Subscription Announcement

This is a copy of a letter sent out to all Netsurfer subscribers during the week of 02/04/2002 announcing that we were going to start charging money for Netsurfer subscriptions

Dear Netsurfers,

Well, at long last, the time has come. We're officially switching to a paid subscription business model. Don't despair - some bits will still be free, but you'll have to pay for others. We've had over seven years of ad-supported, free-to-the-reader publication, but for all the obvious reasons this is no longer possible. If you think it is, keep reading.

How we got here is an interesting story but, then, we lived it, so we're just a tad biased. We had a debate among ourselves about whether to include the whole long and potentially boring account in this letter, but finally came to our senses and decided that in the spirit of our digests we'd better keep this note short and to the point.

Instead we'll direct you to the longer account on our Web site. So if you're really interested, a mostly coherent account of how we decided to start charging for subscriptions can be found here:

Why We Did It: http://www.netsurf.com/why_subs.html

This account is based on some of the feedback we received from you, our readers, when we discreetly mentioned a few months back that we were thinking of charging real money for subscription. It should address most of the issues and questions on your collective minds.

Now, on to the essential details.

The Essential Details

Free Stuff

Netsurfer Library and Netsurfer Focus are free. For the moment, so are Netsurfer Books and Netsurfer Robotics - check the longer write-up for some info on this.

Transition

Everybody on our current respective mailing lists will continue to receive an abridged version of Netsurfer Digest, Netsurfer Science, and Netsurfer Education. Think of them as reminders that a new issue has been published. Each e-mail will have links to get off that abridged issue mailing list or subscribe for full access. Don't worry about it, it will all be clear when you get the next issue.

Price

Full access will cost $20 USD per year. Read the longer account on our web site to find out how we came up with that number.

Access

When you subscribe, you'll be able to read the full issues on our Web site after logging in. Those few people who currently read our e-zines offline will not like this, but it was only after much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth that we decided to do it this way (with cookie authentication). Secure subscriptions are more complicated than you think.

Payment

We take credit cards (securely), and if you don't have one, you can send us a check. Instructions are on the subscription Web page. No, we don't store credit card information on our Web site. Check the FAQ for details.

Libraries

If you represent a public or academic library, we offer free access for your institution. We like libraries. Full detail scan be found here: http://www.netsurf.com/libs_info.html

Signing Up

You can sign up and buy a subscription right now at this URL:

SIGN UP: http://www.netsurf.com/signup.html

Sales Pitch

If you really, really need a reason to subscribe, read our sales pitch:

SALES PITCH: http://www.netsurf.com/why_subs.html#sales_pitch

In a nutshell, we believe that you, our readers, are not stupid and probably understand that without revenue we can't run this Netsurfer business. Advertising is no longer a significant or viable contributor to revenue for sites like ours. Hence we have to charge money for our product.

That's it. As always, thanks for your attention and thanks for reading.