So what's going on with the IAA?

kdouglas

Well i posted a little rant over in the HRTA this weekend? thread which is completely off-topic and so I have decided to create a new thread, below is my rant in full (un-edited).

Basically, I have a couple of questions:

What is the current status of the IAA?
How far along are you in becoming recognised by the relevant sport associations in Ireland?
What is the status of getting insurance for players?
Why is it the level of communication with the community of players that the IAA aims to represent is practically non-existent?
Why is it the IAA wants to distance itself from this forum which has become the epicentre of Airsoft in the republic?

Apologies if I offend anyone personally, but this is not aimed at being a direct attack on any individual, but people should really know what is going on, and we don't.

me_ranting-ish wrote:

CrazyRabbit wrote:

It seems though that the IAA commitee members have decided to distance themselves from this forum as they are not too happy with the content of the posts here. So, saying that, I'm not sure if they will post any details about the meeting. If not, I'll try to cover the main points that I was there to hear.

well if that's how the IAA committee feel, then i foresee they wont have many members when it comes to fee's being paid.

let's face it, this forum is currently THE place for airsoft in the republic, the people here are the regulars who attend hrta every weekend and this is where new people will find out about the sport and get advice. I regularly check both here and asi, and frankly it looks like we have just as many posts as ASI on alot of days. (with the exception that they have them split into more sub-forums)

Frankly, the IAA committee is a very closed loop at the moment, with little to no communication outside of that committee, if they expect any commitment from the community at large, they are going to have to be a hell of a lot more forthcoming.

Not making a dig at any individual in particular (especially not you CR,just quoting what you said), but it's just the way i see it.

what exactly is this content on the forum that the IAA committee members are so disapproving of anyway?
Could it be the sticky clearing up the legal issues surrounding airsoft?
How about the sticky asking for people to join the IAA?
How about the ever-popular hrta this weekend thread which features many such gems as "So Who's going this weekend?"
What about the thread which makes clear that airsoft guns should be carried securely in proper cases?
Or the many threads of opinions/advice on different makes/models of AEGs?

I can think of two threads which they may disagree with, one I wont mention as it caused enough controversy at the time by claiming airsoft was illegal (we all know, no need to discuss it further) and the other was a thread which i started myself which unfortunately i was not wise enough to see how much of a bad idea it was, which was subsequently locked with humble apologies sent to our excellent moderator.

Shiva

kdouglas wrote:

i started myself which unfortunately i was not wise enough to see how much of a bad idea it was, which was subsequently locked with humble apologies sent to our excellent moderator.

I havent gone back looking, and I'm not going to, but I do remember seeing a thread criticising them for not keeping people informed about whats been going on.

Two points on that -

1. If you're a committee member for *anything*, you'll always have people complaining that you aren't doing your job/communicating/you wear horrible shirts. Its all part of the gig. Is it deserved? Usually not, no...but complaining about it will do no good, and deciding not to communicate with the users you represent just exacerbates things.

2. I'm a relative newbie here, so maybe I'm out of line...but isn't it a bit strange that there was some kind of meeting with the NI guys in which some members of the IAA were there to represent us players, and very few people seemed to know that the meeting was happening, never mind what would be discussed ?

I'm not trying to offend anyone who's actually on the IAA committee - I know we all have day jobs/school, and we can't devote all our spare time to Airsoft...I'm just pointing out that perhaps peoples criticisms about the lack of communication may be slightly justified.

o1s1n

As far as insurance goes, N.O.I.P tried but was unable to sort any out. So membership will be going down to €10. I thought he was going to post something about that but he never did...hmm.

To be honest I'm confused about the whole thing myself. I'm the only actual member of the IAA who posts on here on a regular basis or even goes to games at HRTA. That really needs to change.

Shiva

o1s1n wrote:

I'm the only actual member of the IAA* who posts on here on a regular basis or even goes to games at HRTA. That really needs to change.

The IAA or the IAA committee ?




* My emphasis

kdouglas

o1s1n wrote:

As far as insurance goes, N.O.I.P tried but was unable to sort any out. So membership will be going down to €10. I thought he was going to post something about that but he never did...hmm.

