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Subject: Club Accounting 3 vs. online club accounting

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Roger Brouse

10/16/2006 9:13 PM
I talked my club into buying Online club accounting over a year ago. One reason was to give the club a web site to post ssg's, evaluation notes, club by-laws, etc. During that period, our club treasurer continued to use Club Acounting 2 as his primary tool and still provides paper copies of the treasurer's report at each meeting. He only duplicates the data (more or less) on the online site because we have asked him to. Now I got the club to buy Club Accounting 3, which our treasurer seems to like, and the discussion arose about cancelling our online club accounting subscription. A poll of our members indicates very few access or use the online accounting web site. What options would we have to (easily) maintain a club website of some sort, ideally at no additional cost, so we can continue with Club Accounting 3 and discontinue online club accounting? thanks, Roger

rip west

10/24/2006 6:21 PM
You could form a 'group' in Yahoo for your club members. This is free. You can upload accounting reports, etc there. It's probably too late now, but you might have considered doing away with the desktop version of Club Accounting and just going with the online version. I am one who thought I would never opt for a solely online version of accounting, but I think the time has come. rip west

Paul Sadler

11/20/2006 1:56 PM
Our club went the Online route 2 or 3 years ago and it has been great. Everyone in the club has access to all of the major records and we can upload files so that everyone can get access as you were talking about. I am currently the treasurer and the best things I think for me are that I don't have to worry about backing up the data and others can check me to make sure I'm doing my job! There is a way you can back up your club data onto your computer if you don't trust ICLUB to do it. You get to it under "Accounting", "Utilities", and "Backup Manager". Once you make a backup you can download the backup file to your PC if you desire. The backup file is stored on the website. Paul S.

rip west

11/20/2006 2:26 PM
Paul, Glad that your happy with the Online version. One note of caution, however. You REALLY DO have to worry about backing up your data file on your own computer. IClub's back up is only to protect them against a major catastrophy where their entire server goes down. They are not really set up to retrieve a single data file from one particular user. It can be done under certain circumstances, but it takes a few days, and there may even be a charge for this. So, back up your data file, often, to your own computer. It is not easy to wipe out your data file, but it has happened.

Joe Craig
Ellicott City, MD
StockCentral Administrator

11/20/2006 2:44 PM
Posted By Rip West on 11/20/2006 2:26 PM One note of caution, however. You REALLY DO have to worry about backing up your data file on your own computer. IClub's back up is only to protect them against a major catastrophy where their entire server goes down. They are not really set up to retrieve a single data file from one particular user. It can be done under certain circumstances, but it takes a few days, and there may even be a charge for this. So, back up your data file, often, to your own computer. It is not easy to wipe out your data file, but it has happened. Rip, That's not quite right! The "Backup Manager" inside of Online Club Accounting maintains backup files that can be restored with a simple click of the mouse! Right now, I can get immediate access to any of five annual backups of my club's data. And, I can download all of those files to my own computer for another form of storage. I can also upload them and restore them to OCA, too. I think that your remark was directed to ICLUBcentral's backups of files that aren't also backed up by a club's treasurer. Your last remarks about making and saving frequent backups is absolutely on the mark!

Joe

rip west

11/20/2006 3:01 PM
Joe, I was, indeed, talking about the situation where the treasurer never made backups of the data file either with backup manager or exporting. I believe that is also what Paul was talking about when he said...... I am currently the treasurer and the best things I think for me are that I don't have to worry about backing up the data and others can check me to make sure I'm doing my job! So my reason for posting was to correct the impression that I don't have to worry about backing up the data You may not have to 'worry' about it, but you had better do it.

Joe Craig
Ellicott City, MD
StockCentral Administrator

11/20/2006 3:04 PM
Rip, I guess I missed that in reading Paul's message. I think that we both agree that using OCA doesn't absolve the treasurer of making sure that frequent backups are made ... and saved! In fact, I'd advocate keeping the backups on the OCA system as well as saving them to the treasurer's computer. For the thoroughly paranoid (and that includes me!) I also recommend the online backup service provided by carbonite.com. For $50/year/computer your disks are automatically backed up to carbonite's site. If you are one of the growing majority of folks who have cable, DSL or otherwise "always on" broadband service, I think that this is a wonderful service -- and it's already paid for itself at my house!

Joe

Doug Gerlach
Cambridge, MA
http://www.iclub.com/
President, ICLUBcentral

11/21/2006 7:22 PM
Posted By Roger Brouse on 10/16/2006 9:13 PM Now I got the club to buy Club Accounting 3, which our treasurer seems to like, and the discussion arose about cancelling our online club accounting subscription. A poll of our members indicates very few access or use the online accounting web site. What options would we have to (easily) maintain a club website of some sort, ideally at no additional cost, so we can continue with Club Accounting 3 and discontinue online club accounting? Roger- Club Accounting Maintenance subscribers can "add on" a Club Accounting Online subscription at a reduced price, saving $30 over the cost of buying each separately. You might consider that as an option to continue using Club Accounting Online for the collaboration tools (with the option to use the accounting functions as a backup). For more info, see: https://www.iclub.com/store/support.aspx or contact our Technical Support department at: https://www.iclub.com/support/ with any questions. Doug

Posting from ICLUBcentral world headquarters in the Harvard Square's historic College House, Cambridge, MA

Danny Matthews

11/29/2006 3:34 PM
Our club uses both and plans to continue. Is the "discount" automatic or does our Treasurer have to ask for it. What if we have different renewal dates for support and online acct.?

Danny Matthews Tuscola IL

Doug Gerlach
Cambridge, MA
http://www.iclub.com/
President, ICLUBcentral

11/30/2006 9:04 AM
Posted By Danny Matthews on 11/29/2006 3:34 PM Our club uses both and plans to continue. Is the "discount" automatic or does our Treasurer have to ask for it. What if we have different renewal dates for support and online acct.? When you renew your Club Accounting Maintenance subscription, you'll have an option to add on the Club Accounting Online subscription at a discount: https://www.iclub.com/store/support.aspx Both your maintenance and online accounting subscriptions will be extended for 12 months, regardless of whether they fall on the same or different dates. Doug

Posting from ICLUBcentral world headquarters in the Harvard Square's historic College House, Cambridge, MA

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