Subject: (Repost) IMPORTANT -- Future of CCL

From: Jan Labanowski <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 22:18:54 -0400

Dear Members of CCL,

As promissed, I am back from Aberdeen, and I am posting this long message
again, in case you missed it the first time. Big Thank You for all who
responded. I learned a lot from your answers, and you gave me a lot of
valuable, first hand information, as well as, great suggestions. I will
answer your messages soon, but also this time, I ask you for understanding
(my maibox is quite full at the moment {:-)}). I will also try to 
summarize your responses briefly. I already have some new thoughts
thanks to your comments. But please, give me more...
Thanks again.

-------------------- original message reposted --------------
Please read this, since it is important to the CCL.  This is, by necessity,
a lenghty note, but please read on...

As you know, I applied twice for the support of CCL to National the Science
Foundation. First time, I did not get funding, but I learned from
reviewers comments. Next time I got it...
The CCL was granted NSF support, under the condition that CCL becomes
self funded after 3 year period. And I need to show progress soon. The Web 
site has to be more organized, so it is easier to get to what you want.
 (...)

The list grows, the number of topics grow, and I have less and less time,
which I CAN JUSTIFY to spend on administering, to say nothing about improving
the list.
(...)
 While I recognize the potential,
the list eats OSC resources (the Web, gopher, and ftp archives send
gigabytes of stuff to the world every week), it eats my personal
operational budget, and the Center cannot really justify these costs
indefinitely. So please do not get me wrong... The situation is forced
upon CCL. While it is a challenge for me (AND YOU), it is also an
opportunity. The CCL may evolve into a much better resource.

The NSF grant provides for some hardware, miscelaneous, and a single
position for 3 years to support and develop the list into an enterprise
which can support itself from income. If you are interested in working
WITH me on this, please read the job opening announcement in the
positions.offered file in CCL archives
	(http://www.ccl.net/chemistry.html --> CCL archives --> jobs)
or go there directly via anon. ftp:
   	ftp://www.ccl.net/pub/chemistry/jobs/positions.offered
and check under: 96.09.10. I already have a few candidates, but I did not 
make decision yet, so if you are interested, please apply, but do it soon.

(...)
I will try to tell you as much as I can about my vision for the future
of CCL, though obviously I cannot tell you everything.
This creates a problem of confidence, and I am sorry about it. However,
I hope that I proved to you for all these years that I am devoted to
CCL, and that all this work was "labor of love". I hope that you can
accept that it is not just a a business proposition for me, but more like
having a child live long and prosper.

So, how to become self funding? it boils down to essentially 2 models after
you consider all cons and pros... Believe me, I did a lot of thinking,
asking, and discussing... 
   1) non-profit, membership based, educational organization, [501(c)(3)].
(...)
   2) nonallied, independent, for-profit enterprise, which provides
      FREE discussion forum as a price for its visibility and image.
(...)
  The recipe for "success" which I was given quite often (but not always!!!)
was: "Charge the membership fees". But I do have reservations.
(...)
Dues are a doubly edged sword. On one hand you get only people who want
it and pay for it - a few good people. On the other hand, by charging dues,
CCL would lose people for whom it would be too difficult (i.e., people
who hate to pay for the free Internet; subscribers from abroad,
especially from countries without free currency exchange;
and students, for whom a 100 bucks is a 100 bucks, and 200 bucks is
a million.). Moreover, membership fees may shrink the advertising audience.
And besides, can one advertise to paid customers? On the other hand, with
fees or no fees, I consider advertizing only through the CCL Web site
and occassionally put some plug about visiting the Web site and praise
our supporters. On the other hand, I realize that I cannot overdo
this stuff, since some of you are very sensitive to this issue.
(...)

The other option is to go for-profit. This is a brave proposition,
and by no means easy. It requires vision, knowledge, and you need to put your
own money into it. But it has one advantage, that you can: "engage in any
lawful act or activity for which a corporation may be formed in Ohio, pursuant
to O.R.C. 1701.04(A)(3)." I do not have yet a formal business plan, and
we have at least a year to decide how to go around it. The FREE list
will be here until NSF grant is terminated/concluded, unless something
unpredictable happens, (...)

 Whichever way it turns out, do not forget that all of you
who subscribe to CCL are in effect in the CCL Board of Trustees. You go,
and I go under. (...)

Therefore I want to preserve the list as it exists NOW for FREE.
It will have the current wide scope, and an interactive feel. I will most
likely connect CCL to Usenet, as a moderated group, though moderating will
be done by software to the extent software can do it with a very limited
human intervention. (...)
I assume that the list and its discussions are the core of all this, and
it should not be messed up. I want to have free archives and a free Web side.
But of course not all can be free, since CCL will have to earn money to pay:
   1) a salary for at least one full time person,
   2) a high bandwidth Internet connection
   3) pay for hardware, software, and maintenance/licensing.
So I have to create income sources which will depend on the FREE list, some
of which will be the added value to the PLAIN list, and some which
will be made attractive by the wide exposure given by the list.
(...)

