Originally posted 1/15/00 by Beth Tiner, Founder
I am aware that there are websites offering "free" access and "free" email lists. The most visible benefit of our using these services would be that SU subscribers would not have to pay $0.04 for a digest. The downside is that many "free" e-lists SELL THEIR CUSTOMER LISTS. SU subscribers' email addresses are NOT FOR SALE! We do not want your participation in this great forum to result in your being added to marketer's lists. SU is about hysterectomy experience, not about helping a company market its product.
An even bigger problem with these "free" services is advertising. Services can only be offered to you "at no charge" if advertisers are able to direct your attention/your time towards their advertisements not once, not twice, but many MANY times. By moving SU to a "free" service not only could our subscriber list become public knowledge, but we would be agreeing to have our website and digest filled with advertisements: banner ads, click here's, the service's name and what they offer at the top, bottom and middle of our digests. This would be the price for a "free" service. This is a price I am not interested in, or willing, to pay.
It is for this same reason that I do not use a "free" email account: having a company's electronic signature and/or advertisement forced onto my correspondence holds no interest for me.
I have never and will not sell SU subscribers' information and I will not have advertisements splashed all over our website and digest. Remember, when advertisements grab your attention the advertisers are taking your TIME, which is your life. If you want to invest your time, your life, in reading advertisements for things we don't need, that is your decision. It has been my observation that most SU subscribers want to invest their time in talking about the experiences of hysterectomized women and their families.
I have given great consideration to setting SU up as a non-profit which would mean we could seek grant money. My work with two non-profits has shown me that I do not desire SU to be governed by a board of directors, I do not have the time to prepare grant requests and, most importantly, I do not want grant money to control our forum.
The bottom line is:
- for $0.04 per digest your participation in SU is private (we do not sell names and unless you post to the digest no one other than myself and our ISP, SOHO, knows you are subscribed),
- for $0.04 per digest it will be advertisement free with no concerns about offending a sponsor,
- for $0.04 per digest our website will be free of sponsors' banner ads (you know the ones that force you to scroll down and down a page looking for the content!),
- and for $0.04 per digest no board of directors will call the shots for a list that has been running smoothly for over 3 years (8 years now).
A lot of work and resources go into the digests that you read. To ensure your uninterrupted Sans-Uteri subscription, your $12.00 USD non-refundable and non-tax deductible subscription must be received BY February 15 each year at:
Check, money order, and PayPal payment instructions can be found at:
If you have already sent in your subscription (previously called a "donation") and did not include your email address on the check or in a note, please send your full name, email address and date of check to
I know many of us were hoping that just requesting a donation would create the response we needed to cover our expenses while allowing people who could not afford $12/year to still learn from the forum. Unfortunately, the donations came in too few and too far between for us to go on like that. My hope is that by holding the subscription fee down to just $12/year that a few people will send in a little more to cover forum participation for people who just cannot come up with the money. I know that we can provide a fabulous service at the lowest possible cost and still reach people who have very limited incomes.
Sans-Uteri is a GREAT resource―Let's keep it growing.
This page was last updated Thursday, May 9, 2006
and is located at http://www.findings.net/sufuture.html
Medical disclaimer: Always seek the advice and supervision of a health care professional when considering any information found on the Internet. The information contained on this website cannot take the place of personalized medical advice and treatment from a qualified physician. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to her or his health, particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or treatment.
Website disclaimer: Sans-Uteri Hysterectomy Forum, founded by Beth Tiner October 24, 1996, has been under the leadership of Drs. Elizabeth and Marcus Plourde since October 25, 2005.