> Oct 9 1998
>
> This newsgroup resulted because the online-public asked for ways to
>  connect with others experiencing similar health needs.  An expression
>  of personal isolation is the one greatest common denominator in mail
>  sent to the TMJ Foundation over the past eleven years.  The creation
>  of this newsgroup does not serve the TMJ Foundation in any way except
>  in that it serves the public with a place to share.  
>
> Today I can see a total of seven posts to this newsgroup.  Even worse,
>  most of them have been written by this organization.  This is not
>  meant to cause the group to appear to be managed or moderated by the
> TMJ Foundation for it is not.  The posts are no different than those
>  which could be offered by any other contributor.   The following
>  statistical data is being shared in order to show why so much energy
>  went into the creation of this group.
>
> The following numbers reflect (limited) specific online data collected
>  over a ten month period (March through December 1995) which supported
>  the need for this type of "solution" to this particular public need:
>
>    1)  287 requests for email pals
>
>    2)  143 requests for the name of a newsgroup or board for
>  discussion about "TMJ"
>
>    3)  Several thousand emails ( general in nature, many writers wrote
>  multiple letters over the ten months) expressing a general desire to
>  communicate with others who had an understanding of the difficulties
>  associated with jaw-facial pain or jaw dysfunction
>
> Where all of that "need" went is unknown.  
>
> In a different vein, there is the matter of how much data from the TMJ
>  Foundation was downloaded by the public over a twelve month period of
>  time.  What the public specifically "asked for" and what they "took"
>  are closely related but different.  The public "took" (downloaded):
>
>    1)  12.5 gigabytes of data
>
> In more understandable terms, 12.5 gigabytes is roughly equilavent to
>  more than 5, 994,000 (approximately 6 million) single spaced text
>  documents.  These six million pages of text, if stacked, would stand
>  990 feet high.
>
> So who was it who helped themselves to all that data?  Somebody did.
>  It was provided for that reason.... take it, read it, learn from it.
>  Save it.
>
> The public has absolutely no idea what kind of fierce opposition this
>  organization encountered as it fought for the public in order to
>  provide this newsgroup.  Battles were fought in places that shall
>  remain nameless, and it was all done in the interest of providing a
>  conduit for the truth to be discovered and where freedom of thought
>  could be encouraged.  All of this was done for you, the online public.
>  No question, there are people and entities who *do not* want people
>  discussing matters of the temporomandibular joint.  This is nothing
>  new.  It is why this organization was founded in the first place many
>  years ago and why it continues to exist.  
>
> Opportunities don't usually come from heaven above nor upon silver
>  platters.  Hard work and a generous spirit is what this effort has
>  been about.  "TMJ" or "TMD" or whatever you wish to call all of "this"
>  is not the greatest problem facing this patient population and those
>  who provide care for these people.   Apathy is mankind's greatest
>  threat.   What this cyber-real estate is used for is up to you.
>
> TMJ Foundation