Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!wugate!uunet!utoday!greenber
From: greenber@utoday.UUCP (Ross M. Greenberg)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Franchise Opportunity
Keywords: Commerce, commercial, business, etc
Message-ID: <945@utoday.UUCP>
Date: 16 Aug 89 14:24:48 GMT
References:  <434@tp2.Waterloo.NCR.COM> <1989Aug9.140945.5371@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <937@utoday.UUCP> <339@m2xenix.UUCP> <943@utoday.UUCP> <391@ubbs-nh.MV.COM>
Reply-To: greenber@.UUCP (Ross M. Greenberg)
Distribution: na
Organization: UNIX Today!, Manhasset, NY
Lines: 61

In article <391@ubbs-nh.MV.COM> noel@ubbs-nh.MV.COM (N. Del More) writes:
>
>The number of complaints vs. thankies aside, what exactly is the
>difference?  You are a commercial profit making organization advertising
>your publication.
>

Not advertising, to me.  Mentioning we exist, offering our book to
readers, etc.  My job isn;t to increase circulation.  My job is to
review product, technically review the material we print, etc.  We
have a circ of something like 50K. The coupla hundred people who have
sent me mail saying "Subscribe Me!" doesn't affect our circ numbers
substantially.  Certainly not enough to influence our ad rates.  But
it sure makes it easier for people to get the book if there slipped
through the circ department's lists...

>I don't personally object to your map, but it sounds to me that your kind
>of caught with your pants down and trying to justify it.
>

I don't see it that way.  If I did, it wouldn't have been posted.

>A commercial advertisement IS a commercial advertisement regardless of
>its intended purpose.
>

Oy!  I'm having the same conversation in E-mail with someone else.  I
consider the posting a service -- and something to make *my* job easier,
too.  When you post a question to the net for the advantage of your
company, I guess you use the net for commercial advantage, too.

And,  I don't see my posting as a commercial announcement.

>And least I forget, Unix Today! is a controlled publication, that is, the
>more qualified subscribers you have the more you charge your advertisers
>and the more income generated.  Correct?
>

As stated above, the number of people asking for subs doesn't really
affect our ad rate.  And, since I'm editorial, not sales, I have nothing
to do with that stuff.  We make sure to keep sales and editorial separate.
Credibility is the only thing we have to offer our readers.  Once the
two of the extremes meet, you get a "how do we please the advertisers?"
publication.  Ick!  Pitiou!

Of course, my own ego (small as it is! :-) ) wouldn't mind having a bunch
more readers.  And I am pretty proud of UNIX Today!

>Heck, I'd put it in the maps too.  Great way to get hold of a large
>audience of Unix professionals  B-)
>

Even better is to discuss it in this news group!  :-)



-- 
Ross M. Greenberg
UNIX TODAY!             594 Third Avenue   New York   New York  10016
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