[MUD-Dev] End of volunteers?

[Peter]

>Peter writes:
>> 	What it doesn't mention though, is small muds. There are only a
>> handful 
>> of muds out there that don't survive on volunteers in the form of 
>> immortals or guides. I'd also guess that there are few muds that 
could 
>> afford to pay staff. While muds are not typically run by for-profit 
>> corporations, they're also not often run by 501(c) non-profit 
>> organizations. This impending case may mean much to the mud 
community.
>
>Greg Underwood writes:
>I really don't think small, hobby Muds are anything remotely the same.  
As
>you mentioned, there is (usually) no money involved.  If the case goes
>against AOL, I don't see how it could be applied to hobby Muds.  
Granted, I
>ain't a lawyer, but contrary to popular belief, a large chunk of law is
>grounded in something resembling common sense.

	What I forgot to mention was a related topic- what about muds that 
accept or actively encourage donations, especially in exchange for 
in-game benefits? Most muds are run by a person rather than being 
actually incorporated, so I can see that the issue of volunteers (in 
relation to this case) largely disappears. But 'pay for stats' is very 
close to 'pay for play' and I could see a good argument that this is a 
contract.
	I don't know if this has been discussed before- if it has, please give 
me an idea of what to search for in the archives. There may even be some 
legal precedent, I dunno. Anyone?





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