Thanks and who pays the bills?

[Jerry D Mead]

Jackie will probably answer for herself, but I can tell you one part of it is simply that wineboard is an additional attraction to people to visit the rest of www.wines.com, where there are a variety of commercial entities.

This IS Jackie's business and how she makes her living. I can tell you the Moderators are not being paid.

Banners and bulletin type commercial ads might be a possibility, but the intent is to keep the folders themselves as commercial free as was AOL...with the exception of the ADS & PROMOTIONS folders, and answers to specific questions...if someone wants to know where to find something and a retailer or private party can provide that info...that's kosher.

The Wine Board was not installed with a particular commercial idea in mind, I can tell you that. It was formed quickly as a result of my plea to Jackie regarding what we all thought was the eminent demise of AOL's FDN. Jackie found and installed the software in a matter of days (out of her own pocket)and adopted all the suggestions that Bob Wood and I made, throwing in some ideas of her own based on her extensive knowledge of websites and computers.

I have had a long association with Jackie, as my newsletter, Mead On Wine, and my magazine, The Wine Trader, are archived at her site. The arrangement was a service for me and my readers...a reason for people to log on for Jackie. Neither of us has really made any sizable profit off of it, though I do pick up some new subscribers and she, hopefully, gets a few extra hits.

Yours is a good question, and it's nice to know that someone recognizes that there is no free lunch.

JDM