Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!lll-winken!aunro!alberta!herald.usask.ca!ccu.umanitoba.ca!bright From: bright@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Bob Bright) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: USENET mail order service??? Message-ID: <1991May7.153258.12633@ccu.umanitoba.ca> Date: 7 May 91 15:32:58 GMT References: Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada Lines: 34 In article mc4c+@andrew.cmu.edu (Mark Choi) writes: > I have recently been toying around with an idea. I have the facility to >get most current ST software and hardware at wholesale, and was thinking >that maybe, since there are so few dealers of ST stuff lately, and not >everyone subscribes to STart or some other source of mailorder >advertising, that I might offer a sort of USENET ST mail order service. > > Question: Does anyone think this goes against USENET ethics about >commercial advertsing, etc.? > Question: Would anyone be interseted? This sounds like a very good idea to me. An on-line mail order service would be a very convenient source of info on price/ availability of software etc. for all netters. If Mark can provide a good range of stuff at decent prices, and make a few bucks in the bargain, I think we'd all win big. The rub is that regular posting of a mail order catalog *would* violate news guidelines for commercial postings, which allow for only 1 short announcement of a product or service. I can't see any objection, though, to maintaining a mailing list for the catalog, or else setting up a simple mail server that would allow people to explicitly request it. (If you decide to go the mailing list route, Mark, please add my name to the list. :-) Perhaps a line or two could be added to the FAQ document informing new users of the service. This, plus a little "word of CRT" advertising in c.s.a.st ("Hey, I just got the latest version of Blibbleglitz from Mark Choi for $4; great game!") should keep you in business. BBB -- Bob Bright Dept. of Philosophy University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Man R3T 2N2 (204) 474-9105