Erik Davis wrote:
>About Promotion:
>I am in agreement that we need to take a proactive approach to growing
>this hobby...
>...collectively develop some helpful "aids" to share among us, perhaps
>accessed only by folks on the list, but not visable to the web page
>generally?

This would be easy to do. Quite often I will send a link
to the list like this:
http://www.pclink.com/elf/resource.htm
The page this link points to is not advertised, very unlikely anyone
will
stumble upon it. This is a good method to use to do what Erik is
suggesting.
We just pass the links around via email. Its no different than clipping
an
article and mailing it to someone via snail mail (though its a bit
faster),
and you never have to run to the copy place if you want to send out more

than one copy.

>These might be for downloading/modifying/printing to pass
>about as we as individuals see fit? I agree with the sentiments of keep
>it simple and rubber-stampish, not glitzy or "commercial".

I don't know where the idea of glitziness came from. No one had
suggested that. But...
As Mitch mentioned earlier you can put something together on a web page.

It would print out nice but not be glitzy by any means. It would be
readable
and usable but not particularly professional. For example:
http://www.pclink.com/elf/label.htm
This is just a simple label for a letterbox. Once you have it up you
can print
it, cut and paste it, etc.

I would think we could use colors and be artful without being glitzy.
The family type map at Plano, TX is really cool.
http://www.pclink.com/elf/plano.htm#wdrfmap
I certainly don't think this is glitzy. But it is nice. Its attractive
and it says
something about who we are.

Erik Davis also wrote:
>There are lots of local options for promotion, many of which have been
>discussed, some done. Tom Cooch has already involved a library, and
some
>of his students. My son and two friends want to bring it to cub
scouts.
>These are the sorts of activities that build local 'critical mass'. So,
>as we go forward, lets share experiences such as these that have (or
>haven't) worked.

I'm in full agreement with the local approach. I think this is the best
way to
pass along information to the people in our respective areas (who we
stand
a chance to know and trust for one thing), and who can help us increase
the
number of boxes locally, thus increasing the fun.

Erik Davis finally wrote:
>I don't feel that having clues on the net is the problem -
>they have to be published someplace and, they can always be recopied
and
>passed along - we really cannot hope to control whose hands they get to
>forever.

That's so true. No matter how you do it you're going to have some
problems. So
if the resolve is to not use the web to avoid problems you might as well
just
quit altogether. There are many ways to use the web to our advantage
that
will not cause problems.

Thank you Erik for helping me to demystify this.

The web actually is part of the fun and it is also a common work that we
can
share in. I think it would be helpful to look on it as a common work,
or as
part of our artistic expression. The maps themselves take on a bit of
art form.
Witness:
http://www.pclink.com/elf/randolph.htm
Perhaps more of these types of layouts and maps will be put up...

More and more I am finding constructive, useful and helpful things on
the web.
For sure that was my thinking with Letterbox USA. What we are doing
(and what I defend) is making constructive and purposeful use of the web

in a unique, shared system. To my knowledge no one anywhere is sharing
in a vision quite like this one.

So...
I hope we are all resolved to make this work one way or another, and to

help insure that there will be some fun that everyone can enjoy
(including
us).

I thank all of you who are helping with this effort. I think it is
honorable
what we are doing. And rest assured: Its going to be a fruitful
project
curmudgeons or no curmudgeons.

Take care,
Dan


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