Hello,
I am a club member who exists on the periphery. My knowledge is limited, as is my budget. I have no close friends who share the hobby and have only had the pleasure of meeting a fellow collector, in person, once. I live prohibitively distant from gambling meccas such as Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or even a significantly sized casino. I am of little importance in the hobby other than a source of occasional reckless spending in the pursuit of instant gratification…..and I represent a major dynamic that will determine the future of chip collecting, in broad terms, and the CC>CC, to be more specific.
Before you accuse me of self-aggrandizement, allow me to explain.

To those who are not long time members of the community, who have not yet had the opportunity to attend a convention, build friendships, and do live in the far flung corners of the country and the world, the Chip Board IS the hobby. It is the daily source of all the news and information regarding the hobby. It is where chips are bought and sold and trades are brokered. It is the springboard that provides the ability to discover additional information, meet new people, conduct more in-depth research and jump to additional web pages for learning and acquiring new chips. Without the chipboard.com, I would have abandoned my collection before it began.

The site also provides another, perhaps most important and certainly most overlooked, service, it is where those of us on the fringe of the community learn about and develop our opinions about the individuals that make up the community, as well as the community as a whole. It is in this very capacity that things often go sideways.

It appears that the willingness of many members to use the site as their personal soapbox is growing by the day. I get it, I really do. I, myself, am a very opinionated person with a willingness to debate with fierce stubbornness. However, personal attacks, unfounded allegations and name calling seem to be “de rigueur.” This can only have a negative effect on club enrollment and involvement.
Now, I expect the usual response from a few will be to remind me that the thechipboard,com is in no way directly affiliated with the CC>CC. To that I say, you are correct but if you doubt that the fortunes of both entities are inexorably linked, you are sadly mistaken. One cannot get into a pissing contest in one post and post about a membership drive in the next and not have it reflect poorly on the individual and the club. It appears to me, that Mr. Spragg has done an amazing service by ensuring the continuation of the board, yet I still see some taking swipes at him on occasion. Has anyone considered what would happen if his patronage was to cease? Without this site, my collecting days are done as are many others.

I hold true to the adage; “Don’t come with complaints, Come with solutions.” So here are a few tips to consider:

1) If you have nothing nice to say, at least say it with some respect. Others are reading and they might not know the background of the issue or your sense of humor. The first casualty of the internet was sarcasm. Free speech and freedom of expression are paramount but come with a cost. Freedom of speech doesn’t just extend to the opinions you support. If someone disagrees with your post, let them and move on. Don’t sweat the minor things. Personally, I enjoy the NCR posts. It allows people to develop a more inclusive understanding of their fellow chippers. Just please be aware, that not everyone shares your views, beliefs or sense of humor. The image a biting remark paints may be very different from the real you, but most have not had the luxury of a personal conversation. This can lead a new member to perceive the group as hostile or “closed off.” True, or not, perception becomes reality.

2) Appreciate every single person who participates on the board or in the community. The older generation has a wealth of information and knowledge that leaves me astonished and humbled. Accord them the respect they deserve but don’t ever think that the only information that should be shared is new information. Some members have been collecting longer than many others have been alive. All information is new to someone. This is important, so I repeat, ALL INFORMATION IS NEW TO SOMEBODY! Members who may not be as knowledgeable, still bring enthusiasm, anecdotal relevance and $$$ to the community. They are the ones who will be buying your chips and carrying the torch long after you and I are gone. Help them learn. If you are dismissive of others who are not as well versed in the history and intricacies of the hobby, you are the single biggest threat to the long term survival of the hobby. Every, single, additional, member strengthens the club and if you shut them out or convince them they are not of value, you risk losing them forever.

3) If you have a personal problem with someone else, keep it that way. Character assassination in a public forum makes all parties look bad. Personal email, and telephone is a better way to resolve a disagreement than trying to convince others of your moral superiority at the expense of your target. This is important to keep this in mind at BOD election time when this tactic seems to crescendo.

4) Likewise, for Club Operations. The members who are highly active and donate their time and effort deserve a little consideration when you disparage the operations and activities. Nothing in this world is ever universally agreed upon and difference of opinions should be welcomed but accusations and name calling do nothing but leave “outsiders” wondering if this community is to be avoided rather than embraced. Rather than “lobbing a grenade” and seeing who gets hit, constructive criticism and questions are better than accusations and complaints in the absence of facts and solutions.

5) Using the chipboard to find membership is like asking who in the congregation wants to convert. For today’s younger generation, if it isn’t on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and/or Reddit, it does not exist. Develop a presence on these social media platforms and you just might win a few converts.

6) Help develop a road map for new members. Simple things can be done to help newcomers develop comfort with the community. A weekly “kudos” thread would allow people to post when a fellow chipper was particularly helpful or completed a satisfying trade or sale. This is used in forums for other hobbies I participate in and is very helpful in building a virtual community and learning who to turn to for questions and transactions.

Finally, the point of this post is not to single out any particular individual or post but rather to remind everyone that for every response a post receives there are many, many, more “silent” readers. I would not want to discourage anyone from posting what they feel or think, I would rather encourage them to do it in a manner than elevates the community, not disparages it. I have dealt with a good number of fantastic people through this board and would like to see it grow and get even stronger.

If you have managed to make it to this point in this long winded diatribe, I thank you and look forward to our next encounter.