For the first time ever, the Spring is asking it's users to help out. You don't have to, but do it if you can. It costs $1299.00 a quarter to host the Spring servers on a T-1. Jeff Kramers charges us $250 a month for system admin work, and there is a $100 a month software fee from Armidale Software for our conferencing software. So what's that all come to? Well, if you toss in about $250 a month for misc expenses, which is probably very convservative, it's about $2600 a quarter or $1033 per month. The only income we get comes from website developement and our only website currently paying is childrenstory/tvpc which pays about $600 - $1000 per quarter, some of which goes to a web authoress. So, if you can, sen dyour contibution to: The Spring Rt 2 Box 56r Cedar Creek, TX 78612 You can do it anonymous or opening. Contributors will be sent some kind of memonto like a Spring mug, a hat, or something to express our gratitude. I'll link this into drool also.

Our T-1 fee is due 7/31/98, so that's why I'm starting this now. No contribution will be too small or insignificant.

Terry, I shall be glad to contribute (tax deductible?...you are non-profit). However, I have no objection to adverts. Geocities pays a lot of the websites' real estate.If you polled the members, I doubt many would object;. and that would relieve the fund- raising.

We're not non-profit, yet. But I'll look in to this status. Obviously, we should qualify. And I'm open to adverts.

Will do as soon as my painting money comes in, Terry.

Thank you! Thank you!

This is the address that I read, Terry: The Spring Rt 2 Box 56r Cedar Creek, TX 78612 I just wanted to make sure that no letters got dropped. Glad to help.

I'd [refer to hand deliver mine... still working on that ticket... *growl*

Thanks Heide, that address is correct.

Ok, I give up. Why am I unable to forget this Topic? I have saved the Address and have no need to continue seeing new messages, but it won't let me Forget!

I don't know, honey :-( I'm having the same problem with other topics...and the mark everything as read...

OH goodie! I'm not braindead, after all! *kiss*

That sometimes happens when the system has a date glitch, like when the date changes to 2036 or something. I reset the date yesterday.

Will do.

From Jonathon Langley today, $486 for some web work I did for him on http://www.tvpc.com and http://www.childrenstory.com Does anyone have ideas for new children's stories or illustrations for existing, legendary children's story? What stories are we missing?

Pledge Address: The Spring Rt 2 Box 56r Cedar Creek, TX 78612 Checks made out to "The Spring"

Thanks so much to Evelyn for here most generous contribution which arrived in yesterday's mail! Thank you so much Evelyn. It really helps.

Thank you so much Evelyn My pleasure, Terry. We have a great gang on Drool. (Even when we're fighting) :-) Led by our outstanding host, Nan!! Thanks , Doll!

total to date $150 We're a fourth of the way to our goal of raising $600 to make our fourth quarter internet access payment. Send to: The Spring Rt 2 Box 56r Cedar Creek, TX 78612 payable to Paul Terry Walhus or The Spring And thanks to Karen for the note and check received yesterday!

We got some great contributions from some North Country folks, ya know. Ya! A very hearty Spring thank you to Ann Haker and to Kathleen Born for their very kind and generous donations to the pledge drive. Ann is from Minneapolis and Kathleen is from Eagan, MN.

Summary to date (9/1 - 11/30/98 budget) income 265.00 contributions 600.00 tvpc.com website 865.00 total income expense 1,299.00 ddc.net T-1 connection for our servers 750.00 Jeff Kramer system administration 300.00 Armidale Software Yapp software license 450.00 Hardware expenses 2,799.00 total expense (1,934.00) net operating loss

I haven't forgotten you either, Terry. Just still waiting for my money to come in, so I can send you a donation. Unfortunately my buyer has 3 months to pay, so just be patient.

No problem, and thanks! I have an idea on the domain name suggestions. If you make a suggestion, I'll co-register it in your name as the owner and if we sell it, the Spring will split the returns 50/50 with the person who is the name co-owner.

Not acceptable - that's not fair. What would be fair is if you told us all how to register, and we share our returns 50/50 with the Spring. And the names that are registered by the Spring should only earn money for the Spring. If we register names, splitting it 50/50 would still earn us money that we would not have had otherwise, plus it would earn the Spring extra money on top of the money it earns from registering its own names. Taking money from the Spring is unfair, as the Spring is working at a l ss, and is unemployed(!!) - unlike those who log in every day. If us users can't however register extra names ourselves, then coming up with them is the least we can do - the Spring should not have to split money with US to induce us to help. Because then we're a greedy bunch of parasites who should not be here, but pimping off people within our reach.

Fair enough. I was just trying to provide incentive for folks to help dream up some domain names. And website ideas. artcafe.com is gone. So is sportscafe.com.

