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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 133 responses total. |
steve
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response 100 of 133:
| 
Dec 25 03:29 UTC 1995 |
How so? They aren't around for very long, nor are they around r
that much.
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popcorn
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response 101 of 133:
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Dec 25 13:39 UTC 1995 |
Well, *everything* annoys sidhe, so it stands to reason that motd donation
ads would too.
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danr
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response 102 of 133:
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Dec 25 17:15 UTC 1995 |
I wonder if there have been any studies as to how effective the nags in
shareware are. That would give us some indication as to how effective the
motd messages might be.
What I think would be more effective is personal e-mail, and perhaps even a
telephone call, to folks who are our heaviest users.
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rlawson
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response 103 of 133:
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Dec 25 18:00 UTC 1995 |
Local telephone calls, of course. Some of our heaviest users are from New
Zealand, there are users from Turkiey <sp?> coming out of the woodwork
everyday, and so on and so forth. But the personal touch seems to be the wat
to do it.
My local Freenet is in very much the same situation Grex is in (except they
are just about to cancel Usenet News) and they have a good paragraph or two
when you log in about how they need funds. However, most of the people I know
only donate when the Freenet sends mail to their house. Maybe that's an idea
worth considering.
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scg
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response 104 of 133:
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Dec 26 04:33 UTC 1995 |
I'd object to phone calls urging people to be members. I, and most other
people I know, find those really annoying no matter what the cause.
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remmers
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response 105 of 133:
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Dec 26 13:57 UTC 1995 |
Same here.
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danr
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response 106 of 133:
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Dec 26 14:08 UTC 1995 |
Well, this would not be your typical telemarketing call.
Interesting what Robert had to say about his local freenet getting response
from a snail mailing. That's something that's worth a try, too.
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rlawson
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response 107 of 133:
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Dec 26 14:15 UTC 1995 |
Yeah... a well-written letter, throw in some figures, and we can afford
postage, can't we?
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chelsea
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response 108 of 133:
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Dec 26 15:07 UTC 1995 |
I don't donate in response to telemarketing calls.
When I get my first telephone call asking for money
for Grex I'll have made my last donation.
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popcorn
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response 109 of 133:
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Dec 26 15:39 UTC 1995 |
I agree with Mary.
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popcorn
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response 110 of 133:
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Dec 26 15:42 UTC 1995 |
Re 107: Dunno. 8000 users times 32 cents postage apiece (that doesn't
count how many users are outside the US and need higher postage) is $2,560
just for postage. Costs for printing, copying, envelopes, paper, would make
it even higher.
Hm. Maybe it would make sense to do a small test mailing to see what kind
of return Grex gets on the investment, to decide if a complete mass mailing
would be worth it.
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rlawson
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response 111 of 133:
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Dec 26 16:14 UTC 1995 |
Well, it would be foolish to write to all 8000 users. Take, let's say, our
top 50 non-member users. The total cost is $16 to send the mail and if only
half become members even for one month, you've made up the $16 and gotten a
little more. I doubt though that people will choose to become members for
one month, but for three months at least.
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danr
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response 112 of 133:
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Dec 26 18:49 UTC 1995 |
I was thinking of a letter to the top 50 - 100 users, too. I doubt anywhere
near half will be convinced to join, though. Usually, the figure is below 5%.
Do you know what kind of response the freenet gets, Robert?
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scg
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response 113 of 133:
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Dec 26 19:04 UTC 1995 |
While I think that might be a good idea, I wonder about what kind of
impression these people will get from it. I generally associate such mailings
with large organizations, rather than the little organizations on a
shoe-string budget like Grex.
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rlawson
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response 114 of 133:
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Dec 26 19:10 UTC 1995 |
Re #112: I just sent mail to the Freenet and am getting actual numbers for
you.
Re #113: But isn't it the "shoe-string budget" organizations that *need* the
money. I think this mail approach is one worth trying out, maybe with a sample
mailing as Valerie said at least.
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srw
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response 115 of 133:
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Dec 27 06:28 UTC 1995 |
I agree with Robert and Dan.
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rcurl
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response 116 of 133:
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Dec 27 06:44 UTC 1995 |
If I get a telephone solicitiaton, I immediately tell the called that I never
respond to telephone solicitations. However I do not go so far as saying
I would never donate - I say, if they want me to consider the proposal,
send it in writing. They almost never do, as they are not paid to do that.
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danr
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response 117 of 133:
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Dec 27 13:20 UTC 1995 |
The problem with most telephone solicitations is that they are scripted
stuff from telemarketers who are not even associated with the
organization for which they are raising money. If we would call folks,
it would be our members calling as "real people" to other real people.
I have no problem with this kind of approach. In fact, if I were to
get such a call from someone, I would probably donate, assuming that
I'm for whatever it is they are promoting.
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chelsea
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response 118 of 133:
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Dec 27 14:47 UTC 1995 |
If we ever get to the point where we need to do telephone solicitation,
even the friendly kind Dan's refering to, it would mean users are no
longer supporting Grex. I'd suspect there would be a real good reason for
this and I'd most likely not be willing to donate either. The status of
our bank account has a whole lot more to do with the type of system we run
than our skills at fundraising.
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popcorn
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response 119 of 133:
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Dec 27 15:16 UTC 1995 |
Re 117: I'd really dislike any kind of phone call, even from well-meaning
members. Big turn-off.
Re sending mail to the top 50 non-member users: They're all on-line a lot,
so maybe it would be easier and cheaper to just send them e-mail?
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rlawson
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response 120 of 133:
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Dec 27 16:00 UTC 1995 |
Re #119: Easier, yes... but somehow I don't think it'll be quite as effective.
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robh
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response 121 of 133:
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Dec 27 22:33 UTC 1995 |
I agree that paper mail would have more of an impact than e-mail.
Re 117-119: I wouldn't want a phone call asking for money,
even from an organization I wanted to support. (I've donated
money to PBS many times, but *never* when they called me.)
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popcorn
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response 122 of 133:
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Dec 27 22:51 UTC 1995 |
Dunno... a lot of my paper mail goes directly into the garbage, unopened.
At least I read my e-mail.
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danr
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response 123 of 133:
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Dec 27 23:39 UTC 1995 |
re #118: I disagree. Money does not just magically appear; even the
best businesses and non-profit organizations have to go out and get
it. We have not done this, and the lack of money has hindered us. I
think if we'd been less laid-back about fundraising, we would have a
faster machine with a better Internet connection by now.
And I also believe that the slow system has turned away prospective
members. It's a chicken-or-egg kinda thing.
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rlawson
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response 124 of 133:
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Dec 28 00:04 UTC 1995 |
Re #122: But would you throw away a letter clearly sent from Grex, a system
which you enjoy and use almost everyday, like our top 50 or 100 non-members?
I'd be just a bit curious to see what the letter had to say and I'm guessing
most everyone else would be, too.
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