Email Archive 37

Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 21:58:24 -0800

From: Mike

Subject: Email-list

BT friends,

Obviously the list is having some technical difficulties. I feel strongly

that the BT list should have a digest option and be housed on a reliable

server. I don't really care WHO'S server it's on or WHO manages it, so long

as it is reliable and managed sensitively and responsibly.

One thing I do NOT want is to "split" the list. I have not taken any steps

to unilaterally create an alternate BT list because a) I haven't heard

directly from Davie (who I'm sure is working his butt off right now) and b)

I haven't heard from that many of you folks about how you want to handle

this situation.

(Thanks to those who contacted me but in the future, please "Cc" to the

whole group. [If you don't want to be in on this discussion, respond to

the group asking to be removed from the Cc: field]).

I feel I should point out that so far those of us on the BT list have

enjoyed something at Davie's expense. On the web it is very easy to feel

that things like the BT list are "free". Well, that's never exactly

accurate. Everything costs someone something. Davie puts many hours of time

and trouble into the web site, the list, and a host of other projects all

geared to enhance our continued enjoyment of BT. Of course he'd like to

make some money off this somehow -- and I think he should -- but I doubt he

has made any so far. He's probably putting his own money into this, not to

mention his time which is worth a lot. So far it has been a labor of love.

If we move the list to a commercial server, however, SOMEONE will have to

pay for it -- they won't do it for love. The volume of mail generated by

the list is fairly high. (Anyone want to hazard a guess? I saved this past

week's posts and they total 650K.) This means band width and WORK for the

machine and program handling it. All this means $ or £ in hardware, web

access, software, programming and maintenance time, etc. etc. etc.

So far Davie has heroically carried this burden all by himself! And thus we

all owe him an enormous THANK YOU for having made the BT list possible.

The question is, what are we going to do now?? We have something here.

Davie has provided the opportunity but WE have made it happen through our

participation. We've found something of value here not only as fans of a

film but as people learning from and sharing with one another. Hey, it

doesn't get much better than this, in my opinion.

As I said, if we were to set up the list on my ISP's server, I could foot

the bill to get it started, but there would come a point where I would no

longer be able or willing to do that. I'd have to post to the list asking

for donations to cover the costs. If there wasn't sufficient support from

the BT list community to continue it, the BT list would then die.

Although he hasn't said so directly, I believe this is Davie's worst fear

and the primary reason he is trying to find alternatives (such as the

news-group) to putting the list up on a commercial server.

Sirius.com (http://www.sirius.com/lists/services/), for example, charges a

flat rate of $5 per list per month, as long as the list remains below the

volume threshold of 100 megabytes a month. The Digest option counts as a

second list which costs an additional $5 per month -- $120 a year total.

Lists are billed $20 a month for each month in which they go over the 100

megabyte threshold. Since the Digest option is a second list, that would

cost an additional $20 per month. "List volume is calculated by multiplying

the number of subscribers by the size of the messages that go to the list.

For example, a 1 kilobyte message sent to a list with 50 subscribers

multiplies to a volume of 50 kilobytes of mail generated."

Someone help me with the math here. If the list generates 650K a week PER

SUBSCRIBER (more or less) what does that work out to per month with 50,

100, 200 subscribers? Will the BT list go over the 100 megabyte per month

threshold?

Is there sufficient interest here to actually PAY for this service we are

using?? I would be willing to chip in $5 a month for one year (in advance)

to see this list keep operating. If there are eight other people willing to

make this commitment we at least know that putting the BT list on a

commercial server is an option even at high vollume. Without this

committment, it is risky.

Even so, however, out of respect for Davie and because I do not want to

split the list by having some of us subscribed to one while others are

subscribed to another, I would not advise anyone proceeding without Davie's

support and guidance in this matter.

How say you Davie??? Everyone????

Thanks for your time and attention.

Mike

Email Archive Page 37