It's enough incentive that we're allowed to be here in the first place. I think we would all like to keep the Spring going. And besides..... THE WALHUS IS OUR MASTER...WE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN

I AM THE WALHUS--KOOKOOAJOOB...

ha-ha!!!!

Can you charge to credit cards, terry? I was thinking of dumping my WELL account, which would mean that I could divert my $15 a month your direction. Let me know.

We sure can! That's awesome, Mike.

Hey Mike! When did you get back?

How does one do that, Terry? The thing with the credit card? Because I've also been trying to figure out how to send a contribution.

We'll set up a page for this as part of the Spring Store. We need to develop our commerce section so we can sell websites, local internet access and process contributions via credit card.

For now, the best way is to send a check made out to the Spring to: The Spring Rt 2 Box 56r Cedar Creek TX 78612

Didja get it yet, Terry??

Not yet. I wonder what happened?

(*sigh*) Guess I'll have to do some detective work...

I don't have a check account. How embarrassing. I'll wait till the credit card thing is set up, and send a monthly contribution like Mike.

Hehhee...my financial situation is rather more dire than i had thought. how would $10 a month do for the moment? :)) if you want to sort this out, terry, call me: 6pm-11pm GMT (austin is 6/7 hours behind?) +44 1273 727157

That would be awesome, Mike! Anything anyone can do within their limits is a help. Or help with revenue generating projects can be something you can do, like helping with sysadmin work (like wer does), developing new sites, etc. I never want it to be where anyone feels obligated or where there's any barrier to entry. I want it to be free and open, but the bills still come in and we have to be innovative in figuring out ways to pay them.

yeah...like work at a restaurant and send him and/or his roomies gift certificates...

I'm happy to work on sysadm stuff, terry

Great, let's discuss it in depth in the projects conference. I posted some things there today.

It's Pledge Drive time again. I'm hustling real hard this week to raise $400 to pay ddc.net for our connection. I have had several balloon mortgage payments wihc have laid me flat, and the outlook is good around the beginning of next month, but right now I'm scrapping along. The folks of drool have been great about helping support this community and I'm very thankful for all the help you have given. I've been meaning to put together an appreciation page with acknowledgements and will do so someday soon. If you have it in your heart (and pocketbook) to contribute, please send donations to: Paul Terry Walhus The Spring 9011 Quail Creek Dr. Austin, TX 78758 Make checks out to either me or The Spring. And, by way of appreciation, I've opened a new http://www.jeremynorth.com domain and am looking for volunteers to help run it and build it!

Do not take plastic yet, Terry? If not, check is in the mail. Not a big sum, but one of several as I can. We need this place!!!

No plastic yet, it's coming, and thank you so much!

Ok, Terry, it is in the mail. Let me know when/if you get it =)

Thanks Marcia! Send in those contributions folks, in our hour of need. Paul Terry Walhus The Spring 9011 Quail Creek Dr Austin, TX 78758 make checks payable to me or to The Spring

Oh Terry - Must I stop payment on this check? I sent it to the other address you gave - Route whatever Box something. Will that get it to you?

It should get to me ok. Thanks again.

I think I am going to make a pointed comment on one of "my" two (or both) Drool topics. If I can spare the money surely they can too. If this shut down, there would be a whole group of clever ladies longing to exchange ideas with like-minded souls and have no place to go. I read where you are a one-man band in the financial department, and it should not be that way. Not from all of the enjoyment we get from your efforts. The least we can do is help support your efforts.

Terry, I'll drop a check in the mail tomorrow or Tuesday. Thanks for keeping the Spring going for all of us to enjoy!

Thanks so much Marcia and Jana!

Terry, it's 2036 again. Can you reset the date?

Ok Terry, I wrote 3 epistles to the devout in Springfolks (our private Droolian BBS) and asked them to please donate toward their own well-being. Thanks for all those who have given so far - I am not satisfied that all are doing their share.

We're back from the future. Peter, our peripatetic whiz kid from Georgia Tech is in town and is busily tweaking our server right now. We just went from 99.9% full on disk space to 78% full. It makes a huge performance difference. You can thank Peter by emailing him a kind word at peter@diff.net. He's a great volunteer helper. And again, much thanks for the donations and contributions sent to: Paul Terry Walhus The Spring 9011 Quail Creek Dr Austin, TX 78758

Sent him a Mahalo Nui Loa from Hilo. Thanks for telling us about it!

Terry, can you handle checks in foreign currency? I have a lady in Australia who wants to contribute.

Sure, we'll find a way. The Spring 9011 Quail Creek Dr Austin, TX 78758 Thanks. Thanks. Thanks!

Terry, your Email @spring.net has been bouncing for three days. Just to reassure potential donors, You will not and do not sell our Snail-mail addreses, do you? I said you did not.

