mailing list poll results

[Pat Edwards]

Monte Westerfield asked me to forward to you the anonymous 
comments and results of the poll we conducted yesterday. 

The zebrafish research community was asked to vote on the 
following:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ZFIN sometimes receives requests from companies to use our 
email and address lists for mailing advertising to the community.  
Based on a straw poll at the last Cold Spring Harbor meeting, we 
have generally withheld these lists.  How do you feel about this?:

1. Release the mailing address list (Yes/No)
2. Release the email list (Yes/No)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RESPONSES

Question #1 (address list)
   Yes = 27
   No  = 94
   Maybe = 6

Question #2 (email list)
   Yes = 12
   No  = 111
   Maybe = 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COMMENTS:

*  Charge the companies for access to the lists

*  I already receive too many emails, i would not want my email 
address released.

*  No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No!

*  the pain of getting more junkmail would only be justified if
companies donate significant amounts to maintain ZFIN! 
(thousands of Dollars!)

*  Absolutely do not release my addresses to any commercial 
interest! Take me of the list entirely if you sell them.

*  I would release mailing lists but not e-mail address list.  Having
mailing list released will help companies to compete for our 
business - and may help us to save some money.  E-mail address, 
I feel, is too personal to be released. 

*  I vote to release the mailing lists only, as this will prevent mass
electronic mailings, and hopefully enable only companies that are 
truly serious about providing some important service to reach the 
community.

*  no to both- the monitor and word of mouth and zfin do a great 
job!!!

*  I don't care if things are sent to my mailing address, but if you
will be releasing the email list, I think we absolutely should be given
the opportunity to have our names removed (I would remove my 
name).

*  If you plan to release the mailing list, please remove my name 
first!

*  If the lists are published on the web it's difficult to see how you 
can withhold them. In some cases meeting sponsors want mailing 
lists as part of the deal for paying for a meeting. I personally do not 
have a problem with giving out my address to companies who are 
interested in sponsoring events.

*  Why not wait just a couple more months until CSH meeting. We 
have had a policy in place for 1 3/4 years; we can wait 1/4 year 
more to change. By waiting, more people will be able to respond 
and discuss any particular aspect that someone else brings up 
rather than giving an opinion based on just our personal experiences

*  I don't actually have a problem with releasing the lists (I am likely
to receive the same amount of junk mail anyway), but the 
companies should be paying for the lists.  This is the common 
practice with other scientific organizations and their mailing lists.  
The money can go back into ZFIN.

*  "No" on both questions, is my first reaction. It would help me,
though, to know what numbers we are talking about here: Are 
these 12 companies per year who have a valid case for selling 
something useful to a fish-lab, or are there 72 companies out there 
which build PCR machines and want to  distribute their new 
catalogue to as many people as possible? Just a few words so I 
get a better feeling for this..... In case of doubt I would say "no".

*   count me out - unless there is money in it for ZFIN - in which 
case, count me in!!

*  Please don't release my mailing and e.mail address.  I would 
love to keep this zebrafish club strictly academic.

*  i would like to suggest that these lists are a valuable resource of 
the zebrafish community and that in exchange for support to a 
zebrafish community project, such as the stock center et al, the 
list could be released for a set period to the corporate supporter.

*  I have only had bad experiences from such releases - especially 
email addresses - indeed things got so bad last year that I was 
forced to change my address. I still have no idea as to how it 
became generally available!

*  Yes to both if it is for material support directly related to B.rerio
research enhancement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a good opportunity to discuss this issue as a whole 
community before the CSHL meeting in April. If you wish to 
comment further on this issue, please send your replies to the 
whole community via the news group (bionet.organisms.zebrafish). 
Thanks!

Pat Edwards
-- 

><)))'>  ZF Administrative Coordinator
><)))'>  Institute of Neuroscience
><)))'>  1254 University of Oregon
><)))'>  Eugene, OR 97403-1254
><)))'>  (541) 346-5222 / FAX (541) 346-4548
><)))'>  e-mail: edwards at uoneuro.uoregon.edu
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