I will try to list some ideas (not all, though) how the
list can support itself from related service:
   1) the CCL could be involved in non-intrusing advertising (via Web),
   2) filtering messages on specific threads/topics for people who want to
      keep their e-mail volume low,
   3) searching for particular information (in CCL archives or anywhere on
      the Internet),
   4) consultant's brokerage,
   5) selling derivatives of CCL discussions (i.e, highly organized
      archives, with CD-ROM editions), 
   6) organize virtual conferences (possibly for a fee) which will result
      in publishable CD-ROMS.
   7) start a rapid Comp.Chem. Comm. News flash,
   8) provide a home to some computational chemistry electronic journal(s)
      (or develop one),
   9) have a job market/employment service (i.e., positions.offered may
      be a paid service in the future)
  10) sell things over Internet (virtual store) using secure 
      credit-card/digital-cash transactions and get commission for goods sold,
  11) Web presence, Web site design, etc.,
  12) provide anonymous participation for users who do not want to be
      associated with their employers when posting,
  13) provide site for Requests For Proposals for companies which want
      to find contractors, or organize consortia.
  14) create searchable databases of comp.chem. results, data, and
      sources,
  15) access to other services (e.g., selling computer time at computer
      centers) as commission,
  16) selling software for small developers who cannot afford the marketing
      infrastructure,
  17) educational services (e.g., on chemistry related HTML design),
      and providing infastructire for Web based instruction in chemistry
      related disciplines, which was prepared by 3rd parties,
  18) selling our own software developed for running this CCL services,
  19) providing Web space information and membership services for
      societes and associations in related areas
  20) providing US representation for chemistry related services of
      foreign small businesses, and vice versa.
  21) Providing some ISP functions (e.g., private e-mail accounts
      not associated with person's employer, providing e-mail interface
      to Usenet groups).
This is by far not a complete listing of possibilities, and obviously,
there maybe not enough market needs for some possibilities listed above.
Do I want to do it all by myself? I wish there was 240 hours a day. But
I hope that some of companies/startup may want to use CCL infrastructure
to provide their services, and I can take some markup. So if you have
some good ideas, I will be glad if you can e-mail me.

Now, I will have to protect CCL assets. Thanks to the new US copyright law and 
some court decisions, I have some rights to the assets of CCL archive,
since it represents the collection. I also have rights to the derivatives
of the archive. I will put there soon some copyright notice to deter,
(...)
Now, each of you has a choice: do nothing, or support me and CCL which
I am trying TO SAVE (Yes, SAVE!!!) I also have choices. When many of you
choose to help me, we will have CCL for the long time to come, and it will
be better. And remember, right now, there is no for-profit corporation
associated with the list which is run by myself. The list is supported
by NSF, and runs off the Ohio Supercomputer Center. But it WILL HAVE
TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE. Why? Because, I am being so told...
Now, how can you help me? In many ways... For example:

1) Give me good stuff, good content, good discussions, and good, thought 
   provoking questions for discussions. When you publish a paper, you give 
   your best shot, since it is your divine call, and your name is on it. The 
   CCL is a chat forum, but people listen, and they have feelings.

2) Contribute free stuff to CCL archives. You have lots of nifty software
   which you wrote, a lot of educational materials, good data and results,
   handouts, mpegs, jpegs, and gifs, and you reviewed a lot of software, and
   did write-ups for internal use, etc. Copyright it to yourself or whoever,
   and give me a license to use it for public distribution via CCL archives.
   You will get recognition, and I will get good stuff which will make CCL
   a valuable resource. But put some doc with it please, it will add a lot
   of value to your contribution.

3) Give me ideas. Do not be offended or disappointed, however, if I do not
   apply them, since I may not see their importance, or I have some plan,
   which would be in conflict, or, simply, I do not have manpower. I will
   always try to tell you why, if I can.

4) Give me money... Contribute to the "OSC Development Fund (CCL)".
   I will give you details soon, but in short, if you, or your
   organization gives me something, you will be thanked on the Web,
   proportionally to the amount. I will soon decide levels for Ambasadors,
   Patrons, Friends, Supporters, etc. and the amount of exposure associated.
(...)

5) I am not a business yet... But all of you have to understand is that
   if I take a business path, and you do not like it, all you have to
   do is unsubscribe. And I am out of business. Moreover, with my other
   activities and involvment in the Center, I have a chance to bring
   some additional assets to the list archives and add these stuff
   to the CCL COLLECTION (sic!). However, give me your ideas on possible
   business opportunities for CCL. I will keep your propositions and
   comments in full confidence. 

6) I will bug you with the info on CCL directions, changes in format, will ask 
   you to participate in testing some ideas or software, and I will solicit 
   your advice, your inputs, and your opinions. PLEASE, DO NOT DISCUSS CCL ON 
   CCL!!! It may create flame wars, and will also increase the noise level 
   since CCL is for Comp Chem. It is more than enough that I have to do it. 
   Please send me your responses directly, and even if I do not write back
   immediately, I will read them, and be grateful.

So, please comment! Send me your nice comments, or harsh criticism since
I need it. I understand that some of you may feel disappointed. In a sense,
some innocence of the list has been lost. But, as you can see, I tried
to convince you that these are the means, and not ends for me.
And if you think that this is another "get rich fast on the Internet",
look closer at the record. The list is now at the end of its 6th year,
and I am yet to see my first penny made on the list. I try to keep the
good thing. But I cannot do it without your quidance, support, and trust.
On the other hand, I have to take charge, since we cannot vote on everything,
(...)
We have to work together, but I understand that not all of you would
want to support this venture. But the simple truth is that CCL has to pay
its bills, or dies in pain. If there are other options, tell me about it,
or you may try them yourself.

Yours,

Jan Labanowski
[email-masked]