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Overview
The social networking phenomenon led to the concept of a Virtual Pipe Club where any pipe enthusiast could belong and actively participate.
We hope this will become a thriving community that offers far more than other network pipe groups.
This site has been designed by a long time pipe collector and pipe club member who wanted everyone in the pipe community to have an opportunity to experience the fun of belonging to a pipe club, particularly if there is not a local club available.
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Using the Site
The home page has been designed to make all information easily accessible.
Our Blog is designed to keep the pipe community updated on site progress.
The Resources for All provides examples of what members can access through the Library and Favorites.
JOIN NOW offers membership options with an online payment process.
A single login to any Members Only tab activates all of the member functions for the duration of your browser session. |
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Dues
There is an annual fee of $19.95 to participate as a member just as most clubs collect dues. (A discounted fee of $14.95 applies for members of clubs that belong to the United Pipe Clubs of America).
Click on JOIN NOW, select your membership level, then complete the process to gain membership privileges (see the What Members Receive section below).
We fully recognize that there must be value delivered and are working diligently to create an environment that will make your investment well worthwhile.
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Member Profile
Each member has a profile which is self maintained. To give you control over the privacy of your information, you select what fields are viewable in the directory.
In the process of becoming a member you will create your own login. Once you are a member, you can access your profile at any time and make changes to your contact information and selections.
In addition to a personal photo, you can add a link to a photo gallery you have built on another platform such as Picasa, Flickr or Kodak Gallery.
If you have questions about this process, please Contact Us.
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Membership Directory with Search
Unlike other social networking sites that allow contact only with "friends who have accepted an invitation", membership here means that all members are friends by default. Requiring dues is a way to ensure a quality membership exists.
A powerful search function for this directory makes it possible to find fellow pipe enthusiasts by many criteria and quickly send them a message.
Those we expect to be used extensively are city or state, and areas of interest specific to pipes, tobaccos, hobbies, and affiliations.
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Library
Though there is a wealth of information on pipes and tobaccos across the Internet, finding something specific becomes a research project for each person.
Our goal is to build a library containing a lot of this information. It will have articles, videos, podcasts and more.
Though this sounds like a daunting task, we are delegating this responsibility to the community itself.
The Submit Material function gives everyone an opportunity to help with creating the library.
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Favorite Links
Ever wish you could have access to links that other pipe folks have as favorites?
This is your chance as it will be an ever-growing collection of links submitted by our members.
The key is participation. Use the Submit Material function to give us your favorite links.
There is not a limit. You can even send a spread sheet with the ones you believe should be here!
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Discussion Forum
This a straightforward application that first lets you select a forum then pick from the various topics on that forum.
As with all functions on this site, we have strived to keep it simple and easy to use.
Members may send ideas for additional forums and topics with the Submit Material function.
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Ability to Participate
A unique feature of this online club is the capability for members to submit all types of material to be published on the site.
Our long term success will depend upon member participation so we have made this as simple as possible.
The online form allows members to send images, documents, and links as well as text.
All material submitted is stored in a database for easy retrieval and posting to the site.
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