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Everything you wanted to know about PNWMAS and more. Newcomers, read this first!


Fenmere

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Copied from Ryan's Post on TRT...

 

Where to begin...

 

Well how about an introduction. My name is Ryan Jensen, and I am currently the voluntary "organizer" of the club. We do not have a strict setup of roles here, and that suits us just fine. If you are new here, you will find that every member of our club has something to offer you, either as a new enthusiast to the hobby, a long term veteran, or someone that is in between... you can go to anyone for answers, and nobody's way is the only way. We fit very nicely onto this particular site, as our philosophy runs parallel with the mission of this board (which you can read THIS, that being to run a flame free and friendly salt water discussion group. We have people in our group that have been in the hobby for decades, and we have folks who are still in school living at home with their parents trying to decide wether to get a new frag, or to opt instead for a tuxedo for the prom. We are as varied in both skill and knowledge as one could hope for, and I would like to welcome you to our little family.

 

I can not tell you too much about the ancient history of the club, hopefully someone like Alice or Fred can give you more background if you would like to know about it, but for now, our group could be described as one that encompases the upper half of the state of Oregon, and the southern portion of the state of Washington. We are primarily based in Portland and Vancouver, but we have members from all over the area.

 

The Pacific Northwest Marine Aquarium Society is a great group to take an active role in. Luckily, if you fall within our area of influence, you happen to live in one of the most advanced and densely populated areas of reef enthusiasts in the country (per capita). We have several top notch shops and vendors located within our boundaries, and some of the most impressive tanks in the country can be found within just a few hours of our core.

 

Are you interested in learning more about the hobby, in asking questions about coral and fish husbandry, in finding people who share your hobby (and in many cases obsession)? Then you need to look no further. As an active member of the club you will have an opportunity to engage in discussions, to share your thoughts, opinions, and experiences, to visit the homes of area reefers and see just how they created their own little microcosm in their own home, and generally to find others who have the same interests as you.

 

How do you become a member? By coming here, you have taken the most important first step. Our club is very informal, we do not require dues (though there are many many benefits to becoming a paid member), we do not require you to attend events, or to trade frags, or even to leave your living room. These opportunities abound if you are so inclined, but simply by reading, and if you wish, posting, you will become a member of our community. As you increase the levels of your input, you will soon find that what you can take back out of the club grows as well.

 

Nobody here will ever ask you to do anything that you do not want, meetings are held on a volunteer basis monthly, where we sometimes have topics that we discuss (and I highly encourage for new topics of discussion to take place). For the most part if you choose to come to a meeting, you will have the chance to see a tank showcased, ask the owner about their setups, their experience, and what they like and dislike about their systems. Frag trading happens at almost every meeting, and you are encouraged to find the monthly trading threads and set up trades or purchases from other members. We have wheels in motion to undertake special activities at meetings in the future, and everyone is encouraged to take part in them as they come along if interested.

 

Meeting directions are given out each month in the form of an evite (for information on this service go to www.evite.com). This is a way for us to give you personal information about the person hosting the meeting (their address, name, phone number, etc.) in a way that does not publicly publish it for board trawlers to pull up for junk mail and other malacious activities. Everyone is more than welcome at all meetings, if you would like to get on our email roster so that meeting information arrives in your inbox, you need to do nothing more than send me a private message to tell me the email account you check most frequently. Your information will never be sold (heck I wouldn't know who to sell it to anyway) and you will never receive spam from me. It is simply the best way to get information out to the group that we have come up with.

 

Where do you go from here, and what immediately can the group do for you? First you should start by introducing yourself in the general club forum. A fast post where you tell us your name, your experience, where you live, and what your interests are, both in the hobby and outside, will let us begin to get to know you. After that you should head over the the membership card thread, where you can request a membership card. This card will allow you to take advantage of discounts at various shops all over the area. For specific offers, please check the membership benefits thread. Finally head over to the other portions of the board, check out the general forum, if you want some more in depth information glance at the think tank. If you need some new gear, check out the classifides forum, maybe you want to vent about non reef stuff, Margaritaville is the place for you. We have a handy search function here, and I highly recommend that you use it every time you have a question... undoubtably someone else has had the same question or challenge before you, and most times a quick search will find you the answer that you are seeking.

 

It is my mission to welcome you, and to make sure that you become comfortable within the club. If you ever have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me. You can post questions, or by clicking on my name in my avatar access a menu to send me a private message or an email.

 

Please keep in mind as you wander amongst our boards that we are a group of hobbyists, trying to advance our understanding and sucess in the hobby. Please try to separate some of our humor from personal attacks (that happens a lot, as some of us have a very, hmm, eclectic sense of humor), and if you ever feel uncomfortable, please talk to me or a moderator/administrator for the board in general.

 

I officially welcome you as a member of the PNWMAS, and look forward to one day meeting you in person. This hobby is driven by individuals, and there is no reason that you yourself can not have a profound impact on it, or that we might make one together.

 

Thanks you for looking... you are more than welcome here.

 

Ryan Jensen

Krux

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We just need a front end for it, I am working on that this week.

 

Looking great, be sure to bring any ideas or feedback to the meeting Sunday.

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