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Grex > Coop8 > #64: Cyberspace Communications, Inc., finances through 4/30/96 |  |
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| 25 new of 134 responses total. |
beeswing
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response 25 of 134:
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May 19 17:33 UTC 1996 |
SInce I have gotten a job and got some $$$ for graduation, I plan to make a
contribution. I am also giving to the HUmane Society here, which is as poor
as dirt. I don't say this to be egotistical... just wanted you to know a check
is in the mail soon. May not be too huge, but we'll see what the checking
account can bear.
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adbarr
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response 26 of 134:
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May 19 18:47 UTC 1996 |
Re #23 - I agree, the goal is not to make Grex rich. The goal is to provide
the benefits of Grex to as many as possible? Or is it? More money equates
to the ability, if not the will, to expand services.
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srw
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response 27 of 134:
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May 19 18:57 UTC 1996 |
I was not talking about making grex rich, though, Just a little bit less poor.
I like the niche grex has as a mostly free system. I don't want to change our
whole position. I am brainstorming here for ways to raise money for Grex.
JCC is great, auctions are great, asking for donations when we give
practically nothing back is great, so what other options can we go to?
Well, we could very slightly increase the "nothing" we give back for those
donations.
Yes, whoever is using whatever we choose to start requiring membership for
will be annoyed. I don't like annoying people, but there are options.
We can give them a grace period, or a reduced rate.
Also, I would only want to consider some feature of the system that did not
materiallly contribute to the sense of community we have. Something that
people use in a more selfish way, and perhaps something that contributes to
degrading of system performance in some way.
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adbarr
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response 28 of 134:
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May 19 19:24 UTC 1996 |
The value of Grex, in my mind, is not the computers, modems, conferences,
cables, connectors, or wires. The culture, community, openess, and highly
developed technical skills here are valuable. Sell skills and caring. They
are a great combination.
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scott
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response 29 of 134:
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May 19 20:58 UTC 1996 |
I think I've mentioned it before, but party channels as a premium? Only
members can ask for party noises? Hmm....
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beeswing
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response 30 of 134:
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May 19 21:43 UTC 1996 |
I meant to ask... do I need to send a copy of my driver's license with my
check?
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draven
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response 31 of 134:
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May 19 22:40 UTC 1996 |
Not with a check (although you can). You need to send one with cash or
money orders.
Personal channels and noises are worth considering. I'd suggest games,
but I doubt you'd get much money from them.
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ajax
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response 32 of 134:
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May 19 23:24 UTC 1996 |
I think party channels or noises are pretty good picks, if we want to
add some membership-inducing limitation. Both seem quite non-essential,
and probably people who want vanity party channels are people who use
Grex a fair amount, so they're good people to encourage to become members.
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aruba
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response 33 of 134:
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May 20 02:13 UTC 1996 |
Re #30: draven is correct, beeswing, if you send a personal check that's
identification enough. THe address to send it to is in #0, or you can get it
by typing !support .
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popcorn
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response 34 of 134:
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May 20 03:37 UTC 1996 |
This response has been erased.
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janc
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response 35 of 134:
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May 20 13:38 UTC 1996 |
Allowing only members to have personalized party channels would be a good
idea.
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robh
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response 36 of 134:
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May 20 16:41 UTC 1996 |
I personally agree, but I dread trying to explain that to
everyone in party.
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janc
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response 37 of 134:
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May 20 20:13 UTC 1996 |
You announce that on such-and-such a date all personal channels held by
non-members are going away. Some people will scream, but few of them will
be members.
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carson
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response 38 of 134:
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May 20 23:25 UTC 1996 |
(ooh wee! do I get to help with damage control?) =)
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selena
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response 39 of 134:
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May 21 03:44 UTC 1996 |
EXCUSE ME!
NOW I Have to fucking VALIDATE to keep a private channel in PARTY?
I have money. Donations are easy. I WILL NOT VALIDATE,.
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srw
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response 40 of 134:
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May 21 04:46 UTC 1996 |
Well, we could create a special non-validated member status.