To be honest I'm confused about the whole thing myself. I'm the only actual member of the IAA who posts on here on a regular basis or even goes to games at HRTA. That really needs to change.

Indeed, ideally the committee should be made up of the people who are dedicated to the sport and can be seen at regular skirmishes.

With regard insurance, that is exactly the kind of thing which should have been communicated (via the forum or otherwise) to people who showed an interest in becoming members, i realise people have day jobs etc.. but if you tell people what's going on, your more likely to find people who might be able to help out.

CrazyRabbit

My 2 cents.

I've no problem with what the IAA Committee is doing on our behalf. They have days jobs ya know, and have to fit in airsoft skirmishes as well. I know that they are putting in alot of work on this and it can takes ages for certain things to happen because of red tape, politics etc.

But...

What good is a representative body if they have almost zero communication with the people it represents?

So lets not knock them what they are doing for us, but instead encourage a little bit more communication.

o1s1n

Shiva wrote:

The IAA or the IAA committee ?
* My emphasis

I meant committee member. I do know that the press release is almost ready to go. Has had to go through several drafts to get it right. Hivemind has done a nice job on it.

kdouglas

CrazyRabbit wrote:

My 2 cents.

I've no problem with what the IAA Committee is doing on our behalf. They have days jobs ya know, and have to fit in airsoft skirmishes as well. I know that they are putting in alot of work on this and it can takes ages for certain things to happen because of red tape, politics etc.

But...

What good is a representative body if they have almost zero communication with the people it represents?

So lets not knock them what they are doing for us, but instead encourage a little bit more communication.

Agreed, I'm not complaining about what they are doing, and I realise people have day jobs, but my point is that it looks like nothing is being done because we're not hearing about it. There should be a thread on here with regular updates from the IAA committee and/or a blog where each of the committee members can post what they are working on and/or a thread on the IAA forum itself.

I'd like to see the blog being setup, but this falls on the committee members to actually keep it up to date with what they are working on. And not just a post saying "we're working on a press release" and then leave it at that. How about actually posting the contents of the press release for IAA members to see so that they can ensure they are actually representing the views of airsoft players overall and not just their own views on the matters?

CrazyRabbit

I haven't read the press release yet, but from what was described of it's contents, it sounds damn good.

Shiva

kdouglas wrote:

Agreed, I'm not complaining about what they are doing,

Yeah, I want to emphasize my agreement with everything you've said.

I still consider myself a newbie to Airsoft, so I don;t feel 100% qualified to comment on the IAA and how things are progressing - I just feel that the communication issue should be addressed or people will start to get resentful about the whole thing, and at this stage in our sports development, its imperative we have a united front.

Balaam

Being a reponsible and forth-right adult and after hearing about the fair treatment of a fellow airsoft by the Blanchardstown P.D ( Police department ) I decided to pay them a visit this moring to declare myself to them and make it known to them that i was ordering replica airsoft weapons. I assured the young gentleman in uniform that i wasn't a member of any illegal organisation or militia ( does boards.ie count? )

We had a little natter, he's up on his local knowledge and said he knew of a few more players. I being the kind fellow I am suggest that airsofters, may, being responsible and forth-right members of the public, volenteer to organise a register with The Honourible Gardi, of membership and airsoft weapon owner ship. That way people stopped to and from events, could be processed quickly, if known airsofters, rather than a bunch of 20 or so young men, in camo gear going through assualt drills......

He thought it was a capital idea and gave me a bunch of numbers and contact details. I think it would do the sport a world of good pr with the autorities and sport associations. Any objects, points etc?

Dave!

The first rule of the IAA is you do not talk about the IAA!

We're on a need to know basis, just leave it at that.

