Educational Software Cooperative 4/Educational Software Cooperative 4.iso/mxdb/software/base/jcsm.txt

Text File | 1995-11-25 | 16.2 KB | 356 lines

JCSM Electronic Newsletter

The following is our first electronic newsletter.  Let me know what you
think.

By the way, the 11/16/95 A2V CD-ROM is available on www.jcsm.com.  Lots
of author links from the programs, Etc. Also some new op sys indicators,
and "Best of" indicators.  Stop and see them.

JCS Marketing/Distribution AUTHOR's
Newsletter

Volume 1, Issue 1                                 November 24, 1995

Welcome to the first issue of the JCSM/JCSD Author's Newsletter!

In this issue, we cover the following:

  Who We Are
  What We Do
  CMP Publications selects the A2V for a New Project
  Microsoft Software Network (MSN) Report
  AT&T EasyLink Status and project cancellation
  VENDINFO and What it means to all of us
  Other Internet Site Uploads
  A2V Vendors, and www.jcsm.com
  www.jcsm.com Plans and New Features
  www.jcsm.com October Statistics
  Electronic Addresses and the JCSM Newsletter
  Cutoff Dates for Future Issues
  Purge Postponed Until Absolutely Necessary
  FTP your programs to us
  "Best of.." Christmas Special
  Other Items of interest

Who we are:

To our many friends who are familiar with us, Hello, again!  To
those of you to whom we are new, Hello!, and please let me introduce
us.  JCS Distribution is a division of JCS Marketing, Inc.  Our
mission is to provide low cost distribution of shareware programs to
as many shareware vendors in the world as possible.  We have been
publishing the Author to Vendor CD-ROM for just under 2 years, and
many shareware authors/publishers depend on us for their
distribution.  We have been shareware vendors for over 3 years.

What we do:

We publish the "Author to Vendor" CD-ROM eight times per year (each
1.5 months) to approximately 1000 vendors worldwide.  We have about
400 permanent vendors subscribing, and supply an additional 600
vendors sample editions to get wide-spread distribution for you
(over 4000 vendors have received at least one edition of the CD-ROM
in the past 6 months).  We retain the programs on the CD-ROM,
edition to edition, until it is full.  At that time we will purge
the oldest programs, thereby ensuring distribution for the longest
time while offering the most current shareware.  The A2V is only
sent to shareware vendors, and is not available for sale to
shareware users.  The cost of the A2V is shared by both the authors
and vendors.

Of note, we have been selected for distribution by many vendors
distributing shareware.  Because of the potential volume and
importance to the author community, major networking related
entities have selected the A2V as a major shareware source.

In September of this year, we started operating www.jcsm.com, our
web site, which mounts the A2V CD-ROM.  Statistics and news of
www.jcsm.com follow in a later section.

In September of this year, we began to make sure that your shareware
would be sent to the 150 biggest shareware vendors/sysops in the
world.  The first attempt was only limitedly successful, but we will
continue to refine the concept.

At the request of the vendors, we began publishing a CD-ROM called
the "Best of the Author to Vendor" in June of this year.  This CD-
ROM (published four times per year) is intended for sale to
shareware users by vendors or authors.  The CD-ROM is prepared at no
cost to the authors and simply provides additional distribution.
The "Best of ..." CD-ROM contains only programs also contained in
the A2V which explains the name.

CMP Publications selects the A2V for a New Project

We recently received a special three year subscription to the A2V
from CMP Publications, publishers of 14 major Computer Magazines.
CMP plans to use the A2V for a not yet disclosed shareware related
project.  The CMP spokesperson commended us for the wide variety,
and quality of the A2V, as well as the currentness of the
collection.

CMP operates the TECHWEB major internet site in support of all CMP
publication activities.  TECHWEB is well worth a visit from each of
you (http://techweb.cmp.com) to see the very complete nature of the
available features, articles, and publications.  TECHWEB is a highly
active internet site actively promoted within each of the CMP
publications.

We will be making a number of announcements very soon concerning
CMP, and their project.  In the meantime,  with your Web browser,
stop and see them at techweb.cmp.com.

Microsoft Software Network (MSN) Report

As promised, Paul Mayer is uploading your shareware to the MSN.  In
fact, upon receipt of the 9/30/95 issue of the A2V, Paul asked for a
file of those programs new and changed in that issue, therefore
minimizing his labors to quickly upload your programs.  We responded
immediately, and Paul updated his files.  Paul has a request of all
of you:  Use valid VENDINFO.DIZ files in your software!  It simply
is not possible to process the MANY files he receives, unless he can
do so electronically, and that is not possible unless he has known
standards.  We will continue to supply your shareware to him but he
can only properly process those with VALID VENDINFO.DIZ files.

