The following article by Patricia Herrington was written for the 
November, 1993 issue of 463 ADAM newsletter.  It was originally 
entitled "RSVP".
 
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RSVP by Patricia Herrington
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"Ask not what your country can do for you," said President John 
Kennedy in a stirring speech, "but what you can do for your 
country."
 
It may seem a bit dramatic to compare the ADAM community to a 
great nation.  
 
Well, OKAY, it IS dramatic.  But the principle is the same.  
 
People can sit back and "let George do it"....  in which case 
George will, eventually, get TIRED of doing it...  and it may 
NEVER get done.  
 
OR, people can choose to contribute whatever amount of help they 
can...  which so often means nothing more than giving George a 
bit of encouragement.
 
This is an issue we face every day, and it is the root of the 
continuing success of ADAM support.
 
No, the most important factor is NOT new software or hardware 
development, better communications, or even more users.  Over the 
years, we have pretty much proven that we can have just about 
whatever we want, provided we really want it enough.
 
But that's only HALF the solution.  
 
Wanting it isn't enough...  we have to let others KNOW how 
interested we ARE.  
 
To my knowledge, no other "orphaned" computer holds annual 
conventions, fields numerous newsletters and bulletin board 
systems, puts out a monthly disk (or TWO) of information gleaned 
from all these sources, or develops new software and hardware on 
an ongoing basis.  
 
And that's not to mention active message bases on both CompuServe 
and FidoNet, the "Experts' Panel", the Gallery of Honour, 
specialty publications, or the availability of so many people who 
are just a letter or a phone call away.  
 
Who else has all these options at their disposal? 
 
NOBODY.  And if you ever listen to those owners of other orphaned 
computers, you know they are green with envy.
 
But all of those resources depend on one crucial factor:  INPUT.
 
Or, as you have heard in other contexts, "USE IT OR LOSE IT".
 
Let me ask you something.  Does it seem to you that support for 
ADAM is waning? 
 
Personally, I don't think so...  we have lost some good people, 
but those who have stuck it out and those who have recently 
joined the team are willing and able to provide more than we 
could even have DREAMED ten years ago.
 
Yes, TEN YEARS ago!  This is the tenth birthday of ADAM...  and, 
much to the delight of conventioneers, ADAM had its own birthday 
cake at the ADAMCON 05 reception festivities.
 
We've had doomsayers with us since the beginning.  I can remember 
when it was announced that ADAM was doomed because Loran was no 
longer making datapacks!  That was something like seven or eight 
years ago.  You will notice there is NO shortage of datapacks...  
and they're one whole heckuva lot cheaper than those originals, 
too.  There was a demand, and nobody was shy about voicing it!  
So, various people tackled the problem and solved it.  But only 
because they KNEW we needed a solution.  
 
But if YOU think support is waning...  whom do you blame? The 
vendors? The developers? The editors and sysops? Or does it occur 
to you that YOU have the power to help keep the ball rolling, by 
providing your own feedback? 
 
Sure, the other guys in the club or the folks in the next state 
(or country) share that power.  But maybe they are waiting for 
George...  that is, YOU!...  to speak up and provide the 
necessary feedback, in some form:  whether it's questions, 
meaningful comments, or just simple encouragement.
 
Even negative feedback DOES help decide future directions.
 
I am lucky.  I hit early upon the idea of sending a Customer 
Response Survey with any new graphics software that I develop.  
 
Now, THAT'S not a new idea; many people do that.  But they 
usually don't get the surveys back.  Most people just don't 
bother to fill them out.  
 
The difference is that I decided to offer Bonus volumes at a 
nominal cost to anyone who returned the survey.  I get a pretty 
fair percentage of surveys back; and believe me...  they DO make 
a HUGE difference in what kind of software I decide to develop in 
the future.  All my recent work has been in direct response to 
the people who returned those surveys and told me what they did 
or didn't like, and what they wanted next.
 
Let me repeat that.  
 
ALL my recent work is DIRECTLY related to customer feedback!!!!  
 
Without that input, I would NOT be working on this stuff; in 
fact, I doubt I'd be working on anything at ALL.  Why would I 
bother? Would YOU?
 
It takes only a few minutes to write a note, and it makes all the 
difference in the world.  
 
And because so few people DO bother, your own comments have more 
weight than you probably suppose.  You might feel that you are 
powerless to affect the outcome of an election...  that your lone 
vote is insignificant at the polls.  But believe me, that's not 
the case in our tiny community.  Your voice is HEARD...  LOUD AND 
CLEAR!
 
Now, nobody is going to go to the expense and trouble of 
developing a scanner if only six people express an interest.  
That's the kind of thing that won't happen unless a couple of 
DOZEN people ask for it.  But it only takes two or three people 
to affect the direction of other projects...  for example, the 
content of a newsletter.
 
Keith Marner, founder of the UKAS (United Kingdom ADAM 
Subscribers) has been publishing the UKAS Journal for all of 
seven years.  Every year, Keith polls the members of his group to 
help him decide on the best paths to take in the future to best 
satisfy his membership.  
 
Keith wrote a poignant article which appeared in the June/July 
'93 issue of his newsletter.  But let Keith tell it:
 
 "We have around 45 members in our group and so, 45 surveys were 
sent out in April.  Within 3 days of them being sent out, the 
completed surveys came flooding in.  ALL 2 of them, and 2 days 
after that I received one more and this was from a member in the 
USA.  I could not believe the lack of enthusiasm inherent in our 
group after I had stressed how important it was for ADAM owners 
to take the helm of the development ship and express their 
wishes.  I could only assume the newsletter was not being read 
and that all my efforts were wasted so I was about to notify 
everyone that I was giving up with the group and membership fees 
will be refunded for any time left when I sat down, composed 
myself and read those 3 surveys.  I was so moved and motivated by 
the comments of just those 3 members that I felt I could not let 
them down by pulling out.  I would still be using my ADAM whether 
or not I run a users group so I decided that I would continue 
sharing the information I receive with those who want it.  (My 
apologies to those who have just recently joined us).  I have 
sent out another survey to those who have yet to submit one just 
in case you have mislaid them.  Get them to us as soon as you 
can.  There are vendors and developers waiting to hear from us." 
 
Observe:  three...  count 'em, THREE...  surveys (and one of them 
from a foreign country!) were enough to make Keith reverse his 
decision to chuck it all.
 
Now, what if those three people had NOT taken the few minutes 
required to fill out the survey?
 
And in the future, when Keith is faced with choosing newsletter 
articles, whose wants, needs, and overall preferances do you 
suppose he will take into account?
 
RIIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHHT!!!!!
ken the few minute