Last ACE Publication Date

When was the last time you recieved an ACE publication? I registered in the middle of Dec. havn't received either.

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it will be a few weeks before you recieve anything. Also the management company than runs ACE has ceased operations so who knows what could be happening.

Yeah, I saw that on the website. Once I join ACE, the thing goes to crap. I'd better at least get my publications!

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I was asked to describe X in one word. The word? -- OhmygoshwhathaveIgottenmyselfintothisisthescariest
thingintheworldhelpmeIamgoingtodieAHHHH!!!

I dont remember getting either the magizene of newsletter since early Dec. And at the time they were close to getting caught up on the newsletters for a change. I also saw the notice on the web site but didnt know how that would affect the publications and ACE events like the Coastercon that i plan on going to in Dec.

I am not a member of ACE, but this is my opinion, you shouldn't have joined ACE just to get the publications. You should do it for the love of coasters.

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Rob

"Some people spend an entire LIFETIME wondering if they made a DIFFERENCE. The MARINES don't have that problem." -President Reagan 1985

The publications ARE late, and will be late....assuming past history is a valid predictor. This being said, it (publications) is a volunteer effort, and they WILL arrive, four times a year for the quarterly (color) issue, and the newsletter a bit more frequently. You get any real *news* via the web (yes, I recognize all of your names, LOL)...the ACE publications will occasionally have a tidbit you didn't know, but not really that much.

Who knows, with luck I'll get another article in sometime soon...(IoA, WA, or something else...who knows?)...right now I'm betting on Swamp Thing, love them kiddie Vekomas...:)

Last ACE News I received was the November/December 2002 issue a couple weeks ago.

My advice to ACe is to pay Amusement Today to do the publications. There are too many 'paying' members have consistant delays. By merging operations with another park related company, the focus will be on prompt mailing service, which has been lacking lately. And in ACE's defense, it is too much work to keep putting the magazine out with volunteers. It is a big magazine with good photos, and they strive to maintain a level of quality that puts them above the other monthly publications.

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"Every Man Has Got to Know His Limitations"
*** This post was edited by Agent Johnson 2/14/2003 9:50:05 AM ***

And people wonder why I have no desire to do print publications for CoasterBuzz.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
"The world rotates to The Ultra-Heavy Beat!" - KMFDM

It has to be a headache for them.

However I'll throw my two cents in here:

While I am a member of ACE and support the organization, I feel that ACE really needs a breath of fresh air. It's kind of sad to me that an organization that is devoted to fun, and the pursuit of it, gets hung up in all the silly political and managerial mumbo jumbo that it does. Especially when some pretty simple decisions could be made to fix the problems.

Truthfully, there is a great divide in ACE. There are the older purists, and then there are the younger thrill seekers. The organization seems hung up on which direction to go and who to cater to. That annoys me.

The newsletters, although they more or less stay on a good delivery schedule, often contain month old information when they arrive. We can thank the Internet for that.

Whereas when ACE was developed 25 years ago, mailing was the most informative way of reaching its members, now it is just inefficient.

Quite honestly, I cannot for the life of me figure out why ACE hasn't realized that it would save them a heck of a lot of time, money and trouble to maintain a consistently updated website. That way they wouldn't run over budget, or loose printers, or miss deadlines only to deliver 3-week-old information.

The "Rollercoaster" magazine could still continue as it does... a features only publication. Because it does not rely on the timeliness of it's information, it doesn't really bother me when it is a bit late. However by alleviating one periodical printing (Newsletter) that might help that publications dependency.

But ACE relies on volunteers to oversee it. Who has the most time to volunteer? Retirees and older folks have the most time. Who, although I love 'em, do not have an interest in the Internet and often resist change in the club.

Now, I do see some winds of change coming. I think ACE is sloooooowly starting to realize this too. Why, I was ecstatic when I learned Sean F. was taking the role of National PR Director. Without tooting his horn too much, Sean is a great example of the type of people that should be pushing ACE’s boundaries.

Yet, ACE continues with the newsletter because they are concerned about not informing those that do not have access to a computer.... there again, the older folks in the club. Simple solution... those that do not have a printer could get copies of the WebPages and news articles printed from the site and mailed.

ACE needs to wake up and smell the coffee and realize that the way they are operating is futile. They desperately need re-direction and a re-focus.

But what can we expect.... ACE still uses the same crappy 1979 logo it has since its inception. Why? It's another example of an organization that finds it difficult and bothersome to grow and change. That is sad. Because if something doesn't grow and adapt to it's surroundings, it eventually dies.

Shaggy

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Shaggy

Proud A-lister!
*** This post was edited by Shaggy 2/14/2003 10:17:19 AM ***

I got the November/December issue, and at least one newsletter for my area. Actually, the regional newsletters come on a pretty timely basis.

Yes, the color publication runs late, and most of the information I'm alreay up on, but I still like the publications.
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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

I agree with this Shaggy character. If ACE does the transition to online services, life would get better. Coasterbuzz is a pretty strong website on $20 a month. ACE at $50 a month could have loads of archived stuff already available to look at.

Costs would be reduced to all time lows. They could offer a online subscription and a printed version with 2 price points. They already can generate ad revenue, so just do it. Take all that operating revenue and purchase webmasters good scanners, speaker phones, and link up that staff without all the excess mailing.

