>Eric points out that 'the profit motive' is a factor in both for-profit
>and not-for-profit organizations.  I would take matters a step or two
>further.
>
>The issue of individual gain is a smokescreen and an illusion.
>
>I have not seen a net.culture aversion to the posting of job
>opportunities pertinent to the subject of particular lists, nor to the
>establishment of lists or newsgroups where items are offered for sale.
>The actual/practical criterion seems to be the pertinence of the <crass
>materialistic item> to the core business of the list or newsgroup.
>
>This grew from the Internet's recent emphasis on education and research,
>which its practitioners seemed to think made all activities of
>participants 'pure' as long as those participants were members of a
>privileged group.  Now that there are commercial services offering net
>access, a partly-justified fear has arisen that the interlopers will ruin
>the neighborhood.
>
>A reasonable vigilance is appropriate, but not vigilantism.
>
>--bayla (whose freelance earnings just about qualify her for non-profit
>status :-)
 
>and then Jack said:
As to personal gain, let me tell you something about the administrative
side of nfp's.  They are the slowest people to pay bills of anyone I know.
I have been awaiting payment from a federal organization for nearly 2 1/2
months now, and a mid-west university is 4 1/2 months late in paying
their bill.  Yesterday (third call since July) they told me that I would
be receiving payment within 3-5 days; maybe 10. !%@#)*
 
And those are just the current crop.
 
If I choose to post a notice about a workshop I plan to conduct, or a
text I've just published (I'm editing 4, including two translations which
I have paid for and hope to break even on), or a conservation videotape
I've produced (about 40, so far; they break even - the institutional
market is thin), I'll just consider that interest on the institutional debt.
 
 
>>I have been keeping mum for a while and reading the comments on this topic.
>>It makes me feel that I am not alone in making a very meager living in this
>>field. Bayla's crack about being non-profit rings very close to the truth.
>>Many of us are unable to attend conferences at any distance away because of
>>lack of funds. Yet, I am still very grateful at being able to do something I
>>consider to be a service to society.
 
I'm not crying the blues, I chose to go out on my own after many years at
non-profits. It's just that in reading this thread I get the feeling of a
holier than thou attitude from some of the members towards those of us who
are out there in the free market. And , once you do get a project, as Jack
says, you not only have to borrow or put out a substantial amount of your
own funds, but sometimes it's months before we get reimbursed or paid.
 
I joined this list to keep up with what was going on in the field and a to
have chance to exchange views with others in my field who I might not
otherwise meet. I introduced myself by way of a brief resume to give people
an idea of what kind of professional background I came from. It's helpful
to know the expertice of your colleagues. I was immediately flamed for
advertising by a number of NFP Mullahs. I must add I also received some
very kind welcomes. Lets all try to empathize with each other and get on
with the task of making museums more effective in their various missions.
 
Respectfully,
        Robert
 
 
Robert O. Dahl
8421 N. Via Tioga
Tucson, AZ 85704 Ph:(602) 797-4752
internetaddress:[log in to unmask]
              AOL: [log in to unmask]