That's a good idea though Balaam. I'd have no problem giving all the info about my equipment to the Gardai.

o1s1n

Balaam wrote:

Being a reponsible and forth-right adult and after hearing about the fair treatment of a fellow airsoft by the Blanchardstown P.D ( Police department ) I decided to pay them a visit this moring to declare myself to them and make it known to them that i was ordering replica airsoft weapons. I assured the young gentleman in uniform that i wasn't a member of any illegal organisation or militia ( does boards.ie count? )

We had a little natter, he's up on his local knowledge and said he knew of a few more players. I being the kind fellow I am suggest that airsofters, may, being responsible and forth-right members of the public, volenteer to organise a register with The Honourible Gardi, of membership and airsoft weapon owner ship. That way people stopped to and from events, could be processed quickly, if known airsofters, rather than a bunch of 20 or so young men, in camo gear going through assualt drills......

He thought it was a capital idea and gave me a bunch of numbers and contact details. I think it would do the sport a world of good pr with the autorities and sport associations. Any objects, points etc?

Some people are really against such an idea as it could lead to us having to register every single airsoft we get. Something that could turn out to be a major headache. Not to mention leading to costs over registration fees etc. You'd really want to run such ideas by fellow players before mentioning them to the Gardaí.

One of the ideas of the IAA was for players to register with them. Therefore there would be a list of names in case of such emergency, but it would be in the hands of fellow players rather than the Gardaí.

Just another thing. PLEASE do not use the term weapon. Shooters refer to REAL guns as weapons. We're talking about something totally different here. These are not weapons. They are not made to inflict damage upon anyone. Using such words is a really bad idea.

kdouglas

DaveMcG wrote:

The first rule of the IAA is you do not talk about the IAA!

We're on a need to know basis, just leave it at that.

That's a good idea though Balaam. I'd have no problem giving all the info about my equipment to the Gardai.

that's exactly the problem, not making a dig at your personally, but the IAA should not be a need-to-know basis, if im going to be giving money to be a member of the IAA for them to represent me as an airsoft player, i wanna know every god damn thing that goes on.

Meetings should be open to all registered members
Minutes from each meeting should be published the day after the meeting and if available, any mp3 recordings of the meeting made available.
And as i mentioned previously a blog or forum post with regular updates of what the committee is doing for the players they represent.


In response to Balaam's idea, i've no problem going to my local Gardai and letting them now what I own, but would rather that a register of known players was kept in the hands of someone representing airsoft. But we definitely need to be proactive about working with the gardai to keep the sport legal.

o1s1n

Think of the added trouble paintball players have to go through to own their equipment. We really don't want to go down that road.

Keeping the Gardaí informed of activities is one thing. Giving away our freedoms to own legally without HAVING to register is another. Going to Garda stations and telling them you own equipment could be the first step in something like that happening.

A list of members/contact details etc in the hands of the IAA will fulfill our needs in this regard. That is something which has to get off the ground soon. I'll try and get my hands on some fellow committee members at some point during the week to try and sort that out. I know interested people have been PMing N.O.I.P. with details. They'll all have to be compiled into a book. Could even include a list of what equipment people have.

Dave!

kdouglas wrote:

that's exactly the problem, not making a dig at your personally, but the IAA should not be a need-to-know basis, if im going to be giving money to be a member of the IAA for them to represent me as an airsoft player, i wanna know every god damn thing that goes on.

Me too

whupass

[my rant]
I don't want to be mean but why is hivemind on hte committee?? the first i ever saw of him was at the first skirmish and now he is the "main" guy in the IAA. I say "main" becasue he's always the one that come's on after someone asks what's going on and says "Give us a chance lads, we're trying, geeezzzzzz"

[/my rant]

Ample Free ...?

A few months ago, everything was out in the open, everything was known and people could put their 2 cents in, but now there's nothing. I have to agree with kdouglas and shiva, decisions seem to be made and rules set in place as if they represent all of us without our input. I know what it feels like to put the work in and have people who've done nothing complain that they aren't happy with it but this is too important for feelings to come into it. If there isn't more communication then the IAA will simply end up
mis-representing most airsofters and consequently loose a number of its members. People = Power. If I'm in the minority, fair enough but any feedback would be appreciated.

DaveMcG wrote:

The first rule of the IAA is you do not talk about the IAA!

We're on a need to know basis, just leave it at that.

I hope thats a joke, if not, then thats just b0ll0cks?

Balaam

apologise for my go get to attitude.

