Subject: American Information Exchange
Distribution: world
Organization: Extropy Institute
Reply-To: whitaker@eternity.demon.co.uk
X-Mailer: Simple NEWS 1.90 (ka9q DIS 1.18)
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 11:50:05 +0000

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The following is the official blurb for AMiX, the American
Information Exchange.  I don't work for AMiX; I'm simply a
subscriber who loves the service... :-)

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Note: You are free to download and distribute this electronically, but 
please observe applicable "net etiquette" of any electronic forum to which 
you send it.

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Summary:

AMIX, the American Information Exchange, is something completely new --
an online Information Marketplace (R).  On AMIX, anyone can both buy and
_sell_ documents, software, or anything that can be stored digitally.
Those who buy or sell customized information can carry out consulting
contracts, even very small ones, easily and profitably.  AMIX handles all
the funds transfer automatically.

This Information Marketplace has been open for business continuously since
January 1, 1992.  Consulting contracts are being made and fulfilled; 
document sales are occurring on a daily basis in key markets; and information
providers continue to "stock the shelves" with new goods in all markets.  
The AMIX software allows customers to explore the system online with guest 
access, and to register their own account online to receive full access.

Customers who open their accounts now will have their monthly fees waived
for the month in which they sign up and for the following month.

To receive the AMIX software disk, enabling guest exploration of the system
and self-registration, contact AMIX by email at amixinfo@markets.amix.com
or by phone (415) 903-1015.
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What follows is an overview of AMIX: its concepts, structure, and function; 
the market-building phase; and advantages of early entry into the market.

INTRODUCING AMIX: THE WORLD'S FIRST ONLINE INFORMATION MARKET

The American Information Exchange (AMIX) introduces something completely new:
an Information Marketplace.  AMIX, now an independent company, is the
world's first online marketplace for the buying and selling of information
and consulting services.

Buyers and sellers interact with AMIX using a frontend program which runs
on an IBM PC or compatible computer (286, 12 MHz or better) and connects to
the AMIX host via modem.  (See "System Requirements" below.  A Mac version 
is planned for later this year, and a Windows version for next year.)  
Every AMIX customer can be a buyer or seller -- or both -- of online 
documents, files, software, and specialized consulting services.  The AMIX 
host provides an electronic meeting place -- the Information Market -- 
where people come to buy and sell information.

WHAT'S AN INFORMATION MARKETPLACE?

The AMIX Information Marketplace is variously an information department
store, a farmer's market for information, and an information shopping mall.

Before buying through AMIX, buyers can browse and evaluate goods and services
in the same way that a shopper in a department store can compare many brands
and styles.  Sellers can offer both prepackaged information and services for
sale.  Sellers compete for buyers' business in an environment that allows for
easy comparison shopping.

Like a farmer's market, anyone can buy and anyone can sell.  And, in the same
way that people gather together at a shopping mall, AMIX offers a place for
buyers and sellers of information and expertise to gather and transact
business.

INFORMATION FOR SALE

What kinds of information and services do people offer for sale on AMIX?  

AMIX has a variety of markets now developing, with more to come.  Right now 
the information to be offered is primarily technical or business-related:
information on products, technologies, companies and industries, and market
research reports.  There are also markets for software and software 
components.  Services offered include consulting, editing, writing, and 
information brokering, including business research using online databases.

In the future, in response to customer demand, AMIX will create markets for
affordable expertise on a variety of topics from law to small business
management; from tax advice to design templates.  AMIX has been designed to
help diverse buyers with a wide variety of information needs to connect with
diverse sellers with a wide variety of information available, and let them
exchange their knowledge and expertise quickly and easily.

AMIX has the potential for dramatically increasing the amount of 
high-quality, timely, relevant information available to those who need it.  
Unlike a publisher, AMIX does not appoint a small pool of official 
"experts" on any particular topic.  Instead, AMIX makes it possible for 
anyone with relevant expertise or data to offer it for sale in a 
competitive arena.  Unlike other online services, AMIX enables real 
business transactions between individuals, by enabling money to flow from 
buyers to sellers.  On AMIX, information entrepreneurs, competition, and 
market forces work together to benefit the information consumer.

HOW AMIX WORKS

Any AMIX customer can be a buyer, a seller, or both.  To become sellers,
customers send their information to the AMIX host computers from their PCs.
They list it for sale in one or more subject areas on the AMIX Service, and 
set the price at any level from $1 to $2500.

The information on the AMIX service is organized by topic.  Within each topic
area are levels of increasing specialization leading to markets on particular
subjects.  Each market contains a listing of documents for sale on the 
subject and a listing of consultants offering their expertise on it.

Documents can contain any sort of pre-packaged information: reports, 
articles, pieces of source code, executable software, clip art, spreadsheet 
templates, fonts, and so on -- anything that can be turned into bits can be 
published on AMIX as a document.  The seller of the document -- the 
publisher -- sets the price and terms of sale.

