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AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members

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  • AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members



    AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members
    By Michael Clarke, Liberty Rifles & Eric Tipton, 40 Rounds
    Published on The Authentic Campaigner

    INTRODUCTION - WE WANT TO SEE YOU SUCCEED

    Contrary to popular opinion and social media, the authentic community does not want to see the mainstream hobby wither away and die. Internet fights existed before the forums, during the forums and they will continue to exist through Facebook and whatever form social media takes in the future. So, rather than feed this divide further, we have decided to write an open letter to the mainstream hobby about constructive ways we think you could improve. This is an earnest and sincere plea. Please do not disregard it simply because it is coming from "campaigners". OK? The mainstream used to be better and it can be better again. It is time to plan for the future. There are ways you can grow again. So, if you made it this far, please read on and we hope this provides you with some feedback that has proven to be successful on the authentic side, and we promise that none of this includes counting stitches...

    RAISE YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND STICK TO THEM

    We've found that time and time again, stimulation and challenges are what keeps guys interested. Expect your members to improve, help them improve, don't let guys squeak by with mediocrity. Pick something like headgear, and encourage everyone to upgrade. Pick a drill point like stacking arms, and encourage guys to work on it, drill it, and nail it down. The lack of expectations and loosening of standards has diluted into complacency and laziness, which is a sure way to lose members and discourage growth. Little things like no modern anachronisms, no cell phones, and no cars in camp. Taking your expectations seriously will set the tone for the rest of your group. Improvement is not a dirty word and it can be done in small doses, but ignoring it will only make things worse.

    LESS IS MORE. BE PRUDENT WITH TIME

    Don't go to every podunk event that comes along. Over-saturation can kill a group. Fewer events with more focus will encourage more participation and effort from your members, which will yield better results, and people will take notice that you have a solid group, doing solid work, and they'll want to be a part of it. Also, it is important to remember that everyone is trying to balance family life, work life, and hobbies. So focusing harder, on fewer events, and presenting a better effort to your members and others around you will encourage growth and participation.

    THE SAME-OLD, SAME OLD

    Whether you are attending Civil War events or going out to eat, if you do the same thing over-and-over, you will become burned out and so will the members of your organization. Recently, there was a mainstream organization that had a relatively low turnout last year. After the company meeting was held for 2019, the schedule was decided upon and guess what? It was the identical schedule as last year and the leadership expects the turnout to be better than last year.

    If you combine fewer new events each year with a maximum effort for each one, it will invigorate your members by seeing more people at an event and doing something different. As you well-know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over-and-over and expecting a different result.

    PROPER SCALE - BUILD FROM THE BOTTOM UP AND NOT THE TOP-DOWN

    Proper scale for the size of your military unit and the corresponding commanding rank structure is the first, best step you can take towards being more authentic, growing your unit, and creating a successful environment for proper drill. If you have ten men in your group, portray a platoon with a corporal, and nine privates. Work on School of the Soldier! If you have thirty to sixty, portray a company, with a captain, possibly a Junior Officer, three to five sergeants, four corporals, and the rest privates. Do you have one hundred to two hundred? Now you're looking at three to four Companies, with a Senior Captain commanding the Battalion, and the previous identified structure for each Company. If you have six or more companies with thirty-plus men, now you're in the range of a Field Officer commanding the Battalion, some Battalion staff, General Guides, and a Color Guard. If you have to consolidate with other groups...do it! Nothing worse than a Colonel with forty men.

    TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR EVENTS - EBUFU - EVENTS BY US FOR US

