I don't do this often, but it's time we think about how we're getting all these neat messages we find in our mailboxs. Consider how much we enjoy being on email lists. Have you made any contacts? Gotten any useful information? How about USGenWeb pages? Ever found any data that was handy? Ever use Cyndi's list? List any names on the RSL? Well if you have done any of these things, then you have used some of the facilities at Rootsweb. What is RootsWeb? It is a data cooperative set up by two very giving people, Karen and Brian Leverich. Their goal was, and is, to help give the best genealogical information to the public at the least possible cost...therefore they spend huge amounts of their own time and effort and money and lost sleep to keep Rootsweb up and running...Last year when all the storms were hitting California, Brian had to even go out in the middle of all that muck and buy a generator, - which he had to sleep near to, cause it had to be refueled every four hours, or thereabouts...But he kept Rootsweb online. The Leveriches are that type of people. But that is not enough by itself. Each holiday season brings a huge rush of people who get computers for Christmas...and one of the things they do with these computers is get on the internet. For a lot of people that means they are going straight into genealogical research...which normally means an rush to Rootsweb...To prepare for this, the Leveriches have taken out a personal loan for $25,000 for the new equipment they need. Folks, if we don't get behind Rootsweb, it may end up going the way of sites like FTM site or Ancestry.com...nice sites for what they do, but they don't and can't offer the low-cost, friendly home for genealogy that Rootsweb has always been... Rootsweb is a data cooperative - the root here is cooperative...we're all needed to help to make this work...but only about 2% of Rootsweb users support Rootsweb. But support is easy, and has great rewards, the least of all is getting to share information and data through all the great lists and web pages Rootsweb hosts, and maybe even running a list or Genconnect board or other Rootsweb activity. To find out more about what YOU can do to help Rootsweb, go to: http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/members/ to see what the different membership levels are, and how to subscribe. If you love this genealogical corner of the internet we have developed, don't just sit there - do something! Sue morgana@ghg.net Rootsweb Donor