After all those savings, that museum they are working on could be built in a few years by saving the postage alone.

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"Every Man Has Got to Know His Limitations"

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Agent Johnson said:
I agree with this Shaggy character. If ACE does the transition to online services, life would get better. Coasterbuzz is a pretty strong website on $20 a month. ACE at $50 a month could have loads of archived stuff already available to look at.

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$20 a month for CoasterBuzz and $50 per month for ACE? What...you have the platinum cards? ;) ;) ;)

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--George H
---Superman the ride...coming to a SF park near you soon...
Currency tracking experiment... http://www.wheresgeorge.com (Referring to The "George" on the $1 bill - Not Me)

Well, I have ACE bookmarked but I never log on to check it out. I don't know. The site just doesn't seem to offer the kind of excitement that you would expect from an agency dedicated to coasters and fun.

I happen to be a nonprofit consultant and would be happy to talk with anyone here that would be interested in starting a new agency dedicated to coasters. Who says there should be only one?

Just reply to this thread or email me at mecho444@hotmail.com

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Coasterlovers unite....Please!!
*** This post was edited by Mike E 2/14/2003 10:38:53 AM ***

Well said, Shaggy. I'm thinking of cancelling my long-running ACE membership.

Anyone happen to know if you can still attend ACE events as a non-member?

Why?

My advice is not for you to cancel your membership at all. Actually quite the opposite. I proudly support ACE, and enjoy what it stands for... good wholesome fun.

What I was trying to convey is that ACE needs re-direction, and it can only get that through listening and concentrating on the needs of it's members. Just "belonging" to something isn't enough. A lot of ACE members think that ACE is an executive comittee, it's not. ACE is the whole body of members.

But the problem is, ACE has a perception problem, not only in how members see the club... but also how the general public sees it. Until the mentality of ACE members changes, until more people volunteer, and until changes are made, the organization will not progress.

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Shaggy

Proud A-lister!

Most of the time, yes. There's usually a "member rate" and a "nonmember rate" to attend events, with the member rate being a bit less expensive. Depending on how many events you wish to attend, or the pricing of the events, it might be worth joining just for the savings...

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--Greg, aka Oat Boy
My page
"Friendship -- more lasting than love, more legal than stalking."

When I joined ACE, I had no access to the Internet, and if I did, I wouldn't have known where to look to find coaster information.

I dropped out of ACE several years ago when I started reading this site every day. I couldn't really justify spending $50 on outdated (though good for rereading) magazines, since I never went to the events. However, I did like being part of the club and flashing my membership card whenever coasters came up. Nothing against Coasterbuzz, but ACE is the one coaster group that most people have heard of.

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A day is a drop of water in the ocean of eternity. A week is seven drops.

Yeah... CoasterBuzz Club is $20 a year, and ACE is $50 a year... not a month in either case. ;)

I'll admit, I'm relatively new to the enthusiast scene, really just getting into it around 1998. At the time, there was ACE, but the cost of joining didn't offer a real value proposition to me. Even discretionary leisure spending has to offer something in return.

So what is the value proposition of a coaster club? I asked that question when I started CoasterBuzz Club and figured the single biggest reason to join a club is to support that particular community. There's no doubt in my mind that's the biggest reason to do so. In the case of CoasterBuzz, the money keeps the site on the air which in turn fosters community. In the case of ACE, your membership runs the organization that plans events and, though late, helps produce the publications.

I see Shaggy's points about ACE, but at the same time I honestly think, and I could be wrong, that the people who don't see the criticism toward ACE on the Internet are perfectly happy with the organization.

On the other hand, I do see the divide that he talks about. I haven't done any demographic study, but I'd be willing to guess that the bulk of the 328 current members of CoasterBuzz Club are under 30 (especially considering the number of family memberships), so clearly our club has a very specific group that it targets. Yet probably only a hundred or so will go to each of our two events, and of that number, at least a third will be people who go to both. Probably 15% aren't even club members.

So again, what does that leave? It leaves people who join just to support the community. Maybe part of the ACE "shakeup" has to be some measure of evaluation of the club's goals and intent. It perhaps isn't as cut-and-dry as "to have a club for people who like coasters."

Is supporting a community that you enjoy a good value proposition? For me, yes, but not for $50 a year. It's not even a question of events (I go to ACE events and pay the extra couple of bucks). I just have the perception that the community fostering isn't there for that amount.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
"The world rotates to The Ultra-Heavy Beat!" - KMFDM

When I joined ACE, it was the only coaster club I was aware of. Although I'm in the over 40 age group, I'm a relatively young ACE member. We paid $65 for the "family" membership, and joined primarily so we could attend some of the events.
Funny thing is, we haven't attended any of the ACE sponsored events yet.

After joining CBuzz Club, I had to think long and hard about renewing my ACE membership. I joined CBuzz more to support the site than for the events, and ultimately felt I should renew my ACE membership for the same reason.

ACE may have difficulties between the old school purists and the younger thrill seekers, but I don't know of any organization that doesn't have to deal with these kinds of problems. One thing I am happy to support is ACE's coaster preservation efforts.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead