[sdenton4]

What I'm trying to get at, though, is that it may be worthwhile to try to make some high-profile connections which can increase the userbase. Building the paying userbase is the important part right now.

Making it easier/better for people to get their papers on the arxiv would be fantastic, and bring in more users. If the arxiv is bought into the effort, it gets SMC more visibility, bringing in more users than just making the features available. Now, the arxiv is extremely conservative by design, so this isn't an easy partnership to make, but it's a pretty obvious one to try in terms of getting a bigger SMC userbase.

But really, the important part is trying to bring in as large a flock of paying users as possible, for a minimum amount of effort. Maybe this is undergraduate students, maybe it's individual researchers (like me) signing up for subscriptions, and maybe it's university math/cs/physics departments signing up for big subscriptions. I know a couple departments that are running their own servers which might be able to save a decent chunk of money by moving to SMC, for example. But it requires some outreach work to get in touch with them, and some bargaining to get them to switch models.

[williamstein]

Great ideas -- thanks for spelling them out in more detail. Do you know anybody who runs arxiv? I wouldn't know how to get started with making such a connection (if you think of anything, feel free to email [e-mail]). However, it's something I had not considered before, and if an opportunities arise, I'll be more ready now (such opportunities aren't unlikely; e.g., I always run a Sage booth at the huge joint math meetings, which can lead to such things).

The market and strategy you describe at the bottom is exactly what I've been pursuing, and I hope we turn a corner with it soon due to the new academic year.