Important T3 list question

[Greg Merritt <gregm@engin.umich.edu>]

Dear Volks,


	in the next couple of weeks, we will have an opportunity to convert
this type-3 list to an honest-to-goodness LISTSERV.  This means that you
can subscribe & unsubscribe at will, get a day's worth of messages all
lumped together in one email, search archives for old messages, etc.  Soon
down the road, it is likely that we can also have a home for a bigger, new
& improved T3 web page.


	The catch?  A one-time fee of US$435 for the mailing list software
license.


	The offer for LISTSERV support comes from Chris Smith
<csmith@sdsc.edu> and the good folks at the new www.vanagon.com.  They got
themselves a fast Windows NT server with a high-speed connection, and the
Vanagon list membership came up with *way* over the ~$700+ in donations for
purchasing the LISTSERV software and the licence for running their list.
(See http://www.vanagon.com/links/list_donations.html)  They can add us as
an additional (independent) list with membership of up to 500 people for
$435.  Note that this is a "cheap" educational institution price...!


	I am sending this message to get a feel for the level of interest
that folks have.  When I say interest, I'm talking about dollars.  With the
current subscription base of ~215 here at type-3, that works out to a
whopping US$2.03 donation per person!


	Note that there are dozens of folks who have left type-3 because
they couldn't handle the traffic; a LISTSERV digest subscription will allow
many of them to rejoin the group.  I (or anyone else, for that matter)
could manage the new T3 list, but it would be lots more hands-off with the
more sophisticated software.


	I would like to invite public discussion on this topic; also feel
free to respond to me directly if you like.  I would like to encourage you
to note in your response whether you would be willing to contribute money!
No amounts necessary; just a "yeah I would pitch in a few bucks" is good
enough at this point.


	I won't be here at the university forever, so a change will have to
be made eventually.  This is a fantastic window of opportunity, and I
believe we should strongly consider taking positive action.


	Thanks, Volks!


-Greg, your humble T3 list manager (think I'm gonna cry... <sniff>)
'71 squareback
'63 Beetle