[vox-announce] RFC: Opportunity for LUGOD to advertise on Unitrans

[Bill Kendrick]

Briefly:  Do we want to spend $550 on 41 signs throughout Unitrans busses?
  Participate in the thread on our "vox" discussion list[2], or email your
  comments to me (pr at lugod.org).



A number of months back, the Linux Users' Group of Davis contacted
Unitrans ( http://www.unitrans.com/ ), the ASUCD-run bus system that
serves UC Davis and the City of Davis.

At the time, no ad space was available, and our treasury balance was unknown.
We recently calculated our treasury at approx. $960 (although $60 of that
will be going into a new PO Box, and at least $100 will be locked in
a bank account, to maintain it).  And today, we received word that ad space
is available.

The cheapest ad space is for 15"x11" interior ads on the single-decker
fleet (approx. 40 busses).  The contract would be for Sept. thru June 2010,
and would cost $455.00.

We called local copy shops and the best quote we received was from Copyland,
which can produce them (41 color copies on 11"x17" cardstock, cut twice,
and laminated) for just under $100.  (FedEx Office's quote was over $200,
and Davis Copy Shop's laminator is currently broken.)

So for something like $550, or nearly 70% of our current available balance[1],
we can advertise on Unitrans for nearly an entire year.  (I'm not sure whether
continuing a contract costs less, nor how likely the ads will 'go away'
between the end of the contract (June 2010) and the start of the next
period (Sept. 2010?).)

I've been posting the facts, and asking for feedback, on LUGOD's
general discussion mailing list ("vox")[2].  We have less than a week to give
Unitrans an answer.

If you have feelings about this, one way or another, ideas for what
kind of text and graphics should go on such a sign, or ways to raise
funds to help abate the costs, please post a message there, or email
me directly (and I can forward it to "vox" on your behalf).

Thank you!

-bill!
pr at lugod.org
http://www.lugod.org/
Linux Users' Group of Davis

[1] Based on my understanding from the report from our new treasurer, Greg,
    at the end of this week's LUGOD meeting.
[2] http://www.lugod.org/mailinglists/#vox