Douglas Bush wrote:

> I am sure that there are readers of MMD who have no interest
> in many of the subjects that are discussed.

My own interest in MMD is mainly pipe organs.  I have only a mild
interest in player pianos and musical boxes, so each Digest is quickly
scanned each day, with the result that most of it is glossed-over.
I'm sure that others with a passion for these other mechanical wonders
gloss over the organ content.

> Traditional 'paper based' groups do charge membership fees.  What
> are these fees for?  To cover the physical and tangible costs of
> running the organisation.  By and large, the people who run the
> groups, and thus make them possible, donate their time for the good
> of the hobby.

As membership secretary of FOPS here in the UK I spend many hours
freely, for the good of my hobby, and the other officers of the Society
do likewise, especially the editor of The Key Frame magazine.  The bulk
of the Society's modest subscription covers the cost of printing and
distributing the magazine.

I have recently set-up 'fops-forum', a member-only discussion group
with Yahoo! Groups.  This free service is unmoderated, and messages
abound every day, at no cost to the Society or its members.

John Page, membership secretary
Fair Organ Preservation Society
http://www.fops.org/