The Anime Club Handbook "A Comprehensive Guide (sorta) to Anime Clubs" ================================================================================ Written by : R.Simon - South Jersey Anime Society email to: quantum_stardrive@yahoo.com SJAS web page: www.sjas.org First Draft: September 1997 Last updated: August 2001 ================================================================================ So, you want to start an anime club of your own right? You may be asking yourself "How in the world am I going to do this?" right? Most people who want to start an anime club have the usual vague ideas, and some have really good ideas of how to go about establishing an anime club. When the South Jersey Anime Society was co-founded, it seemed as though there were countless things that we'd never taken into consideration. One of the things I wish I has at the time was some kind of guide on how to start not just ANY club but an anime club. Through the difficulties and learning experiences so far that we've had, this is it - the document you've all been waiting for. A comprehensive guide to starting an anime club and keeping it running (hopefully). This document is devoted to taking the people who are practically clueless in how to start their club to hopefully being able to successfully have an established club. Keeping an anime club established is a WHOLE different ballgame, however. But, you needn't worry because there will be information about where to go for information that will help keep you running. ================================================================================ Table of Contents ----------------- (1) "OK....sooooo.... how do I start one?" (2) "Where will I establish this club?" (3) "How do I find a public place to meet / what's involved?" (4) "What will a school want from me?" (5) "Does the club need officers?" (6) "Does the club need a constitution / what the heck is in a constitution?" (7) "Do I need a staff / When will I need a staff?" (8) "What are my resources for information?" (9) "Should I advertise the club's presence?" (10) "Dues and/or entrance fees?" (11) "What should we show first or at all?" (12) "Do I have to worry about screening rights when showing commercial anime?" (13) "Trading tapes with other clubs/individuals to expand your library." (14) "What kind of activities should the club have, if any?" (15) "How do I deal with disruptive people?" (16) "how do I keep members coming back?" (17) "How do I handle a younger audience?" (18) "Can I contact other clubs for help?" (19) Officer Advice (20) Special Thanks ================================================================================ (1) "OK....sooooo.... how do I start one?" -------------------------------------- In order to start any club, you must know the basics by which a club is run. There are different kinds or operations of clubs - IE: you can have a small group of people gathering at someone's house ... alll the waaay to... a huge meeting hall with a few hundred members or more! While the idea of a small club is probably soothing to hear initially, you really can't escape the possibility of eventually running a club that has hundreds of members because once people know about your club, they'll come from just about everywhere. * Officers: President, Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer (see section 5 for further details) * Staff: people other than the officers who are in charge of activities for the club, such as trips, newsletters, shirts, etc... (see section 7 for further details) Below, are some general stats for clubs of particular sizes: The small anime club: * probably no officers (unless required by a school) * no staff * approx. 10 members * your meeting place can usually be someone's house or a public library. * though, probably not an "official" club, this one may not have any officers at all, but rather you either speak as a group or one person basically says it all for you. The average anime club: * officers * prbably no staff * approx. 40 members * the meeting place can vary from any public meeting hall to a school's meeting rooms. * an "official" club status from here on up should really be taken into consideration. you'll need a president, vice-president, and a secretary (for recording important club issues and keeping track of them). you may also need a treasurer depending on the financial requirements. a staff for activities and services "could" be done. The large anime club: * officers * possibly a staff * approx. 100 members * the meeting place can vary from any public meeting hall to a school's meeting rooms. * you'll need all officers, treasurer optional. a staff would be a good idea. The HUGE anime club: * officers * staff recommended * approx. 200+ members * the meeting place can vary from any public meeting hall to a school's meeting rooms. * you'll need all officers, treasurer optional. a staff is highly recommended for activities and services for such a massive amount of people. An issue that can help new and small clubs is "affiliation". If you affiliate your club with another club, your resources can increase vastly. You'll need to find an established club somewhere in your area or region to contact for help. Affiliation allows a new club to have greater stability by getting advice from an already established club. If the school teacher needs information about anime, then there's nothing better than referring that person to the officers of the established club. Affiliations can vary sometimes because some clubs may require that you adhere to their rules, which is not so bad if the rules are there for good reasons. Other clubs may not care what you do. ================================================================================ (2) "Where will I establish this club?" ----------------------------------- Most people see that anime clubs are established in some kind of school, a college being the most frequent place, and find themselves wondering if that's the only place it can really be. As a first rule of establishment, I always say that you