Brian,




> I originally began what is now the 3k hosted vendor list because I was
> fed-up with the contents of the Interex published vendor directories.
The
> Interex directories are so content challenged that they are all but
> useless!

Unfortunately, I have to agree.   I put together my own 3rd party products
list for CA/ASK MANMAN for the same reason.

Our negoiations with INTEREX to create the Consultants List was an
interesting education.    INTEREX is currently the least expensive
professional organization or user group that I belong to.   The local
MANMAN user group costs me $200 a year and the national body is several
times that.
     INTEREX makes up alot of the difference between total costs and
membership fees with advertising including the vendor guides and listings
-- this puts them into a dilema.   To fund one aspect of their function,
INTEREX they has to act rather *commercial* in other ways.    The upshot is
that education and information sharing about 3rd party products gets the
short end of the stick.
   Life is ironic.   What really stinks is that I understand both sides of
the argument and completely agree with both!

> I would suggest that a model more like the phone book would be
> more appropriate.  Everyone in the community gets listed in the "yellow
> pages" and then those who wish to pay for a "nice" listing get to do so
for
> a fee.

Yellow pages are only offered to *business* customers who pay significantly
more than personal / home customers.    The $120 membership is the
*personal* membership fee.

- Cortlandt