well -- that's my point -- exactly -- do the math :)

To run such a site -- based on bandwidth -- might cost you -- at most -- for a moving average of 200 actual users: about $30 a month (PM me for the details :)

Now you have about -- what? -- four, dedicated, omidyar.net IT employees -- and in California -- no less -- so let's try to estimate the cost (...and we have to estimate the overhead cost -- 'cause they ain't about to post it -- just ask them :)

Now let's low-ball their salaries -- it's gotta be -- easily -- 50k/year X 4: that's $200,000 + $30 dollars (for website hosting) == $200,030 per year :)

Now where do those dollars go ???

How much actually "trickles-down" -- to the truly needy -- v.s "Uplift" for the "talking-about-giving" -- and largely "under-employed", and mostly white, over-educated, middle-class ???

Now -- Please -- Call me on my "Bluff" :)

Can you show me -- for this, Omidyar.net, Charity of Sorts -- where I can find a simple ratio -- of true philanthropy v.s. cost???

And if you cannot show me this simple ratio -- why on earth -- would you -- even on faith -- want to "scale" this monster of middle-class-guilt vanity (this monster of philanthropic bureaucratic inefficiency -- "Up" :)

Thomas: Why aren't these simple "due-diligence" questions (the internal questions that you ask for...) -- "transparent" here -- among us "unwashened masses" -- above board -- here ??? ---

Would YOU fund, such a network as yourself -- with such a poor record of transparency ???

And you wonder why no one takes YOUR (close to 20,000 registered members -- but only 200 "active") seriously -- Duh...! ---

Please prove me wrong...:)

Show "Us" the numbers -- that I'm sure that you have...

...and, if you won't do so: then please tell us "Why Not" :)

RicHARD ~The Mahatma~ Makepeace said:

But, Harry, it's 200 really committed people. Hell, the Spartans only had the Three Hundred at Thermopylae.

The real question is: How bad do you want it?