Webguy and AOG

aglages said:
Wow! I wonder if parents of twins that both attend USAFA will have a Parents Plus Plus option for the low, low price of only $2146 and reasonable monthly payments of ONLY $44.71?

FWIW - Parents of the 2015 Class paid $20.15 per month for 48 months in order to access WebGuy ($967.00). However our cadet's AOG Lifetime Memberships cost $750.00 ($25 per month for 30 months). Total of $1717.00. We did/do have the benefit of cancelling one without affecting the other.

Good Luck with your decision!
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If my math is correct, $39.97 x 48 months is ~$1918.56. I have looked but have not found a price if I choose to pay it all at once. Not debating the sense of that, just wondering if anyone has heard or seen of a 'cash-discount' of 100% upfront payment? Thx
 
aglages said:
I believe your math may be correct but the monthly payment is $39.72 for a total of $1906.56....at least according to the following link.
http://www.usafawebguy.com/aog-usafa-parent-member-plus

Do you have a different source?
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No, I was taking the usual retail cent's part of pricing, never thinking or figuring it would be a 72-cents ending. Should have looked. So, anyone see a cash-discount?
 
For web guy pictures...if you have membership and happen to see a picture of your cadet, can these pictures be downloaded, or do you have to pay an additional fee?
 
Jerseymom said:
For web guy pictures...if you have membership and happen to see a picture of your cadet, can these pictures be downloaded, or do you have to pay an additional fee?
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I've always been able to download them for my personal use. There are restrictions (of course) on any other use.

The following is the disclosure from the WebGuy site:
Photo Galleries


Photo Use – Guidance (Read Before Accessing Galleries) By downloading or purchasing photos from WebGuy Photography, here after referred to as WP, you are declaring the photos you are downloading/purchasing are of yourself, a family member, or are a gift for the individual in the photo. You agree not to sell, distribute, or allow the sale or distribution of said photos. You agree not to use or allow the use of said photos for commercial use, publication, or public display without written permission from WP. You agree not to scan or digitally reproduce said photos in full or part for any use, other than your own personal use, without written permission from WP. Note - You may post WP photos of yourself, a family member, or your basic/cadet and on Facebook if you adhere to the following requirements: you must ensure the photos are credited to WebGuy Photography, and set your permissions to have only friends and families view the photos. You understand any use of said photos, other than your own personal use, is a violation of this agreement. You agree to pay any and all legal fees, fines, and expenses incurred by WP in the event this agreement is violated. You further agree to reimburse WP for any and all financial judgments levied against WP. You understand the photos you are purchasing are protected by copyright laws and that WP retains all copyright property rights in and to all photos. By downloading/purchasing photos you are further stating and acknowledging you have read and understand this agreement and abide to all its terms and conditions."
 
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Apparently Webguy has received a lot of feedback about their new program and have decided to bring back the old plan. Now you can choose between the two plans. Only difference is you do have a year commitment to the $20.18 version as well.
 
Thank you to all those who took the time to share thoughts and feelings! Outstanding also that it was listened to and acted upon in a positive and professional manner. Gives me lots of confidence for DS's outcome at AFA.
 
I know what I tried to infer, but I won't expound on it other than to say that I wasn't referencing either AFA or AOG, more that people took their time to intercede and got a different outcome. Your point is taken also, however.
 
RE: New WEB-GUY options and the AOG

I spoke to the AOG today to get clarification on the new WEB-GUY options since there seems to be quite a bit of confusion on this subject.
Parents of cadets will now have two options:
Option #1- Pay $20.18 per month (Class of 2018) and obtain full access to WEB-GUY and all of the photos, which includes a 4 year membership in the AOG + the discounts to the AOG stores etc. (just like the program has worked in the past)
Option two- Pay $39.72 per month and get all of these benefits + LIFETIME membership for the PARENTS AND THE CADET TOO! If you choose this option, then your cadet is NOT paying separately for the AOG because you are now paying the cost for your cadet.
Normally the cadets are encouraged to join the AOG by the time they graduate and their lifetime membership costs $850. Currently over 70% of USAFA grads join the AOG and must spend that $850 in a lump sum or with payments spread over time. NOW, if the parents select OPTION 2- they will be paying (in essence) NOW for their own lifetime membership and the lifetime membership for their Cadet( son/daughter) who is attending the academy. The reason I think that this is worth considering, is that it means that the parents will have actually paid (and thus gifted) to their sons and daughters their lifetime membership in the AOG. This means that this expense will not be incurred by our sons and daughters in the future because it will have been pre-paid by us on their behalf.
I hope that this will clarify the questions about the two options.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
 