If these aren't weapons, (which isn't what I'm saying they are) so in future shall refere to them as arms/toys/devices. What is the problem with telling the police you are an airsoft player. How does its impaire ones freedoms if one does it freely?

Not all airsofters will, but those that do may set an example and promote good attitude from the Gardi.

I'm all for a regulated body to repesent this sport, will pay fees and attend AGMs, so please understand this is just one mans idea, on an open floor discussion.

Dave!

I think it would be a bit of hastle, but it would do the sport a lot of good and further help us when setting it up. We can say we have nothing to hide, look here are all our members, here's all the equipment they own...... It's all legit, and we're voluntarily giving you this information even though it's not a legal requirement.

Perhaps it wouldn't be necessary to tell the Gardaí, but it would be a good idea to do it for ourselves anyway, cos it looks good.

Ample Free ...? Yeah it was a joke, but unfortunately it seems as though it is the case.

kdouglas

DaveMcG wrote:

Me too

my apologies, i misread your comment as being serious and assumed you were saying we dont need to know, i didnt realise you were as out-of-the-loop as the rest of us

on the whole telling gardai about what you own: this is a grand idea, but i feel it should be something done by the IAA centrally. i.e. they keep a record of who owns what (voluntarily) and inform the gardai that this is available.

while individuals going to their local gardai and letting them know is all well and good, what happens in a year or two down the road the gardai decide to make this registration mandatory and start charging us for the privilege?

what was once genuine and honest airsoft players attempting to be nice by informing the gardai quickly becomes a situation where you are required to register before buying aeg's and just makes it more difficult for new players to the sport and anyone who buys new equipment.




as of yet, none of the questions i posed at the start of this thread have really been answered, maybe with the exception of the insurance one, but for the IAA to go anywhere, things need to change, and fast, otherwise it will all just fall apart and we will have no official channel which is representing players.

The internet is the best medium possible for this and I've a couple of suggestions on that:

Blog - as previously mentioned, the IAA should have a blog, committee members will have access to post and should post on at least a weekly basis to update members on what is going, even something as simple as "Spent an hour working on the press release today, it's looking good. Myself and Joe Bloggs will give it another look over on wednesday evening" or whatever, it only takes a couple of seconds then to let everybody know what's going on. Even just a forum on the IAA website which committee members only can post in and everyone can view would suffice for this.

Wiki - For articles such as the aforementioned press release. The press release can then be worked on by all of the committee members and authorised contributors, while it also let's regular members view it and see what changes are being made. This could similarly be used for any letters in response to press articles if they are required. If someone writes a review of a website/product then they can put a page in the wiki, they really are quite useful things and not particularly difficult to setup either.

Meeting records - again, being more open will help, publish the minutes from the meetings the day after they occur, whether it be via a webpage on the IAA website, on the forum, wiki or blog.

This is just idea's off the top of my head, and before anyone replies with "well your just sitting there on your computer telling us what to do, why dont you do something?" I am more than willing to help with any aspect of the IAA in which i can, I know my way around a webserver and can code in a few languages, so anything in relation to that aspect I can help with. (DaveMcG: you've done a good job so far, not saying anything bad about what you've done, just offering to help if you want it)
When it comes to writing press releases and such, im not particularly good, but ill offer my opinion if i've something to say and i've no problem attending meetings and such. Anywhere else that help is needed, just ask, nobody is asking the committee alone to bear the weight of running everything, i'm sure if someone has knowledge in a particular area, they will help.

o1s1n

whupass wrote:

[my rant]
I don't want to be mean but why is hivemind on hte committee?? the first i ever saw of him was at the first skirmish and now he is the "main" guy in the IAA. I say "main" becasue he's always the one that come's on after someone asks what's going on and says "Give us a chance lads, we're trying, geeezzzzzz"

[/my rant]

Hivemind has journalism qualifications and works for the council. He fits the role of what he's doing perfectly. He's after more or less writing up the whole press release and doing an excellent job with it.
Just because someone doesn't appear at HRTA skirmishes does not mean they lack qualifications to be a member of the IAA.

HRTA, although it's our only skirmish site at the moment, it does not equal airsoft in Ireland. People should remember that.

