Just seen BHT's response.
If the Skype idea works, then this has the potential to dramatically INCREASE membership numbers. Why sit at home when you can come to a drafty church hall and see international turners direct from their workshops to your club?
There are plenty of other sources where you can sit and watch a presenter without any interaction - see the reams of videos on YouTube, for example. The key idea to embracing new tech is to provide interaction, which is what all clubs thrive on with their demonstrators -well, at least some of them, others can't be bothered to raise their voice or speak to the audience (no names, no pack drill).
The concept is simple: we have a turner we would like to have at the club, he lives 250 miles away therefore mileage costs are excessive. Answer: use skype so demonstrator comes to us direct from his workshop. No mileage, same/possibly higher fee (depending on circumstances) Result: everyone happy.
I will be taking my laptop to our club this coming Wednesday to check the wifi connection so if you are on ustream or on skype, you may get a call from me sometime after 8pm!
David
PS if BHT gets Skype up on his computer, happy to have a conversation with him from my workshop