XPost: rec.collecting.stamps.discuss   
   From: steve.silverwood@gmail.com   
      
   On Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:45:16 -0700, Billns    
   wrote:   
      
   >Similar results in the US, although not quite as drastic. American   
   >Philatelic Society membership dropped from 51,000 in 2000 to under   
   >40,000 this year.   
      
   APS membership isn't all that reflective of overall philatelic   
   interest.  Membership in APS is pretty high-level.  Casual collectors   
   like myself don't derive much benefit from membership in a national   
   association like that.   
      
   Local club membership may also be suffering from the pervasiveness of   
   the Internet, but not in the way suggested (lack of interest in stamps   
   because of the Internet itself).  Rather, I suspect it's the same   
   thing that's caused such a decline in recent years in computer user   
   group membership: why go to meetings when you can communicate online   
   -- anytime, anywhere -- with those who share your interests?   
      
   //Steve//   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)