Balaam wrote:

apologise for my go get to attitude.

If these aren't weapons, (which isn't what I'm saying they are) so in future shall refere to them as arms/toys/devices. What is the problem with telling the police you are an airsoft player. How does its impaire ones freedoms if one does it freely?

Not all airsofters will, but those that do may set an example and promote good attitude from the Gardi.

I'm all for a regulated body to repesent this sport, will pay fees and attend AGMs, so please understand this is just one mans idea, on an open floor discussion.

We can have people talk to the Gardai and inform them about airsoft in general. Something I think would be great if everyone could do with their local station.

Telling them you own guns, or what you own is different though. It may not impair your freedom at the moment. It does however give the Gardai idea's of how to manage airsoft in the future. They could think this is working well and make it a requirement for all airsoft gun owners to do the same. Which is not something a lot of us would want. So in a way, doing this kind of a thing is speaking on behalf of everyone.

Balaam

Point noted.

Is it not possible that the gardi, could see an increase in Airsoft ownership and panic due to the lack of communication, and demand a registration in reaction. I think that a register will happen in the future, and it will come from either side, but i think if its envitible, we should be the ones to start it, (IE;memebers, but not what they own). So if it does come a day where we have to hadn it over, it is in a format we want...

Fallschirmjager

well i am not a member (because i dont truly understand what it is/will do yet) so here is my tuppence worth. also i would like to add since i am not a member i cannot be critical, so please read this as suggestions...

i agree with o1s1n on the registrations issue with gardai and here is why.

1. it is not a weapon its an aeg
2. i feel we should register ourselves, with ourselves and show we are professional at it
3. the reason we should register ourselves and show how professional we are, is i dont want to scare the bejesus out of a gardai for no reason (and lets be honest there is enough things for them to be worried about already) by using real world names with aeg's made by and large of plastic.
4. we should create a set of stringent rules..aeg bag mandated, only full camo at sites, no displaying of aegs in public etc, hell, maybe thats done already, i just could not follow the tread the last time i read it
3. and finally as a citizen of this country, committed to this country, i dont and should not feel the need to visit the gardai for each and every thing i do, when i am breaking no laws. i understand why people do it and indeed some of the visits people have here are quite intelligent and honest and progressive but i dont see golfers registering golf clubs at the gardai, or footballers registering new boots even tho more people have been killed and injured with golf clubs, and boots then aeg's...

i am not being critical of anyone who has visited the gardai, each to their own, but the idea that it should be mandated is a very slippery slope.

i am in a peculiar conundrum, as i would like to see a group leading us and if i see that happening i will join...

perhaps we (the question is who is we?) should write to the justice department and show our registration plans, our control mechanisms, hell, even offer a day out to HRTA for some in the justice dept with us to show its is nothing more then a a group of people, keeping fit, playing with friends/colleagues for an afternoon...just like football, golf, swimming etc..maybe we could encourage the gardai to create a team to increase awareness...i am sure if we show we are in control they would be quite happy to see it as well organised and structured. perhaps we could ask the guys at hrta, to request people who play to join and register as a player

maybe we could get a website that allows us to register our aegs ourselves , crono speeds, and becomes self managing thereby reducing the workload on the poor chaps doing their best with limited resources and time.

just some thoughts...now flame away...

CrazyRabbit

1. Free registration with the IAA. Gardai informed by the IAA that such a register exists and that they may view it if/when required. If we control the registration, then we control the costs.
2. Registration should be name/address (with proof of each required), what airsoft gun is owned and any unique serial numbers that may exist for the airsoft device.
3. Displaying an airsoft gun in public is already illegal. Public disorder/threatening behaviour/breach of the peace etc.
4. For the above reason, Airsoft guns should always be carried in proper carrying bags/cases. Plastic bags etc just lead you wide open to problems. As stated before in one of my other posts on the transportation of airsoft guns, it's all about intent. If a Garda sees a rifle being suspiciously carried in a plastic bag, he/she could arrest you and you would have to prove that there was no criminal intent. Easy enough to do for us, but best to avoid the hassle in the first place.
5. Regarding full camo only being worn on sites, this is not practical for everyone. And besides, there is nothing illegal unless you are wearing irish army gear. It's even a fashion for some people!
6. As for the IAA, it would seem that some kind of project plan or list of actions/goals needs to be created and published. Doing so might generate ideas or offers of help in certain areas.

sidneyreilly

o1s1n wrote:

. PLEASE do not use the term weapon. Shooters refer to REAL guns as weapons. .

