mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) (11/27/83)
Netword, Inc. of metropolitan Washington DC area is a Dedicated Access
E-COM carrier (we have private phones in each USPS E-COM computer room).
We are a public corporation (see WSJ "Additional OTC Quotes"), with
over $2 1/2 million in assets. See Nov. 21, p.122 of Forbes Magazine.
We invite you to participate in free hard-copy electronic mail via the
U.S. Postal Service E-COM system, and Netword, Inc.
We will provide a limited amount (about 400 pieces) of "free" mail each week;
provided that such mail be dumped directly here, and not via the uucp net.
(Some uucp users have complained about trunking/forwarding/handling such mail.)
It is FREE because we want to stimulate the use of E-COM, and get you
familiar with E-COM, so when you want to do a larger mailing, you'll think
of us (range is $.40->$.70 each)! (Commissions/discounts paid.)
Interested persons should contact us via uucp to:
{allegra, seismo}!{rlgvax, umcp-cs}!netword!dan
Write soon! we may be limiting the number of users!
DO NOT SEND LIVE MAIL UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED OUR INFORMATION KIT, GIVING
FULL ACCESS AND FILE SPEC PARTICULARS!!!
Excerpt of information kit:
========
USERS GUIDE:
Prepare a file in the specified format using your favorite editor.
Type:
mail netword\!ecom <filename
to the file to pass to us. System operator will tell you when he has
set this up.
========
Free traffic is limited to Single Address Messages. Mass mailings are
available too: special arrangements may be made to get this
type of mail processed by calling us by voice. (800)-222-ECOM (800-222-3266)
Mail in proper format sent in via uucp qualifies for discounts/commissions.
{If the free traffic gets out of hand, we may suspend operations
temporarily.
Individual billing might be particularly difficult to administer
to everyone's satisfaction.
Alternatively, after this Beta-testing, we may implement a flat rate
for a site based on number of potential E-COM users, in the range of
$25 -> $1000 annually, for "unlimited" usage of Single Address Messages.
We would administer this statistically. It may work like a WATS phone
line-- if your site gets really extremely heavy traffic, you may be
billed for overage. This may be implemented on a uucp "call back" scheme
to prevent unauthorized usage, if a simple assigned password does
not do the trick.
Comments please.}
We hope that you will like us, and think of us when you do have
"larger" volumes (25+) of E-COM, If the volumes are sufficient,
we will provide an 800 data number. If it is viable, we will all
benefit. If it is NOT supported, no one will have adequate E-COM
access.
So for right now, all it will cost you is a phone call!
Disclaimer: E-COM service will be provided for convenience, not with any
contractual obligation on our part. (We disavow any legal liability
when used this way.) We will act in good faith, however, since we are
advertising our service! Therefore, do not expect immediate delivery
as you would from our normal paid service; enjoy rather the ease
of interface and convenience of modern technology. The 200 message
minimum per city is difficult to attain every single day.
Please feel free to use us, since MORE VOLUME will permit
BETTER ROUTING for all. We hope this will encourage others to invent
some public utilities to provide us all with a handy convenient mail
system. Contact us about filespecs or any ideas you may have for us.
How about emacs and nroff macro packages; shell-scripts or special
"mail" programs?
Have fun!
dan@netword.UUCP
---------------------------
Note - I realize this is advertising, but I feel that Netword is doing
us all a big service because they are willing to pass the occasional
letter along for free. Many of us only send occasional notes by paper,
and don't want to mess with setting up accounts. They are also taking
steps to be sure they don't upset our customs, thus the interest in
having direct connections with their customers - they are requesting
that so their neighbors don't wind up spending money forwarding business
to netword. I personally feel that when no money is changing hands,
the net shouldn't mind forwarding mail to netword, as long as the volume
remains low. Of course, rlgvax and umcp-cs have the right to set their
own policies, and there will probably be LOTS of sites with direct
connections to netword very soon, many of which won't mind forwarding
a small fraction of the total traffic. - Mark Horton