Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00822)

A new phenomenon is in the works. Imagine everyone with a PC or MAC
having an e-mail for *free* -- yes *free*. Even homes can have multiple
e-mail addresses for each member of the household. Think of the number of
people who may be using e-mail in the US.

Just like we all have *free* TV programming paid for my advertisers, two
companies - Freemark Communication and Juno are beta testing their
services and are expected to make them available soon.

To each e-mail message that is displayed on the screen there will be an
ad. The Advertiser pays for your use of e-mail. These companies provide
the software and access to their computers to send and receive e-mail.
For the privilege of having e-mail for free, you have to put up with
reading the ads attached to e-mail.

The service these companies provide will be restricted to e-mail - no www
browsing.

In the context of universal free e-mail availability, there is a very
great potential for every group or organization to take full advantage of
to communicate with others interested in the activity of interest.

I think all Theosophy groups can take full advantage to communicate with
its members and others interested persons. It is a great opportunity we
cannot afford to miss. I think every organizations need to move
fast. Those who are behind the curve need to get in front
of the curve and not behind it. One of the problems that we see is the
*lack* of either the understanding of the potential inherent in the
technology or the *fear* of losing control over the information that is
dispensed to the followers/audience. Information is power. Since the
technology is new and many in the administrative hierarchy are in their
sixties and perhaps seventies and have grown up in an entirely different
technological culture and era, it is time to bring in knowledgeable
*experts* who have a better appreciation of the technology and what it
can do.

A case in point is the theos-l. It was not the result of an organization
taking the lead and taking advantage of technology. It was the vision and
lead and commitment of one man John E Mead (I think DeGracia may have had
a role to play also).
Take also the case of a web page. We have two web pages - one on vnet
and the other on garlic. The one one vnet was again put up by the efforts
of two individuals - John Mead and Don DeGracia. And it was put up in a
couple of *days* -- and not months or years. I do not know how many days it
took for Rudy for his web pages. Surely, it was not months or years.

As for the official web page of TSA, we are still waiting and they are
working on it. Eldon took the trouble to find out and posted a message.
We are all grateful for it. It is interesting to note that all the hardware
listed in his message are off-the shelf items that one can walk into a
good computer hardware store and walk out with.  One of the
items may have to be obtained locally in Chicago from a specialty dealer
same day or the next. The only thing that may take some days is the
registering the domain - about two weeks and the telephone company to hook
up the line. Why I am pointing these out here?   Going a little faster may
surely help spreading of Theosophy to the masses.

I would invite all those in this list -- *especially those who have been
complaining about not much substantial stuff being discussed* -- come up
with suggestions, ideas, opinions, criticisms, plans, so that we can make
Theosophy reach a larger audience thru e-mail and thereby affect the
lives of large number of human beings for the better.

Sorry for the long message.

	.....doss