From: cyberoid@u.washington.edu (Bob Jacobson)
Subject: Re: ADMIN: Discussion: Voluntary contributions ($) to improve s.v-w?
Date: 7 Jun 1993 11:15:34 GMT
Organization: Sci.Virtual-Worlds Moderators, University of Washington



In article <1uv6r9INNrqt@news.u.washington.edu> cdshaw@cs.ualberta.ca
(Chris Shaw) writes:

>Robert Jacobson <cyberoid@u.washington.edu> writes:
>
>>Maintaining this newsgroup and its FAQ has become a fulltime job.
>>Even so, there is much that Mark De Loura, my co-moderator, and I
>>cannot do because of limited personal resources.
>
>So give the job to someone else. If you can't stand the heat, get out of
>the kitchen.

Chris rather unkindly then goes on to suggest I discussing voluntary
contributions (which he labels a "fee") to "fatten [Bob's] library for
free," "pay the moderators," "pay the HIT Lab for something that every
other state-sponsored institution provides free" (patently untrue),
"keep the archives," "pay [Bob] to release his 'roll call' data" (I
haven't been able to manage the intense administration of a "Roll
Call" for more than nine months), and other nefarious schemes.

He then offers to run the newsgroup out of the University of Alberta
after presuming to make offlimits the gathering by the moderator of
interviews, etc.  ("This is not the moderator's job.")  The Voice of
Authority.

>>sci.v-w...
>>has no alternative source of financing; hence it has been unable to
>>develop beyond its current level of service.
>
>Au contraire, sci.v-w DOES have alternate "financing", which is
>institutions other than U of Washington HITLab/Bob Jacobson.  I can
>appreciate that Bob might be busy, nd can no longer afford the time.
>I think he should be congratulated on a fine job done, and pass the
>torch to someone else.

Nothing is stopping Chris or anyone else from hosting another newsgroup
in the field.  Nor should anything I proposed about a voluntary
contribution, to make the resources of this newsgroup richer, be
construed to suggest a mandatory fee or any remuneration to the
clients.  Chris does a good job of projecting motivations on others.

I can categorically state that none of the reasons given by Chris for
my discussion has much merit.

I can also state, categorically, that if I didn't do this out of a
sense of service, you wouldn't find me posting these messages at 4:00
AM.  But maybe Chris would suggest that I simply should do without
sleep more often.  Another satisfied customer.

Light your own torch, Chris.  A match is always handy.

Bob Jacobson
CoModerator