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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 133 responses total. |
rcurl
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response 25 of 133:
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Nov 1 08:30 UTC 1995 |
I support the idea of regularly encouraging donations in support of Grex
appearing in the motd. The thing to do is appoint someone to get it
going, and it will evolve over time to the most acceptable form.
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ajax
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response 26 of 133:
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Nov 2 00:04 UTC 1995 |
I'll volunteer for a while, but I'm more inclined to use Mark's idea
(#17), using a variant of the "happy birthday wisher" to automatically
change messages on a scheduled basis. In fact, we could just put the
messages in the birthday.list file (having them repeat each year), but
I think birthday messages get centered. If the routine to add or not
add a message each day checked the motd size, it could also avoid
adding one when the motd is already bloated.
If doing this by hand, how about showing a plug from the 1st-4th and
15th-18th of each month? Also, where should the message go relative to
other messages (top, bottom, wherever)? If it's done by editing the
actual /etc/motd file, I think it's limited to after the ICNet plug,
and before the "happy birthdays."
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popcorn
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response 27 of 133:
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Nov 2 15:53 UTC 1995 |
Ok, I've added you to group "motd", so you can now edit it.
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sidhe
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response 28 of 133:
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Nov 2 16:19 UTC 1995 |
Question- don't partiers see the login motd, as well? I mean, I
fully encourage partier-members, but is it fair to have them read it
twice, while the rest of us only once?
.,
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rcurl
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response 29 of 133:
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Nov 2 20:04 UTC 1995 |
Partiers need it more... 8-}.
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lilmo
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response 30 of 133:
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Nov 3 03:29 UTC 1995 |
Or maybe 2 days on, 6 off, so keep it rotating through the week, and at 25%
exposure time... :-)
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ajax
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response 31 of 133:
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Nov 3 08:13 UTC 1995 |
Hm, well, I put in a plug. Had to remove "and" from Mark's suggested
slogan, in order to fit my initials. Would it be okay to skip my initials,
and people can just assume unattributed membership plugs came from me?
" -ra" is 5% of a one-line advertisement! Btw, I'll target 25% exposure.
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popcorn
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response 32 of 133:
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Nov 3 13:38 UTC 1995 |
Sounds fine to me!
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scott
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response 33 of 133:
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Nov 3 17:10 UTC 1995 |
Hey, how about an "NPR" style fundrasier? We could create a cron job, running
as root to prevent people from using "mesg n", that periodically writes to
everyone's screen saying "Who supports Grex?..."
<scott ducks>
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davel
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response 34 of 133:
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Nov 3 17:37 UTC 1995 |
No, no, we just set aside two weeks, twice a year, when we do non-stop
fundraising. We have people post fundraising requests in every active
item in all conference (after every 2 or 3 responses, say); people in
party acting similarly. We only have to actually write those who just
sit at a shell prompt.
OTOH, Scott's right that it would be a lot easier to implement this
as a cron job ... less volunteer time needed ...
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chelsea
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response 35 of 133:
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Nov 4 13:21 UTC 1995 |
Nah, just go for it. Guests get up to an hour a day per login,
read only access. If you pay you play.
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chelsea
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response 36 of 133:
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Nov 4 14:04 UTC 1995 |
(chelsea doesn't duck here but rather stands up tall and hopes
this discussion turns to one of setting priorities. What is
it we really don't want to jeopardize or change about Grex?
How badly do we need money? What is the lightest touch we
could take and wouldn't that be the way to go?)
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srw
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response 37 of 133:
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Nov 4 18:10 UTC 1995 |
33 and 34 were toungue-in-cheek. Is 35? I will assume so.
I'd like to rewind back to #32. I support this request for money.
Is #36 suggesting that we are better off not asking for money.
That's how I read it. I disagree with that, but I don't know if I read it
right.
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janc
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response 38 of 133:
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Nov 4 20:34 UTC 1995 |
I like the funding request thing. It doesn't annoy me half as much as that
"We don't have Usenet thing" Doesn't that belong in the moty file by now?
Someday I'm going to write a bitter tool for displaying messages.
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ajax
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response 39 of 133:
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Nov 4 20:42 UTC 1995 |
(Re 37, I read it as ask for money but with the "lightest touch," which
I think we're doing.)
