Kestrell
Guest
jepuskar:EZ,
That is a load of crap and you know it.
Obviously an ex highschool debate team member.
Best response I've ever read on the board, bar none.
ROTF
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
jepuskar:EZ,
That is a load of crap and you know it.
scubatoys:The other thing is some agencies grab the students names and use them for their own marketing and sell their names to others. I don't appreciate a vendor that does that. If I had a vendor that said every time you sell a snorkel, we have to have that persons name and address and we're going to invite him to go on a dive trip with us... I don't think I'd carry those snorkels anymore - especially when I can get some others that are better and cheaper.
scubatoys:People get way too worked up over this... They are a vendor... plain and simple. No different than someone I get a mask from or a snorkel. Agencies are nothing more than a vendor that sells books and little cards with names on them.
My job as a store owner is to decide what vendors I want to carry. So when it comes to agencies, who has the best materials, who gives me the most freedom to adapt to my students needs, who doesn't rip me off on the price of products I'm buying. The other thing is some agencies grab the students names and use them for their own marketing and sell their names to others. I don't appreciate a vendor that does that. If I had a vendor that said every time you sell a snorkel, we have to have that persons name and address and we're going to invite him to go on a dive trip with us... I don't think I'd carry those snorkels anymore - especially when I can get some others that are better and cheaper.
So really it is up to the stores to decide what agency they want to teach... When I looked at all the upside, and downside of each agency, it became a very easy question to answer.
MikeFerrara:This would be fine if they didn't try to tell you how to teach.
I spent far more time learning to teach a good class (one that results in students really being able to dive) in spite of agency standards than I spent learning to administer agency standards.
They may be brilliant at marketing but they don't know squat about diving.
Maybe if they spent some of the energy they use figuring new ways to split classes up (shorter and faster) to aid in marketing and more time learning how to teach effectively it wouldn't be so bad.
Scuba:Thank Heavens for PADI
I'm not sure if we should thank the Heavens, PADI, Lawman, who or what for this 700 plus post thread - but we may need divine intervention to end it.
scubadoguk:Can some one kill this BLAH BLAH thread
PhotoTJ:Is the nomination seconded?
PhotoTJ:This thread will die of it's own accord, if you don't let Mike post anymore.
152 posts in this thread. That has got to be the individual record for single thread posting. I nominate him for the 'Passionate Poster' award.
Is the nomination seconded?