[SJAAboard] member Ads in the Ephemeris

[Gary Mitchell]

Rob Hawley wrote:

> I received a request from a member to advertise a telescope for sale in the
> Ephemeris.  He is aware of the auction, but does not wish to sell it that
> way.
> 
> I am personally very cool on this request both on principle and because the
> auction is a major source of revenue.
> 

What's wrong with allowing reasonable space in the Ephemeris for
free astronomy related ads from members?  We let members borrow
scopes for free--and that's a substantial cost and effort to the
club.  In comparison, one ad in the Ephemeris is nothing.

Maybe we could limit it to one ad per member per issue and some
maximum number per year.  For non-members and commercial entities,
charge a modest fee per ad.

We had a hand-wringing session a while back about how little the
club provides to its members for being members, and how we should
have more incentives for joining.  There's the loaner program and
the printed newsletter, but not much more.  So, why not this?

Gary