We could take her money (which would be a good thing, because it would allow
Grex to accept her offer to support us) and this would entitle her to keep her
private party channel (but not vote, nor telnet out, because those really do
require validation for reasons long hashed over).
No Selena, the point of this brainstorm is not to hassle you, but to find a
way to encourage more people to support Grex. I really don't want your
validation concerns to be a sticking point here, as we experiment with these
ideas.
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rcurl
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response 41 of 134:
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May 21 05:12 UTC 1996 |
....we don't beg nearly enough.... There are lots of things that can be
done, but they all involve compromises. Giving members additional
privileges violates the egalitarian premise of Grex. Begging more,
spreads the unevenness around, bothering everyone a little rather than
non-members more. So, to stick to the principle...beg more.
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scg
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response 42 of 134:
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May 21 06:02 UTC 1996 |
I'd like to see us beg more too. I still don't get the feeling that a lot
of people here really realize how we're supported, and I think the more we
start charging for specific things the less we will be seen as a good cause
for somebody who doesn't awnt those things to make a donation to.
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danr
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response 43 of 134:
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May 21 11:31 UTC 1996 |
Even though it is begging, I'd prefer to call it "soliciting for
funds." :) The problem with soliciting is that most Grexers are not
comfortable doing it, and it takes a lot of time to do.
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aruba
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response 44 of 134:
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May 21 12:14 UTC 1996 |
Well, this comes back to our decision to nominate a "membership chair". We
really ought to do that.
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rcurl
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response 45 of 134:
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May 21 16:31 UTC 1996 |
Does the CDA permit "soliciting"?
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kerouac
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response 46 of 134:
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May 21 19:14 UTC 1996 |
I've said this in the past, but outbound email should be a member perk.
Participation in conferencing, usenet (if it is ever re-established here),
file maintenance, all of that should be free and open. But there are too
many who come here just for email, when they already have other email boxes.
If the folks in India who doubtless have email and net access, are coming to
grex because they can get an american email address, this is something they
can pay for.
Membership would go way up if the ability to send email outside of grex was
a perk. It is only a matter of time before grex's free email policy consumes
this board. All it would take is for someone in India or Australia to put
grex on a list of free, anonymous email sites and this place will be flooded.
I think sooner or later the Board is going to have to realize that grex isnt
capable of being a worldwide free email service. People who use grex for
nothing but email are giving nothing back to this board and are simply using it
The percentage of those who bother to use conferencing after they 've used
email for a while is doubtlessly small enough that it isnt worth a totally
open policy.
Any user should be able to send and receive email from anyone else on grex,
but the ability to send and receive email off of the system is surely worth
$6 a month. I'd also make !talking to anyone at a site other than grex a
perk.
Free email is a great community service, but 99% of those who telnet in already
have email addresses and there are plenty of places to get them cheaply these
days. It is time the board realized that the drain caused by processing
tons of free e-mail is choking grex. It should be a perk. (but not a
validated perk, because people should be able to have anonymous email addresses
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freida
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response 47 of 134:
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May 21 22:09 UTC 1996 |
I've said all along that those of us who telnet in already have email.
Personally, the only reason I come to grex is for the freindships and the
bbsing. That would be the only reason I can see for me to support grex...and
while I am not a member, I have donated substantially to those things which
I can. I will become a member when I am financially able.
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srw
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response 48 of 134:
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May 22 05:24 UTC 1996 |
Not everyone who telnets in already has email. Plenty do not, and as Richard
suggests, they come to Grex for e-mail. They do this from all over the world,
and this is unfortunate, because it is hard on our most fragile and smallest
resource, the link bandwidth.
OTOH, we want free e-mail for folks who are not telnetting in, and I don't
think we'll be able to agree to restrictions for telnetters that don't apply
to local dialers. But maybe.
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albaugh
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response 49 of 134:
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May 22 05:44 UTC 1996 |
Another possibility is the "obnoxious" factor. In this scheme the non-member
is nagged with a "please join grex and get rid of this nag" message every
time he goes to run something he values, such as reading mail. Make it
painful enough to be worth joining, but not actually preventing use...
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