No we dont. We call them firearms or rifles or pistols or shotguns or revolvers or muskets etc..

They too only become weapons when used as such same as any baseball bat.

p.s. Would ye not be better to approach your IAA representatives directly with your concerns rather then griping about them to one another on a public board? Looks bad people.

Balaam

[joke]Fallschirmjager, have you seen the Gardai attempt to shoot? saw them practice once... we won't need camo. [/joke]

I agree that a body should regulate it self and a Gardai and Justice Dept team of airsofters would eb much better than register.

I do believe in sensible aeg controls.

I think is it actually one of the more sensible groups on boards.ie. We've had an intelligent and forthwrite conversation...
looks baffled.

CrazyRabbit

LIGHTNING wrote:

Well I don't want to sound like one of those weirdo conspiracy theorist but I`d rather not have any info forwarded onto the Gardai. If something went wrong I wouldn't like the Gardai having the ability to just call up a list and start randomly calling IAA members.

If you are mature and responsible enough to voluntarily register yourself then I imagine the gardai would have you at the very bottom of their list of suspects should something go 'wrong'. It's the ones that don't register that they would be interested in.

The register is to help and protect you, not make you a target of any investigations.

whupass

same with gun licenses, how much gun crime has used licensed firearms??? yet the restrictions keep getting harder

kdouglas

have a read of this , basically this town in the us passed a law that every head of household must have a gun, and since then the crime rate has dropped significantly, just goes to prove that restricting firearms doesnt have the effect wanted

Hivemind187

REASONS I HAVENT BEEN AT HRTA

1) I put my sodding back out
2) I have been to busy working on Press Releases, Constitutional Re-Writes etc
3) I work for the CIVIL SERVICE = I'M SODDING BROKE
4) I got back from ILLINOIS THIS MORNING

REASONS I AM ON THE COMMITTEE

1) I'm one of the only people who BOTHERED to do anything to set up the IAA in the first place.

If you want to start flaming me will you at least do me the favor of having an actual clue about what is happening in the first place. in the first place?

Finally, regarding distance from boards.ie

BOARDS IS NOT THE SODDING IAA - its a place where people talk about Airsoft and Paintball.

PEOPLE POST INANE AND UTTERLY STUPID THINGS HERE. I dont need to qualify this, you will already be aware of what has gone on here in the past. If you cant see why it is not a good idea to have a certain professional distance then you really shouldnt comment on it should you?

... honestly I cant make this any clearer and its just making me angry.

*returns to skulking in the shadows and reading posts*

kdouglas

Hivemind187 wrote:

If you want to start flaming me will you at least do me the favor of having an actual clue about what is happening in the first place. in the first place?

wasnt trying to flame you in any way, but that's exactly the problem, nobody knows what is going on, including DaveMcG, o1s1n and possibly spitfire, all of whom are supposed to be on the committee.

Hivemind187 wrote:

Finally, regarding distance from boards.ie

BOARDS IS NOT THE SODDING IAA - its a place where people talk about Airsoft and Paintball.

a fair point, but it is the place where most airsofters in ireland visit most regularly, if you dont want to post here, then fair enough, but even the IAA forum isnt getting much traffic and the people the IAA is supposed to be representing should really know what's going on.


sorry to hear about your back, that must be sore.

N.O.I.P.

Hivemind187 wrote:

REASONS I HAVENT BEEN AT HRTA

GRRR ARGH RARRRR FUME SEETH ETC:

*returns to skulking in the shadows and reading posts*

Sounds like you had a good trip man

o1s1n

He must have been fingerprinted one time too many...

Hivemind187

o1s1n wrote:

He must have been fingerprinted one time too many...

Homeland security have cold fingers ...

