Employers Forum: Big change coming

Balloonman

Guess the idea of grandfathering in people does not raise enough $$ to do.
So James after the low introductary rate for the first year what does the cost go to? I am, curious.

My $0.02 worth!
DJ The Balloonman

sonny

DJ. . will you be out?
who else?

Has grandfathering been considered?
What about the purchase any MLS product?

juju

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-25-04 AT 11:07AM (CST)[/font][br][br]Well, I guess I'll be out. I am really disappointed about this change. My boss subscribes to the Law Letter and circulates it through our dept but does not participate in the forum. I work for a non-profit which cannot spring for more than one subscription for a 5 person HR department. What would be the point? I responded to the email I received with the suggestion that each subscription be allotted 2 or 3 forum memberships. Wonder if that would be an option?

sonny

You should be able to still particpate. .We only have on subscription here.

juju

Well my boss likes to check the forum occasionally too (even though he is not a regular poster), and I can't see him giving that up totally so I can have the membership. Nor do I think he should have to. This forum has been such a great resource for me - I will really miss it!

Balloonman

Right now I am not a suscriber. Hey James, during the free 3 month trial period will I be able to use the forum and the web site?
My $0.02 worth!
DJ The Balloonman

Yahoo

The change will more than likely cause me to drop. I'm very disappointed in this - I'm moving to be a one-man HR for a small company & was frankly comforted by the fact that I had forum friends standing by to help with any crisis.

I came to the forum via a subscription, but my new company is so small, I don't know if we'll have the budget for much of this type of thing. I'll probably try the trial subscription & see what happens.

James mentioned the benefit of being sure forumites were true HR people - my question to you out there is, how many of you are truly bothered by the few "odd-men out" we get from time to time????

Crout

I gotta say, I'm not bothered by the occasional imposter. Seems to me Don can smell 'em a mile away. I don't have a personal subscription...my company already subscribes to the State newsletter...does that mean I'm out? I was thinking I could get in since I have the user ID# and password.

AJ SPHR

This post from James is from the "How to User Employer's Forum" Forum and indicates that multiple users can access the board if the company has only on subscription. So to those of you who indicate your company or boss has a subscription but you don't personally have one, you may want to contact James or reply to that email and ensure you're set up to continue participating after the switchover:

You can stay on the Forum! Your subscription allows multiple people in your office to use the Forum under different screen names. So you and your boss can both use the Forum. Just reply to the e-mail you received and tell us who your boss is and which newsletter it is.

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com

System

Thanks for the assist, AJ!

juju and Crout: Just let your customer service rep know whose name the subscription is in. You can reply to the e-mail you received or e-mail [email]Forum@mleesmith.com[/email] .

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com

Ethel

Missed or did not get this info. What is the big change coming? (I sort of gather it is something along the lines of only subscribers can be active on the forum??) Please clue me in!

dixied

I was also disappointed to recieve James' notice of the "big change".
I have not been a regular poster, but have garnered usefull information from the interaction of forum participants.
It feels that I will be losing a group of friends when the change comes.
As in many organizations, my HR budget is tight and we have to "justify" each new subscription and/or membership. My hopes are not high to receive approval to purchase another newsletter.

Don D

When I first got my prior company to subscribe, all I had to do was cut one or two other things and memo the CFO showing the wash or savings and a few well worded sentences about the value of having this tool available. James wishes I had not been successful, but, I've probably learned as much here as anybody on earth. I even have some minor degree of appreciation for people on the left coast. Get your sales pitch up and going Dixie!

AnneHa

i did precisely what Don D describes. When I was informed that my subscription budget was being cut, I told the director to cancel, at her discretion, anything and/or everything but my MLS subscription - and she did just that!


Anne in Ohio

Kiwi

Pretty much the same thing here - when subscriptions became too expensive, I cut out other stuff. I didn't want to lose my coast-to-coast, interactive reference manual with the hard to find humor attachment. I hope we don't lose too many of you because of this change. xhugs

FHR

I am so sad about this. As some of you know I am on UI and of course I won't be able to afford it. On a happier note I got a call from an international natural foods market that is interested in seeing me for an interview. Their budget, if all goes well, probably won't be an issue. Wish me luck! xpray
How much does a subscription cost?

System

FHR,

I think we have an old e-mail address for you. Please e-mail me and I'll give you all the details.

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com
[email]WebEditor@HRhero.com[/email]

dixied

I have already provided a list of newletters, resources, etc. that I did not renew this year.
My predesessor must have been an avid reader.