Absolutely not!!! No way will I sell the emails of the members of this wonderful community. Not even an option. Nah gonna doit. I do, however, occasionally send out a groupmail to folks announcing a pledge drive or to try and drum up interest. This is available to conference hosts, if they like.

Never mind = it is my ISP. It bounces them and sends them at the same time. How very clever of them...

Thanks for the confirmation here in Drool. There are still some very sincere lurkers who have heard nightmare tales of spamming and worse but would like to contribute to Spring's continuation. Good Luck, Terry, and thanks to everyone who cares enough to do something to help!

Thanks! Send contributions to: Paul Terry Walhus The Spring 9011 Quail Creek Dr Austin, TX 78758

Thanks so much to the four folks who have sent a combined total of nearly $200.00. Our goal is $400 a quarter. Soon, we'll be putting up an appreciation page thanking all those who have contributed (unless, of course, they specify that they want to remain anonymous). These folks have done so much to help us along. Another way you can help is to sign up for your own "briefcase"; the Spring has just beomce an affiliate with Visto and they offer a wonderful web based application that let's you keep track of your calendar, files, photos. email, address book, tasks, bookmarks, events, family, friends and co-workers. It will be a great help to you and your group. And every time someone signs up, the Spring will get $2.00. So this is a way you can help yourself and help the community. Please sign up and make your contribution that way! You can click on this banner to get started.

I've just put up a page thanking our contributors at http://www.spring.net/sponsors Thanks to all these folks who have donated a total of over $1,200 since January 1, 1999. Ann Haker Ann Whittle Barbara Farley Charlotte Clayton Claire Chan Eileen Green Evelyn Boake Genette Irlbeck Gisela Sardinha Heide Kalbach Jana Hendricks Kathleen Born Lizza Davies Maarit Helena Doinio Marcia Hemming Nancy Palmarini Stacey Vura T McAvoy Willem Friesema If I've left anyone off the list, my apologies. One or two letters were lost in the mails. Overall we're nearly on target to our goal of $4,800 a year which is the cost of colocating our three servers (barton, www and access) on a T-3 connection in downtown Austin. Thanks so much to everyone who's helping and to those who are signing up for Visto via our link.

THANKS!!!

Don't forget to sign up your dog and cat (and goldfish) for Visto too!

Terry, please fix whatever was messed up when the Visto icon was added to Drool's pages. We are seeing the date, time, poster's name and email within the body of the response. Very ugly. Disturbs my keen sense of esthetics! ;-D

good point...I'll ditch them and start over...

all better yet?

Must be, Dear! No one has complained in over a month. Droolians are not that tolerant, normally =)

I am not even taking that bait...*wink*

*smile* You are wise!

occasionally, I get lucky...

*smiling knowingly* I am glad to hear it.

Only now I read your message closely: (Terry) One or two letters were lost in the mails. Does that mean you never got a letter from me? Never got any kind of confirmation. Terry, I would like to know before I send off another one.

I got yours, fortunately, and I am getting them reliably now. I really appreciate your contribution!

Mine will be in the mail to you tomorrow as well as one for Stacey's efforts in the Honolulu Marathon for the Lukemia Society. These checks are my Christmas present to me from me...and to you *grin*

Thanks so much to all those folks who have contributed to our latest fund drive. We are now accepting contributions on Paypal on the site: http://www.spring.net/paypal This has been a great effort and I can't thank everyone enough. As a small token, I'm sending out a picture of the Spring's Cedar Creek location, a nature picture or something, to the next 13 folks who send in a $25 or more donation. I sent out two already today to the nice folks from Cinncinnati and Lansdale, PA who contributed via Paypal.

A huge thank you and lots of hugs for the wonderful people of drool who put up at least 80% of the funds we needed to keep our software running! This was a great effort and is very, very appreciated!

I just paid $199 to our host for extra bandwith for austen.com, if you're a supporter of austen.com and want to help in some way with this cost, please click on this link and send $5 automatically to spring.net just for signing up (it won't cost you anything). https://secure.paypal.com/refer/pal=terry%40spring.net Or you can send contributions the old fashioned way to: Paul Terry Walhus The Spring 182 Clover Rd Cedar Creek, TX 78612 Don't worry about this though, I just cut a deal with our provider to charge (in the future months) for a flat $40 a month for this bandwidth. austen.com uses a lot of disk space, which is ok, and I've covered this for the future. Again, my hearty thanks for everyone who supported our recent drive to pay Kaylene Thaler. I fully understand if you haven't caught your breath from this effort, but am hoping just joining PayPal and getting $5 to the Spring will be an easy way to cover this disk charge. All I need is for 40 folks to sign up . . .

Most austen.com people don't come here, Terry. Ann has put a fund-raising notice up at her place with the PayPal clickthru.

Thanks, Karen. You have helped immeasurably in this effort.

I had nothing to do with Ann's action. She did it herself.