In addition to document publication, AMIX also supports a process called
"miniconsulting".  Anyone with expertise on a particular subject area can 
list themselves as a consultant in the relevant market(s).  People looking 
for answers to questions can send requests to relevant markets and engage the
services of the consultants listed there.  AMIX supports a structured form of
electronic mail that leads buyers and sellers through the consulting process,
from initial request or proposal, through negotiations, discussion and final
delivery of the results.  Miniconsulting contracts can be made for amounts up
to $2500.  The AMIX system handles the record keeping and funds transfer for
you automatically.  It also provides a dispute resolution service to deal 
with those rare but real circumstances when things don't work out between 
buyer and seller.

AMIX enables market researchers and industry analysts to unbundle the
information they are already producing, enabling them to provide smaller, 
less expensive, more specialized reports in a way that previously was not 
cost effective.  This enables them to reach a much larger potential market.

Similarly, AMIX lets programmers and shareware vendors overcome one of the
principal obstacles to realizing income from their work -- users simply not
sending in their money, often despite the best of intentions -- while
simultaneously offering an outlet for support and customization services.
Nearly anyone who produces a product or service that consists mainly of
information can benefit from using AMIX, either as an adjunct to an existing
business or as an entirely new online career.


WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

"AMIX represents a bold new experiment in online services which brings 
together buyers and sellers of information packages and small-scale custom 
consulting services in an electronic marketplace.  AMIX will stimulate the 
emergence of the new class of entrepreneurs -- information entrepreneurs.  
You just have to check this out for yourself."
    Mitch Kapor -- founder of Lotus Development

"I like AMIX three ways: as a user, to find the information I need; as a
vendor, to find a broader market for the information I produce; and as an
observer, to watch the creation of the Information Marketplace of the next
decade."
    Esther Dyson -- Release 1.0

"AMIX's possibilities are tremendous."       
    Judith Feder -- Electronic Services Update (LINK Resources) 

"AMIX is an innovative opportunity to serve a new business segment in an
entirely new way."
    Portia Isaacson

"Where do I sign up?"     
    Leslie Fiering -- Gartner Group

"I was wondering when someone would do this."     
    Wendy Woods -- Newsbytes

CURRENT INFORMATION MARKETS

    SOFTWARE AND CODE
        Software for Sale or Evaluation
        Smalltalk
        C and C++
    PRODUCTS & TECHNICAL INFORMATION
        Microsoft Windows 
        MS-DOS
        Desktop Publishing & Multimedia
        Databases & Templates
        Engineering, Architecture & Manufacturing
    BUSINESS & SERVICES
        Business Information
        Computing Trends & Analysis
        Marketing & Management Services
        Information Brokers
        Writers & Editors


PRICING SUMMARY

Account setup charge -- Cost to obtain an AMIX account: $35.  The setup
charge includes authorization of your account and delivery of your AMIX
customer guide.

Monthly fee --  No monthly fees will be charged for the month during which
the account is set up and the following month.  Monthly account fees
thereafter will be $8 for accounts using credit cards.  An additional $5
per month will be charged to accounts using invoice billing, available to
U.S. corporations with established credit.

Connect charges -- Hourly connect charges are $3 per hour for customers
using Bay Area packet network connections.  Customers dialing direct are 
charged $2 per hour.  Customers in the contiguous United States using our 
nation-wide packet network connections are charged $5.50 per hour, and 
customers in Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii using those connections are charged 
$9.50 per hour.  There is a $9.00 per hour surchage for use of the
packet-network 800 numbers by registered AMIX accounts.  (The 800 numbers
are free for limited GUEST access.)  International connect fees vary;
contact AMIX Customer Support for current fees.

Purchase of document or consulting -- Price is set by seller, or by buyer and
seller during negotiation.  Buyer's account is charged and seller's account 
is credited according to payment terms (On Agreement, On Delivery, On 
Acceptance or On Evaluation).  Minimum price for document: $1.  Maximum 
price for document: $2500.  Maximum price for a single consulting contract: 
$2500.

Transaction fees -- These are charged to sellers of documents or consulting
contracts, and are a function of the price.  The following amounts are 
charged per document or consulting transaction: 40% of first $50, plus 25% 
of second $50, plus 15% of next $400, plus 10% of any amount over $500.  
Separate consulting payments made On Agreement, On Delivery, or On 
Acceptance are processed as separate transactions.

System Requirements: 12 MHz 286 IBM-PC or compatible with hard disk and 
320K or larger disk cache; 2400 baud Hayes-compatible modem.  A faster 
machine and larger disk cache are recommended.  We also support connections 
at 9600 baud.

TELL ME MORE

For additional product or company information; or to set up an AMIX charter
account, contact:

Attn: New Account Inquiries
American Information Exchange Corporation 
1881 Landings Drive
Mountain View, CA 94043

Telephone: (415) 903-1015          
           (800) 395-AMIX (orders only) 
FAX:       (415) 903-1099 
EMAIL:     amixinfo@markets.amix.com
           ...!{uunet|sun}!markets!amixinfo


AMIX, AMIX Service, Information Marketplace, and Information Markets are 
trademarks of the American Information Exchange Corporation. All other 
product, brand, or company names are trademarks of their respective holders.
 
(c) 1992 American Information Exchange Corporation


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Russell Earl Whitaker                   whitaker@eternity.demon.co.uk
Communications Editor                       71750.2413@compuserve.com
EXTROPY: The Journal of Transhumanist Thought         AMiX: RWHITAKER
Board member, Extropy Institute (ExI)
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