EFN April 94 Population: 512 (2-to-the-9th) _ ____________________ ___________________ ==| |==1600 /\ \ / / /\ | | / \ +--------------\ / / / \ __| |__1400 / /\ \ \ / / / \ | | / / /\ +--------------\ / / / \ __| |__1200 / / / \ ______________\ / / / \ | | / / / /\ \ / /_____________/ /\ \ __| |__1000 / / / /\ \ / \ / / \ \ |$| / / / / / \____\__________/__________________/ / \ \ __|$|__800 \/ / / / \ /\ /\ \ \ / / |$| \ / / / \ / \ / \ \ \ / / __|$|__600 \ / / / \ / \ \ \ \/ / |$| \ \/ / /\ \ / / \ \ \ / __|$|__400 \ / / \ \/ / \ \ \ / |$| \ / / \ / \ \_____________\ / __|$|__200 \ / / \ / \ \ / |$| \/_____/________\____/ \__________________\/ __|$|__0 /$$$\ Eugene Free Community Network And Lane OnLine ($$$$$) \EFN/ READ THIS FULL MESSAGE TO LEARN HOW NOT TO LOSE PRIORITY ACCESS 5/1 WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN WITH WHAT WE'VE GOT Only about Forty out of 512 users have sent in money so far this month. Two people (one of whom is yours truly) account for over half of the donations. Now, some of you sent large sums a while ago and that's cool, but many more are just letting it slide. This worries me. The Idea of a Free Net is a noble one, and it assumes the participation of people for whom honor is a strongly held value. If you honestly can't afford to donate anything this month, that's *absolutely* okay-- you're why we believe a Free Net is so important. Without a Free Net some of you wouldn't be able to access cyberspace at all. Make no mistake-- you're why we're here. But, I can't believe that 450 users are in this category. Many of you are still new to Eugene Free Net, so for the benefit of new users and old users who are still not quite clear on the concept, I'm Layin' (it) On(the)Line :-). EFN/LOL is an experiment. We do this not to get rich, but to en-rich our community. We offer free service because we believe it is The Right Thing To Do. When we ask for money, we hypothesize that you all are the right sort of people-- that you live near Eugene, Oregon because you love this Emerald City and all of us authority-questioners who make you feel like you're not in Kansas anymore. We posit that there is a certain bond of a larger community that makes you want to be here-- something about this place and these people that makes you proud to be a citizen of this wonderfully crazy town. We further speculate that therefore you'll send money if you can. Because we need it to smooth out the rough edges of our system. Because we want to hire some staff to help set up better software, better training, better responses to your questions and requests. Because we'll need to get better equipment to handle several thousand users in a year or two. Because you want to help make this experiment a success. Because you want to send a message that, yes, there is some recognition of the fact that we're all in this together. Because, you think we're good people in need of a little encouragement (we *are* human after all). Because it's The Right Thing To Do. So, why haven't more people responded? Someone more cynical than myself might argue that it's because people are basically selfish. I don't think that's the case. It is true that our society conditions us to fight for higher wages, shop at sales and stretch our dollars as far as we can. Spending money for the common good is like taxes and most of us are conditioned to play a game where the object is to reduce our tax obligations. How can a voluntary tax (like a charity or EFN) work in a climate like this? Isn't it naive to think that people will support something like EFN in a state where people don't even allocate sufficient funding for schools? There seems to be a popular attitude that if you let someone talk you into spending money outside of your self-interest that you're somehow a "sucker". I don't exactly disagree with this, it's just that my personal philosophy is that there's no escaping being a sucker in this life (loosely Buddhist :-). The great thing is that you do get a choice of what kind of sucker you'll be. On the one hand, you can be the kind of sucker who goes through life opportunistically exploiting every situation for self-gain and die with few, if any, real friends and very little sense of being part of something that goes beyond your own limited life. On the other hand, you can be the kind of sucker who chooses to give of yourself to people and causes that you care about and run the risk that your heart may make mistakes once in a while. Sometimes, people need to be shaken up to remember that they can do something for others. Sometimes they have to be told that they really do make a difference. This is that wake up call. Obviously, I'm a sucker for EFN/LOL. I'd like to see this experiment succeed and I hope you'll do what you can to help out. YOU can make a difference to EFN/LOL. This is not TV-- there is no passive or neutral mode of participating. Whether you choose to contribute or not, you will affect this experiment. I care about this cause because even though it's just a technology (some say "just another FAX machine"), I believe this technology may be able to actually help *transform* people. True, a jerk with a FAX machine is still a jerk and a jerk on the internet is still a jerk, but I've seen people lose inhibitions on the internet and talk about what's *really* bothering them or what's *really* on their minds more easily on-line than they might in person. This is powerful, for good or ill. I also think I've seen people get more of a perspective on themselves over time and realize that their opinions are not so persuasive unless they present facts and other supporting information. They search and sometimes re-examine their beliefs. It sometimes opens minds. Not always. Sometimes, I said. It is possible that the internet facilitates a way of collective thinking that is staggering in its evolutionary ramifications for humanity (Pick up the Spring Whole Earth Review (available at Hungry Head Books and other fine bookstores) and read the article on "Hive Mind" for more thoughts on this topic). End of sermon (As the grandson of two and son of one preacher-man, it's in my blood to get preachy now and then 8-{D ) Anyway, we at EFN/LOL have decided to make full internet access available to all users at no extra cost for the first thirty days we are connected (hopefully starting sometime this week). Explore! Try out telnet, ftp, gopher, and archie commands. If you like this decision, please send money. We'd like to stay free, but if scarcity forces us, we'll probably do what we have to in order to survive. Help keep the vision of free internet access for all alive. A WORD ON TAX DEDUCTABILITY: Lane OnLine is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so you may now make your checks payable to "Lane OnLine" and deduct your contributions on your 1994 taxes. Once the EFN/LOL merger is complete, we are told that you'll all be able to deduct everything you donated to EFN or LOL in 1994 (all the way back to Jan. 1). We suggest $7/month (or more if possible) for individuals to enjoy priority access. Everyone's prior donations started timing out on April 1. If you've donated less than $14 (accumulated) by May 1, you will be dropped from the priority access list on May 1. We use a priority access list not to annoy non-subscribers, but to protect the quality of service we provide for those who have made a commitment to help us achieve our vision. Only the contributions you make above $7/month are deductable, unless you opt not to receive priority access-- then you can deduct the whole amount. So... Please mail a check today (payable to "Lane OnLine" or "EFN") to: EFN, Attn: Fundraising PO Box 1221 Eugene OR 97440-1221 and write your user-id (login name) on the check. Then send an e-mail message to pledge@efn.org saying how much you're mailing in so we can update the pledge thermometer and add you to the priority access list. Thanks for your support. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+