An important consideration with option #2 is that you are required to make 48 payments. You can no longer just cancel the WebGuy portion and continue to pay for an AOG Lifetime Membership for your cadet. 48 monthly payments of $39.72 per month =$1906.56. If $850 of that is for your cadet's lifetime membership you have to ask yourself how much WebGuy and a parents lifetime membership is worth to you. What if your cadet leaves USAFA during the first two years (aprox 25% of the class); you'll have almost a thousand dollars wrapped up primarily in WebGuy BCT pictures.

As I have mentioned previously......IMHO WebGuy is of dubious value after BCT. here is an example: last year (Class of 2014) WG took 71 pages of pictures at Ring Dance. This year (Class of 2015) 18 pages of Ring Dance. Explanation for the huge reduction....none. If you choose option #2 you are stuck with this quality of service.

If I had to do it again (under the current pricing structure), I'd take WG for the minimum time commitment possible at $20.18 a month and then evaluate it, not just on BCT but the value received for the remainder of the year. Wait to your cadet is a Firstie and see what wonderful deals the AOG is making for a lifetime membership then. If you want to purchase one for your cadet I don't know what the drawback would be of waiting and spending the money closer to graduation and keeping your options open.
 
I am with aglages on this one. Our family found $20.16 per month to be a good value for BCT coverage 2 years ago. My wife in particular absolutely loved being able to follow her son and his squad mates through the entire BCT process. However, after BCT, WebGuy provided us with minimal value so we canceled after fulfilling our one year commitment. DS is not a big proponent or supporter of the AOG and has clearly, and repeatedly, expressed that he does not want an AOG membership.

I am glad that the AOG has chosen to bring back the $20.XX pricing, and we recommend it for those parents whose son or daughter is going through BCT this summer.
 
batmom said:
I spoke to the AOG today to get clarification on the new WEB-GUY options since there seems to be quite a bit of confusion on this subject.
Parents of cadets will now have two options:
Option #1- Pay $20.18 per month (Class of 2018) and obtain full access to WEB-GUY and all of the photos, which includes a 4 year membership in the AOG + the discounts to the AOG stores etc. (just like the program has worked in the past)
Option two- Pay $39.72 per month and get all of these benefits + LIFETIME membership for the PARENTS AND THE CADET TOO! If you choose this option, then your cadet is NOT paying separately for the AOG because you are now paying the cost for your cadet.
Normally the cadets are encouraged to join the AOG by the time they graduate and their lifetime membership costs $850. Currently over 70% of USAFA grads join the AOG and must spend that $850 in a lump sum or with payments spread over time. NOW, if the parents select OPTION 2- they will be paying (in essence) NOW for their own lifetime membership and the lifetime membership for their Cadet( son/daughter) who is attending the academy. The reason I think that this is worth considering, is that it means that the parents will have actually paid (and thus gifted) to their sons and daughters their lifetime membership in the AOG. This means that this expense will not be incurred by our sons and daughters in the future because it will have been pre-paid by us on their behalf.
I hope that this will clarify the questions about the two options.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
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We got a lifetime membership for our cadet and continue to pay the class club membership. While many on these forums do not agree with the manner in which AOG spends the $$ donated, I prefer to think that the AOG has a 30,000 ft view on how to maximize their impact on the cadets and alumni. They have provided a window into our cadets lives that we would not have access to otherwise. The BCT photos were very helpful in understanding what our sons and daughters were enduring through the their first summer. Recognition, Commitment Dinner, and Ring Dance also received coverage. Webguy, to me, has been a true blessing.