    It is our observation that at most mainstream events, reenactors are essentially hired hands. We know, because we too have attended these events and the way reenactors are treated is part of the reason we have created our own events today. In the EBUFU model, the reenactors control the budget, the expenses and the results and because we are contributing money and attention to the sites, it is OUR event. Hence, Events By Us For Us - EBUFU. This concept originated with the North-South Alliance and was adopted by campaigners because they were tired of the same old schedule - the afternoon battles on Saturday and Sunday, the ball on Sunday night and pointless battles in the middle of soccer fields that bear no resemblance to history. You have the power to change this by adopting a different model. If you aren't familiar with EBUFU, here are the main points:
    • Find the land to host the event yourself or offer a fee to a private land owner and donate the proceeds to preservation of a worthy historical site.
    • Start with the history and craft an event that centers around an actual event. Accommodations can be made to fit it into a weekend, but there is no need to invent something that already happened and it will be more meaningful for the public. This becomes part of the package that you put together to present to the event hosts.
    • Instead of paying registration fees directly to the entity that is hosting the event, collect the fees on an individual basis from the participants yourselves, create a budget and provide the hosting entity with a budget that shows a net donation after expenses.
    • Have your event with spectators... or not. It's YOUR event. One of the fallacies we see perpetuated across social media is that EBUFU events are held off in the woods and do nothing for public education. While this is true for some of our events, MANY of them are open to the public. We work with NPS sites as well as state and local locations.

    If you do not take control of the events, you will always be at the mercy of the people holding the event. Present a plan. Create a budget. Pitch this concept. You might be surprised at the response if you have a good plan.

    CREATE AN EVENT YOU WOULD ATTEND AS A PARTICIPANT

    Events tend to start with "I have always wanted to do xyz scenario". This is good. If you want to organize an event that you think others will attend, consider it from the perspective of an attendee. Based on the historical record and the feasibility of accomplishing it, ask yourself: "Is this something that would appeal to you if you were attending?" "Is it even possible to pull it off?" "Is there land available to do it?" These are all questions you need to ask yourself before putting anything out in public. If this event idea is something you would be willing to attend as a participant, it is a good start. But, no matter how good your idea is, you have to be able to execute it. This is where the rubber meets the road.

    Most successful events are derived from well-known historical events. This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but generally, the more known the scenario, the better your chances of attracting participation. You may have an obscure dream scenario that appeals to you, but will it have a wider reach? When you are marketing something, you are competing with many other ideas. Yours needs to stand out and name recognition certainly helps. So, ask yourself, “Does this event have some cache? Is it an event that will strike a chord with people?” If it passes this test, what comes next?

    MARKETING - UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA

    This was recently posted on the First Federal Division Facebook Page regarding a GAR Conference Call in which the FFD participated:

    "Also, it was talked about how it seems like the hobby is in trouble due to the Social Climate & how the hobby is starting to splintering too much into different factions between campaigners & mainstreamers & how bad the recent Gettysburg event went."

    "Seems like a lot of events are drying up or going away, it is getting harder to find events. We need to focus on the bigger events & support those that are still around. So many events not working with each other on scheduling & so this is splitting our numbers too thin."

    THIS is a problem. It seems to us that the mainstream spends more time complaining ON SOCIAL MEDIA than using SOCIAL MEDIA to coordinate. This is the very mechanism that can be used as a tool to attract younger people and grow the mainstream hobby. By constantly talking about shrinking numbers, canceled events, politics, etc. you are becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are marketing weakness, insecurity and doubt.

    If it seems like the authentic side of the hobby is dominating social media, it is because we have embraced it and coordinate it between different groups. Every event has its own Facebook Group and most events have individual company Facebook Groups. Deconfliction is common and an overall schedule is put together on the Authentic Campaigner years in advance. The authentic hobby is not only growing. It is thriving. We are hosting events that on average are larger than the ones we did 10-15 years ago. This is not some haphazard thing. It is on purpose and by design. It is modern marketing. We didn't necessarily WANT to be on social media. We HAD to be there, because that is where the audience is and that is where you need to be as well - putting forward a positive message.

    CONCLUSION - TIME TO MOVE FORWARD

    As the saying goes, a rising tide lift all boats. ALL of us want to see Civil War Reenacting succeed. We have certainly gone through changes in the hobby over the last several years. We had the conclusion of the 150th anniversaries. There is some political pressure surrounding our events. A whole generation of reenactors has aged out of the hobby. This is reality. Look forward. Please take our advice here to heart. We all have the ability as a hobby to reach more people directly than we ever have had before. Go where the market is. Younger people are on social media. There is an interest. You just have to find them. The days of setting up a card table outside of a library to recruit new people are over. Embrace technology. Make improvements. Build from the bottom-up. It has worked for the campaigners and authentics. We would love to see it work for you as well.
    Last edited by Eric Tipton; 05-12-2020, 07:49 PM.
    ERIC TIPTON
    Former AC Owner

  • #2
    Re: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members

    I think the letter is well written. Unfortunately I gave up on “converting the non-believers” with the mainstream groups in my region.

