That is a very well reasoned post, Spiderman, and I'd have to say that I can't really disagree with anything that you say.
I can really only speak for myself here and say that as a consumer of their product/services for several years and now as a provider of those to others, I can't say that I ever thought deeply about the name and it's connotations and the effect that it may have on others.
I don't think I personally ever thought that it was anything other than an organisation that makes it easy for some people to buy IP's. I don't think my natural caution or powers of reasoning were influenced in any way by the name either.
I always knew that money changed hands and I make that quite clear to my members now.
I agree that we are a business (quite a successful one, too, I think) and I would suspect that part of that success comes from our members having a positive experience with the club when they purchase something. Proof of that is in having a good percentage, like me, coming back for more. (brainwashed, possibly, Tracey)
The "informality, conviviality, mateship" that you mention, is probably part of it. I don't think that this is necessarily a bad thing as long, as you say, that it doesn't "encourage a suspension of critical faculty".
This comes down, I believe, to the personal ethics of the individuals involved. As it does in any business. I'm therefore not entirely convinced by your arguments that TIC needs to, or should, change it's name. In hindsight, it may well have been better if another name had been used, but I think at the time that the club evolved, over 15 years ago, that was exactly what it was and as you have described. It may well have changed and evolved over the years into something very different in terms of professionalism and business practices, but I think the name still describes the product and the common interests of prospective purchasers and support members (who have all already bought IP's through TIC), quite well.
I can really only speak for myself here and say that as a consumer of their product/services for several years and now as a provider of those to others, I can't say that I ever thought deeply about the name and it's connotations and the effect that it may have on others.
I don't think I personally ever thought that it was anything other than an organisation that makes it easy for some people to buy IP's. I don't think my natural caution or powers of reasoning were influenced in any way by the name either.
I always knew that money changed hands and I make that quite clear to my members now.
I agree that we are a business (quite a successful one, too, I think) and I would suspect that part of that success comes from our members having a positive experience with the club when they purchase something. Proof of that is in having a good percentage, like me, coming back for more. (brainwashed, possibly, Tracey)
The "informality, conviviality, mateship" that you mention, is probably part of it. I don't think that this is necessarily a bad thing as long, as you say, that it doesn't "encourage a suspension of critical faculty".
This comes down, I believe, to the personal ethics of the individuals involved. As it does in any business. I'm therefore not entirely convinced by your arguments that TIC needs to, or should, change it's name. In hindsight, it may well have been better if another name had been used, but I think at the time that the club evolved, over 15 years ago, that was exactly what it was and as you have described. It may well have changed and evolved over the years into something very different in terms of professionalism and business practices, but I think the name still describes the product and the common interests of prospective purchasers and support members (who have all already bought IP's through TIC), quite well.