I appreciate these thoughtful responses.
Guido Brothers: Have you ever got a good measuring job referral from USATF.org? Of course you have. Was it valuable? I hope so. Would you have got the same referral without being a member of USATF.org? Yes, unless USATF denied referrals to non-members. Have those referrals been worth a $30.00 membership? I sure hope so. What about the benefits Gene mentions? USATF may seem like a large organization. But if you look at its published financial statements, you realize USATF does not operate with a large budget. I for one grasp the opportunities that USATF has given me. I am grateful for them.
Rather than earmarking certifier or measurer dues for RRTC, I am recommending we devise some funding mechanism to take a modest annual fee from each measurer who submits at least one course per year. Whether this would take the form of dues, an application fee, or something else I have not thought of is a topic worthy of discussion, IMO.
I agree that forcing measurers to join USATF is not the best way to go, for all the reasons that have been made in prior threads in this medium. Nevertheless, consider that some other funding, such as an annual application fee of say, $15.00 from say, 250 measurers per year, as an example, would produce $3,750.00 we can use for upgrades.
I have no mission to get anyone to join the Digital Age, the Age of Reason, the Age of Majority, or any other epoch. I think most of us here will agree that it is only a matter of time before all certification applications are submitted via a single-point-of-entry, as Duane calls it. I grasp that we might have to run dual systems for a while to iron out any beta bugs and to accommodate those of us who may not initially like a web entry system. But, Guidos, how many years do you think will pass before all courses are submitted on line without anyone having a second thought about it? 20? 10? 5? Sooner? I would guess you realize the inevitability of this. My question is, what are we waiting for, if there are substantial benefits to be reaped - for all involved?
Gene: you ask good questions about such a system, and rightly so. Covering every devil's advocate or straw man question in advance is the right way to ensure a worthwhile product. Addressing your questions, consider that our web-based entry system will easily accomplish all you want and more. This is part of the beauty of this. First, concerning errors: a well-designed entry page helps reduce errors by guiding the entry process. Important data could not be omitted. Incorrect dates, certification numbers, drop & seps would all but be eliminated, for instance, by checks built into the software. Measurers would simply complete a simple web sign in, pay the application fee, and submit. You and everyone in RRTC would have username and password access to view the data. You and a few other heavy lifters would have "edit" access to make any needed changes.
Further, we wouldn't even have to impose on USATF web developers for this. We could handle the development by a skilled contractor. Then, we could annually run the fee collection via a web link at absolutely no cost to us. We could even use it to activate modest fund-raising campaigns for certain purposes - say, steel tape calibrations, or inexpensive standard measuring vests for all measurers. We can fee collect and fund raise at no cost whatever to us. We could start this within a week if we had the will to do so.
I look forward to a continuing dialogue about this.