    Like you I was not suggesting major changes all at once but small changes. Many of my suggestions would not require purchasing anything such as hiding modern items from view.

    Mainstreamers though have different interests and goals than campaigners. Where one of our main goals is correct representation of history, a mainstreamer is less concerned or ignorant of the subject.

    Mainstreamers, from my observations and interaction, seem to be more interested in the social side of reenacting. To them events are seen as a renaissance fair where socialization and family time is the main goal.

    Sadly, this is why many in the public see the entire hobby as a group of misfits acting out their fantasies. They are perfectly correct in this interpretation as campaigners are lost in the background or not even present at mainstream events.

    This is why I find myself drawn more to “living history” events and pretty well burned out on reenactments.

    I applaud your letter and hope maybe it will at least give a mainstreamer reason to pause.

    Joe
    Joseph Musgrove

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members

      Originally posted by Sackcoat View Post
      Mainstreamers, from my observations and interaction, seem to be more interested in the social side of reenacting.
      And why is that such a bad thing? Soldiers in the 1860s were not automatons.
      Michael Denisovich

      Bookkeeper, Indian agent, ethnologist, and clerk out in the Territory
      Museum administrator in New Mexico

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members

        Michael,

        I think you missed my point. You can still socialize while maintaining historical correctness especially in the eyes of the public.

        Many mainstreamers though see reenactments more as a social family camping trip complete with modern amenities and food packaging in public view. The history side is secondary.

        If it was just in the eyes of people in the hobby I would have less concern. However, when your in the eyes of the public, many who have had little exposure to history, I take issue with that.

        Joe
        Joseph Musgrove

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members

          Originally posted by Sackcoat View Post
          Many mainstreamers though see reenactments more as a social family camping trip complete with modern amenities and food packaging in public view. The history side is secondary.
          Is this based off of surveys, or of stereotypes? I do not see that out here in New Mexico.
          Michael Denisovich

          Bookkeeper, Indian agent, ethnologist, and clerk out in the Territory
          Museum administrator in New Mexico

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members

            Then blessed be New Mexico because you can find Civil War themed family camping everywhere else in the US. There's one going on this weekend in Washington. I'll be there drilling, banjo-ing and otherwise goofing off.

            Why? Every event I do this year, no matter the level of authenticity practuced, is an opportunity to make sure my kit and gear is ready for Mission Ridge. There will be socializing, too.
            Silas Tackitt,
            one of the moderators.

            Click here for a link to forum rules - or don't at your own peril.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members

              There are enough people outside the AC community lurking here that doubtless some of them will see and even read this letter, but I wonder what they'll take from it, this being a site primarily by and for the already converted.

              I also wondered whether this would get a different response from a site with a broader range of participants. Szabo's is gone, but I see that someone posted a link to it on "Civil War Talk." Unfortunately so far the feedback has been minimal. Maybe you could post the text, Eric, and see what if any feedback you get if you spare them the trouble of clicking on a link.

              Personally I think the suggestions are good and sincere, but their effectiveness may be limited by two factors, one of them eternal and the other specific to our current era:

              One, few people like hearing even friendly advice that requires them to significantly change the way they do things, especially when it's a leisure activity. People who are quite happy playing flag football aren't going to be in a hurry to start tackling even if you make a good case for it being a better game.

              Two, I wonder just how much of a mainstream hobby still actually exists. The big mainstream events in the mid-Atlantic have largely disappeared, which would surprise no one who saw where they were heading five years ago. The demographic wave of baby-boomers has crested, and hollowed out the old "umbrella organizations." As an example, last year's Remembrance Day looked like a GAR/UCV parade dangerously close to morphing into a zombie film with a Civil War theme.

              [Full disclosure: I'm a borderline zombie myself, but don't mind being the oldest guy at an event. It's when I'm one of the younger ones that I get depressed.]

