbery]

It would be nice if there was a little campaigning of some sort. If we could here from people who like or don't like that person for some reason it would help. How are they selected to run. Is it just voluntary or do they need some votes of confidence from their club or others.
As you stated earlier all we have is the written statement which to me doesn't really tell me much. I mean I used to help write resume's and some people sounded like God's right hand man when I got done. Always felt a little bit guilty about that but my job was to get them hired and I was pretty good at it. Doubt anyone was quite as good as I made them seem but then that's up to the interviewer to knife through the BS.

Selection as a nominee for the board elections has 2 parts.
1 AAW members apply to run for the board by submitting a letter of intent accompanied by two recommendation letters from AAW members.

2 The nominating comittee nominates 6 applicants to go to the membership election.

Each of the nominating comittee members reads the written submission and interviews each applicant by phone or ocassionally in person.

Applicants usually numer around 9 or 10. One year there was 23. The AAW board members encourage people they think would be good members to apply.

In recent years all the nominees have been at the sympsoium. This allows sympsoium attendees an opportunity to meet them in person and to ask them questions.

 

[Mike Johnson]

We need someone that can make AAW great again.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

Despite the fame and glory , there's the zero pay and more work than a real paying job.

I applaud the volunteers .......some of us hide on the back row, others on the front row......each persons desires can be accomplished thru the aaw, many do not participate in this forum, some have no goal further than their club, some "i'm going to the basement" is all they want and need.......to work in group dynamics may not be a goal of a number of associates

 

[Mike Brazeau]

We need someone that can make AAW great again.

How do you define "great again" Mike? What would you like to see? Have you responded to the survey currently in process?

Personally I see a great many positive things happening in program, administration and adapting to the internet age we are in. Have been a member for almost 15 years, attended three symposia, so I think I have some perspective.

 

[Mike Johnson]

That was a "Donald Trump" make America great again reference.

The Big Grin emoticon indicates a joke.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Yes, if it hadn't been for Mr. Green in Mike Johnson's post ... well, maybe it might have been time for some lane closures.

We're probably getting a little too close to discussing politics. We don't want to encourage anybody who feels the urge to go on a rant.

 

[Mike Johnson]

It would be nice to see a larger percentage of the tens of thousands of AAW members active within the forum.
Each member has the potential to share a wealth of knowledge and experience that they have picked up over the years.
Monitoring trolls on a website forum is wise, as I have seen several other forums quickly destroyed by forum administrators
that did not monitor their forums and reign in the forum trolls. The discussion of politics or religion will always cause issues
on a forum since our societies have turned into an Uber politically correct atmosphere, so no-one wants to discuss these
problems anywhere and we end up with the cesspool called Washington DC.

A healthy forum and guild has an active membership, when the membership drops off that is usually an indication of a problem.
With a diverse AAW membership you will always have some segments of the guild wanting to go in one direction and another
segment wanting to go in a different direction. Maintaining and growing the membership needs to be the main focus, the market
is changing rapidly and traditional main stream media is fading away, newspapers are on the way out, many news outlets have
cut their own throats by no longer reporting the "news". The internet has displaced many of the traditional sources of goods, services
and "news". Keeping the AAW in front of people using the internet each day will be key to keeping the organization strong. Loading
content needs to be quick and easy on any website to keep it growing. The more content and resources you can archive on the AAW
website will draw new members to the site. Linking these resources to the internet search engines will increase the traffic going to
the website and bringing potential new members to the site.

 

[Mike Brazeau]

Sorry Mike, I missed that completely. Was flipping last night between the World Series, Leafs and Canadiens and browsing on my iPad. Have not spent much effort on emoticons. I also look at the current situation from across the border and have tried to avoid listening to it constantly.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I know that it's tough to hold back strong feelings , but let's keep the discussion relevant to woodturning and knock off the political comments about what's wrong with the world.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

A healthy forum and guild has an active membership, when the membership drops off that is usually an indication of a problem.

I believe that we are seeing the baby boomers of which I am a member reach and pass the average age of our membership.......10 years from now the pool of turners will be statically reduced......if the population is a problem I forsee no problem for as long as two turners share their ideas its healthy, biggest and increasing size is not a goal......% of revune for expenses is increasing positive with increasing membership but this is not a goal.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

I believe that we are seeing the baby boomers of which I am a member reach and pass the average age of our membership.......10 years from now the pool of turners will be statically reduced......if the population is a problem I forsee no problem for as long as two turners share their ideas its healthy, biggest and increasing size is not a goal......% of revune for expenses is increasing positive with increasing membership but this is not a goal.

I think Charlie has hit on something. We have seen this impact throughout our lives from school sizes dropping after we graduate to age demographics changing. Unfortunately the new generations are too busy on computer (does that look like us?) and or making a living, going to the kids functions and sports.....and then the biggie lack of money. I still believe word of mouth is the best way to expand anything. If you want word to get out tell one and they tell 7.

