Dear Listers,
During November of each year, I have a voluntary Email List Fund Raiser to
support the continued operation, development, maintenance and upgrade of
the Email Forums sponsored here. Your Contributions go directly into
improvements in the systems that support the Lists and to pay for the
Internet connectivity primarily dedicated to supporting the Lists.
The traffic on the Lists continues to grow and the numbers are nothing
short of impressive! Here are some statistics that show how much traffic
the Lists generated this year alone:
* 11/01/2002 - 10/31/2003
o Web server hits: 10,446,780 (870,565/mo)
o Incoming Email Posts: 58,918 (4,909/mo)
List-related upgrades this year have been plentiful, and List performance
has substantially improved as a result. Upgrades and enhancements this
year have included:
* Internet Connection upgrade to a full, commercial-grade T1 Line!
* New Web Server platform - Dual 3Ghz Xeon with 2Gb Ram and U320 SCSI!
* Upgrade of Email Server platform - Dual 1.7 Ghz Xeon with 1Gb Ram!
* All new SPAM Filtering Appliance - filters about 98% of the unwanted SPAM!
* All new, web-base List Chat Room society!
As you can well imagine, this year's upgrades translate into a fair amount
of cash outlay on my part and this annual List Fund Raiser is the sole
means by which I fund these upgrades. Unlike most of the other "list
servers" on the Web these days, I have a strict
*no-commercial-advertisement policy* on the Matronics Lists and associated
List web sites. I was again approached by a number of vendors recently
with advertising deals that have been very tempting. My commitment to
providing a grass-roots, non-commercial environment prevailed,
however! Commercialism on the Internet seems to be increasing
exponentially every year, with more and more SPAM and pop up ads, not to
mention the ever increasing Virus attacks.
My goal with the Matronics List Service is to provide all members
with a commercial-free, virus-free, and high-performance system
with which the may share information, ideas, and camaraderie.
The best news this year is that, with the gracious help of Andy Gold and
The Builder's Bookstore ( http://www.buildersbooks.com ), I have been able
to significantly expand the lineup of fantastic Gift offers to support the
List Fund Raiser! In all, there are eight awesome free gifts this year
ranging from List Archive CD's to Flight Computers with qualifying
Contribution levels. Those great Jeppesen Flight Bags that were so popular
last year are even back! A special thanks goes out to Andy Gold again this
year for his very kind and generous support of the Lists. Thanks Andy, for
these great incentives!!
Over the next month I'll be posting a few reminder messages about the List
Fund Raiser, and I ask for your patience and understanding during the
process. Remember that the Lists are *completely* funded through the
generous Contributions of its members. That's it! There's no support from
a bloated advertising budget or deep pockets somewhere. Its all made
possible through YOUR thoughtful and generous support!
To make your List Contribution using a Visa or MasterCard, PalPal, or with
a personal check, please go to the URL link below. Here you can find
additional details on this year's great free Gifts as well as information
on the various methods of payment. Contributions in the $20, $30, $50,
$75, and $100 range are common. The Contribution web page is kind of long
this year with the details of each of the gifts, so please scroll all the
way down!
SSL Secure Contribution Web Site:
http://www.matronics.com/contributions
I would like to thank everyone who supports the Lists this year! Your
Contributions truly make it all possible!!
Thank you!!
Matt Dralle
Matronics Email List Administrator
Matt G Dralle | Matronics | PO Box 347 | Livermore | CA | 94551
925-606-1001 V | 925-606-6281 F | dralle@matronics.com Email
http://www.matronics.com/ WWW | Featuring Products For Aircraft
|