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Re: ADMIN: An Open Letter to the TECHWR-L Community
Subject:Re: ADMIN: An Open Letter to the TECHWR-L Community From:"Ed Wurster" <eawurster -at- hotmail -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 4 Aug 2004 10:15:13 -0400
Al Geist wrote:
> While some have focused on "stewardship", building and running the
> list is a business. The Rays haven't made it complicated. Go out
> an try to buy any business and see if the discussion does not involve
> costs, "tools", etc. TECHWR-L on the surface looked like a
> magnanimous gift by the Rays to the Technical Writing community, but
> behind the scenes it was a real business with all the costs and
> problems of a real business. If it wasn't run like one, it would have
> died long ago.
>
> Greg Holmes wrote:
>
>> By choosing to require this to be a "business proposition",
>> the Rays may have *made* it something complicated, to
>> involve lots of discussion, ultimately, about costs, "tools",
>> etc.
Greg, TECHWR-L is a business, it looks like one to me, and it must be dealt
with as a business. The tools that were paid for out of necessity are not
the only choices today. However, you cannot suggest that the owners had a
choice between the software that is in place and the other free or
open-source choices available today.
Al, there are many lists that are run by volunteers, and they are not run
like businesses. It requires a team of individuals with time, and some
knowledge. There has to be software, disk space and bandwidth.
Eric and Deb are selling a business, but there is no price tag. What is it
worth? The answer is provided by the buyer. There is income, subtract all
the costs, and then there is profit. Pay taxes, and you have something left
over for yourself.
Other factors I would look at in a sale are the subscribers, advertisers and
web traffic. These items are of more value to a software vendor than to a
poor old techwriter, for instance.
Ed Wurster
http://www.eWurster.com/blog/
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