vpcmike:

the forums at Creative Cow that they engage in.

And Avid's engagement on these AC forums is mostly in the form of Marianna - who is great and invaluable to many if not all of us. But I don't see product designers or marketing here.

vpcmike:

There is a wealth of knowledge in these forums and an educated customer base who know the industry and what they need.

Tiger_XP:

  I have taken a couple of breaths and calmed down! I just noticed ACA stands for "Avid Customer Association". I thought ACA stood for the "Affordable Care Act"

;-)

Job ter Burg:

If you're happy with your current Customer Communications method, you can keep it.

Job, I do not get it, does this imply that charging customers an extra to have the privilege to communicate with the company, something that should come "in the box", is a fair policy? Avid should listen to the customers no matter what, having ACA members with more voice than ordinary customers is discrimination; of course communication between the company and the customers should be improved, but not only for a selected number of customers who pay an extra fee, and most of all: will the needs of such customers meet the needs of the rest of the world?

luca.mg:

Job ter Burg:

If you're happy with your current Customer Communications method, you can keep it.

Job, I do not get it,

Job ter Burg:

luca.mg:

Job ter Burg:

If you're happy with your current Customer Communications method, you can keep it.

Job, I do not get it,

I was joking, Luca. I tried to refer to this.

Touche! Very good! After my play on words (actually letters "ACA") you continued. To be honest it went over my head until I clicked the link. So honesty is the best policy (Benjamin Franklin) which means what's over my head now is a kite. I think we better stop here! 

My bad! Another Case Amiss... http://www.acronymfinder.com/ACA.html

The question remains:what do we get for the $150 membership to this club that we can't get here, or should be getting here? 

Scott, it seems pretty obvious by now that we're not going to have additional info, nor a fair treatment; the chatter began a while ago, this thread started at the beginning of december, Keli posted ten days later, one more week has past and all we had from Avid is a deafening silence; given a couple of decades of experience with Avid my best guess is that we're not going to be told anything more than what we've already been told, and that the company will go for ACA the way it was intended, whatever that is, like it or not, whether right or wrong.

I agree with Luca.  Keli dipped her toe in the water and got the responses that anyone who is familiar with the forum would expect.  Now expect silence and the plan being implemented, regardless of the expected result.  I am personally curious as to how many people or companies will pay for this "access."

vpcmike:

 Now expect silence and the plan being implemented, regardless of the expected result.

Could it be that the water was so cold that it required Keli to return to a drawing board infront of a heater. When the ice thaws the glass MAY look half full.

vpcmike:

Now expect silence and the plan being implemented, regardless of the expected result.

Now where did I read something like that a few posts back?

Maybe http://community.avid.com/forums/p/124229/714228.aspx#714228 

Regards

Douglas

Keli did write a blog on the subject here:

Help Lead the Industry Forward—Join the Avid Customer Association

By Keli Callaghan on December 19, 2013

Learn how you can contribute to the future direction of the industry by joining the Avid Customer Association (ACA) and attending Avid Connect, the inaugural event of the ACA.

http://www.avidblogs.com/avid-customer-association/

Marianna 

From the blog:

Q: If I do not pay to join the ACA am I still a member of the Avid community?

A: Absolutely! Every customer is automatically part of the Avid community, with full access to our online communities and forums, as well as all of the communications and updates we make on a regular basis. We are introducing this new program for our customers who would like to even more actively engage with Avid and participate more directly in influencing not only the future direction of Avid, but of the industry as a whole.

seriously?  So you are asking us to pay to help the future of Avid and then buy more products?  I'm sorry but am I the only one that thinks this is total BS?  So if I don't cough up the $150, my ideas are of less value to Avid?  Kelli, your answers are right here.  Get your people active on these forums and you can save all that money and put it towards development.  It really makes you wonder....

switthaus:

I'm sorry but am I the only one that thinks this is total BS?

As I read it, the core of the idea is to formalize a structure for face-to-face exchanges between a range of customers and the deciders in charge, as well as offering a way to participate in an evolving new idea. We know that if they gave it away for free, nobody would value it. The link did mention something about a webstore discount, but no specifics %, so maybe that helps ease the pain. But I think in short order, you're either in it or you're outside looking in.

These forums, though rich with information and imaginative requests, do seem to lack formal participation from the Avid deciders and that would be a good point to raise in Las Vegas. But if there is another amazing Marianna inside Avid, ready to emerge from a different angle, we should welcome them here graciously with BurmaShave. Lead them to our most urgent solutions.

I think ACA will fly if the people particpating have good ideas. If nothing else, getting some rare insights and inclusion should fuel the level of discourse in the forums.

For $150. I think you should go for it. Demand a total refund next year if you feel you got rooked. Anyone will spend way more than that on total BS in a year.

Marianna:

Keli did write a blog on the subject here:

 

Help Lead the Industry Forward—Join the Avid Customer Association

By Keli Callaghan on December 19, 2013

Dear Keli, this job offering should read: Avid is looking for help to shape future products, candidates must have a solid background and will have to pay to work with Avid instead of getting payed.

This is too smart for me guys, but please feel free to join this revolution, if everything goes in this direction be prepared, soon Your landlord will pay You to stay in his apartment, the grocery store next corner will give You money for Your shopping, You'll fill Your car with gas and leave the station with more money than You had before fueling. Not only this is a perverted joke addressed to arrogant people who can believe in an elite shaping the future, haven't You heard this before?!? This is also a discriminating project, with an aristocratic smell of fascism, I do not even care anymore about what do I get for the money, I'm ideologically against such an initiative, and I believe that asking for money to work with Avid or You-name-it is a total rip off. Thank You Avid for the forums and the freedom of speech that I enjoy here, free of charge, till it lasts.