I agree - CafePress is expensive. But as you state, there really aren't any known good alternatives that are cheaper.
Random thought- you think ThinkGeek would be interested in some sort of a deal?
I don't see any point in worrying about it or trying to optimize anything.
If the point is to create public awareness of Wikipedia, its presence on the Internet (and frequency of appearance in Google search results) is probably a (pause for serious numeric estimation) million times more effective than wearing T-shirts. If the point is to support Wikipedia, why on earth would I buy a $20 T-shirt worth $10 in order to give Wikipedia $5, as opposed to a) donating $20 via PayPal (same cost to me, four times the benefit to WIkipedia) or b) donating $5 via PayPal (same benefit to Wikipedia, one quarter the cost to me)?
The only reason for having Wikipedia-logo merchandise is as a service to those who actually _want_ to wear Wikipedia on their sleeve, as it were. Cafepress serves that function adequately.
Wiki-merchandise will never be a significant factor in Wikipedia's financing unless there is a major diversion of someone's time and attention from encyclopedia-building to merchandise creation and marketing.
(But what do I know? I was raised by a mom who never allowed advertising within the sphere of her personal space. No containers of cream were ever placed on the table; the cream was always poured first into a pitcher. The idea of staring at Elsie, the Borden cow on the breakfast table was anathema to her. No bumper stickers on the Smith family car!)
-- Daniel P. B. Smith, dpbsmith@verizon.net "Elinor Goulding Smith's Great Big Messy Book" is now back in print! Sample chapter at http://world.std.com/~dpbsmith/messy.html Buy it at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1403314063/
Someone could print them out themselves. If they had the space, the foundation could supply them the equipment to do the work, get the wholesale t-shirts delivered, and they could ship them out, based on orders taken on a special registration page at meta.
Or would that be too much like the wiki way? :)
S
--- "Daniel P.B.Smith" dpbsmith@verizon.net wrote:
I agree - CafePress is expensive. But as you
state, there really
aren't any known good alternatives that are cheaper.
Random thought- you think ThinkGeek would be
interested in some sort
of a deal?
I don't see any point in worrying about it or trying to optimize anything.
If the point is to create public awareness of Wikipedia, its presence on the Internet (and frequency of appearance in Google search results) is probably a (pause for serious numeric estimation) million times more effective than wearing T-shirts. If the point is to support Wikipedia, why on earth would I buy a $20 T-shirt worth $10 in order to give Wikipedia $5, as opposed to a) donating $20 via PayPal (same cost to me, four times the benefit to WIkipedia) or b) donating $5 via PayPal (same benefit to Wikipedia, one quarter the cost to me)?
The only reason for having Wikipedia-logo merchandise is as a service to those who actually _want_ to wear Wikipedia on their sleeve, as it were. Cafepress serves that function adequately.
Wiki-merchandise will never be a significant factor in Wikipedia's financing unless there is a major diversion of someone's time and attention from encyclopedia-building to merchandise creation and marketing.
(But what do I know? I was raised by a mom who never allowed advertising within the sphere of her personal space. No containers of cream were ever placed on the table; the cream was always poured first into a pitcher. The idea of staring at Elsie, the Borden cow on the breakfast table was anathema to her. No bumper stickers on the Smith family car!)
-- Daniel P. B. Smith, dpbsmith@verizon.net "Elinor Goulding Smith's Great Big Messy Book" is now back in print! Sample chapter at http://world.std.com/~dpbsmith/messy.html Buy it at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1403314063/
WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@Wikipedia.org http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Messenger - Communicate in real time. Download now. http://messenger.yahoo.com
PS-BTW: I do agree that Paul, David, etc. should get a profit percentage for their work on products bearing that logo, which the foundation or its agents may sell. Contracted, small, reasonable sharing not only puts Cheetos in the mouths of hardworking Wikipians, but it ought be good karma too.
S
Someone could print them out themselves. If they had the space, the foundation could supply them the equipment to do the work, get the wholesale t-shirts delivered, and they could ship them out, based on orders taken on a special registration page at meta.
Or would that be too much like the wiki way? :)
S
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
Daniel P.B.Smith wrote:
I agree - CafePress is expensive. But as you state, there really aren't any known good alternatives that are cheaper.
Random thought- you think ThinkGeek would be interested in some sort of a deal?
I don't see any point in worrying about it or trying to optimize anything.
Indeed the difference isn't worthit unless the sales volume is really high.
If the point is to create public awareness of Wikipedia, its presence on the Internet (and frequency of appearance in Google search results) is probably a (pause for serious numeric estimation) million times more effective than wearing T-shirts. If the point is to support Wikipedia, why on earth would I buy a $20 T-shirt worth $10 in order to give Wikipedia $5, as opposed to a) donating $20 via PayPal (same cost to me, four times the benefit to WIkipedia) or b) donating $5 via PayPal (same benefit to Wikipedia, one quarter the cost to me)?
One needs to consider the reasons why a person would buy such an item. Most of the time it would show an existing committment. There are times and places where the advertising value would be there. If I gave a WP mug to the librarian at my son's school I might get a certain message across. :-)
IIRC PayPal fees are 30c. + 3%. Thus to send $1.00 it costs 33c; to send $10.00 it costs 60c.for the merchan
(But what do I know? I was raised by a mom who never allowed advertising within the sphere of her personal space. No containers of cream were ever placed on the table; the cream was always poured first into a pitcher. The idea of staring at Elsie, the Borden cow on the breakfast table was anathema to her. No bumper stickers on the Smith family car!)
She must have been a stay-at-home mom to be doing this. :-)
Before he became a teenager my son tended to be the first family member up in the morning. When he was a very young pre-schooler a full 4-litre milk jug was too much for him to handle so enough milk would be put into a small pitcher so that he could have his morning cereal. Perhaps the cereal itself was put into a bowl the night before. (Parents remember such things.) As some kids grow up they fix their own breakfasts, and cereal boxes become the best read literature in the house.
Ec
Daniel P.B.Smith wrote:
(But what do I know? I was raised by a mom who never allowed advertising within the sphere of her personal space. No containers of cream were ever placed on the table; the cream was always poured first into a pitcher. The idea of staring at Elsie, the Borden cow on the breakfast table was anathema to her. No bumper stickers on the Smith family car!)
Lucky bugger, the advertising in London drives me close to insanity sometimes. Christiaan