In my opinion, giving to the AOG is similar to putting money into the offering plate at a church. Some give and some do not. It is a donation which is given without conditions. If I don't see a photo of my son from the commitment dinner because he had a duty to complete when his squad was being photographed, I will not complain to Webguy as the photos are simply value added from my donation. If you view the Webguy program as a service you're paying for, then I see your point. Choose to stop donating.

I am not a wealthy man (public school teacher in a single income home with 2 in college), but donating under $1700 to the AOG ($660 Lifetime membership for my son and 48 months @$20.15 per month for Class Club membership) over the course of 4 years has not been a hardship. Donate if you can and want to. Sign up for Class Club for June and March of C4C year and May of C2C year and you'll get a peek into your cadet's world for the best value.
 
Blackbird said:
DS is not a big proponent or supporter of the AOG and has clearly, and repeatedly, expressed that he does not want an AOG membership.
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I have heard this same sentiment from a few cadets. While their perspective may not have a 30,000 ft view on how the AOG spends their money, it does offer a first person view from a future USAFA grad. Perhaps another reason to wait until your cadet is ready to graduate from USAFA is to get their opinion of whether a lifetime membership is something they support instead of relying on hype and PR.
 
Appointees, be prepared for a couple more sales pitches for lifetime AOG memberships on I-Day and in basic...

Honestly, I'd recommend waiting to purchase a lifetime membership, but to each their own. Webguy access during basic is really good stuff, though.
 
aglages said:
instead of relying on hype and PR.
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I based my decision to donate upon my personal conversations with Don McCarthy (via phone and email) and Marty Marcolongo (in person). Again, I am not going to try and convince anyone to fork over their $$s if they don't believe in any non-profit organization. I agree that I am not (nor should I be) privy to what all cadets are thinking. I am equally unaware of the cadets' preferences on how the AOG money should be spent. However, I do know that the AOG sponsors several clubs that could not support themselves without AOG funding. I recommend that everyone does their own research to make up their mind regarding the AOG.

If your decision is based upon the quantity of Webguy photos from a particular event, I have no grounds to argue with you. You are 100% RIGHT. There was a 74% reduction in photos taken of Ring Dining Out this year from the previous year.
In BCT - 1 there was a 76% increase in photos taken from the previous year. In BCT -2 there was a 24% decrease in the number of photos taken from the previous year.
For Recognition there was a 76% increase in the number of photos taken from the previous year.
If you look at the classes after the class of 2015 you will see that the number of photos increase for the class of 2016 for BCT - 1, BCT - 2, and Recognition. The class of 2017 photos went down significantly from 2016 but were still higher than that of 2015.

There are many factor which impact the number of photos taken at each event. I don't think the photographers are keeping count of how many photos they took. They were simply attempting to cover the event with as many individual photos as possible. Apparently, they have even acknowledged the disparity of Ring Dining Out photos.

A note on Ring Dance and WebGuy coverage

Submitted by WebbingtonBear on May 27, 2014 - 2:54pm

The Webguy team works hard to cover as many cadets in every
possible event. We do not favor one squadron over the other and apologize if
there were squadrons missed as we thought that every squadron had been
covered. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and we will make
every effort to make sure to have more even coverage.

We do appreciate your membership to Class Club and continue
to strive to be your eyes and ears.
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Sign up for Webguy or not. Donate to the AOG or not. Just do it or not for the right reasons.
 
Dad said:
If you look at the classes after the class of 2015 you will see that the number of photos increase for the class of 2016 for BCT - 1, BCT - 2, and Recognition. The class of 2017 photos went down significantly from 2016 but were still higher than that of 2015.
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As a parent of a cadet in the class of 2015 I'm delighted that both the previous classes and later classes have seen more pictures. Hopefully that trend will continue despite the recent class of 2015 Ring Dance fiasco.
Dad said:
Apparently, they have even acknowledged the disparity of Ring Dining Out photos.
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Well... as long as WebGuy "acknowledges" the disparity then I almost feel better about all the payments I have made to WG since BCT ended.
Dad said:
Sign up for Webguy or not. Donate to the AOG or not. Just do it or not for the right reasons.
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Agreed! I'll add.....try to leave yourself some options to cancel or minimize your loss if you decide to cancel what you may have originally thought was a good idea.
 
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