Dave!

kdouglas wrote:

wasnt trying to flame you in any way, but that's exactly the problem, nobody knows what is going on, including DaveMcG, o1s1n and possibly spitfire, all of whom are supposed to be on the committee.

The current committe is:

Oisin (o1s1n) = Chairman
Ronan (hivemind)= Vice Chair
david doyle (NOIP) = Secretary
Seán (extremetaz) = PRO

So I aint on it anymore, and I don't think Spitfire is either. I found out this from my usurper about 3 months after it was decided at one of the meetings I didn't know about.

extremetaz has been courteous and explained alot to me, so thanks again to him. He's keepin busy anyway.

If you want to start flaming me will you at least do me the favor of having an actual clue about what is happening in the first place. in the first place?

It's really ironic that you should say that considering YOU are the one who is supposed to provide people with AN ACTUAL CLUE about what is happening in the first place.

This is getting tiresome TBH, I'm getting sick of it.

o1s1n

It would appear this thread is about to go down the tubes any second...

Keep it civil please.

kdouglas

DaveMcG wrote:

The current committe is:

Oisin (o1s1n) = Chairman
Ronan (hivemind)= Vice Chair
david doyle (NOIP) = Secretary
Seán (extremetaz) = PRO

a prime example of information that people should be made aware of, changes to the committee should be voted in by the members, the committee doesn't just take it upon itself to add or remove people

o1s1n

kdouglas wrote:

a prime example of information that people should be made aware of, changes to the committee should be voted in by the members, the committee doesn't just take it upon itself to add or remove people

They are ad hoc committee members. Such is the way organizations begin. How can members vote people in when there are in actual fact NO members? Has anyone paid membership fees yet? A list of interested names has been taken but that is it as of this moment.

The IAA is a very VERY new organization. Remember that. I don't understand why people are being so impatient. There are so many things which need doing that you don't even begin to realize till you try and start such a thing up.

There could be better communication, I agree. Other than that, you all need to relax a bit.

CrazyRabbit

Hivemind187 wrote:

REASONS I HAVENT BEEN AT HRTA

1) I put my sodding back out
2) I have been to busy working on Press Releases, Constitutional Re-Writes etc
3) I work for the CIVIL SERVICE = I'M SODDING BROKE
4) I got back from ILLINOIS THIS MORNING

REASONS I AM ON THE COMMITTEE

1) I'm one of the only people who BOTHERED to do anything to set up the IAA in the first place.

If you want to start flaming me will you at least do me the favor of having an actual clue about what is happening in the first place. in the first place?

Finally, regarding distance from boards.ie

BOARDS IS NOT THE SODDING IAA - its a place where people talk about Airsoft and Paintball.

PEOPLE POST INANE AND UTTERLY STUPID THINGS HERE. I dont need to qualify this, you will already be aware of what has gone on here in the past. If you cant see why it is not a good idea to have a certain professional distance then you really shouldnt comment on it should you?

... honestly I cant make this any clearer and its just making me angry.

*returns to skulking in the shadows and reading posts*

1. I also 'bothered' to do something. I wrote up a quite decent charter for the IAA. Now the constitution that you wrote it superior, so that's fine & I'm not complaining. I've also gotten clarification on the whole transportation of airsoft devices. I made/make the effort!
Oddly enough though, when it came to the IAA committee being setup, I wasn't even informed about it & others who hadn't (yet) done anything for the IAA became members of the committee. Not gonna moan about it, but I was somewhat dissapointed.

2. I really don't think anyone is flaming you or the other IAA Committe members. They are just voicing their concerns the only way that they can...on boards.ie. The fact that this thread exists indicates that there is a problem that the IAA has to tackle, and sooner rather than later.

3. I think it's obvious that boards.ie is not the IAA. The forum on the IAA Website would be the best place for discussion about the IAA, but it's a dead forum.

4. While there has been some questionable posts on this forum, I haven't seen anything that would seriously harm airsoft or the IAA. All I've seen is huge overreactions to some posts that had content that some people personally disagreed with. Nothing illegal has been posted.
While you may see posts that in your opinion are 'INANE AND UTTERLY STUPID', that is the nature of forums, the internet and indeed the world in general. Completely removing the IAA from the only form of mass communication for airsoft in Ireland doesn't help anyone. Just accept that people/forums can't be perfect and do the best you can with what's available.

