[Boatanchors] Re: QTH NET raffle

[Duane Fischer, W8DBF]

Pete, 	
	
Excellent suggestions. All of which I am sure that Al has considered.	
	
The problem may be, he is retired, and wants to remain that way. He needs to
find a way to have a life and still fund QTH.NET/QSL.NET somehow. He needs to
find a midpoint that lets him do both. No easy task!	
	
Al would like to keep the operation on a subscriber funded level, rather than
end up with a full time business. His real goal at the outset, and still today,
is to benefit the hobby. The key word here is "hobby", which Al wants to keep
the focus on.	
	
If the people having a web site on QSL.NET each paid a small annual fee, just
once, not monthly, it should generate a solid financial base for the operation.
Looking at the number of web sites, a fee of $5 per year would do the job with
ease and headroom to spare. However, if it was that easy, I am sure that Al
would have simply done so long ago. I am confident there are a lot of
complications that enter into the operation that the rest of us do not know
about.	
	
I get the sense talking with Al, that he is torn between the hobby that he loves
and the reality that it has gotten so huge that his original plans of subscriber
donations to help fund it are falling way short of the mark. Somewhere, somehow,
people have gotten the idea that the "internet is free". Perhaps the "Internet"
is free, but using it is not!	
	
Perhaps if enough of those who have QSL.NET web sites wrote to Al and told him
they would not be opposed to a small annual fee for their web site, he would be
at least given some food for thought.	
	
Pete is right. A better way needs to be found to keep the system in the black
for not just today, but years to come.	
	
Just my two cents worth, please keep the change.	
	
Duane Fischer, W8DBF	


----------
From: peter markavage <manualman at juno.com>
To: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Re: QTH NET raffle
Date: Saturday, December 04, 2004 8:52 PM

Personally, I think Al should charge a yearly subscription fee to use and
view the E-mail Reflectors. One fee gets you access to all the
reflectors. Second, all sites hosted by Al should be charged a monthly or
bimonthly fee. No more free rides. Having a fund drive is good, to perk
up an existing revenue stream, but it sounds like AL's existing revenue
stream is poor to almost nonexistent. Three, hang banner ads on the tail
of every e-mail. Very good source of consistent revenue. Peaks and
valleys of revenue generation makes it very difficult to manage his
growing operation.

Pete, wa2cwa
ps I would trade a BC-610 any day of the week for a 756PRO III


On Sat, 4 Dec 2004 08:56:19 -0800 (PST) "J.D. Mac Aulay, WQ8U"
<jmac6235 at yahoo.com> writes:
> This is a very difficult and delicate issue so I will
> try to address it simply.  The donation of an
> IC756PRO3 for the fund raising activity to help the
> QTH NET is very generous and the activity is certainly
> meritorius so both are to be applauded.  
> 
> However, this is the "BOATANCHOR" board. The IC756
> appears to me to be the antithesis of a Boatanchor. 
> It is like offering Tofu to a carnivore.  I would be
> much more excited and motivated if the prize was a
> Johnson Desk KW or BC-610 or similar classic
> Boatanchor.
> 
> While the option is available to take cash in place of
> the rice box rig, that reduces the incentive to a much
> more mundane and generic level.  When it is reduced to
> a monitary prize, the issue of number of chances
> becomes more important because it is now a statistical
> analysis and risk decision, not an exciting 
> emotionally driven impulse decision.  Not that I would
> turn down $2,500 but is not the same as a classic
> Boatanchor.  A check does not glow in the dark - even
> though it is believed by some that money will burn a
> hole in your pocket!
> 
> That's my $0.02 worth - or is it $15.00 worth?
> 
> Mac
> WQ8U
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