              I know what we think of as "the mainstream" continues to hold on in smaller venues, but even there it's fading away as local communities consider the costs, the logistical requirements of geriatric reenactors, and whether or not there's some other four years in their history worth celebrating.

              Not intending to knock the thought behind, or the substance of the letter, just sharing some thoughts. At long last I think I may finally be coming around to something that p/c/hers have been advocating for years: there are two hobbies, and it might just be the most efficient use of resources to work on the one you believe in.

              But good luck, and hope to see you in the field later this year.
              Michael A. Schaffner

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members

                For what its worth here is my two cents.

                Note: I am currently on the more "mainstream" side of the hobby, but I do lean more and more to the "authentic" side!

                1. I think the letter is well written and full of good ideas that all reenactors should embrace. I intend on showing it to my unit.

                2.
                Originally posted by Sackcoat View Post
                I think the letter is well written. Unfortunately I gave up on “converting the non-believers” with the mainstream groups in my region.
                I think that is very sad. The only time you ever fail is when you give up! You never know when someone will take what your saying to hart!

                That being said I think many "Campaigner / Authentic" reenactors can come off as being above "the lowly mainstreamer" rather then being part of the same hobby. I don't think that that attitude is intentional on the part of the campaigner but it take a while to learn how to suggest with out coming off as a know it all. I know it has taken me a while with my unit!

                3.
                Originally posted by Sackcoat View Post
                Mainstreamers though have different interests and goals than campaigners. Where one of our main goals is correct representation of history, a mainstreamer is less concerned or ignorant of the subject.

                Mainstreamers, from my observations and interaction, seem to be more interested in the social side of reenacting.
                I agree that Mainstreamers to IN GENERAL do enjoy the social side of reenacting more then the history side. My Orderly Sargent has said such in the past, but the longer I've been with the unit the more interest he has taken in the historical side.
                I believe it is because my interest in history and doing it right!
                I came to the unit as "fresh fish" and knew nothing in detail about the civil war. I am now arguably the most knowledgeable in my unit. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn. The more I've striven to be authentic I have lead (dragged some times) my unit with me. I don't believe that Mainstreamers are "ignorant" I think they need someone to show them the right direction in a indirect way.

                4. Conclusion
                What I would love to see is every Campaigner join (as a secondary unit) a Mainstream one.
                Go to a few events a year with them. Don't try to change any thing right away (no matter how much it annoys you) become an accepted part of the unit.
                Then make a suggestion here or there, e.g. "I was just reading in the manual and I saw something I would like to try, could you help me for a minute". Post on their Facebook page interesting things about their impression they should know or a drill manual or an interesting article. Get them interested through the back door! One at a time if necessary! And above all be patient! Don't try this all at once. Post something once a month! It takes time.

                I'm still not done with my unit, but my father and I have both seen changes for the better!

                Well that's my two, I guess four cents. ;)

                thoughts?

                Regards

                Karl Jacob
                Karl Jacob

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members

                  I've been doing "reenacting" of various time periods for going on 25 years now.

                  The only thing particularly unique about CW reenacting was the prevalence of events that were not EBUFU. Most all other reenacting groups I've been involved with are almost exclusively EBUFU, with the exception of when we held recruiting demos at some public event. We were never "on show" except for those rare demos.

                  But there have always been a group of people who see "reenacting" as themed camping/socializing, and I agree with Joseph that there are a lot of people who see reenacting this way. For these people, authenticity will always take a back seat to enjoyment and socializing.

                  If you want actual Living History, then you have two options. The easiest is to simply form a group of people who goes to an event and "does their own thing" within the context of the event. You have your own encampment, your own company, whatever. Whether it's 10 of you or 5 of you or even one of you, you strive to make accurate that which is in your control to make accurate. Your body, your tent, your camp, whatever. Then you have to be content to look at everything else around you with "squinted eyes" to make it seem real. The other option is to stick to exclusive Living History events that enforce standards.

                  The nice thing about the former is that you will, inevitably, become renowned for what you do, and this will inspire some subset of the mainstream to do at least one thing better. Some may even be inspired to "be like them" or even join you. But this will never be the case for all of them, and you will always be dealing with disappointment if that is your expectation.
                  Steve Sheldon

                  Comment

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