Q. Can I burn a CD after downloading a talk?
A. Yes, on most computers the default program that plays the recording will also
allow you to burn the file to a CD. Just look for that option on your player.
Q. Can I buy CDs from you?
A. We are not selling anything on this website. We are test marketing selling CDs at another site.
If you are interested, let us know by e-mail. Contact Us!
Q. I know that these websites are expensive to host and maintain. Who pays for this?
A. The owner of the audio archive is committed to making it available to everyone
and has paid all costs so far. However, this entire project is expensive.
The server, hosting, and maintenance are currently costing over $800 per month.
In addition, the preservation digitizing process, which has already cost thousands of dollars, is not complete.
We are hoping your contributions will make it possible for the talks to continue to be available,
and the digitizing to go on. The owner cannot continue paying the entire expense.
Q. Are any of these recordings protected by copyright?
A. No, we are not making available any copyrighted material. If you notice any recording
that is protected by a copyright please let us know and it will be removed.
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Q. Is this Website against the A.A. Traditions?
A. Absolutely not! We have been very careful in making sure that we remove the last names
from the file-name, thereby protecting the anonymity of the speaker. You will see the file
name “Chuck C.” but not the last name. Because this is a work in progress we will
continue to find ways to improve these features.
Q. Does A.A.W.S. support your efforts?
A. This is not affiliated with A.A., and A.A.W.S. neither endorses nor opposes any causes.
Q. How many files can I download?
A. We have set limits on downloading at 25 downloads per day, per IP address. This is
necessary because of the high cost of bandwidth.
Q. Is my donation tax deductable?
A. At this time we have not set up a non-profit corporation. We are currently investigating
that as a possibility.
Q. Don’t you think that this site will hurt the folks that are taping the conventions?
A. We encourage everyone attending conventions to support the tapers; they are providing a
needed service. The bulk of this library came from one of the original tapers in the
fellowship. Many tapers will benefit from this service because they are now able to
download some of the original high quality talks of pioneering members that have been
sitting on the shelf until now.
Q. Will you accept my tapes as a donation?
A. Absolutely, we will gladly accept any recordings that you would like to donate to this library.
We can convert recorded wires, reel-to-reel, and cassette tapes.
Q. I have been recorded speaking at conferences and don’t want my talks listed on this
site. What should I do?
A. If you are a speaker and want your recordings removed simply e-mail us through the
“Contact Us” section and we will eliminate them from the site.
Q. How can I donate without using PayPal?
A. We do use PayPal to process our donations; however you do not need to have a PayPal
account. You can select the option of paying as a Non-PayPal Member and pay with your
credit card. We also accept checks and money orders, payable to:
Recovery Speakers
P.O. Box 2736
Chandler, AZ 85244-2736
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Q. I have Firefox and it won’t allow me to download. What do I do?
A. We have found several problems with Firefox and Apple browsers; these problems will be
resolved within the next few weeks. In the meantime, we recommend that you use Internet
Explorer.
Q. You’ve stated that the hosting and web maintenance is costing over $1,000 per month;
isn’t that way too high when there are companies that only charge $10-$20 per month?
A. When we first started this project it was recommended that we go with the hosting company
and package that we currently have. We have since found other hosting services that can
provide us with a dedicated server with enough storage and bandwidth for less money. We
are evaluating all of our options and when the contract period is up we will be switching.
Q. How much money do you need to complete this project?
A. As of right now we have had 350 reel-to-reels converted to digital. The average cost per reel
has been $80. We have 3,000 more reels to convert and anticipate that the cost will be
between $250,000 and $300,000.
Q. When will you complete the tape transfers and have the library completely digitized?
A. That’s in God’s hands. Our goal is to have the current library completely archived by 2015.
When completed, we estimate that we will host 40,000 – 50,000 hours of speaker talks.
Q. Can you recommend a speaker?
A. We are only in the first phase of this project. This is ongoing and we will be making many
changes in the coming months. We are considering a category titled “Recommended
Speakers”. The challenge is that not everyone enjoys the same speaker.
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Q. How can I send you some speaker talks?
A. We are working on two methods; one will be directly from the website by attaching a file,
and the other will be to FTP the talks to us. These talks will need to be in MP3 format.
Q. Is there a way to find out what new talks have been added?
A. We are looking into several options. One would be to have a “News” section on the front
page where we share that type of information. Another would be to list all new talks in a
special category for one week. That way you could check that category each time you visit.
Q. Would you consider developing a mailing list so that we can be informed of news and
changes to the site?
A. This is being considered and may be introduced in phase two of the project later this summer
or in the fall.
Q. Who is responsible for this site and the library?
A. You can learn a bit more by reading the section “Support this Project”. To date, this library
and the entire project has been owned, developed, and funded by a member of Alcoholics
Anonymous. He has a small, voluntary group of project advisors, all of whom are active
members of A.A.
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