X-Message-Number: 27195 From: "David Pascal" <> Subject: Infamy? Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 01:10:39 -0400 'Flavonoid' wrote: >>Over 6 months ago, David Pascal posted the following fund appeal for "Cryonics Society"... Since then, Cryonet has heard nothing from him. The Cryonics Society web page is still functional, soliciting donations. I have through other venues heard that many sent donations, but that few, if any, have received feedback on how their donations were used. The donations were supposed to be for direct advertising for cryonics. Few, if any, have received feedback on the results of any such advertising efforts. Perhaps Mr. Pascal would be so kind as to provide a report? << A summary of the report Flavonoid is asking for was posted to the Cryonics Society's news page on May 23. It stated: "On the heels of its latest direct marketing effort in May 2005, the Cryonics Society has so far managed to reach a total of over 35,000 Americans with its clear and positive pro-cryonics message." The mailing was put together and sent by Mail Technologies Incorporated of Rochester, New York, via the United Postal Service, which is a matter of public record. The text and contents of the mailing were posted on the CS web site. The announcement on the CS news page did not add that the web site itself has managed to gather over 20,000 discrete visitors in the last few months of operation. Which means? That between the site and the mailings, the Cryonics Society's direct advertising methods have reached over 50,000 individuals. So far. Was the direct mail effort a success? That depends on how you look at it. Financially, it was not. A successful direct mail effort is one that makes enough money to pay for its own costs of production, and that also makes enough of a profit to enable sending the mailing out again. That didn't happen. But the mailing wasn't entirely a failure either. People did read it and did respond with calls, memberships, and donations. What the ultimate benefits of that kind of promotion may prove to be, no one knows. I understand Saul Kent decided to support cryonics after hearing Robert Ettinger talk about it on a radio show. The benefits to the cryonics movement from that small radio presentation turned out to be measured in the millions. The CS mailing effort did confirm that people will respond to some degree to a direct mail effort. It also gave, for the first time, some hard data about the general public's responses to cryonics. Negative feedback from the public was virtually nil, for instance. The idea in some quarters of the cryonics movement is that there is a great well of public and religious hostility to the idea of cryonics. There isn't a rush to embrace cryonics; but there isn't a passionate desire to reject it, either. The Cryonics Society had hoped for a better public response. It had also hoped for greater financial help and possibly volunteer support from the cryonics community. That didn't materialize either. Contrary to what some people seem to assume, CS received no major gifts or large financial donations from the cryonics community. A number of individuals did join, and their membership fees and good wishes were very welcome and very heartening. But the overwhelming burden of the costs was shouldered by CS President Nick Pavlica. Who in my opinion deserves the applause and thanks of the cryonics community for his commitment and his efforts. What is the Cryonics Society doing now? Persevering. Currently it's completing its formal incorporation as a legal nonprofit corporation, after which it plans to explore further promotional efforts which at the moment favor internet marketing. The Society is also actively trying to attract the interest of journalists and magazines, and get cryonics mentioned favorably in potentially sympathetic venues. We hope to have an article about cryonics placed in Mensa Journal in the near future, for instance. The Society is keeping to its commitment to better inform the public, by upgrading its web site to feature collections of free ebooks and other downloadable materials, and of relevant newsfeeds at the www.cryonicssociety.org/futurefeeds page. Limited financial support from the cryonics community has meant that the Society has fewer resources to provide planned items like the Society newsletter and a projected book, and those have taken longer to complete than had been anticipated. But those projects have not been discontinued, and we expect the newsletter to debut later this month. As far as Cryonet goes, it's true that the Cryonics Society hasn't posted regularly here. But then the Cryonics Society was established to try to present a better picture of cryonics to the general public, not to talk to other cryonicists. Also, there's an unfortunate tradition on Cryonet of harsh extended argument. That doesn't help cryonics, but it does serve to present cryonics and the bickering cryonicists involved in an extremely negative and harmful light, one that Google is now helping to make forever accessible worldwide. The Cryonics Society doesn't want to be a part of that. News about CS site upgrades or organizational developments are posted on our site, and will be announced in newsletters. If you would like to know what's going on at CS, visit www.CryonicsSociety.org and its news page or subscribe. 'Flavonoid' also wrote: >> I guess we will have to put this particular fundraiser in the Despres Hall of Infamy.<< A direct mail fundraising effort which put a solid case for supporting cryonics in front of over 35,000 people is a historic first, and a good thing, and every reasonable supporter of cryonics should welcome it. The simple fact is that cryonics will never succeed until and unless it succeeds with the general public, and anything that advances such acceptance and support is the most important thing one can do to support cryonics. The one organization out there today that is most focused on that goal is the Cryonics Society. That's why I continue to support it. That's why everyone should. The Cryonics Society made an effort that few in the community have ever attempted, and should be congratulated for it, not condemned. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.14/127 - Release Date: 10/10/2005 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=27195