Doubtful of the $30k/year figure mentioned to operate this list, I spoke with the administrator of the other list I'm on, (also listserv) They were happy to oblige. For those who are interested, following is their reply. I <edited> some parts in the interest of keeping their identities out of it but have their permission to pass this info on. This may be of interest to those who would consider setting up a new pianotech on a similar platform & format as we now have until April 1. "The license for the Listserv(tm) software <our mailing list> is running on is $850/year. I pay it out of pocket to avoid dealing with interpersonal BS...it's my charitable contribution. The software's pricing model is dependent on purpose (commercial or not), the # of lists, and the # of subscribers. See www.lsoft.com <http://www.lsoft.com/> for more details, or you can bug our sales rep Lars Nordstrom <LNORDSTROM at LSOFT.COM>. The software needs a server, which doesn't need to be fancy (we're using an older desktop PC), but does need decent antivirus (regular Norton works) and standard maintenance (occasional attention, maybe a part replaced or upgraded here and there...it's a PC). <snip> a refurbed unit <will cost you> $300-$400. Add a good router $80ish. Add electric and vet bills for its occasional ouchies, if you don't have an in-house tech. You'll need a net connection with static IP. That's a question for the ISP. Listserv isn't data-heavy, so it doesn't need a ton of bandwidth. You'll also need to have a conversation with their nerds about mail servers & anti-spam measures/policy. <the other andministrator> can go into more detail here, I'm kind of out of the loop with what magic he's done downstream of the server. And then there's dealing with the actual humans. Training them for new setups and working the kinks out used to take a metric ton of hours. Things are more user-friendly now, but still count on dealing with lots of people pushing the "pull" door. Learning how to make Listserv sit up and bark has its own learning curve, and I don't recommend trying to do it yourself with the manual...gawd, painful. It's the kind of thing you find a friend who's good at it, and bribe them with dinner if they'll do the heavy lifting. " Phil Manning Artist Piano Care www.artistpianocare.ca 416.907.3562 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20130227/736f772a/attachment.htm>
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