I think a better approximation of NPR fund-raising would be to put
any kind of content on hold, in favor of non-stop fund-raising messages.
> CONNECT 9600
>
> Grex is the Breakfast Food of Champs
>
> grex login: ajax
> ajax's Password:
>
> Give money to Grex. All our funding comes from users like you. We're
> looking to raise X dollars. Think of all the wonderful conferences you
> read. Now is a great time to give us money. New membership from Ann
> Arbor, says "love party, and can't get enough mail." That's just the sort
> of system we are. Just pennies a day. Times are hard. Your money goes
> for wonderful lines like ttyha. And rent isn't free you know. Give mo...
... [and so on, for two weeks solid, or until you hang up]
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chelsea
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response 40 of 133:
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Nov 4 21:58 UTC 1995 |
Ajax reads better than srw. ;-)
Users should be aware of how we are funded and know how to get money to
the organization should they care to donate. But they shouldn't be
badgered, harassed, or made to feel they are less important to the Grex
community if they don't send in a check.
I'd rather see Grex improve very slowly and be forced to stay within an
agonizingly tight budget rather than institute fundraising pleas
which break though a depermitted mesg, scroll by requiring a response
before allowing further activity, arrive in U.S. mail, or which promise
additional perks and further classify members from users.
Educate and state your case clearly and infrequently. Then trust
the users to do what's right.
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robh
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response 41 of 133:
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Nov 4 22:08 UTC 1995 |
Re 38 - Tell ya what, janc, I'll take out the line about
Usenet if you promise to handle every single help request
we get for the subsequent three days. After about twenty
"Hey, I can't get Usenet to work, and I know you have it
because it's not in the motd any more" messages, you'll
be putting it back in there yourself. >8)
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scott
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response 42 of 133:
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Nov 4 23:09 UTC 1995 |
For the record, just in case, my suggestion of cron job to do writes *was*
strictly tongue-in-cheek
<phones ring in the background as scott interrupts the broadcast to ask...>
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davel
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response 43 of 133:
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Nov 4 23:35 UTC 1995 |
Does this mean I need to add that my suggestion following that was also?
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lilmo
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response 44 of 133:
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Nov 5 01:50 UTC 1995 |
No, but better safe than sorry... :-)
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janc
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response 45 of 133:
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Nov 5 03:21 UTC 1995 |
Re #41: I already handle help requests from loads of people who want to know
why they can't telnet, lynx, ftp, etc. I can handle a few more. Let's link
"rn" and "trn" to a script that says "Netnews is not available on Grex...
blah...blah...blah...". Nothing belongs in the motd for a year, and while
it's good that Grex holds on to it's traditions, I think we can live without
this one. How about we take it out for a week and see how many people miss
it?
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ajax
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response 46 of 133:
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Nov 5 06:39 UTC 1995 |
Not being the recipient of "gee it must be back, how do I use it?"
messages, I wouldn't mind seeing the Usenet motd message go, but those
who do get the messages should decide. :-)
If JanC's idea is too radical, perhaps it could be gradually phased
out into oblivion....
>Grex does not currently offer Usenet News. See Winter item 96 for details.
>Yes, we have no Usenet, we have no Usenet today. Type !usenet for info.
>Grex does not offer Usenet News. Type !usenet for details.
>No Usenet News here. Type !usenet for info.
>No Usenet, pas d'Usenet.
><*>
Alternatively, we could just change the login slogan:
"Grex, the Usenet-free Breakfast Food of Champs."
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remmers
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response 47 of 133:
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Nov 5 10:14 UTC 1995 |
"How come I can't get usenet to work? The login message
said it was free!"
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chelsea
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response 48 of 133:
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Nov 5 12:43 UTC 1995 |
During the few days a month when there is a pledge message in
the MOTD it might be a good idea to have *nothing* else in
the MOTD. No walk info. No library sale info. No notice
the end of the world is at hand. Just an eye-grabbing, succinct
statement related to how our finances are all based on user
donations.
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scott
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response 49 of 133:
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Nov 5 13:10 UTC 1995 |
I liked:
Grex does not offer Usenet news. Type !usenet for details.
We are going to have to do something like this when winter Agora is created.
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