ANST - the information revolution ...

nolen dale fairborn at swbell.net
Wed Apr 28 20:32:43 PDT 1999


Wolf Richard Fairborn Here I would like to address a few of your
comments in your response To Hillary posting:
Hillary Wrote:
> > From what I understand, the membership funds are broken down primarily,
> > into subscriptions, general corporate expenses and maintenance (mostly in
> > Milpitis) and Corporate insurance.  With free access to the information
> > via internet, you replace the BlackStar, what's to make anyone want to pay
> > a membership fee, if they can attend any event without being a member.
> Wolf responded:
> and this differs from the current model where many choose not to be "members"
> and get their information second hand???
> If people choose not to pay for a membership then they get exactly what they pay for in the information area. Buying a membership helps our kingdom and others from the stipend of the Blackstar to the insurance we have at every event and countless others.
Look at it this way if you are willing to subscribe to an internet
service, shouldn't you be able to afford a one time fee that will last
for over a year. I guess I also see buying a membership as a way of
helping the Sca in general in funding for the ti, sca insurance. stipend
for my kingdom newsletter and other's, I help in the population count of
my local group all this for the price of a sustaining membership. Call
me antiquated, I really enjoy reading from the printed page instead of a
electrically charged picture tube all the time. 
> why not divorce the newsletters from manditory support, put them on a
> subscription basis, and give people the option of subscribing to them or not
> ... i like TI, but feel it would do fine as a subscription periodical, one that
> i would subscribe as it's useful to me ... but i have no use for the BS (g).
> all in all, it's not a very interesting periodical and most of the information
> i need i get online already.
I guess I am missing something. Don't we already have this option by
bying a an associate membership? As for the Ti I enjoy the articles,
artwork and even the adds for merchants it is very nice to have a known
world magazine in which information can be seen by all.  Of course you
have to be willing to pay to get this information. Thnaks to the variety
of the Ti I have learned and gained some new interests. Do you really
think that if you could get everything online most people would
subscribe to a magazine. I belive most would not. Although I would hope
otherwise.
> those that want / need it could subscribe, production could be scaled back to
> cope with the necessary subscriptions without hurting it's primary focus as a
> informational newsletter
If you scale back from say 10,000 to 1,000 do you not believe this would
hurt the content and price of the subscription. just an exmaple.
> 
> ya know, if you break these things out and let the people decide what levels
> they want and can drop their net cost for membership, you might see a marked
> increase from those that find cost a issue (which are actually few ... most
> choose not to join for other reasons) in those that choose activate membership,
> but not take TI or the BS ( ... someone's gonna jump me for that soon ... ++g)
> I guess again I am missing something. Don't we already have this and we still have a membership problem.
> i seriously doubt that those who are already members will stop their
> memberships because the information is in a more useful and immediate form ...
> for teh most part, it already is.  would be nice to have the option to opt out
> of something that is redundant in our lives though (BS) ... consider the trees
> we will save and all those evil electrons that will die !!!! (g)
> I love trees, I love books. I really like my newsletter that fits inside my briefcase.
You are right I think that hardcore members would not stop paying their
memberships, but what about the future?



Putting erverything onto an online resource has its advantages and
disadvantages. Speed and avalibility as long as you have the power no
problem. But printed word on paper will last through power outages,
rainstorms, and extreme's of heat and cold. Don't get me wrong the
computer is a wonderful tool. but putting everything online would make
the SCA even more impersonal and its the people and the personal I enjoy
the most.

Just for the record on the server topic. I was the first one to offer
money for the server, before they passed the hat at the red tape
meeting.

Just my opinion:)

Richard Fairbourne
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