don't really need a school of any kind to fully establish your club. The following are GENERAL pros and cons to either side: Non-School (Independent) Club: Pros - * Total independence from outside interference. This is a BIG plus since you never have to worry if someone is going to terminate your club's existance. A school can at any whim destroy your club! * You have more freedom to what material you can show. * You can be "more" open to the public than a school would allow. * No hassle activities. Another big plus since schools, and yes even colleges, require some kind of shapparone during club sponsored activities. * No student council representative to worry about. * No student council meetings to attend. * No sponsor needed * A Constitution at your descretion (though recommended) * Budget only if needed. * Officers and staff can last for a long time. * You can constantly look for better facilities. Though this can be a problem because facilities are, at times, hard to find. Cons - * You've got to hunt for your own public meeting place (BIG PAIN). * Hall rental costs (in most cases). * the only funding you get is that which you raise yourself. * In order to deal with a cash flow legally, it is probably a good idea to obtain a non-profit license/permit. * You must obtain a bank account for your club if dealing with a cash flow. * you have to advertise your club all over, but only if places will let you advertise in their area, so get in good with local comic shops etc... School Club (high school or college): Pros - * Financial matters are taken care of with some school internal involvement. * you can get funding from the school (sometimes) which is good. * you have access to good facilities, usually. a BIG PLUS! * school officials can "sometimes" help you with starting a club. * your fan base can be easier to get to for advertisement. * you have access to some resources for free like printing flyers. * you have a definite place to meet - the school. Cons - * Financial matters can also be just as much a pain and just as complex as non-school clubs. * student council representative(s) needed. * student council meetings to attend. * sponsor(s) needed. * Transitory Officers and staff. (see section 5 for solutions) * activities can be a pain to have to do through the school. * your club's fate can be, on a whim, decided by the school and NOT by you. * school may not let you be open to the public. * generally, you can only meet when school is in session. * meetings may be required to be supervised. * you may have limitations on what you can show. One thing to remember about school clubs is that they don't have as much freedom as independent clubs have, but by the same token, the independent clubs have to fend for themselves which can be a real pain and can jeopardize the very existance of the club if they're not careful. ================================================================================ (3) "How do I find a public place to meet / what's involved?" --------------------------------------------------------- If you're a non-school club, this is probably the toughest part of being just that. When the time comes, you've got to have a place to meet right? Well, this is where most of us get our headaches. To be honest, there aren't too many search techiques you can use to find public meeting halls, so I'll just go over the absolute basics here. The first and best place to start is your local public library. If they can't offer you a meeting room themselves, they will hopefully have some contacts for you to contact so you can find public meeting halls. You may also know people who know about meeting halls too. Use your connections as best as you can. If you want, you can even say on the flyers that you want to meet in a mall or some public gathering place so you can ask your newly gathered members if anyone knows of a meeting hall. Aside of the obvious, there are other places who "might" rent out their halls. the Lion's Club, Rotary Club, Free Mason's Club, American Legion, etc... Any of which "could" rent out their halls, and you will have to -like the rest- abide by some strict rules. If you're a school based club, this is likely a non-issue. You'll just use a classroom or the auditorium or something. It might be good to keep a low profile and use a classroom. ================================================================================ (4) "What will a school want from me?" ---------------------------------- What?... aside of BLOOD you mean? That's easy - MORE BLOOD!!! hehheh... OK cynical behavior aside, here's what a school will want: * A minimum amount of students are usually required. * A sponsor - usually a school employee. in order to convince these people to support your anime club, you may have to show them samples of what you'll show (see section 11 for more details). since anime is considered to be very controvercial, you should pick something VERY neutral to show them for an example. you may also have to show them your plans for the club. This is where an affiliation comes in real handy. * Officers must be selected. * Constitution must be drafted. * The year's budget for the club worked out. This is because the school will sometimes fund the club up to a certain amount allocated for the year. Although, GOD help you if you ask the school for funding! And you think income taxes are bad with forms? HA! ================================================================================ (5) "Does the club need officers?" ------------------------------ In short, yes it's a good idea. Why? It gives your club structure and a set of authority figures. Chaos isn't the way to go as that will lead to more chaos, and you'll probably not get anywhere. This is why having no officers will probably work with the "small" club only. Officers are authority figures in a club whom members can trust and respect (we hope). These positions are not to be taken lightly. As an officer, you really must take a serious attitude to your position as the survival of your club will ultimately depend