one rides for free (was Gerry) Cc: "=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=A0\"Michael_S._Nichols\"?=" <msnichols@MINDSPRING.COM> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Return-Path: : jrunberg@mac.com Michael, Me thinks your missing the point of the list, the reason our vendo= rs are in business, and perhaps list-servs in general. I don't think any vendor (that I know of, at least) got involved with Vanag= ons to get rich. They did it because they saw a need and had an interest in= the hobby. For them to post their technical advice, parts options and pric= ing is more a service to me than anything else. Bar them and you might have= a *much* harder time finding what you need when it comes time to buy. At t= he very least a ton of insight and experience would dissappear. As for a vendor (or series of vendors) running the list? Disaster! They wil= l potentially control the voice of the community and lose any respect and t= heir objective position as a result. What makes this list successful is tha= t the list moms have no financial interest in the direction of discourse on= the list. Instead of trying to saddle the list on the guy w/ the biggest pockets (eve= n though they're probably smaller than yours), perhaps a better model could= be found in the Type 2 list, where groups around the country hold fundrais= ers and take donations for the mainteance of the server/bandwidth. This hap= pens everyear at Everybus and countless other events -- and often vendors (= even those not actively contributing to the list) donate as well. Boy, I'm in a grumpy mood tonight! > The large commercial and "hobby" parts sellers, what might they contribut= e?=20 > Bus Depot is a successful concern, not just a mom and pop company.=A0=A0C= hris at=20 > JordanWv, well, he advertises=A0=A0lots of parts, but only for a hobby.= =20 > VolksCafe, Van-again, both for-profit concerns.=A0=A0Stan W. in Dallas, T= exas,=20 > did I miss anyone?=20 john |
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