I think the posters on here are not indicative of membership as a whole.
Whilst you and to some extent I may quite happily see membership as a donation, the majority of others will not.
If the club treats it as a donation watch membership numbers collapse.
What I'd really like to see has been mentioned here a few times and that is the promotion of the idea that membership creates community. At the moment, after the initial package, there is the occasional email of team lists that makes me feel connected. This is easily available everywhere else on the internet.
The promise of a members only section of the website has been around for at least two years now and has not eventuated.
This promotion needs to stop being mentioned on official forms because the promise is wearing very thin. I feel a greater connection to this website than I do the official Sharks one. In fact, while I go here multiple times every day, I rarely visit the official page.
Membership can build community, a sense of belonging. Post game interviews, members questions answered by players and staff, genuine opportunities to interact. This happens on their facebook page which has a huge amounts of likes, but what makes those people step up and become members?
As I started with, members of this forum are not an accurate cross section of Sharks fans. The 'donation' line without return isn't going to cut it with people.
Look at it objectively: if I was a first off member who made the step up this year to buy a membership, would I be happy with what I was told I would get and what I actually did get? Did I get value for money? Do I feel connected? Am I a valued member who gets looked after for the season or o I get the feeling that once my money was received I am treated much like everyone else?
I'm pointing out what I believe the views of the masses are. My grandparents, parents and I have pushed a significant amount of money into the club through times that many on here wouldn't remember.
The sense of belonging and appreciated as a member may be inferred and acceptable to this crowd here, but more needs to be done to ensure members get to October and feel like their money was not only appreciated but there were tokens of 'belonging' throughout the season.
