Re: MI Free Riders versus What is an Ad?
We also use MI very little, in a support role for AutoCAD, and John, you know what I am talking about, our company probably would not be interested in even paying for a subscription. I use this help and try to help when I can. Ads OK with me if they are placed at the bottom next to subscribe - unsubscribe. I always go to the links provided if only to look. Those who don't want the ads, just pay no attention to them at the bottom of the page. Thanks Mark, good suggestion. Marc Plato Mark Knudsen wrote: - Original Message - From: "Mark Knudsen" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "MapInfo List (E-mail)" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2000 9:37 PM Subject: RE: MI Free Riders versus What is an Ad? There are lost of companies put there which would benefit from advertising on the list - but keep it low key and elite (i.e. higher cost for few ads rather than low cost for lots of ads). The monthly sponsor with a short note as a footer (in addition to the unsubscription info) listing a few lines of product info and then contact info including a web address would be my preferred model combined with an announcement at the start of the month . All listers would see the add over the month and lots would probably use the contact info or visit a web address. The only problem here would then be: what about the other AD: type posts? - they would be getting the same sort of service for free, although once only. Legitimate ads provide valuable info, the rest simply get deleted in my case. Maybe we need two related lists - an MI advertising/product list and a technical list. In my case I work for a firm that is not GIS related at all. MapInfo is a minor tool we use in furthering the common good (OK, OK making money) in a fairly small local transport planning market, so advertising on the list would be of negligible value to us. We currently don't do any MapInfo development work so my interest in the list is mainly just keeping a watching brief and responding occasionally where I can offer some advice. Sometimes a reference to a MapBasic tool sparks some interest. However, I doubt the company would pay to belong to the list. My 2 cents Australian worth (at current exchange rates, that's not worth very much so treat my views the same way of you like!). Regards Mark Knudsen ___ Veitch Lister Consulting Pty Ltd Suite 14, 663 Victoria Street Phone: +61 3 9427 7400 ABBOTSFORD VIC 3067 Fax: +61 3 9427 0481 AUSTRALIA email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ -- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: MI Free Riders versus What is an Ad?
There are lost of companies put there which would benefit from advertising on the list - but keep it low key and elite (i.e. higher cost for few ads rather than low cost for lots of ads). The monthly sponsor with a short note as a footer (in addition to the unsubscription info) listing a few lines of product info and then contact info including a web address would be my preferred model combined with an announcement at the start of the month . All listers would see the add over the month and lots would probably use the contact info or visit a web address. The only problem here would then be: what about the other AD: type posts? - they would be getting the same sort of service for free, although once only. Legitimate ads provide valuable info, the rest simply get deleted in my case. Maybe we need two related lists - an MI advertising/product list and a technical list. In my case I work for a firm that is not GIS related at all. MapInfo is a minor tool we use in furthering the common good (OK, OK making money) in a fairly small local transport planning market, so advertising on the list would be of negligible value to us. We currently don't do any MapInfo development work so my interest in the list is mainly just keeping a watching brief and responding occasionally where I can offer some advice. Sometimes a reference to a MapBasic tool sparks some interest. However, I doubt the company would pay to belong to the list. My 2 cents Australian worth (at current exchange rates, that's not worth very much so treat my views the same way of you like!). Regards Mark Knudsen ___ Veitch Lister Consulting Pty Ltd Suite 14, 663 Victoria Street Phone: +61 3 9427 7400 ABBOTSFORD VIC 3067 Fax:+61 3 9427 0481 AUSTRALIA email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ -- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MI Free Riders versus What is an Ad?
I guess it had to come. But I think we need to understand just what the untold rules may be. (Bill don't get me wrong here, but a point or two needs to be made... your conduct and intent via this list must be considered a gem amongst stones.) Last week another list that also seems to be struggling around to find a home, GISList, had a poor chap from India looking for what I thought was a legitimate question about GIS. One of that list's members felt that since he exposed the name of his company, email, and WEB and that he was looking for additional work in the area of GIS (therefore his GIS question), it had to be self promotion; an AD if you will. (The outcome - the list didn't give a Hoot, Bill included!) So now we are about to embark on to the wild side and subscribe with our soul and $. Can any one of us use the list as Bill admits "It cost $14.95/mo plus my time, which was gladly given because it has also been good for my business." Well a $14.95 per month advertisement budget for a small company seems dam reasonable. Ok, pay your $15/month and you too can deliver all sorts of self serving advice and direct ads? Alternatively, what happens if we accept the advertisement model? We give great answers to difficult questions and heck we get some business from this just like Bill did? Worse, what if we step across the line and announce a product, promote ourselves, or go looking for a hire or job? What is news, introductions, offers to help, and lastly what is self/company promotion? Can wish-lists be tolerated? The idea of ads on an open and free-form list is fraught with the problem of free-riders and will only call down the management and their nasty-grams on us. If we have to have them, Ads, I say they MUST be at the bottom - NOT the top! While I know and trust Bill over the years to leave plenty of room for all sorts of activity on this list that is totally edited off others and creates nasty-grams from less tolerant webmasters, I worry that Bill, our gem, may someday drift away from us now that he has gained his reputation and others demand his full attentions. Then what? Yes, I know that a what if or maybe I propose an alternative - possibly MapInfo would sponsor the hosting of the service as a gift to its partners and leave it up to its freely associated members to govern content and purpose? Heck, MapInfo must have saved a million or two just having the list answering all these questions that tend to go unanswered once they fall into the black-hole of "that's a revenue source for support" or Yikes, that's too political - delete it right away", or .. in Troy. Later, MidNight Mapper aka neil 9/23/00 -- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MI Free Riders versus What is an Ad?
I think we all agree that this is an invaluable tool in using these products. No one likes adsbut, would you stop watching television? One of the difficulties that Bill, et.al., have to content with if they don't go the ad routeis just dealing with the reciept and payments if he takes say $10/subscriptionthat is an administrative headache that I suspect Bill has little interest in taking up Ads are easy. They give us the list. We can ignore them if we want. Bill can focus on technology, not accounting. cj:) -- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