AT&T EasyLink Status and !Shareware Project Cancellation

As many of you are aware, AT&T reorganized at the end of September.
At that time, they had subscribed to the A2V, and had begun
discussions with the major shareware associations about offering
shareware for download to their users.  They had an internal project
with which they made selected shareware programs available to AT&T
corporate EasyLink users.

Last week, I was notified that the EasyLink network shareware
distribution system was being discontinued.  The reasons were many,
mostly because or realignment of responsibilities in the various
networking groups.  ZiffNet is an EasyLink Customer and can perform
many of the functions proposed for !shareware.  Of even greater
importance, very shortly, AT&T will be offering internet access as a
product.  That product will be internally implemented in a matter of
weeks, and the !shareware users will be able to access internet
site.  The announcement of the cancellation of !shareware carried
the URLs of jcsm.com, and of the three shareware association home
pages, and encouragement to use them as shareware sources.  We
experienced an immediate increase in traffic on jcsm.com, even
though the AT&T folks have to use other means to access the internet
for a few weeks.  It will be to everyone's advantage to keep their
offerings current on these four sites.  We can thank AT&T for the
vote of confidence in shareware.  As you may recall, AT&T not only
permitted employee access to shareware, encouraged its use, but
required registration of programs found useful.  Our industry will
enjoy a long, beneficial relationship with AT&T.  They are an entity
deserving appreciation by our industry.


VENDINFO and What it means to all of us

We have monitored the acceptance of VENDINFO as a description
standard within the industry.  We have seen entire shareware
associations encourage its use.  In the past several months, it has
become critical that Authors begin to use the system. Especially, we
have seen major vendor organizations require VENDINFO adoption, or
the shareware is not acceptable for processing by them.

Conversely, we have seen authors who refuse to adopt the standard
for many reasons, the most dominant of which was something like:
"they do not want someone to make money on something which should be
free".  We at JCSM/JCSD do not support this view.  We use shareware
whenever possible, and register the programs with the authors.  In
the same fashion, we support Rudy Ramsey's (Rams Island Software)
efforts in defining, developing, and producing a workable VENDINFO
standard, and support programs.

Shareware copies of VENDINFO standards and support programs can be
obtained on jcsm.com with your web browser in the "programmers
tools" category, or directly from Ram's Island software at (303)
841-2848, CIS: 76244,324, FTP: ftp://ftp.abwam.com/pub/ramsisle,
WWW: http://delta.com/ramsisle/ramsisle.htm, or from roughly 4000
vendors/sysops worldwide who have received their copy of the A2V in
the last year.

JCSM/JCSD is reviewing its fee schedules and processing for pending
activities.  We plan to automate much of our activities, and expect
to have VENDINFO.DIZ files as the heart of that automation.  You may
expect an announcement soon of the effects of VENDINFO.DIZ
availability within submissions, and the expected benefits/costs of
that inclusion.


Other Internet Site Uploads

As all of us are aware, internet shareware sites are everywhere!
Anyone who thinks that shareware is dying need only see the huge
companies who are now starting to distribute shareware, see the MANY
sites offering shareware to their users, and see the many new users
of shareware.

It comes to mind that we are in an ideal position to take the
already processed shareware you have submitted and to begin
distribution to these other sites as well.  To help us evaluate
potential sites for us to service, please collect URLs of your
favorite sites and email them to me at [e-mail].  (the sites
selected should not be "links" but should be actual depositories,
and should accept large uploads).

I'm not sure where this will lead, and what we will be able to do,
but we will try to again offer added services to you.  We will have
a better idea of what we need to do when we develop a list, and
begin to establish relationships with our fellow internet shareware
providers.

A2V Vendors, and www.jcsm.com

In the excitement over jcsm.com, we may tend to lose sight of the
many JCSM/JCSD A2V subscribers who are doing their very best on your
behalf.  Shareware has many authors, a few of which make it big, and
many vendors, some of which also make to big.  We tend to forget the
small, struggling authors, and the small, struggling vendors, many
of which are JCSM/JCSD charter participants.  These loyal folks are
still important to us all.

We have the capability to update jcsm.com many times during the
processing cycle between A2V publications.  It is our policy to not
do so.  Our loyal vendors will receive their copies of the A2V at
about the same time we mount the CD-ROM on jcsm.com.  Authors should
not expect to see their updates prior to that time.

www.jcsm.com Plans and New Features

We will shortly be providing links to author pages, and author Email
addresses.  The information on author detail pages will be expanded.
The category pages will reflect two new small gif images, one for
"Best of" if contained on the "Best of" CD-ROM, and one for
"New/Updated" if the software has been updated in the one of the two
last issues.

www.jcsm.com October Statistics

October was our first full calendar month of operation of jcsm.com.
Of interest:

  We experienced 53,727 "hits", any file (html, gifs, zips,
etc.)
  We sent 2.30Gb over the internet
  We sent 6926 ZIPs out. (11% of the "hits")
  We sent out 2.09Gb of ZIPs (91% of the bytes).

