Dear fellow researchers, I'm forwarding a message that concerns all of us. If we are to continue having free access to genealogical data, RootsWeb needs to thrive. RootsWeb is absolutely dedicated to free access. Currently, the growth of data available and of number of users is phenomenal. Of course, we all hope that that growth will continue. Consider sending a donation, or join as a subscriber, donor, or sponsor. Perhaps consider sending in the cost of copy of a birth certificate. Or a certain amount for each new ancestor you have already found. Visit their awesome site at http://www.rootsweb.com/ You will find directions there on how you can support them. Put your money where your mouse is--support RootsWeb. <www.rootsweb.com> Have a blessed Christmas! Mona in MO Mona_Houser@juno.com > --------- Forwarded message ---------- > >-----Original Message----- > >From: LCleversey <lclevers@bellsouth.net> > >To: BIRD-L@rootsweb.com <BIRD-L@rootsweb.com> > >Date: Wednesday, December 23, 1998 5:56 AM > >Subject: [BIRD-L] ROOTSWEB Funding Troubles > > > > > >>Dear Members, I just read the following and would like to share it with > >>you. > >> > >>Recent acquisitions and mergers in the computer world have left > >>Rootsweb unexpectedly short of funding due to the withdrawl of > >>Palladium sponsorship. Palladium was acquired by The Learning > >>Company which in turn was purchased by Mattel Inc. Here's a letter > >>written by one of the founders of Rootsweb outlining the current > >>situation: > >> > >> << My friends - > >> > >> I generally do not bring you news about RootsWeb, whose servers > >> house some 4000 mail lists, including this one, because I know > >> you all get the RootsWeb Review about once a week, which pretty > >> well covers what is going on within RootsWeb. > >> As most of you know, RootsWeb was created by, and is "owned" by > >> Dr. Brian Leverich and his wife Karen Isaacson, both superb > >> computer people and genealogists. They created RootsWeb and > >> they have funded 90% of it out of their own pockets since its > >> creation. This means that they have a houseful of computer > >> equipment, as well as other equipment in a hub elsewhere, that > >> runs all of these lists, as well as web pages and other items > >> for the USGenWeb - the effort is huge and growing by leaps > >> and bounds. However, their corporate sponsor, Palladium, has > >> disappeared into a merger with another company, and that > >> funding has evaporated. It seems unclear whether any other > >> corporation will step forward to help underwrite these huge costs. > >> > >> In the message which Brian sent to the listowner list, he makes > >> the first mention of danger to the whole RootsWeb concept. He is > >> rarely pessimistic, and if he is concerned, then we all need to > >> be concerned. He finds it particularly depressing that only a > >> small percentage (2%-6%) are helping to support RootsWeb in any > >> way, even though there are literally hundreds of thousands of > >> people regularly using the mail lists and the other web pages > >> and items which RootsWeb hosts. You can see that he has taken out > >> a $25,000 loan just to try to keep the equipment growing with the > >> needs of RootsWeb. > >> > >> The bottom line is that if we, as users of these RootsWeb services, > >> cannot help with a few dollars(and it does not have to be much at > >> all, if we all get involved)in support of this fine group, we are > >> in very real danger of losing these mail lists and literally > >> hundreds of web pages of genealogical material(including the JP > >> Images Page and many, many others)that is today available. Please > >> give this some thought, and see if you can find a few dollars that > >> you could donate to RootsWeb to keep this effort alive. I have > >> long said that Brian and Karen cannot forever continue to incure > >> financial hits in the range of ten of thousands of dollars at a > >> time, and still be able to keep RootsWeb alive. Take a look at: > >> > >> www.rootsweb.com > >> > >> and you can see how to donate if you wish to do so. I urge you to > >> consider it. It is a great investment. Let's see if we can make > >> it a merrier Christmas for Karen and him and for online genealogists > >> everywhere. > >> -B > >> ============================================================ > >> > >>Brian and Karen don't anticipate Rootsweb going under any time soon > >>but they are personally stretched to the limits with their own > financial > >>support of the Rootsweb system. Please take the time to visit > >> www.rootsweb.com to examine the magnitude of this > wonderful > >>project - the same group who stepped in and rescued the MAISER mailing > >>list from extinction two years ago - and please consider sending them a > >>few dollars to keep Rootsweb running. > >> > >>Lisa Cleversey > >>List Owner > >>-- > >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >>Co-List Owner COOK, List Owner BIRD & NYSTEUBE (Steuben Co NY) > >>Heartland/Fields Community Leader -2500-2999 > >>Heartland Genealogy Society & Web Ring > >>Co-Chairman-http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/2416 > >>cleversey's Home Page-http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/5421 > >>cleversey@geocities.com -Icq #9492621 > >> > > --------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Brian Leverich <leverich@rootsweb.com> > To: TEAM-ROOTSWEB-L@rootsweb.com > Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 22:04:46 -0800 > Subject: Re: You Make a Difference! > Message-ID: <199812230604.WAA26434@bl-5.rootsweb.com> > > These are good ideas, but let me try to explain what the sticky > problem is: > > There is no exact "Income Needed". > > If RootsWeb went into an absolute no-growth mode, we could handle > the current load with about $9,000/mo for bandwidth and about > $2,000/mo for unavoidable hardware repairs, or about $11,000 per > month. > > To keep growing the way we have been, we need roughly $40,000 per > month. > > If we wanted to get *serious* about bringing data online, we could > make good use of the funds we would have if every one of our users > became at least became a Member (about $240,000 per month). If we > had that kind of resources at our disposal, within only a few years > we could build a public library online as good or better than almost > any conventional library in America. > > It sure would be great to have the entire US Census and the entire > British birth/death/marriage records online and the ... We could do > that if everyone just kicked in the cost of one birth certificate > each year. 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 ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]