Over the past couple of months, I’ve been working on a secret project for our club community, and now I’m thrilled to unveil it to all of you. Allow me to introduce the highly-anticipated Australian Hunters Club Members Directory and Member Profiles.
As a national club with members in every state and territory, we face a unique challenge of helping our members find and connect with others in their local areas. Up until now, apart from attending events and utilizing the Facebook group, there haven’t been any direct mechanisms for members to proactively seek out and meet fellow members. The question that has loomed over us is, ‘How can we provide our members with the means to find, communicate, and connect with each other while safeguarding their personal information?‘
This challenge has been a significant hurdle for the growth and, more importantly, the vitality of our community. However, I’m delighted to announce that we have devised a solution that I believe will enhance our community and benefit everyone involved.
Introducing an ‘opt-in’ Members Profile and Directory that resides on our club’s website. Through this directory, members can create their own profiles and search for others based on location (state, shire/council/city), sex, and interests (preferred animals to hunt, hunting styles, bow/firearm preference, hunting experience, and more).
Here’s a brief overview of how the membership profiles and directory work:
- All members have the option to create a profile.
- Members can easily edit or delete their profiles through their account page.
- Only members with profiles can access the directory and view other members’ profiles (to prevent abuse). Please note that trial members will gain access to the directory once their trial period ends.
- All private and identifiable information (last name, full address, email, and phone number) of members remains hidden and cannot be viewed by other members.
- Each profile contains a contact form that, when filled out, automatically sends the user’s message via email to the profile owner. The website handles this process, ensuring that the recipient’s email address is protected and never revealed to the member sending the message.
- To prevent spamming, there is a limit of 5 messages per user per day using the contact form.
- Profiles also showcase members’ hosted hunts, events, and harvest records, providing a comprehensive picture of their involvement within the club.
- Currently, the directory page offers basic filters, but my future vision is to incorporate a map with pins that display members’ locations based on postcode data, linking directly to their profiles. This feature poses technical challenges, but I hope to implement it later.
I strongly encourage each and every one of you to create a profile. While you may already have a circle of hunting friends and may not feel the immediate need to connect with others, not everyone is in the same situation. The strength of our community lies in our collective contribution and growth. Who knows, you might even discover your next best friend through this remarkable tool.
To access the members directory and profile creation form, simply navigate to the member’s menu at the top of the page (or use the hamburger menu on mobile devices).
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email at support@australianhunters.com.au. Otherwise, enjoy the process of connecting with fellow members!
Warm regards,
Chris Waters
President
