Hello,
You are receiving this message as someone signed up to receive free updates
from ZNet.
First, we wish to announce the new Z online systems. To visit and begin using
the new site,
even while we are still testing and fixing elements of it - you must, for now,
use a new url:
http://www.zcommunications.org
The old urls still still reach the old site, which we are keeping online for
now.
Once you are in the new site, we hope that its various methods of navigation -
the tabbed
menu system at the top of each page and the other menu offerings to the left
and sometimes
the right of pages - and its diverse new facilities will be evident and
congenial to you.
We include some navigation instructions, for those wanting aid and tips, at the
end of this message.
To get a quick handle on what the site has available, try the ZNet top page,
the videos facility,
the Search page, the ZMag site, an article of each type, the blogs, some watch
or topic pages,
perhaps recent articles, or the interviews page, etc.
One thing to take special note of is that in the new site, to be a free member,
as you have been in the past, you must log in. We have partly carried over
your free membership, but only partly.
When you arrive at the splash page via the link above, you will see at the top
right of the
page a field for your email address, and a field for a password. Enter the
email address that
we sent this message too, your email address. As a password, enter zcom. Just
the four letters.
Once you get in the system, you can change your password.
Once you click login, the page will say hello and you can click the "your
account" link to go
to your account page - but one that only has your email address entered. Please
click
on the link in the left hand menu of your account page that is labeled "edit
account info" to see
forms you can use to enter additional data. If, beyond being a free member, you
want to become
a Sustainer, click the link to do so and proceed with entering additional
information.
There are multiple reasons for you to sign up at least as a free member.
First, as in the past, while most of our site is open access - including the
articles, etc., if you
sign up as a free member of the new system - which includes ZNet, ZMag, ZVideo,
ZMI, ZEO,
and the new ZSpace which in turn includes ZBlogs, ZForums, ZBooks, and much
much more
- you will receive as a free member Z Update Mailings, a benefit you had in the
past as well,
but now you will get at least one mailing a week. And beyond getting back the
benefits you
had in the past, being at least a free member is in the new system a
precondition for
accessing diverse parts of the site, even just to read them.
Here is a list of what you get if you sign up as a free member.or, put
differently,
what you won't have access to or receive, if you don't sign up as a free member.
Free member benefits
? Weekly Update Mailings sent to your mailbox, as in the past, but more
frequent and diverse
? Access to read Blogs - before, this was automatic, now you need to be
a member. The system is also far more extensive...
? Access to read Forums - this is a new benefit
? Access to read mutual aid - this is another new benefit
? Access to read and take polls online - still another new benefit
? Access to read comments throughout the site - still another new
benefit
Again, all the above is free, but only to those who sign up as free members of
the ZCom community.
Thus logging in as a free member in the new system, by using your email address
and the generic
password zcom - gets you much more than your being a free member got you in the
past.
Please do it, soon!
That said, we hope you will not be alienated by our having to ask you to also
consider becoming a
ZSustainer - donating an amount of your choosing on a regular schedule of your
choosing.
The reason we have Sustainers/Donors is because without them we would have
nothing -
no site, no magazine, no videos, no school, nothing. It is that simple. The
Sustainer system
keeps us alive and, we sincerely, hope, always enlarging.
Being a Sustainer doesn't only help the site, however. It also provides many
benefits to you.
The premiums we give Sustainers to show our appreciation for their help vary
with donation
level because certain features we provide have associated expenses.
So here is a summary of all the sign up - or not sign up - premiums.
Everyone who comes to ZCom: Access to read all articles, znet, zmag, and
commentaries from top page and
other individual links, and can access to read all pages from the tabbed
menu - except forums and blogs and
zmag itself. Can't take polls either. Can't post comments.
Free Members: Get free reading access to everything but the ZMag site -
which means that without being at least a
free member a user can't read forums or blogs - members also get free at
least once a week update mailings and can
see and take polls.
Modest Sustainer: $1.00 monthly, or $3 quarterly, or $12 yearly donation:
Get all the above and get your own ZSpace
page, upload your personal photo and bio, upload your book and film
preferences, upload reviews of books and films,
plus upload quotes and lyrics, plus freely access all of Z Magazine
On-line.
Basic Sustainer: $3.00 monthly, or $9 quarterly, or $36 yearly donation:
Get all of the above features, plus receive
a nightly Sustainer Commentary by email, gain access to the Sustainer
commentaries Zine, freely post in all forums,
use the mutual aid forum, comment on all articles and other content, and
enjoy the option to join and create Z Space Groups
Full Sustainer: $5.00 monthly, or $15 quarterly, or $60 yearly donation:
Get all the above features, plus get your own
personal blog system as part of Z's overall blog system, receive a Weekly
News Letter, and upload your own articles,
graphics, and photos to your ZSpace page
Heavy Sustainer : $7.00 monthly, or $21 quarterly, or $84 yearly donation:
Get all the above plus, upload videos and audio
to your ZSpace page, receive extensive RSS feeds of Z content, and have
control over many additional feeds to display on
your ZSpace page, and get a 20% discount on all Z Store purchases
including subs, videos, etc.
Major Sustainer : $10.00 monthly, or $30 quarterly, or $120 yearly
donation: Get all the above and get, as well,
a 30% discount on all Z store purchases and a free Z Magazine sub.
Massive Sustainer : $20.00 monthly, or $60 quarterly, or $240 yearly
membership: Get all the above plus get
half price on all Z Store purchases.(subs, videos, z books, etc)
Mega Sustainer : over $50 monthly, $150 quarterly, $600 yearly membership:
Get all the above features,
and all Z store items free up to $200 each year and then half price on any
more
Sublime Sustainer : at least $100 a month - get all features including all
the above and get all store items free.
We thank you very much for reading through this message. We hope you will visit
the site soon. We hope you will log on at least as a
member, and if you decide the benefits of being a Susatiner suit you, and that
you want to aid our efforts, that you will also become a Sustainer.
This upgrade is Z's future. It works, or we are in very big trouble. So - I
hope you will give it a chance!
Yours for ZCom
Michael Albert
