Clearly technology has provided a new kind of club, to say the regular members of S-B.com arn't participating in a club would be absurd.
Given the diversity of the participants, the openess and the easy and non-threatening nature of the conversation, I'd even wager that an individual might get much more from an online "club" than a traditional one. Just don't expect a cuppa at 2am
I'm not saying the traditional club is dead, and this is the way of the future...but you know what I mean.
Back when I was on the Iowa State Karate team, you had to be a black belt to fight in some large competitions. If you weren't yet but were good enough to compete, Master Pak would simply make you one for the day. It really wasn't that big of a deal...
If the purpose of the event is to raise money, it makes no sense to exclude when there would be so many simple ways to allow ad-hoc clubs that are following a specified set of rules.
-spence