Linda,
Instead of trying to work a compromise on this issue we run crying the "the
sky is falling, the sky is falling (i.e. they're soliciting, they're
soliciting)" if someone in a very legitimate and proper means requests
assistance. It all cannot be lumped into on large mixing bowl, stirred
together and labeled as Solicitation of Funds for personal gain. The
Project needs to get past that. Please just for one moment look at it from
the other point of view. For goodness sake all I have is a page that
informs visitors who select that link of the cost and if they want to be
involved they contact me. I don't contact visitors directly for
contributions.
If I were fleecing my visitors I would deserve to be run out of town on a
rail. I'm not doing that and stand proudly by the websites that I co-host
with Alice and Pat. I'm really excited about a project that Alice and I are
going to begin with the Jefferson County Historical Society and I'll state
again that I'll be "fleecing" the flock for assistance with it.
Nathan Zipfel
Pa Roots Webmaster
http://www.pa-roots.com/
Armstrong County USGenWeb Project Co-Coordinator
http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong
Jefferson County USGenWeb Project Co-Coordinator
http://www.pa-roots.com/jefferson
Westmoreland County USGenWeb Project Co-Coordinator
http://www.pa-roots.com/westmoreland
UKGenWeb Coordinator
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ukwgw
ScotlandGenWeb Coordinator
http://www.rootsweb.com/~sctwgw
-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Lewis [mailto:cityslic@ix.netcom.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 1998 8:14 AM
To: Nate Zipfel
Cc: PAGEN-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: Re: Frightening....very frightening.....
Nate Zipfel wrote:
Linda,
Sorry, but your mixing apples and oranges. You make it sound as if I'm
trying to make myself out as being better that other county coordinators.
I'd never stoop to that. PA has a great bunch of coordinators and I look
around what some of them are doing and have accomplished. I'm really
impressed. Have I ever stated that the sponsorship that I solicit is for
personal reimbursement? It is NOT FOR MY PERSONAL BENFIT. CAN I SAY IT
ANYMORE CLEARLY?????? NO, it pays for the webspace. I would never seek
personal reimbursement to support my counties. If I were hosting a
Nate I never said that and knowing you and the work you did for the
USGenWeb Archives when you were a PA file manager, I don't think you
would, either. The point is, that if individual county coordinators
started trying to use their involvement in the USGenWeb Project for
their own gain or profit, they could point to your request for help pay
for the webspace, and say, "Nate Zipfel is doing it. Why can't I?"
It's something that the state coordinators have been against since the
beginning of the project, with maybe the exception of a few that aren't
with the project any longer.
And Billie, I was not referring to reimbursement for copies to send to
researchers in a lookup request or whatever. I'm talking about making
copies to send to volunteers to transcribe, and postage to get those
copies to them. For example, with the USGenWeb Archives census project,
I've split a large county, and have provided partial census images to
several volunteer transcribers. I don't request reimbursement for that.
Believe me, since the USGenWeb Archives was established, I've found
hundreds of generous volunteers, willing to give of their time to get
data online for free access to help other researchers. You don't have to
tell me what a wonderful group of people there is involved in this
Project. I deal with them everyday.
Linda