on how well you can handle it. Below are general job descritions of the main club officers: * President: basically, to organize, schedule, and run the meetings. First, this will require the president to meet with all staff members either before each meeting is scheduled or the day of the meeting. Second, the president will be the one to determine the video presentations to be shown at each meeting and to rate them based on the U.S. rating system. Third, if any commercial releases are to be shown, permissions must be obtained from the proper companies with conditions pending. Fourth, the president may also schedule society events or approve events. Fifth, the president must be the one to approve all staff proposals. Lastly, the president must schedule and be present for all staff meetings. * Vice-President: In the event that the president can not preside over any meeting, the vice president shall take over. The vice president is also to voice any options to the president that he/she did not consider. The VP must also be present at all staff meetings. Most importantly, the VP must be able to perform all duties of the president if the president is for some reason unable to perform any of the stated duties. * Secretary: Maintain society paperwork. The secretary is also to obtain the member information from the member registration tracking staff (if one exists) and any other relevant paperwork from each staff division. The secretary must be present for all mandatory meetings to record the minutes. * Treasurer: should the need arise, a treasurer shall be chosen to handle and keep track of finances of the society. since this will require the person to handle finances, an contract of liability may be signed to secure the status of all society finances. Due to the fact that school clubs have transitory officers and staff, this poses a problem of not having stable leadership over a long period of time. To best maximize the quality and term of leadership, it is recommended that the president lead for a 2 year term, which means they will have to be at the junior (or 3rd year) level student. The president should be chosen at the end of the previous school year (in June) so that person can have the entire summer to prepare. Preparation means obtaining information from the previous club leaders and/or from affiliate clubs on how to do their job. This not only goes for the president, but for all other officers as well. There's nothing from stopping you from adding more officers to the list like representatives or student council members or even staff members. But you should always remember that an officer holds that position because they are capable of handling that level of responsibility, and can be viewed by the members as a trustworthy, respectable authority figure. ================================================================================ (6) "Does the club need a constitution / what the heck is in a constitution?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaah ok - this is always the tough one. People often have no idea where to start when making a constitution, so in this large section, I'll go over what a constitution is and what all of it's parts mean. Why should you need a constitution? Well, if you want situations and circumstances in your club to have written documentation on how to deal with what ever may come up, then yes you need one. It's also good as it is the set of your club's blueprints for the next person in command of the club when you leave. After all, they've got to know how in the world YOU did it right? Terms: (for those of us who -ahem- didn't do so hot in history class ^_^) Article - disticnt part/section of the constitution. Ammendment - the change/addition proposed to the constitution. Ratification - the formal approval of a new addition to your constitution and upon that time, making that new proposal effective immediately. Parliamentary Procedures/By-Laws - basically, just how you plan on running your internal government. IE: how you go about voting, holding meetings, making amendments and ratification. A Brief look at the structure of the common constitution: [Begining of constitution] Consitution Title Article 1. (society name) Article 2. (purpose) Article 3. (goals) Article 4. (officers list) Article 5. (officers and staff duties) Article 6. (election of staff) Article 7. (society procedures / by-laws) Article 8. (society basic rules) Article 9. (ammendments) Article 10. (ratification) [End of constitution] Description of the sections of the constitution: Article 1. (society name) - quite obvious, just state the name of your club. Article 2. (purpose) - what does your club do/provide Article 3. (goals) - what are your future plans for the club Article 4. (officers list) - from the top of the chain of command to the bottom, list in order ALL officers and staff by name. Article 5. (officers and staff duties) - here is where each of the officer and staff categories has its duties spelled out completely so that the person holding that position has no question as to what their duties are. Article 6. (election of staff) - here, you state when you have officer elections and how the officers are selected. usually the typical 2/3 majority vote elects your officers. of course, you could always get creative and say that whoever survives the shampoo slapping contest is the new officer ^_^ sorry just a thought. Article 7. (society procedures / by-laws) - here's the meat of the club operations spelled out. in this section, you describe when/where/how you have regular meetings and officer meetings. you must also spell out the voting process - a simple 2/3 vote procedure works in most if not all cases. next, define the delegated power of the executive officers - IE: who's got the higher authority over who else. and lastly, parliamentary procedures. here you spell out how you go about making modifications to your consitution - by proposing a vote to an issue, pass/fail the vote, then make a record of it in the constitution. Article 8. (society basic rules) - just