Re: A modest proposal; was: Re: ADMIN: An Open Letter to the TECHWR-L Community

[David Neeley <dbneeley -at- oddpost -dot- com>]

Frankly, I believe that "TechComm Dood" begins to "get it" here...but his observations at the end seem to be somewhat disingenuous. 
  
The TECHWR-L operations today are "free" in the sense that broadcast "public" television is "free"--most overhead expenses are born by sponsors with much labor for the underlying structure being donated. 
  
I completely accept the statement that Eric and Deborah have not drawn funds from its operation. Thus, there is no "for profit" motive involved. (In fact, the inability to draw a salary for their labor means the list as it now stands is not worth a great deal of money....which further reinforces my suggestion.) 
  
Obviously, *someone* must pay for the resources a list of this size must consume even if the labor is continued as a donated thing. 
  
However, there are several considerations involved here that I think are at the moment the most significant. 
  
1. Eric and Deborah would like to get some return for their hard work and dedication over all these years. Frankly, that seems to me to be a quite reasonable position for them to take. 
  
2. Someone or some entity may purchase part or all of the list and associated assets from them, either as a lump sum or as some kind of extended payout. If this is the case, if that entity is a commercial one, they will either seek methods of increasing the revenue base, or run it as a part of their promotional budget. In either case, the list *will* change--perhaps substantially. For example, I, for one, would not wish to see a tool vendor take it over. I could reasonably expect to see adverse comments about that tool or positive ones about its competitors being restrained, for instance...and the value of the list would suffer greatly. 
  
3. At some point, there must be a determination of exactly *what is being sold* in such a transfer. Without that, no reasonable figure may be arrived at. 
  
4. Constraints on the value of the list and the associated IP lie in what it would take for another person, group of people, or entity to start a competing venue. For those with adequate time, there are public hosts that might serve--although each is not without its limitations. (E.g., ibiblio, St. John's University, etc.) 
  
My proposal considered all of these things when I suggested forming a non-profit foundation and seeking tax deductibility for it. It would be simple enough to do, and would thus be able to convey a tax benefit for contributions, perhaps over a period of several years. It would also serve as an ideal vehicle for extending the program to other sorts of professional education endeavors. 
  
Using a foundation, we could more easily seek grants of all sorts, and we could assure that no outside entity would coopt the list or its usefulness. 
  
In short, I believe sincerely that this is the most attractive of all possible scenarios, in which various members of the list itself would comprise part or all of the Board of Directors. It might also involve the smallest amount of cash, if the deal were carefully structured to give Eric and Deborah a realistic tax deduction over a reasonable period. 
However, I am very interested in any other ideas anyone may have. Unless someone "steps up the the plate" with cash in hand, I think it would be fairly easy to begin the due diligence phase of establishing such a foundation. 
  
Regards, 
  
David 
   
  
-----Original Message from TechComm Dood <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>-----
  
You know, I'm actually laughing right now. Maybe it was the busy day 
at work that blinded me to this, or maybe the beer is actually helping 
right now, but wow... What we've been arguing about all day is nothing 
more than a business transaction in the making, and we're sitting here 
arguing who should have control (STC, Yahoo, lemmings) when the whole 
point is moot. 

The list ain't free. 

Wow. What a mind bender! ;-) 

Sure, we join, blab, and learn for free, but in the end it's a vehicle 
for profit. 

It didn't start that way. Are we better for it? 

Food for thought. 

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