NET NEWS - Sea to Sky Communities Network

NET NEWS - Sea to Sky Communities Network - (Winter '96)

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In an effort to keep you informed about what is happening on the Sea to Sky Communities Network and what is planned by the Sea to Sky FreeNet Association we will endeavour to produce a quarterly electronic newsletter that will be posted to all users of the Communities Network and to members of the Sea to Sky FreeNet Association.

| Membership Drive and Renewals | Update | Development Plans | Money Matters |

... using computer technology to create a useable, current, corridor-wide information system that is universally accessible by the corridor's residents and visitors, both actual and virtual ...
(mission statement of the Sea to Sky FreeNet Association)

1 Membership Drive and Renewals
~~~ Please, renew your C2Sky FreeNet Association membership.
~~~ Please, become a C2Sky FreeNet Association member.
The Sea to Sky Communities Network while free to the user is not free to operate. The most obvious cost is the monthly phone bill and the internet connection.
It is a fundamental belief of FreeNet organizations that access to information technology should not be limited to those with the ability to pay. The Sea to Sky FreeNet Association shares that belief and will do everything in its power to ensure that there is no cost to the "user" of the Communities Network system.
We do, however, need to meet our bills. There is a fee to become a "member" of the Freenet Association. The money that is raised in this manner is used to pay the operating costs of the system. We have not actively pursued membership renewals or a membership drive because we were not providing the required service; however, with the internet connection being up and the development plans in place we are approaching the systems users for financial support. Please consider becoming a member or renew your membership in the Sea to Sky FreeNet Association. The cost for a individual is $15 and for a family is $25 per year.
Cheques are payable to: Sea to Sky FreeNet Association. Mail to: Box 2539, Squamish, B.C. V0N 3G0.
We hope that via this electronic appeal there will be a wave of new memberships and renewals. If this is not successful then we will have to consider a paper mail out.
~~~ Please, renew your C2Sky Freenet Association membership.
~~~ Please, become a C2Sky Freenet Association member.
*****
2 Update
After being isolated from the internet for six months, the Sea to Sky Communities Network is (in case you have not noticed) back with an almost full internet connection. Full e-mail service will be back when we have a new address (sea-to-sky.net) which should be in place soon, hopefully by the end of February. This is taking longer to achieve than we had anticipated however when it is in place it will greatly cut down on the amount of typing required!
Behind the scenes there has been a lot of activity over the past six months: moving hardware, moving phone lines, and doing a lot of haggling with equipment suppliers, service providers, and planning a new menu structure and development plan.
3 Development Plans

Name Change
The network name has been changed from the Sea to Sky FREENET to the Sea to Sky COMMUNITIES NETWORK to signal a change in direction away from a simple no cost internet connection to a commitment to building a fully developed community information system that serves the needs of the hundreds of non profit organizations that exist in the Sea to Sky corridor.
New Mission Statement
The new mission statement reflects the change in emphasis that is signalled by the name change. ... using computer technology to create a useable, current, corridor-wide information system that is universally accessible by the corridor's residents and visitors, both actual and virtual ... (mission statement of the Sea to Sky FreeNet Association)
Menu Change
One of the reasons why more information providers were not forthcoming was the difficulty non technical users had in finding information. Addressing this problem we are redesigning the menu structure so the core of the system is the hundreds of non profit organizations that exist within the corridor and three ways of searching for information: by alphabetical listing, by geographical location, and by subject category. There is considerable work that needs to be done to ensure that the system is designed so that: it is easily useable by first time computer users; there is an obvious place for potential information providers to plug in their information; it can be supported technically using existing and anticipated resources.
Information Providers
There are literally hundreds of non profit organizations within the corridor. Information respecting these groups exists in many different publications and is often exceedingly hard to find. The objective is to get all non profit organizations on line, firstly as a line entry indicating that the organization exists in the corridor, then with a brief description of why the organization exists, and finally, as a full information provider.
The full information provider is responsible for updating their own information. Types of information that can be made available are: goals and objectives, calendar or events, newsletters, special reports and also who to contact, directors, financial information, minutes, membership fees and information. Clearly the more non profit groups are using the system the more useful it will be as a community information source.
If any of the system users are interested in finding out more about providing information on line please contact one of the directors.
4 Money Matters

The Good News
The Sea to Sky Freenet Association has received a Industry Canada one time only grant that will allow us to expand to Whistler, upgrade equipment (what you say?, get a few new modems that don't generate so much garbage! -:)). The grant will be used to upgrade service not meet operation costs or we won't be able to get the system on a self sustaining basis.
The Bad News
The cash flow problems are always with us with monthly bills to pay (see membership drive above). The Sea to Sky Communities Network while free to the user is not free to operate. The most obvious cost is the monthly phone bill and the internet connection.
The Challenge
To create a system that is financially supported by users (through donations), members (by fees and donations), and information providers (by donations and or grants).
Sea to Sky Communities Network
Is in a good position to become self-sustaining however reaching this goal depends on the generosity and hard work of many individuals and organizations. Many thanks to all those who have been stanch supporters and to those who have read to the end of this newsletter!
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.. using computer technology to create a useable, current, corridor-wide information system that is universally accessible by the corridor's residents and visitors, both actual and virtual ...

(- mission statement of the Sea to Sky Freenet Association)