don banas <<email>> writes:

It seems common that people tend to congregate with their existing friends and make little effort to bring new people into their existing social circle. I have experienced this in all types of activity (scuba diving, bicycling, hang gliding, car clubs, etc.). It seems that the larger the club the less likely there will be an effort made to get to know the new members. I think it is also common for the new members to be hesitant to approach the "old timers".

One of the members of the Sylmar Hang Gliding Association (SHGA) came up with a great idea to "break down" the barriers to getting to know everyone. With the help of several other members a "Member Photos" page on the website and a "New Pilots" page on the Forum were created. Photos were taken and short bios were submitted by, or written for, each pilot. Nicknames were included since some pilot's real names are rarely used. One objective is to make the new pilots feel more welcome and to remain active in the sport.

Maybe this is something other clubs should consider implementing.

http://shga.com/sylmartians.asp

http://shga.com/forum/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=18