Just passing along some information from Rootsweb. Now might be a good time for you to consider becoming a Rootsweb sponsor or sending them a donation. They provide an incredible service to the genealogy world. Remember....all donations should be sent to Rootsweb directly - - NOT to listowners. Also, remember there is no pressure to donate.....the services and surname lists are free. >Resent-Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 22:37:17 -0800 (PST) >To: listowners-announce@rootsweb.com >cc: "Dr. Brian Leverich" <leverich@rootsweb.com> >Reply-to: "Dr. Brian Leverich" <leverich@rootsweb.com> >Subject: Policy: RootsWeb Lists Are Free! >Date: Sun, 04 Jan 1998 22:21:52 -0800 >From: Brian Leverich <leverich@rootsweb.com> >Resent-From: listowners-announce@rootsweb.com >X-Mailing-List: <listowners-announce@rootsweb.com> archive/latest/30 >X-Loop: listowners-announce@rootsweb.com >Precedence: list >Resent-Sender: listowners-announce-request@rootsweb.com > > > >Hi all - > >Hundreds of listowners and users have now given us input on the >issues of whether listowners should be able to charge money or >request personal information as a prerequisite for participating in >a list, and Karen and I are now convinced that extreme behavior by >some listowners could affect the whole listowner and user community >by discouraging users from participating in any of our lists. > >Hence we'd like to formally announce policy that: > > RootsWeb Lists Are Free! > >Users should be able to subscribe to lists without being required to >pay money and without being required to provide personal information. > >While we are willing to let bygones be bygones, future violations >may result in a listowner being asked to relocate their lists to >another server. > > >IMPORTANT NOTES > >The foregoing policy does not apply to the few lists, for example >the HCPD-L list for the Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants >organization, that exist specifically for the members of an >established organization. Explicit permission must be obtained from >Karen or Brian for lists that want to operate in this paying- >members-only fashion. > >The foregoing policy does not prevent listowners from being able to >ask list subscribers to voluntarily provide contact information and >such. The point is that subscribers may not be *required* to >provide that information: explain why you need the information and >that providing the information is VOLUNTARY, then be tolerant of the >folks who choose not to provide it. > >The foregoing policy does not prevent listowners or subscribers from >soliciting voluntary contributions for family associations or other >causes, so long as the purpose of the fund-raising is specified and >the subscribers are told that participation is completely voluntary. >With regards to purpose of the fund-raising, listowners must *never* >give the impression they are fund-raising for RootsWeb or for the >physical support of the list unless the funds are intended for >RootsWeb. > > >A PLEA FOR SENSIBILITY > >Please do not ask me or Karen to provide a detailed exegesis of this >policy: just use your common sense and, if a particular situation >seems unclear, bring it to the "listowners" list and ask our peers >for their thoughts. > > >Let's keep our subscribers happy and participation in our lists >growing. Cheers, B. > > >-- >Dr. Brian Leverich Co-moderator, soc.genealogy.methods/GENMTD-L >RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative http://www.rootsweb.com/ >P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 leverich@rootsweb.com >