My plan is to do exactly as described.
The multiple user aspect is great also. My payroll/benefits administrator is fairly new to human resources and has been learning from all your wisdom shared on the forum.

Thanks for the advice.

dd

Dutch2

My email had the following message that I used to be a subscriber. I challenged this and promptly recieved another telling me, "Please disreard this notice it was sent out on error."

"According to our Forum computer system, you used to be an Employment Law Letter subscriber but aren't anymore. That could mean two things:
* If you still are a subscriber, please contact your customer service representative by replying to this e-mail or by calling (800) 274-6774. Then you can continue using the Employers Forum the same as before.
* But if you don't subscribe to our Employment Law Letter anymore, please consider doing so in order to keep using he Employers Forum."

Sometimes it pays to ask....

Thank you all for the volumns of usefull information that is always at the ready.
Dutch2
ps: and thanks for the useless information too, this has really helped me make it through some tough times.

System

OK, OK, so I sent the wrong e-mail message to a few (hundred) people. #-o Sorry 'bout that. x:-8

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com

Balloonman

Heck you sent me the same one twice James. You spammer you. :-)
My $0.02 worth!
DJ The Balloonman

Pork

JAMES: Boy, I have spent to much time out on the farm sites and missed something here. What is this all about, I have not received any e-mail?

PORK

POPEYE

Been delivering those Golden Juices again?

Pork

NO, been out getting our remote location ee's enrolled into our 401 K. We are so busy now that our part-time driver (Golden Juices Deliveries) has now gone full-time. He runs the package machine in the morning, packs today's orders, and by mid afternoon, all have been delivered. I get to do HR stuff. I've got 4 more appointments tomorrow and we'll have covered the eligible participants.

Now, what is this thread all about? I feel like a mushroom, sit me in the dark corner, feed me manure and I'll come out smelling and tasting just great, but still just a dumb mushroom!

I guess James is not going to fill me in!

James, where are you, you have my e-mail address!

PORK

System

Pork,

Sorry, I wasn't ignoring you. I was in a meeting for four-and-a-half hours (don't ask). I just sent you an e-mail explaining things.

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com

neveradull

Having recently renewed my subscription the cost was $277.00 for a year. Although the subscription is currently paid by the company, if it wasn't I would take out a personal subscription as I find the newsletter and forum worth it. The cost comes out to about $5.33 a week, less then a pack of cigs..

System

This is the part I've dreaded, when people say they won't be able to continue as Forum members. It would be wonderful if we kept every single person.

I don't blame those of you who are cynical about this, but money isn't our main motive, at least not directly. The fact is, we can't really put a price tag on the Employers Forum.

For most Forum members, we don't even know whether or not they're a subscriber. (I fondly call this group UFOs - Unidentified Forum Opinionators). We can't really track how much indirect revenue the Forum has brought in. And we don't know how this will affect new subscriptions and renewals in the future. The Forum staff has some lousy bean counters.

We've intended to make the Forum subscriber-only ever since the Employers Forum was born in 2001, and we haven't kept it a secret. But we got serious about it last year as the Forum grew, which is good, except that our staff is stretched thinner than my Aunt Gertie's spandex pants. x:o

Balloonman and sonny: The Forum staff tried to grandfather people in, but we couldn't get approval. The annual subscription for an Employment Law Letter is $277, which includes a bunch of stuff I'm too tired to describe. There are some other newsletters, too - get your benefits department to subscribe to our benefits newsletter and you all can use the Forum.
[url]http://www.HRhero.com/employersforum/newsletters.shtml[/url]

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com

Whatever

>
>We've intended to make the Forum subscriber-only
>ever since the Employers Forum was born in 2001,
>and we haven't kept it a secret. >James Sokolowski
>HRhero.com

So, why not have a token fee for those who want to be Forum subscribers only--especially for those who currently use the Forum.

Pricehcs

Agreed (as I am fully 'newslettered' elsewhere). I would be willing to pony up a smaller fee for forum access and participation...

#1 thing a consultant shouldn't say: "I could tell you the answer right now, but we're committed to a three month project..." #-o

Hatchetman

I had to stop subcribing to California Emoloyment Law Letter a year or so ago after about 12 years subscring to Califorina Labor Law Letter which merged with California Employment Law Letter about 5 years ago. I was paying for the subscription personally. So, it just became too expensive for me to carry the financial burden.

So, I will be out of the forum.

I'll miss everyone including Don.

Don D

I know it was late when you posted that and you were tired. But, what you meant to say was, "I'll miss Don and the rest of you guys." You know how I love to correct you. But I never did mention your horrendous typing. x:-) I might split your membership cost with you. See what a nice guy I am.