....30yg Comments on the Website and Magazine ................. Aesop's Fable of The Little Red Hen and trhe Cookies Now that the web site is successful some people want to get on board. The real answer The magazine and website could be paid for by adding something like $20 per year to each personal subscription (which would include postage) and unit cost for 4 issues a year. Corporate and government would be allotted a certain number of cartons at cost as part of their membership. They can order even more at cost for special promotions. Option (a) ATA could start a newsletter in black and white, limited to members only. Much cheaper and it would address their concerns. It could be called Africa Travel Report or some such name. Option (b) There could also be a scaled-down version of the website ,with a different URL, that would be password protected for privacy ,with access by members only. That way, the members could have their own private 'chat room' as some have suggested. Rules for members / non members Haven't had any so far. One annoyance I have addressed is blind requests. Others could be member use of site to advertise their fam trips and promotions for free. If so, there should be a limit. One company we know is taking added advantage of this. I have not complained in the past, since we needed to promote the countries -- and showing sample tour itineraries are one way to do it. How to better use the site as a recruiting tool? Use of self filling forms and questionnaires, but it costs money. Formation of an Online Chapter for people who are not close to an existing chapter. Criticism about too many pictures In who's opinion and why? We b believe the website should be a magazine and not a house organ. If it the criticism is for faster loading (people with slower modems) and extra scrolling (speople witrh small, limited screens) the solution is simple. We have addressed this already, by giving the option of text only pages. If there is more demand for text only from a majority of readers, we will gradually add more in that format. It's easy to do. Who is paying for Magazine and Web Site? Financial Records show that we are personally subsidizing the magazine and website: (a) by not taking salaries (b) by providing and updating equipment ( c) by being responsible for losses and unpaid commitments by ATA member governments and others. To date still on our books Republic of Guinea..............................$4900 balance from May 2002 Ghana - Smart Travel club......................$3100 never paid (we sued. He's in jai. Still no money) Ethiopia- Tour operator friend of Yusuf ......$300 never paid from 2000 Recent losses For added freight - SADC edition ............ $400 For printing of magazines ..................... $1500 Total all of above ................................ $10,200 Needs? To raise funds or get backer for: Full or part time paid employees Full or part time volunteers Experienced advertiseing sales persons preferably devoted only to this magazine, however we could use a rep hoiuse We would still have to pay advances on commissions Need a financial statement and business plan. WAs originally to be funded by TIPP of Calgary. Could have a sales rep for some of the key countries or areas. Idea of a annual accommodations guide - with updates