 

[Bill Boehme]

BTW, overall across the Internet, participation in forums and the number of forums has been steadily declining for the last several years since about 2009 approximately. The advent of social media such as Facebook and Twitter have been given as the reason for this shift in online activity. I think that technically oriented forums serve a very useful function that doesn't seem to exist on social media sites, but who know what things will look like in another ten years since the world wide web has been in rapid evolution since it's official beginning in April 1994.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

BTW, overall across the Internet, participation in forums and the number of forums has been steadily declining for the last several years since about 2009 approximately. The advent of social media such as Facebook and Twitter have been given as the reason for this shift in online activity. I think that technically oriented forums serve a very useful function that doesn't seem to exist on social media sites, but who know what things will look like in another ten years since the world wide web has been in rapid evolution since it's official beginning in April 1994.

Bill you have reminded me of something . In social media replies are very short as witness my oldest to a text response is usually K. The younger generations use abbreviations and symbols which works on social media, but in forums the explanation is much more wordy and therefore the younger folks do not participate as much.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

Gerald, I can see a time when the younger crowd would respond more readily to a Facebook-based forum if that were somehow possible. I don't know since I don't have an account there.

My grown kids all are the same way with the abbreviations. Which is fine, but I'm just not current (and probably never will be)

 

[Mark Hepburn]

I also look at the current situation from across the border and have tried to avoid listening to it constantly.

Mike, I can't say I blame you. You guys have a spare Parliament laying around we could use?

</End Rant>

 

[odie]

I don't like the idea of the name change. I think that, at best, it is presumptuous. Other countries have woodturning organizations. The number of international members isn't very large. We would be much better served by more closely focusing our resources rather than engaging in pretentiousness.

I agree with Bill on this. Turners worldwide are encouraged to join the AAW, and participate in activities and forums.......but, the vast majority of turners who do participate, will, and will always be from the USA. I really do enjoy seeing the occasional post, or the occasional photo from these international turners.....but to be realistic, that's about all the participation we can ever hope to have from the great majority of them.

ko

 

[Justin Stephen]

There are a number of woodturning-related Facebook "groups" out there. I myself follow five of them and I know some other folks here do as well as I have seen their names. In some ways, it is better as it makes it easier to share photos and comment on work. The downside is that it doesn't make it easy to see everything or search for older content.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

There are a number of woodturning-related Facebook "groups" out there. I myself follow five of them and I know some other folks here do as well as I have seen their names. In some ways, it is better as it makes it easier to share photos and comment on work. The downside is that it doesn't make it easy to see everything or search for older content.

Justin, is it a comparable venue for having detailed and in-depth discussions on a particular thread? Just curious, because it seems like a trend in that direction.

 

[Bill Boehme]

From my limited exposure to Facebook,it looks like one sentence comments are about as deep as it gets. Not exactly a gymnasium for the brain.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

Depends h

From my limited exposure to Facebook,it looks like one sentence comments are about as deep as it gets. Not exactly a gymnasium for the brain.

I'm sure it is a workout for some, if I only consider examples of ESPN blog replies as reference.

 

[Bill Boehme]

... I'm sure it is a workout for some, if I only consider examples of ESPN blog replies as reference.

Ace point for Mark.

 

[Justin Stephen]

Justin, is it a comparable venue for having detailed and in-depth discussions on a particular thread? Just curious, because it seems like a trend in that direction.

Yes and no. There are often some lengthy replies on the Facebook groups. However, I would agree with Bill to an extent that replies seem to be shorter on average. There is also no a baked-in mechanism for quoting what you are replying to like there is in most modern Internet forum applications (like this one). The biggest thing that hampers lengthy discussion on Facebook groups is the sheer volume of most people's Facebook feeds. Threads get pushed down into oblivion very easily so sustained discussions over multiple days rarely happen.

I have thought for some time that Facebook has missed a real opportunity to create a discussion forum interface for their "Groups" that was more Internet forum-like than what they have now.

 

[Bill Boehme]

A number of my club members are on Facebook, but their postings seem to mostly be not related to woodturning, Things like vacation pictures and pictures of grandkids.

 

[Justin Stephen]

A number of my club members are on Facebook, but their postings seem to mostly be not related to woodturning, Things like vacation pictures and pictures of grandkids.

Well, if they are participating in woodturning groups on Facebook, you would not see their group postings anyway as those would go onto the group's "feed" rather than their own personal feeds. At least a few of the popular groups are also invitation only, so someone has to let you in before you can see or post anything. This allows the group moderators to kick out people who failed to learn manners in grade school, etc.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

Well, if they are participating in woodturning groups on Facebook, you would not see their group postings anyway as those would go onto the group's "feed" rather than their own personal feeds. At least a few of the popular groups are also invitation only, so someone has to let you in before you can see or post anything. This allows the group moderators to kick out people who failed to learn manners in grade school, etc.

Sounds like a bit more hassle than here, plus I might get kicked off of there!

Not that it can't happen here either...

 

[Jamie Straw]

So, acknowledging that I very sporadically visit the main AAW site, how do I know that there is an election taking place? or that there is/was a survey "currently in progress?" Reading through this thread, I've felt a bit guilty about not being aware there was an election. How far ahead of the election do the nominees and their statements become public?