your average good housekeeping rules to keep everyone in check. not only does it spell out rules, but has consequences if violated too. Article 9. (ammendments) - since you spelled out how to ratify the constitution in the by-laws, it might be a good idea to spell out any specifics to "amendments" in specific. things like "what makes an acceptable amendment" or "how does someone go about proposing an amendment". Article 10. (ratification) - once you've passed votes to have amendments introduced to the constitution, you may want to state how or when this goes into effect. in most cases, people want it effective immediately. others prefer to wait. One VERY important aspect you should add to your constitution is a RATING system for the anime that you show. It's important to have this just so your club's liability is covered. The rating system is quite simple and mirrors the film industry method. You really have to use a lot of common sense here. Make sure that for each meeting, your show listings have next to them their corresponding rating. A simple rating systems goes as follows: All audiences: A Teen audience: T Mature audience: M Hentai: X (Hentai is pretty much X rated material, so GOD help you if you decide to show this! I make it a rule never to show it. Watch that crap on your own time!) ================================================================================ (7) "Do I need a staff / When will I need a staff?" ----------------------------------------------- The deciding factor that will determine whether or not you should need a staff for anything, has to do with what you think you and your officers can handle. A staff is almost always a good idea of you have lots of activities and services planned for your club. They benefit you because they tale away some of the work load that otherwise you would have to worry about. Below are some areas where a staff would be preferred: * Newsletter * Trip coordination * Activities staff * Setup/Breakdown Crew * Technical crew * Fan-subbing * Advisory (you don't know EVERYTHING do ya?) * Morale (hey you never know) etc... You can see where these areas should be of "some" concern to the officers, but not a dominating concern. Officers have enough to worry about, so if members want to give any of those areas a shot, then by all means assign them to it. ================================================================================ (8) "What are my resources for information?" ---------------------------------------- - Newsgroups - rec.arts.anime.misc (general discussion) rec.arts.anime.models rec.arts.anime.fandom rec.arts.anime.info rec.arts.anime.music rec.arts.anime.games rec.arts.anime.marketplace - Anime Web Turnpike - ANIME WEB TURNPIKE..................................... http://www.anipike.com/ (this is the best place to start) - Company web pages - STREAMLINE PICTURES.............................. http://www.streamlinepic.com/ VIZ VIDEO.................................................. http://www.viz.com/ CENTRAL PARK MEDIA PICTURES................... http://www.centralparkmedia.com/ PIONEER ENTERTAINMENT ANIME.......... http://www.pioneer-ent.com/catalouge.html A.D.VISION FILMS...................................... http://www.advfilms.com/ SOFTWARE SCULPTORS........................... http://www.software-sculptors.com A.I.C. (ANIME INTERNATIONAL)......................... http://www.anime-int.com/ ANIMEIGO.............................................. http://www.animeigo.com/ GAINAX..................................... http://www.gainax.co.jp/menu-e.html MANGA ENTERTAINMENT............................ http://www.manga.com/index.html (if you know the name of any company not listed, simply use a search engine) ================================================================================ (9) "Should I advertise the club's presence?" ----------------------------------------- Well DUH! Of course you should. Now, all you need to know is how you go about advertising. Make a catchy poster of flyer, and see about where you can put these things up. A strategic mind is good here. If you're in a school, try putting it near the science and computer depts. If you're not in a school, try local comic shops and specialty stores of things like science fiction. You can also cross over the means of advertising. Just because you're in a school doesn't mean that you have to stay confined to the school - that is... unless you want to keep your club a closed one. It's not a good idea, but it is your preference or perhaps the school's mandate. ================================================================================ (10) "Dues and/or entrance fees?" ---------------------------- If you're wondering whether or not you need to have dues in your club, it depends on what you plan on doing with the dues you collect. If you think you'll need funds to help aquire something for your club such as commercial tapes or VCR's, then yes you should take dues. If you plan on doing a newsletter, you'll have to fund it somehow, so you may want dues. Again, it really depends on what your club is going to do with the dues it collects, and you should have this matter brought up for a vote before you even decide to start doing so. Having dues will definitely require the club to have a treasurer. Now, as far as entrance fees go, if you're in a school, don't even think about it! This is for clubs that aren't with any school and have to worry about room rental. Depending on how your club handles this exactly, you may want to ask for a fee at the door. This will defer the cost of the room. If non-school clubs have dues or any other financial matter that involves the need for a treasurer and a bank account, you should apply with the federal government for a "non profit organization" status since you WILL be dealing with people's money. ================================================================================ (11) "What should we show first or at all?" -------------------------------------- OK, a general rule of thumb when you plan on showing ANYTHING is that you