Why become a Full ABS member?

[Barrie]

I became a full member because my wife and I wished to go to some of the field trips. But I had also been led to expect that becoming a full member would give me access to lots of useful information on the Forum that was only available to Full ABS Members. 

Unfortunately I cannot see much that falls into this category, so have I missed something?

The Forum has several sections that say, quite explicitly, they are "available to non-subscribed members" (whatever that means - see below!!).

There are then more sections that say nothing at all so does that mean they are available to anyone who is a Subscriber to the Forum but not a full ABS Member?

Finally there is a section headed ABS Members Forum - so presumably it is this section alone that is available only to Full ABS Members. If so then I find it rather disappointingly short.

Perhaps part of my confusion is because to say something is "available to non-subscribed members" seems to me to be a contradiction in terms. If a person is not even a subscriber (to the Forum) they are, I presume, just the general public - so how can they also be described as a member of the ABS?

The next stage seems to be to become a Subscriber to the Forum. This costs nothing but seems to give access to an awful lot more information (assuming, that is, subscribers are able to access all the sections with no specific statement in their heading).

The final stage seems to be to pay money and become a Full ABS Member. Is that correct? If so it seems to me to give access to very little more.

So could someone please clear up my confusion and point me to the all the mine of information that is available only to Full ABS Members?

Thanks

Barrie

[Peter]

I became a full member because my wife and I wished to go to some of the field trips. But I had also been led to expect that becoming a full member would give me access to lots of useful information on the Forum that was only available to Full ABS Members. 

Unfortunately I cannot see much that falls into this category, so have I missed something?

The Forum has several sections that say, quite explicitly, they are "available to non-subscribed members" (whatever that means - see below!!).

There are then more sections that say nothing at all so does that mean they are available to anyone who is a Subscriber to the Forum but not a full ABS Member?

Finally there is a section headed ABS Members Forum - so presumably it is this section alone that is available only to Full ABS Members. If so then I find it rather disappointingly short.

Perhaps part of my confusion is because to say something is "available to non-subscribed members" seems to me to be a contradiction in terms. If a person is not even a subscriber (to the Forum) they are, I presume, just the general public - so how can they also be described as a member of the ABS?

The next stage seems to be to become a Subscriber to the Forum. This costs nothing but seems to give access to an awful lot more information (assuming, that is, subscribers are able to access all the sections with no specific statement in their heading).

The final stage seems to be to pay money and become a Full ABS Member. Is that correct? If so it seems to me to give access to very little more.

So could someone please clear up my confusion and point me to the all the mine of information that is available only to Full ABS Members?

Thanks

Barrie

Sorry no one has replied to this earlier, I am currently touring Morocco and just caught up with the post.

Firstly, being able to attend field meetings (25 Euro per person each meeting for non members) free of charge as a member makes being a member of ABS very worthwhile and economically a very sensible action, as well as being fun!

The Forum has always been and will always remain an open and free resource, not an exclusive area for members only. If members wish to post privately for the attention of members only, then of course there is an area on this forum for members i.e. paid members of ABS.

It is clear there are large sections on the forum with open and free access for non members of ABS, except for an area reserved for paid members of ABS (subscribed members).

Apart from a dedicated member's area on the Forum, which will only be as good as member's posts in the various sections contained therein, there is the main website where 'most information' is for members only. Whilst not as you describe it 'a mine of information', which we have never portrayed it as being, the member's area of the main website does contain lots of useful information and this is being added to all the time.

Trust this helps a little.

Peter