[Richard H]

I have made a number of changes to the forums in response to recent confusion and criticisms. When the forum was started, several members enjoyed access to an 'Advanced Forum' where they could discuss matters amongst friends. In recent years, this forum has fallen into disuse and we were of the opinion that it no longer served a purpose. Some of the forum users questioned as to how and why some people had attained this 'Advanced' status - when for example they were paid-up UKPS members. There was also the question of how might it be possible to distinguish between a member of the general public and a UKPS member on the forums.

So that there can be no more doubt or disparity, I have implemented the following:

There are now the following member groups. A forum user will generally belong to one of these groups:

• General Public Members - Members of the General Public who join and use the forums. This is the default user group.
• UKPS Members - Members of the UK Pyrotechnics Society.
• UKPS Staff Members - Staff Members of the UK Pyrotechnics Society.
• UKPS Advertisers - Paid Advertisers of the UK Pyrotechnics Society.
• Admin - Forum system administrator group.

Forum Moderation

Previously, a small number of individuals moderated the forums. Recently the active number of moderators has effectively reduced to myself and Phil Cooper. I have decided that instead, UKPS Staff shall be responsible for moderating the forums as of today.

UKPS Members Forum

There is now a dedicated forum restricted to members of the UK Pyrotechnics Society. I have added as many members as I can determine from our records who have a forum account to this group. If you are a UKPS member and are refused access when attempting to view this forum, please contact me or any UKPS Staff Member and request access, including both your full name and UKPS membership number. We will be happy to grant you access.

UKPS Membership Icon

Forum Members of the UK Pyrotechnics Society are now identified by a UKPS icon next to their username in all posts.

[Arthur Brown]

Looks good, Thank you Richard.

[martyn]

Interesting nosing through some old threads, I'm surprised by how few UKPS members there seem to be.

I realise that not all members will want to contribute to a public (now semi private) forum, and hopefully there are more than it seems - but come on chaps, stump up the 20 quid or whatever it is.

Strengh in numbers and all that! And you get spark. And you get that smug feeling when you read the top secret members section - there's already a thread on how to win over any woman and another on how to get the perfect blue using just two cheap household chemicals and a pipecleaner.

Seriously though - if you have 20 quid spare what reason is there not join?

[phildunford]

Well said Marytn.

We do need more members & we do need existing members to renew - preferably by standing order.

However, it may interest you to know that the majority of members do not have a forum presence, so the members here do not reflect the true numbers...

[Deano 1]

I've just printed the application form, all I need now is some nice photo's of ones self

[martyn]

Deano 1, on 21 October 2010 - 09:30 PM, said:

I've just printed the application form, all I need now is some nice photo's of ones self

Download some photos from flickr - there are millions on there- someone is bound to be a vague match - much easier than going to a photo booth -
Photographs - bah! whatever next.

[phildunford]

martyn, on 22 October 2010 - 09:01 AM, said:

Download some photos from flickr - there are millions on there- someone is bound to be a vague match - much easier than going to a photo booth -
Photographs - bah! whatever next.

Our sophisticated DNA/Black powder/face recognition system will track you down & send squads of HSE hit men to dog your every move!

[martyn]

lol.

Seriously - I know this has been done to death before, but I do think that the relative difficulty of joining (or rather inconvenience) does contribute to people not bothering to join.

I can't remember what the reason was for not being able to join there and then online but I seem to remember it sort of made sense at the time.

How about selling membership on ebay as a buy it now, 'pyro' or 'eckhart' or 'ball mill' must be popular search terms. £22 gets them a jaunty colourfull membership pack sent in the post - to be completed and returned - that way they have already paid and will be more inclined to jump through the hoops.

Doesn't sound too daft an idea to me - but then I'm probably a bit odd.

If it's a technical issue thwarting online joining - there are loads of membership management websites or software that will look after it for a small fee.

One other niggle - if you go to a photo kiosk for the photos - then the cost of membership is 26 quid not 20. I'd much rather give that initial 6 quid to ukps rather than a photo kiosk franchisee.

[phildunford]

monsterberry1, on 22 October 2010 - 01:19 PM, said:

this doesnt realy answer my questions can you ay by postal order ???????????????????????????????????

Yes...

[martyn]

monsterberry1, on 22 October 2010 - 01:19 PM, said:

this doesnt realy answer my questions can you ay by postal order ???????????????????????????????????

Sorry monsterberry1.

I'm sure Mr / Mrs D will give the definitive answer but this is a cut and paste from the membership application form available elsewhere on this site.

How much is membership?
Membership of the UKPS is £20 for Full (senior) members, and £15 for Junior members*
How long does membership last?
The membership term is one calendar year from the membership start date.
Membership starts on the 1st of the month following the date that the application was received. For example, if
we receive the application on the 17th of October, the membership will start on the 1st of November.
How can I pay?
There are three methods:
· Cheque (drawn at a UK bank)
· PayPal (on-line)*
· Bank transfer
Cheques should be enclosed with your application form and made payable to “The UK Pyrotechnics Society”. If
renewing your membership with a cheque you should ensure that the member’s full name is written on the
back of the cheque so that we can credit your application with the payment.
PayPal payments should be made to paypal@pyrosociety.org.uk in Pounds Stirling. Please ensure that your full
name is given in the ‘Notes’ field so that we can credit your application with the payment.
For PayPal payments (*), the price for full membership is £21 and for junior membership, £16. This is to cover
administration fees.

So it would seem that postal orders are not acceptable.
There will be a way around it - do you know anyone who would write you a cheque payable to ukps if you gve them the cash perhaps.

[phildunford]

I think we did not say Postal Orders, because they are pretty uncommon these days. However, it's a standard method of payment & don't see why we could not accept them. Will check with Chris, who is the banking expert...

[Steve]

Postal orders are almost exactly the same as cheques and can be cashed in the same manner. Any place that accepts cheques will also accept a postal order.