obviously can't appeal to everyone, so do your best and pick something that you're sure most people would like. If you're showing something new and different, then give the members a little intro for what they'll be watching so they can understand it better. For a first showing, choose anime that is about as neutral as you can find. a decent example would be something like "Magic Knight Rayearth" it's a fantasy anime that has more than enough to appeal to just about anyone. Our members got glued to that one REAL fast. You know it's good when you can hear a pin drop. Now, for future showings, it's mostly preference. But in our case, our members just said "don't care what it is... show it!" which makes life pretty easy that way. However, you'll have to ask people WHAT they want to see to make sure you get to show things that they'll want eventually. You should also show anything good that you can get your hands on. Since members won't really know what's good as far as fan-subs go because they probably haven't seen any, you can get away with showing a fan-sub very easily without having to worry too much if someone "prefers" it. If you get fan-subs to show, you should as with anything, preview it first before you show it, so you'll know what the contents of it will be and who "might" like/dislike it. Try if possible to expand your members's horizons a bit, and try to show them a variety of anime. They need to understand that anime is not all one particular genre. Show SUBTITLED anime... it's just best that way. What are some good starter shows? Kimagure Orange Road, Slayers, Escaflowne, Macross Plus, Magic Knight Rayearth, Saber Marionette J, and Record of Lodoss War. (none of that Pokemon stuff... yeesh!) And a word of advice: stay away from Hentai (X-rated) anime. It's not the kind of thing you should be watching at all. ================================================================================ (12) "Do I have to worry about screening rights when showing commercial anime?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This can be VERY touchy depending on a couple of variables - who the company is and if you're charging entrance fees, but in most cases YES. You should find a way to contact the companies in order to obtain permissions to show their commercial anime. ================================================================================ (13) "What kind of activities should the club have, if any?" ------------------------------------------------------- * Debates - have members talk about current issues - talk about recent anime developments * Trips - go places! Remember that stuff called sunlight? * Newsletters - you can cover the following topics: - club news - club events - local places that have anime, mail order anime - list places on the Net for anime resources - articles on topics of interest - current events in the anime world etc... * Lessons - YES lessons! you can try to see if you can find ways of having japanese classes at your club. * Anime RolePlay sessions (better be careful with those) * Import Japanese games viewings - have someone who's got the console systems that can play the japanese versions of games. * Open Shows - members can bring their own anime to show (you should pre-approve). * Theme Days / Marathons - have days where you show nothing but fantasy style anime - run all the episodes of an anime series all day long Try to get members involved with as many club activites as you can. Some members don't really come out unless they feel they're needed in some way or there's some kind of significant participation involved. ================================================================================ (14) "Trading tapes with other clubs/individuals to expand your library." -------------------------------------------------------------------- First off, your trade method had better be SASE (self addressed stamped envelope). Don't EVEN think of charging someone for a copy of anything in your library! You should only copy fan-subbed material. Your best means of obtaining more tapes for your club would be to contact other clubs and/or individuals who have titles available for trade. ================================================================================ (15) "How do I deal with disruptive people?" --------------------------------------- Remember what I said about being a strong leader? Well, nobody pays any attention or respects a leader who simply says "like ummm c'mon dude like shut up man!". A slight exaggeration (I hope), but you get the idea. Be firm! Nothing is more counterproductive than a noisy bunch of MST-ing Otaku! When you have people who constantly comment or crack jokes when watching anime, it ruins the experience for those who really want to enjoy the show. If they really can't control themselves, then you'll have to take action. * Well, first, you have to understand that most anime fans are a tad wierd to begin with ^_^ However, there are those who when they decide to be disruptive, you'll definitely know it. * Always tell your members to let you know if someone is bothering them. * Give disruptive people a "one warning and the second time YOU'RE OUT" deal. * It's also good to have bouncers. Yes, bouncers. * have a conduct code in your consitution, and have the club vote on it. The members have a tendency to abide by rules they vote for and sometimes self-police those rules. * have a session during the meeting when they actually CAN make fun of an anime. It's not recommended, but if they HAVE to vent, then do it this way. Or, you could have a whole meeting once or twice a year for it that way most of your meetings are under control. ================================================================================ (16) "how do I keep members coming back?" ------------------------------------ This is an odd case and is usually due to either disruptive people scaring off new members or it's the material being shown or it's the meeting place or it's... well, it can be a lot of reasons. Ultimately, you've got to ask the members what