Might I also suggest creating a separate boards.ie account for the IAA? That way you can post as a person, or as an IAA rep.

And finally, thanks for all the work that you have done so far. Your expertise is appreciated!

kdouglas

o1s1n wrote:

They are ad hoc committee members. Such is the way organizations begin. How can members vote people in when there are in actual fact NO members? Has anyone paid membership fees yet? A list of interested names has been taken but that is it as of this moment.

The IAA is a very VERY new organization. Remember that. I don't understand why people are being so impatient. There are so many things which need doing that you don't even begin to realize till you try and start such a thing up.

There could be better communication, I agree. Other than that, you all need to relax a bit.

ok, fair point about the committee, ill retract my comments on that, but communication is still severely lacking, again, it's not that i/we dont appreciate the effort put in, but it would be nice to know what's going on. If people are aware of what's going on, it's easier for them to offer help

N.O.I.P.

kdouglas wrote:

ok, fair point about the committee, ill retract my comments on that, but communication is still severely lacking, again, it's not that i/we dont appreciate the effort put in, but it would be nice to know what's going on. If people are aware of what's going on, it's easier for them to offer help

I think we all agree that at the moment there isn't an awful lot of communication and it is something that we should sort out sharpish. Now I was going to say we are working on it but if I do I think I'll be killed so instead how does the idea of a monthly newsletter grab you. It could have updates about the progress of the IAA and perhaps member submitted articles including news, reviews etc it could also be passed around to friends and family as a way of increaing their awareness of and interest in Airsoft.

[--SC(+)PE--]

*nods in agreement*

Dave!

N.O.I.P. wrote:

I think we all agree that at the moment there isn't an awful lot of communication and it is something that we should sort out sharpish. Now I was going to say we are working on it but if I do I think I'll be killed so instead how does the idea of a monthly newsletter grab you. It could have updates about the progress of the IAA and perhaps member submitted articles including news, reviews etc it could also be passed around to friends and family as a way of increaing their awareness of and interest in Airsoft.

You're a genius Dave! I would support this idea.

Cheers

CrazyRabbit

N.O.I.P. wrote:

I think we all agree that at the moment there isn't an awful lot of communication and it is something that we should sort out sharpish. Now I was going to say we are working on it but if I do I think I'll be killed so instead how does the idea of a monthly newsletter grab you. It could have updates about the progress of the IAA and perhaps member submitted articles including news, reviews etc it could also be passed around to friends and family as a way of increaing their awareness of and interest in Airsoft.

Sounds good. Perhaps include a FAQ about the IAA, and what issues it faces? Like mentioning that there is difficulty in getting insurance etc. It may bring about offers of help, or contact names etc.

And preferably it should be posted on the IAA Forum. It really is the proper place for it.

Dave!

I can work on an FAQ section for the site, the others are busy enough.

N.O.I.P.

DaveMcG wrote:

You're a genius Dave! I would support this idea.

Cheers

I can't help but feel that there is more than a little sarcasm in that sentence but none the less I do like the genius bit. I R so Great I R so great

And preferably it should be posted on the IAA Forum. It really is the proper place for it.

Actually I had intended to email it to everyone on the IAA provisional members list and then PM it to anyone whos email I didnt have. Perhaps we could create an archive on the IAA website that would contain all the issues

[--SC(+)PE--]

this should keep the plebs happy

Dave!

N.O.I.P. wrote:

I can't help but feel that there is more than a little sarcasm in that sentence but none the less I do like the genius bit. I R so Great I R so great

lol, I was afraid it would come across as sarky

Leidenfrost

I would also be in support of a newsletter,
as I have recently turned 18 I can actually have a say in legal matters now.

N.O.I.P.

DaveMcG wrote:

lol, I was afraid it would come across as sarky

Perhaps to one possesing an intellect inferior to mine own, but as you have so astutely observed I am in fact a genius. As such there was no grounds upon which you could have based this fear.


Brilliant now see what you have started