[OpenID] [foaf-protocols] Oy

[John Bradley]

Allan,

I don't have the numbers but I suspect that individual memberships are a very small part of the overall income.

The majority of the money comes from the Sustaining Members who get board representation.   

I don't know that it is wise to put more of our eggs in that basket.

The old saying "He who pays the piper calls the tune"  should not be forgotten.

As far as I recall large companies spend money to make more money,  otherwise there shareholders get cranky.

The large companies need to get something from there membership or it is not a good investment for them.

So we need to make sure there is a value proposition for them to keep spending $50,000/year.

We also need to consider what the foundation can be reasonably expected to accomplish other than being a steward of the IPR.

Diversifying the funding would also be beneficial.   A broader base of corporate members at $5K would be more stable.

I know that ongoing legal costs related to the IPR take a big bite out of the annual budget.  

It may not be a popular idea but perhaps we could offload some of those costs to a partner SDO.

It is not that I have any doubts about the commitment of our Sustaining members.  
Rather that I am concerned that unexpected events affecting only one or two of them would be enough to severely jeopardize the foundation.

So yes a broader individual base, but also a broader corporate base.

John B.

On 2009-11-24, at 4:15 PM, Allen Tom wrote:

> On a related note, I think it would be a great idea to lower the membership
> fees to $5 or even $1. As far as I know, the $25 membership fees are an
> insignificant revenue source, and it's really only there to discourage
> automated registrations of accounts. Making membership more inclusive and
> accessible is definitely a good thing.
> 
> Allen
> 
> On 11/21/09 11:15 AM, "SitG Admin" <sysadmin at shadowsinthegarden.com> wrote:
> 
>>> Are you a member of OIDF? If not I would like to invite you to join OIDF.
>> 
>> *facepalm* I hope you meant "will pay for his membership"; the OIDF
>> is *not* a by-invitation-only group!
>> 
> 
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> general at lists.openid.net
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