it is that's bothering them and find a solution. Of course you can't ask someone what's wrong AFTER they've left, so it's a good idea to have them make suggestions if they can think of any, and if they really have an urge to leave and never come back to not be afriad to tell you why before they decide to leave. That way, at least you'll have the problem to work with. ================================================================================ (17) "How do I handle a younger audience?" ------------------------------------- Some anime clubs don't even let minors in, but if you're open to the public, you had better be preparred! It's not as bad as you'd think. The younger audience can sometimes be better - ever so curious. However, as a rule of thumb, we DO know that there is material in some anime that is inappropriate for a younger audience. It's simply the nature of anime since it has many genre types for all ages. So, what do you do? Obviously you shouldn't turn away a potential member right? Of course not. So how do you protect your club and a younger audience against ridicule? Use the rating system, and make sure you ENFORCE it with younger people who are not in the age category of what you're showing. ================================================================================ (18) "Can I contact other clubs for help?" ------------------------------------- Usually..... yes, but there are clubs out there who don't give a rat's a@#$ whether you need help or not. If you DO need help, there are places you can contact to give you some helpful advice. One of the largest problems facing anime clubs inthe U.S. is lack of willingness to help maintain each other. It's a problem that could have serious consequences if clubs don't start helping each other (elitism is such a royal pain these days!). So, one bit of advice is to make sure if a club asks yours for help, that you render assistance if possible or let them know where they may be able to get the help they need. You can affiliate clubs as a more secure and dedicated way to help each other. Affiliation allows clubs to share resources and generally have a non-controlling relationship over one another. ================================================================================ (19) Officer Advice: -------------- These are just a few good housekeeping tips - nothing to swear by, but it's good to keep in mind. * Keep your meeting places clean and orderly. Places will not want you to come back if you make a mess or have incidents where things get out of control. * First off, realize that being the leaders of a club can be exhausting work that can go unappreciated at times. But never let that get to you. * Let your members know that they can come to you with any questions or to let you know if something or someone is bothering them. * You should bring up all important club matters before your members - they may want to talk about it. * Never make any decisions that directly involve your members without their opinions and a vote first. * Get to know ALL of your members. Have days of orientation when everyone can sit down and introduce themselves to each other. It's always good for the members to know who their officers are and who everyone else is. * Never be affraid to use your executive power if needed. When cases come up where you have a disruptive person, you should never hesitate to take charge of the situation. If you don't or you're too easy-going on them, chances are, it will not cease, and on top of that, your members will not take your authority very seriously. If you're not taken seriously, things can get waaay out of hand. But, believe me when I say that you can speak softly and carry a big stick (usually a Louisville slugger work for me ^_^). You should keep a light environment but maintain authority just in case things get out of hand. Just remember, trying to keep the club afloat is important. If things got out of control, there's a good chance your club may be disbanded or it will be banned from its current location indefinitely. * In cases of defense against "people who don't know a damn thing about anime", you are the first line of defense to your club. Even though it's difficult to have ALL of the knowledge needed to defend anime correctly, you should at least have some good philosophy about it. There will most undoubtedly come a time when you'll need to have positive supporting words about anime against the "uneducated" person's ridiculing views on anime - we've all heard what people have said time and time again. So, do your best to make sure you can defend your club if needed. * You should ALWAYS network your club with others to help strengthen your own. It may be difficult because other clubs sometimes aren't as willing to help out as you would think they would be. It's unfortunate that this happens, but your best bet is to always keep your club open to those possibilities. Even if other local clubs to you may not help, there's always clubs "somewhere" who can network with you. The reason for this is it helps strengthen the base of fan relations and knowlegde amongst each other. The internet is a wonderful place. * Try to keep your club open to the public if possible. Some schools may not allow this because they're being a pain the the a@!$ about policy or something like that. Even if you're not in a school, making the club "private" isn't really the way to go. You have to give anyone and everyone a chance. ================================================================================ (20) Special Thanks: -------------- The rec.arts.anime.* newsgroups on the internet - for all the resourceful information that wizzez by every day. The Anime Web Turnpike - yet again more great resources. The left brain and the right brain - for actually deciding to work together for a change ^_^ Anime.... nuf said! ================================================================================ WHEW! That wraps it up! I hope this document answered a lot of your initial questions and gave you some insight. Good luck! [end]