Thanks for the update. Does that mean for couples that each need their own membership?

@wammt that's a good question and I don't have a firm answer about that as that isn't my call to make.

From a technical standpoint, my initial thought is that yes, you would because it's the purchase of the membership online that triggers the barcode delivery (your membership card) and puts you in the database.

And since the club is moving to no anonymous members, that would be the only way to do it from a technical standpoint.

However, I have to be very clear that this is not my decision to make so this is only speculation at this point.

Thanks for the quick reply. I expected this, but I am sure the question will come up at some time in the future again.

I would say that it makes more sense having the identification for each individual and not couples.  What if only one half of the couple comes out, how does one differentiate between the two.

I agree; however there are various lifestyle groups that have couples' memberships. I asked to avoid confusion.

You are right about one thing, a lot of us are not "tech savvy" and I am definitely one of them.

And what about the "casual" customer who just turns up after a long journey expecting entrance, only to be denied, and what about the regulars that don't happen to read this site and will also be denied entrance?

We seem to live in a society where businesses constantly change their format/requirements......and for what it's worth, (not a lot I am sure as the decision has already been made) I think this might be a very good idea.......to lose customers.

Privacy and anonymity when visiting steamworks (strangely enough as it appears I am bucking the trend)is important to me.   

What next, you want photo ID?  Ask to see something like a driving licence to prove who I am?   No thanks.

For the best part of 30 years I have frequented Georgia Baths, Down Under, and Steamworks without this proposition, so I think I will be giving this a miss.

If I didn't know better (which I do) I may think this is a scam just to get hold of people's personal contact details.   I don't think it is, but just saying.  Either way, as I see the word "purchase" is used,  why should I pay for the privilege of giving my personal contact details to a company, especially one that I am protective about others knowing I use their services? 

I am not looking for a response as the decision is already made, but this is customer # 1 that Steamworks has lost.    When one thinks of the business that Steamworks is in, it is almost laughable that this idea would even be considered.......especially on the background of only a short time ago we were being told that steamworks was on the verge of shutting down!!!!

Thanks so much for the info 😀 that was well written 

Everything you're doing is so appreciated 

Will advance notice of the activation date be posted so that gay patrons who wish to continue to protect their privacy and personal information can visit 1 last time before before these electronic payment and surveillance systems are in place?

Thanks!

@ktrouble in the meantime do not go there by yourself and always go in pairs or planned meets I would suggest and stay the fuck away especially from the maze of sauna room when your by yourself. Learned that lesson already haha! Also I messaged you on kik and I hope you reply I would live to chat with you ktrouble!😁

@smoothbttm In regards to casual customers or regulars that show up without a membership, they can purchase one using their phone right from the entrance using the free Wi-Fi. The system will work almost instantly. Within a minute or two they would have their barcode and be in the system. There is also a transition period being planned so for a time, someone won't be denied entry. There will be more to come on this later. 

Privacy/anonymity and security is a sliding scale. The more private and anonymous it is, the less safe the environment can be. So while we all certainly respect everyone's desire to be discreet and private (myself included - no face pics for me), we simply can't assure the highest levels of safety for patrons if people can enter the club anonymously and there's no recourse if they misbehave. Providing a safe environment for patrons isn't a laughable matter, it's very serious and why the move is being made.

Change is hard. And we recognize for some people, this isn't going to work for them. But for many others, this is what's needed to provide an environment where they feel safe and comfortable. We believe that making these changes is going to deter the people who will break the rules and cause trouble out of the club. And as a result that will draw in more good people who want to feel safe and can have a good time.

@ktrouble You offered some good suggestions and we've forwarded the suggestions made by others over to the management team as well. I'm sure they will announce their plan. I am not part of the management team so unfortunately I don't know their plan and can't comment. I can only comment on the areas that I help in. I'm sorry I don't have a better response for you.

@fundawg While we certainly hope you will continue to come and enjoy SteamWorks, there will be advanced notice given, yes. What's being discussed is having a transition period between moving from the current check-in process to the Membership check-in process allowing people time to adjust and get their membership. 

