yes virginia, free faxing - no virg

[ider@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Re: yes virginia, free faxing - no virginia, no free lunch

Do not call free which is not free!
The last leg of the communication falls on public telephone lines,
the cost of which is covered by the "volunteer". Money is not a thing
to be volunteered, especially if it is other people's money. Make
it a business and call it such. This system of vounteering simply
will not work unless some kind of clearing is provided to divide
the cost evenly among the participants. The other solution is what
the FaxAway is doing. Open an account and fax untill it runs out.
It cost you less than the international call and more than the local.
There is a wide margin for savings or profits to be made with the
usually tenfold difference between the charges. 
I visited the homepage of the above *free* service and it professed
to run on "community spirit". Businesses run on money. Summer camps
run on community spirit. If those guys are serious about their idea,
they sould present it as a serious business proposal, letting the
other party consider the pros and cons. This All American MTV-esque
"heeey guuuys thiiiis iiis FREEEEEE" brawl is like selling donuts
at beach parties. Maybe this is  the only thing marketing managers
are taught nowadays.
Imre