POCI Update
 

I wanted to take a moment to give you all an update on the progress we are making at POCI. As you may already know, I introduced a plan of action to the POCI Board. The goal was to make changes to the club and the magazine, Smoke Signals, to help turn the Pontiac hobby from one in long-term decline to one that could emerge as a self-sustaining and growing corner of the automotive hobby. With GM canceling the brand and the loss of the two commercial magazines out there, High Performance Pontiac and Pontiac Enthusiast, Smoke Signals was left as the last full-line Pontiac magazine on the planet.

The POCI Board allocated $30,00 to get the ball rolling on the improvements. I immediately rented the mailing lists from HPP and GM High Tech Performance to prepare direct mail pieces and e-mail blasts to their subscribers. With most of the HPP staff now freelancing for Smoke Signals, we have seen a pretty significant jump in overall quality and that trend has worked into more advertising. Our January issue is now a 96-page publication and it is doing a great job of filling the void left by the loss of HPP.

We have also revamped the poci.org web site, with a new front page, new sections for events, features, and tech stories. More changes are coming in the Future that will help solidify the Pontiac hobby and bring new value-added utility for our members.

If you subscribed to High Performance Pontiac and/or GM High Tech Performance, you will be getting a direct mail brochure from us in the next few days. If you aren't yet a member, we are giving new members 14 months of POCI membership and 14 issues of Smoke Signals for the price of 12. Plus, you get instant access to the web site and the digial back issue library, which goes back to 2006.

If you are already a POCI member, we ask you to please pass along the brochure to a friend or relative or better yet, buy them a gift membership. We are aiming to get our membership numbers over 10,000 members by during the 2015 calendar year and we need your help to do so. Your help would be greatly appreciated. After all, as members of the Pontiac hobby, we are all in the same orphan boat now- we need to row together or we will sink together- it is as simple as that.

I wish all of you a joyous holiday season and a prosperous 2015. Great things are happening at POCI and we want to make sure the Pontiac hobby survives for the next generation. Thanks for your time!

Outstanding Don, Thanks for all you do for the Pontiac hobby.

Sounds like a good idea.

So if I rejoin, can I do so with my old POCI number?

Don, sounds like you've given this plan of action a lot of thought and come up with an excellent plan to keep the Pontiac hobby going in the right direction. I'm a long long time subscriber to both Pontiac magazines, HPP and PE and have been meaning to look at subscribing to Smoke Signals, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. The mailing should give me a boot to get into action.

Thanks for all you do, and have done for the Pontiac habit.............:)

Don, I know I'm speaking for many in the Pontiac hobby. I appreciate your effort in turning lemons into lemonade. I'm a long time POCI member and will continue to support POCI and our Pontiac merchants. Mike

Thanks for the positive response, everyone it is appreciated. And yes, you can get your original number back.

X's 2 ^^^^

Just logged into the revised main www.POCI.org page and it looks great. :whoo:

Please post and let us know when Paul etc. revises your digital Smoke from the frames view constraints :idea: "...Smoke_Signals_On-Line_Frames.cfm?LID=196" ;) https://secure.poci.org/Smoke_Signal...es.cfm?LID=196

Thanks to all for your efforts and Happy Holidays :thumbup: :snow:

P.S. Any word or info on the status of former HPP digital content?

Example: http://www.hotrod.com/6228547/editor...r-lot-in-1977/ shows "404 Not Found" is this only for former HPP Blog content, or?

Note: Interesting that the image (below) from the original web article can still be accessed. Why it matters: Hopefully previous HPP content is not lost forever? Such as this '77 Pontiac dealer lot image. Licensing or other $$$ considerations?

http://image.highperformancepontiac....-rear-view.jpg

FYI: this feature IS available under same "Hot Rod" dot com http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/...tiac-trans-am/

http://image.highperformancepontiac....bside_view.jpg

From what I am told, some of the HPP content has been moved to HotRod.com but not all of it. Not sure if this is going to change or not.

As for the frame situation with the digital version of Smoke Signals, we are still trying to get that figured out. It is probably a matter of finding the right plug-in but for iPad users, it is still unstable. Android stuff works fine, though.

and will my membership status as far as the number of years take up where it left off? after almost 30 years of being a member, my membership accidentally lapsed (because they quit sending renewal notices) and the at the time president said because it lapsed my years of being a member would have to start over. at the time it had only lapsed like two months and I realized I hadn't got a smoke signals and inquired about why. he was so unreasonable about it, I asked him If I had ever done something to piss him off and he didn't want to talk about it, just start over. so my response was no thanks.

Don

A while back - I posted on one of the many threads that I would seriously consider rejoining. I have to admit that I haven't taken the time.

When my direct mail piece comes (thanks to your efforts), I will make the time to fill it out and join.

I appreciate your time and hard work to pull this off.

The years that you put in will now go toward your total, though you have to let Paul Bergstrom at the club office know about your situation and he can do the research to get your time properly noted. When I started in 2006, I vowed that crap like that would come to an end. It is too bad that you were treated like that- hopefully the friendly attitude we now have at POCI will erase the sour taste in your mouth. Give us a chance and I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Thank you!

Don - email sent to the address on the flyer.

Jon.

Jon, I forwarded your email to Don

I'm in! Time to re-up with POCI.

No worries...

BTW - Love the new Hardcopy version of Smoke; such as w Eric's Feature Car Blueprint details - example w "headlights on" & "headlights off" detail on 1967 GP...and all of the other neat Poncho & HPP type of content.

Congrats to all (again) for a job well done.

My membership lapsed a year or so ago because I didn't get the renewals, either (although I won't say it isn't possible they came and I missed them or my wife pitched them!). I renewed at Norwalk this past summer and was pleased that getting my original membership number was no problem.

I've definitely noticed the higher quality magazine and content. Great job, Don!

I got my first issue a few weeks ago and finally had a chance to read it. I like it!!