goodbye to the Guitar Foundation of America

My GFA membership has expired and I won't be renewing. Despite all the "great" benefits membership entails (see below), the Soundboard has been in a steady state of decline since they long ago stopped accepting letters to the editor. Its latest incarnation - embarrassing content aside - is less a journal and more a website printed on glossy paper. As a member I'd liked to have known what the printing costs are for doing that as opposed to before - maybe it's a better deal in terms of print production, but it's just another way in which I felt, more and more, like a customer than a real member. This is a reminder that your Guitar Foundation of America membership has expired. We hope you will take a moment to renew your membership for another year to ensure that you will continue to enjoy all of the great GFA benefits including Soundboard magazine, discounts at retailers such as Mel Bay Publications, Editions Doberman-Yppan, Guitar Solo Publications, Guitar Salon International, Colorado Case Company, a discount on Acoustic Guitar magazine subscription, and up to a 60% discount on instrument insurance through Clarion & Associates, Inc. Members are involved in their organizations growth - or at least have the opportunity to do so. The Soundboard doesn't lend itself to discussion, the website seems to have virtually no discussions, the Soundboard Scholar [http://www.guitarfoundation.org/?page=SBScholarly] was supposed to be out a year ago and yet there appears to be nothing going on or at least nothing being communicated on the website, and whatever happened to the old forums that were on the old Drupal site? As a member I should be a co-owner of that discussion content. I don't really see that the organization has any digital strategy let alone a print one (well, at least not a good one in my opinion). It's so easy these days to do online surveys, but as a member I don't recall ever being asked my opinion on anything. Curiously though, I was asked to rewrite this post [http://blog.humaneguitarist.org/2012/07/04/the-gfa-2012-charleston-and-me/] to be less "negative". I didn't. That, boys and girls, is what we call a "red flag". Anyway ... I could go on but there's no point. The music will live and that's what matters to me. The GFA no longer does. a postscript: I wrote this post on April 6, 2014 and only published it today, April 29. The reason being is that after reading my words I thought it only fair to first inquire with the GFA about the status of Soundboard Scholar. So I sent an email with the subject "Soundboard Scholar" (copied below) on April 6th. It's been over three weeks with no reply and the webpage, as of this date, still says "Summer 2013" as the launch date. Perhaps the email address isn't even being checked any more. So like I said before ... I could go on but there's no point. nitin arora <nitaro74@gmail.com> Sun, Apr 6, 2014 at 10:29 AM To: peerreview@guitarfoundation.org Hello, It's been a year since this was supposed to first come out. Is there any progress? Can something at least be posted here: http://www.guitarfoundation.org/?page=SBScholarly for the sake of some transparency? thanks, -- Nitin Arora nitaro74 (at) gmail (dot) com "Hope always, expect never." </nitaro74@gmail.com>