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I received your DVD request on Jan. 8th, and wanted to thank you for visiting
ShareTheTruth, as well as expressing interest in the film!

Demand has been overwhelming: every day, several thousand new visitors place orders
for free DVDs. I have been scrambling to keep up, and certainly did not intend for
there to be such a delay in response.

There's no such thing as bad publicity, but one drawback, of being widely linked to,
is that visitors frequently miss the chance to understand what the ShareTheTruth
effort is all about!

Foremost, ShareTheTruth is about introducing An Inconvenient Truth to people who
might not otherwise find out how--and, just how much--all this human activity is
affecting our planet. Now that the movie has won two Academy Awards (Best
Documentary, Best Song), it's clear that public consciousness of climate change, and
its myriad side effects, is increasing.

But consider that 13% of Americans have never heard of "global warming" (1), and far
more don't think we're in a position to do anything useful about it. This in a
world where, actively suppressing scientific data no longer, both ExxonMobil and
President Bush have turned 180 degrees, to publicly acknowledge the immense gravity
of the climate crisis! (2)

As chronicled on the blog (3) when the sudden surge in site traffic began, the
ShareTheTruth effort has from the outset managed itself quite nicely. Donations
received from generous folks inspired by the movie had been enough to cover the cost
of sending others to the theaters.

Once, however, the "free AIT DVD" offer began springing up on sites such as
fatwallet.com, slickdeals.net, weeklyfreebie.com, and the like, a severe imbalance
between requests and donations emerged.

This issue is fundamentally not a money problem--it is, in my view, an awareness
problem.

Most visitors from deals sites are, due to the context of their particular online
journeys at the given time, looking for free stuff. Here is a very small sample of
commentary:

"Signed up. 1 less movie in my Netflix queue..." (4)
"Awesome! I can't wait to ebay my free copy." (5)
"If it does come, I'm just going to turn around and sell it on Half.com or
something." (6)

Words such as these illustrate some potential misunderstandings.

First, free DVDs sent out aren't funded by the movie studio, or Al Gore, or any
corporation with dollars to spare; on the contrary, each dollar is asked for, from
each donor having earned it herself, to the time, resources, and tremendous good
will fueling its travel to ShareTheTruth's PayPal donation pool (of which PayPal
takes a cut, and I reimburse using my personal savings).

Second, the majority of deals sites linking to ShareTheTruth link directly to the
"free DVD" page, thus bypassing the home page (7) and essentially limiting the
opportunity for potential donors to contribute.

Third, as a result of our limited resources, I prefer to gift DVDs to those without
the means to see the movie, or those too reluctant to rent it for themselves but
still receptive to watching it. While I would be unquestionably grateful to be in a
situation where I could offer copies to everyone, including Netflix subscribers
seeking to trim their queues, at this moment it is not possible.

So, as a ShareTheTruth participant you've got several options, all equally valid:

A) Watch the movie online, for free! It has been posted here:

http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/s...o/xxcgw_aitlow

B) Rent or borrow the film. When you return it, it'll be available to others for
viewing. If you hope to rent An Inconvenient Truth and cannot afford it, just write
me back!
C) Buy the movie. Ultimately, the wonderful thing about owning a copy is that you
can pass it along. And in fact, ShareTheTruth has copies of the movie floating
around the world, and we're constantly finding out where (close by if possible)
current DVD holders should send their copies next!
D) If you have bought the movie, please consider donating your copy to the
ShareTheTruth effort: we can help that DVD reach as many people as possible, in your
community and beyond!
E) It's perfectly fine if you still want a free DVD. The whole goal of this letter
is to explain the ShareTheTruth effort, not to exclude or deny anyone whatsoever.

In short, I hope to hear your thoughts. I am open to suggestions, criticisms, and
aspire to be as flexible and generous and possible so please, don't hesitate to
inform.


Warm Regards,

Eric Pan
http://sharethetruth.us


Footnotes:
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(1) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070129/...ming_survey_dc
(2) ExxonMobil denial, acceptance:

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_rel...g-tobacco.html
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/16689019.htm

Bush administration denial, acceptance:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/sc...nd&emc=rss
http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateofthe...ves/index.html

(3) http://sharethetruth.us/articles/demand?rc=2549
(4) http://www...php?t=123418
(5) http://reddit.com/info/xi3g/comments
(6) http://www...php?t=123418&page=3
(7) http://sharethetruth.us

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Dear Teacher,

Congratulations! You have been selected to receive a DVD of “An Inconvenient Truth.” You should be receiving your copy by the middle of March.

The DVD of "An Inconvenient Truth" has been provided to you as a teaching tool from StopGlobalWarming.org and Participant Productions. We encourage you to visit www.participate.net and download the free supplemental materials that accompany the film to use in your classroom. We hope that this gift will inspire your students and fellow educators to take action now to make a difference for the future of our planet. Please keep us updated on your experiences using “An Inconvenient Truth” as a teaching tool by becoming part of our online community along with other teachers around the globe.

We believe in using the power of media to create social change. Films can raise awareness about important social issues, educating audiences and inspiring them to take action. But the movie is just the beginning. We hope that you will get involved in the issues that matter to you. Make a difference in your world.

Take action!

Best Regards,

StopGlobalWarming.org and Participant Productions

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