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restricting registration to certain people
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- Penn Wooding
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- I am setting up a website for a yachting club. I think they want to restrict membership members, in other words I don't want every Tom Dick and Harry to be able to join, what is the easiest way of achieving this? I was thinking that's rather than allowing people to automatically sign up, they have to apply to be a member. I'm really not sure which is the best way to go about things
- http://www.Oscarfishlover.com - the website for great Oscar Fish advice and help
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- Rich Bean
- Elite Rocketeer
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Hi Penn,
There's different options depending on what social platform you're adopting; JomSoc, CB, or neither????
What are you using for profiles?
Cheers,
Rich - My Sites:
Perth Website Design
Scuba Marketing
I'm a Henning Stalker!
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- Empowermom
- Hero Rocketeer
- Posts: 476
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First, without more information, this is a decision which must be made by the client after careful consideration of their goals. The question goes beyond what the finished site will look like and which "social" software to install and will require client input.
You have several points to consider on a paid membership for a yacht club (or any "special interest" club for that matter). Most "clubs" have a certain criteria which must be met by their members. At the very least, the members should all share a common denominator (or interest).
This criteria is usually laid out in the club's Charter and should be reviewed before an answer can be obtained. Frankly, before attempting to do a website for any club, you should be aware of their charter. That is the core of the club and will supply a wealth of information on their structure and other important information.
You should ask your client these questions:
1. Do they go through a registration/application process to become members? If so, "open registration" would not apply. You would need an administrator to create the account AFTER the member has been approved and has paid the fee to join.
2. If there is no "selective" process, you can set it up so members can supply their information, pay the fee and self-register at that time. While the easiest method, you won't have any control over who joins, where they are located and other factors which may weigh heavy on the desirability of the member/candidate. Additionally, the likelihood of getting accurate information is very small. As we all know, people supplying information on a computer are not always apt to be honest and forthcoming with personal information.
Due to the above, it's possible that the verification process will be overburdened, difficult and time consuming. That's an extra expense for payroll and productivity. Most clubs are on a tight budget, so this is a primary consideration on how to approach their membership process in general. You then add another layer of considerations if they base their membership on referrals.
Additionally, when you are talking about a "club" of any sort, it's the personal touches and one-on-one contact which attracts the member to begin with. If any "Tom, Dick or Harry" behind a computer screen can join, the value of the membership drops substantially. The process is also quite impersonal and detached. That is not the goal of most clubs.
From past experience with other clubs which require a member application/approval process, a staff member (or several) is already handling their application and membership management processes. I would suggest your client allow prospective members to go through the application process (which can be initiated by an online form). Once approved and the fees are paid, the same staff member (mentioned above) can create the account "in-house."
This will allow for a more "personal" touch to the member/candidates and will strengthen the site's security on several levels.
Once you've decided on a plan, there's a plethora of "membership modules" you can obtain and customize to make life easier on the membership coordinator of the site and/or club.
Hope that helps.
Carol
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- Rich Bean
- Elite Rocketeer
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I agree with Carol for the most part, although I try not to write too much when I've been drinking wine!
I have found though that smaller organizations tend to not want to go "all in" with an online membership form and approval process, which is why I asked what social platform because you can cut through the intermediate steps and just give the basics.
For example, I manage a site that does all of their applications offline, they don't want online ones. But when a member registers for the site they will grant privileges after they have supplied correct credentials.
So yes, there are many factors as Carol stated above that come into play...
Back to my wine now...OK?
Cheers,
Rich - My Sites:
Perth Website Design
Scuba Marketing
I'm a Henning Stalker!
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- Penn Wooding
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 873
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- Thank you for your suggestions. However, I had a meeting with them and I've persuaded them that what they want isn't necessary. Basically, they wanted originally to have everyone's address available for download, I didn't think this was a particularly good idea as it is quite sensitive. So I have managed to talk them out of the idea
- http://www.Oscarfishlover.com - the website for great Oscar Fish advice and help
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- Empowermom
- Hero Rocketeer
- Posts: 476
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The member list was a bit off topic from what was discussed earlier and the answer to your question.
That being stated, I can't imagine being in a club without having access to a member list. That's a pretty basic, logical request. The trick is in the handling of the information.
If you have a closed registration process, the only people who have access to the site would be members who have been screened and verified. If someone wants an address list, you can have a request form which sends the list to a "verified" address rather than a downloadable file.
They can have a list available for download only to a select "group" of members (admins, managers, etc.). They can also restrict WHO views the information if it is available on the site. Only verified/approved members could/should have access.
Customer lists, sales information, etc. and other sensitive information are commonplace on the majority of "commercial" sites and can be handled securely. As with ANY venture, there are always security considerations, but let's face it.... no site is "fail proof." You must rely on the integrity of your members.
They may choose to have a membership list available to members who have already been through the verification/approval process. If you don't want it available for all to view on the site, have an online form to request the list and send it through e-mail rather than download. Members can choose to opt out of the list if so desired. There's also a private message system which can be used for members to contact one another and share info, other than what is set up in their profile.
Again, there are many membership managers out there that can handle these types of things for you. If you create a stable, secure site, they should be able to keep basic information online for members to exchange.
Carol
P.S. Enjoy your wine Mr. Bean!
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- Namsul2
- Hero Rocketeer
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- I use JomSocial for community stuff like groups and sharing and use community builder to restrict/screen membership to Australians.
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