which to join?

[jimmickle]

And thanks to the name change requiring a 2/3 vote, it went down. Originally, I thought that adding Airstream to the name was a good idea. Then I learned that we would have to sell our soul to Thor. That changed my mind.

[47WeeWind]

Originally Posted by rnzbernd

Why in the world would he consider joining the Washington DC unit, 3,000 miles away. Surely you jest! R.B. Bernd, 1VP, Region 10, WBCCI

Hi RB:

It's good to see you post and participate in the Forums here, thanks!

The suggestion for a new WBCCI member in Washington state to join the WDCU in Washington, D.C. was made in earnest, not jest. The WDCU is much closer than many local units because it exists on every member's desk top or laptop; it's right there in each WDCU member's house or trailer. They don't have to travel to attend a meeting; the meetings come to them. They travel only to meet and socialize with other members in person.

The suggestion is based on a different view of the world, where physical location and geographic distance are no longer impediments to sharing a common interest. This new view arises from modern communications technology, primarly the internet. People can share ideas, ask questions, give answers, swap photos and enjoy each other's company over the Internet before meeting in person. Unit choice is no longer constrainted by geographic location.

My first Airstream adopted me in 1998. I met all my first Airstream friends on line. They lived all over the U.S.A. but location was irrelvant; we all shared a common passion. I live in Denver, CO and was a MAL. But I soon helped establish the first Internet based WBCCI unit as a charter member of the WDCU. Two years later I finally met some local Denver Unit members, attended my first local meeting, and went to some local rallies. Within a year moved my primary WBCCI membership to the Denver Unit, where it remains.

One reason I switched to the Denver Unit was to support it and its local activities. Most WDCU activities were on the East Coast and out of my range. But the WDCU got me involved in the club, and as a WDCU member I could attend local WBCCI events to check them out for fit. I liked the Denver Unit so moved my membership here.

I have other good friends on theVAP.com, and have plans to meet them in person at the 2008 International in Bozeman. But in the meantime we have established warm friendships without any face time. The same goes for my friends on the AS Forums and WBCCI Forums. We know each other before meeting in peson, and our friendships are not dependent on proximity.

So my advice to Garth is: why wait? Join the WDCU [Washington, D.C. Unit] within the next 2 weeks to get your name in the 2007 Directory. It's better than being a MAL. Attend WBCCI events in your geographic region over the next year ir two to see if a nearby unit is more to your liking. If you find one, then switch your membership to that local unit. In any event, get started on having fun with your Airstream. Best wishes, and welcome aboard!

[Forrest]

Well said Fred! Let me give a different example in support of your comments. I created a very basic 3 page web site posting my family's genealogy. I did this hoping to find distant cousins who might have the information I needed to fill in gaps in my family tree. Within two years a dozen family members I knew nothing about, and who did not know each other, contacted me. Some had done extensive research, and another has our long lost original family Bible, others had birth and death certificates to share. I introduced each of these cousins to each other via e-mail exchange, and it has taken off from there. A few discovered that they lived not far from one another and have now met face to face. In turn they have taken it upon themselves, with no input from me, to facilitate a family "re-union" in Texas this coming November. Most of this was only possible because the Internet has made "physical location and geographic distance" nearly irrelevant. For me to have accomplished this without the Internet, by traveling from one end of the country to the other (literally since some cousins are on the east coast and others are on the west coast), would have cost me multiple thousands of dollars and many years. This is the power of the Internet that our Club must learn to harness and adapt to, and it means letting go of the some past procedures.