🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Aug26.140651.5007@rayssd.ssd.ray.com>, m1b@rayssd.ssd.ray.com
(Barone) writes:
>> The core of the thinking of many folks on the membership fee issue is to use
>> it as a tool to identify which folks are members and which folks are
>consumers
>> One would have to view themselves as a member to pay the fee.
>
>	Why not use LUG membership as the tool?  Anyone interested enough
>to just a LUG must consider themselves members of DECUS.

Uh-uh. My nearest "local" user's group is 125 miles from here. That's about a 4
hour or more round trip. Of course, they meet in the evenings. I haven't been to
one in probably close to a year, good intentions notwithstanding. It's just
difficult to do. If they decide to clean up their mailing list, I'll certainly
be off it. 

I do occasionally make it to symposia, and I like to think that managing VMSnet
is a contribution. That makes me a member and consumer, If I'm understanding the
distinction properly. I'm sure I'm not the only person distant from a LUG (or
distant from a LUG that addresses areas of interest for that person, not all
LUGS cover all topics, I hear). LUG activity isn't a requirement to be involved
(i.e. a "member) of DECUS.

I don't personally have a problem with paying, I think my company would spring
for it. As far as paying to vote, as long as the elections basically are a
crapshoot, who would? I don't see voting as a major enticement to get people to
pay. I'm also not real sure people would pay for DECUScope. With the newsletters
gone, what else can you charge money for? If you are going to ask for money, you
are going to have to offer a tangible benefit that will make sense to the bean
counters, or _many_ people will have trouble paying for it, no matter how low
the cost, or how great the intangible benefits.

If this is just to make up a revenue shortfall, it'd probably be better to raise
prices on existing services. That's at least honest. If it is to generate new
revenue, what would that revenue be used for, and why can't those activities
generate revenue another way? If this is just to trim the mailing list, I think
it's a poor way to do it. An audit of some sort would be better. If the last
audit wasn't satisfactory (I'm guessing, since it wasn't used), that doesn't
invalidate the whole approach.
--
Terry Poot <tp@mccall.com>                   The McCall Pattern Company
(uucp: ...!rutgers!depot!mccall!tp)          615 McCall Road
(800)255-2762, in KS (913)776-4041           Manhattan, KS 66502, USA