As can be seen, "hits" don't measure much about a site's activity.
In our case, much can be learned by accessing our daily and monthly
statistics (available as a link off of the jcsm.com home page.  come
and get a copy.).  Of special interest, look at the times that the
category in which your program resides, look at the number of times
your detail page was accessed, and the actual number of downloads.
We are large enough to be collecting some statistically reliable
data, and it should be highly valuable to all of you.

To access the data, with your browser, access jcsm.com, link to the
statistics, select the page you want, then save it as a local file.
Analyze it at your leisure.  October was a bit of a "hodge/podge" as
we were struggling with net site implementation details, and did
change logging techniques often.  November is much more stable.  Let
us know your opinions, and share your analysis with us.

To ensure maximum benefit to all from jcsm.com, we would appreciate
as many links to us as possible.  We will be providing detail
description page Email links (and WWW links) back to the
participating authors.

We will soon be publishing a list, with addresses, of subscribing
vendors, with links to their pages, if they have them.  In this way,
jcsm.com will become an asset to them as well.

Electronic Addresses and the JCSM Newsletter

Many of you have received this newsletter electronically.  We so
appreciate electronic address you have sent to us!  The cost of
postage of the newsletter may prohibit us from including all authors
in all issues, so, please, send us your electronic addresses if you
have one!  All internet, CIS, AOL, etc. addresses are valid.  Send
mail to me at [e-mail].

To promote jcsm.com, we are collecting a user mailing list on
jcsm.com.  We would appreciate sharing any existing electronic
mailing lists authors have collected.  We will only use them once,
if shared, and would appreciate a "plug" in your newsletters, when
you communicate with your customers.  It is to the advantage of all
authors to get as many downloaders to us as possible.

Cutoff Dates for Future Issues

The 12/31/95 issue will cutoff December 6, 1995.  I would appreciate
any help you can give to get your programs to us as soon as possible.

The 2/26/96 edition will cutoff January 15th.
The 3/31/96 edition will cutoff February 29th.
The 5/16/96 edition will cutoff April 15th.

Purge Postponed Until Absolutely Necessary

We are very close to not being able to contain the existing programs
on the A2V (11/16/95 is about 90% full), but we are postponing our
purge as long as possible.

We do encourage all authors to pay special attention to the aging of
their programs on the CD-ROM.  With all who are getting access to
your shareware through our many activities, the A2V is a very good
value.  Users express their pleasure at how current our programs
seem to be.  I expect that they do not pay a great deal of attention
to programs with ZIP dates in `92 or `93.  Some authors have formed
a policy of not allowing their ZIP files to become over 6 months
old, because the users simply do not notice them.

Our "new/updated" designation in the category pages should enhance
capturing the attention of the shareware users who are looking for
the latest versions, and the most current shareware.

FTP Your Programs to Us

jcsm.com is capable of receiving FTP files.  Login to jcsm.com as
"anonymous", use your email name as password, and leave your file in
the directory "incoming".  Please send me email at [e-mail]
giving your instructions.  Take care, however, to not leave a CC# to
pay for the services, as we do not have secure Email.

"Best of.." Christmas Special

The December "Best of ..." is available, and shipping.  May we
suggest that they would make excellent Christmas gifts?  They are
priced at $22 for 5 copies, and $40 for 10 copies.  As a Christmas
gift to you, we pay shipping to you, anywhere in the world during
this special.

Any of you who have not yet given your permission to us to be on the
"Best of", please return Email us and we will record your
permission.

Other Items of interest

So much is happening to us here at JCSM/JCSD.  Large vendors are
joining us, jcsm.com has become real, and successful, so many new
authors are participating, so many new vendors, ...   We thank you
all!  We exist because of you, and in service of your needs.  We
have had a wonderful year, and we hope that it is a basis for an
even better 1996.  Those who think shareware is dying had better not
try to get onto the net during the evening hours.  That's your
shareware burying the world's networks.

Our apologies to those who have been delayed in getting email, and
snail mail, answers in the last month.  We have been just buried in
all types of duties, and have gotten critically behind. While a most
pleasant problem, management of success can be as difficult as
management of failure.  I'm not sure what the solution is, yet.
Rest assured, though, a little bit of failure is not one of the
considerations. <g>  Anyway, my apologies to all of you.

As the holidays approach, we wish to each of you the joy, and peace,
of the season.

Bud Jay
President and CEO