@heavy-metal-666 thank you for the comments and I'm sorry to hear about your incident. This is exactly the type of thing we want to stop from happening. You're exactly right. We all want to be private and discreet. But those people who can't exercise restraint or get consent will know now that they are on record visiting and if an incident were to happen, they would be easily identified, banned, and the situation could be escalated if needed. That's what we feel will deter these types of people from coming to the club. And that will lead to a safer environment which will attract more good people. 

@AdventurousStag

Thank you for your reply.

I look forward to the implementation timeline being published.

A transition period would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Posted by: @adventurousstag

↑

There have been several questions about the coming Membership system. I wanted to provide some transparency about what the program will entail and what the current status is since to the community, there isn't anything visible yet.

In theory, creating a digital check-in/membership system is simple. You have an ID stored in a computer. You check that ID when people want to enter the club.

But in practice, making it work is complex. So in this post, I'm going to break it down so people who care to know more can see what we're doing.

First of all, let's talk about how it's going to work.

How will it work?

Patrons will purchase a membership and will be emailed a barcode or QR code that is their "membership card". When you arrive at SteamWorks, you will have your code scanned. That will alert the attendant if your membership is active, expired, or banned.

Memberships will only be available for purchase online. We're using a secure shopping cart so it's no different than making a purchase off of Amazon. Discounts will be available depending on how long of a membership you wish to purchase. 

Next, let's talk about the challenges we're working through.

Challenges

1. There isn't an out-of-the-box system available. Nobody makes a Membership and Check-In system for Adult Clubs that we can implement over a weekend. So that means a custom system has to be built.

2. Many software providers won't work with the adult industry. We learned this in an earlier phase of the project when we had a couple of accounts cancelled shortly after we opened them. In short, some companies simply won't support this industry.

3. Maintaining an acceptable balance between privacy and security. While not everyone is open about their participation in the lifestyle and values discretion, we also need to ensure the safety of all patrons. The only way to ensure that banning is enforced or that a situation can be escalated when required is by not allowing anonymous members into the club.

4. The system has to be easy to use. For both attendants and patrons. Many people aren't tech-savvy and that's okay, we just need a system that makes the process easy for everyone.

Tech Stuff (How It Works) 

Most people won't be interested in this section and that's okay. But for those of you who are curious about what is involved in building the membership system, this is your high-level overview.

First, there are a number of separate systems at work here:

• eCommerce store - to sell the memberships securely online
• Central secure database - to store member information, transactions, and current membership status
• Barcode system - so members have a discreet "membership card" to get access into the club
• Code scanner system - so attendants can scan the member's code and retrieve the member status

So you go to the online store and you purchase your membership. The system has to log that transaction along with who purchased into the central database.

Then it has to send you a barcode or QR code. That code also needs to get stored in the central database.

Then that database needs to connect to the code scanner app. That way when the code gets scanned, it goes and retrieves the record to check the member's status. 

The challenge is making all of these systems communicate together. With a typical out-of-the-box system, all these are designed to work together. But since there isn't one available, we need to build it and program it.

This is why it's not so simple to just "roll out a membership system" for the club.

Where We're At Right Now

As of today, everything has been scoped out and the different systems have all been acquired.

The eCommerce system for selling memberships has been set up and tested and is ready to go.

We're working on the barcode delivery system and the programming to connect that to the central database.

Once that's complete, we'll be working on connecting the scanner software so it can retrieve the records from the database and deliver a status.

Because this is complex technical work, we don't have a firm completion date. There are some unknowns involved and issues arise as we work through it. We've established a goal with Jim and we're working hard to have it completed on time. 

Once we get closer to having it completed, an announcement will be made to the community so everyone has notice. 

That's the update for right now. I will add to the post as we make more progress in an effort to remain transparent about the work being done to implement this.

 

Whilst holding IDs may seem like a good idea. Or defeats the purpose of the membership system to weed out all the unwanted people.