Toronto, Ontario, May 19, 2006


Dear Friend and Client:

Here is the information you need to get started with the new Eros 'Gold Member' area of Planet Waves. First, a brief overview of the section and why you might be interested. An extraordinary amount of creativity and work has gone into this project, dating back to the autumn of 2004, when Chelsea and I created the project of gathering as many of my horoscopes published horoscopes as we could, to include in a searchable database. That was the genesis point -- before I owned a digital camera or had taken a single picture in Europe.

It has grown in to something a bit fancier. The new area has four tabs.

The first is a live chat area, called Le Chat, which was designed to host live sessions where I could be available to readers for scheduled appearances, which will take place twice a month. We'll leave the area open the rest of the time so that Planet Waves readers can get acquainted with one another.

The second is an audio area. This will include modest weekly updates at first, in a format that will evolve over time. The idea is to warm up our internet audio skills, in preparation for eventually creating PlanetWaves.FM. Radio is one of my (currently unrequited) passions, and this will get things going in that direction.

Third is the horoscope archive and oracle. This has two roles. One is to allow you to research archived horoscopes, using a time frame, astrological sign and, if you like, a keyword (such as Mars, love or zebra), and you can use it a little like an astrological time machine. It occurred to me to do this after receiving email from readers who were searching the archives and telling me little stories. Usually horoscopes are considered "water under the bridge" but I have never felt that was true. It includes all monthly, weekly, special edition and daily stand-ins for Jonathan going back to the creation of the Planet Waves site in late 1998.

The oracle feature allows you to type a question into a text field, and receive a random response from among the 6,000 horoscopes recorded in the database. It's not a logical search but rather an intuitive one. Think of it as a huge Tarot deck that you can use at any time. I've tried it a few times and had some startling answers.

Last is the Eros area, dedicated to art and beauty. This will begin with three galleries from my Book of Blue photo project, those portraits of women gazing into mirrors. Some have appeared on the cover, and most of these were selected from sessions where as many as 500 photos were taken. The galleries will offer more complex views of each model, chosen by our photo editor Paloma Todd. Three will be there from the beginning, and we will add regularly. This project has been a journey, and both my models and I have learned something about ourselves in the process. It will eventually incarnate as a gallery exhibition and book; this is the first time the work will be presented in a more developed way.

There will also be some new writing in this area, beginning with a description of the project and what I have learned. With that as the starting point, it will grow and evolve from there.

In all, we hope these four areas offer something for everyone, offering participation, a bit of sound and maybe music, an interactive way to work with seven years of my horoscopes, and an opportunity to experience more of my artwork.

Here is a visual of how the homepages for the different tabs look:

http://www.planetwaves.net/eros/


How to Get Started

We anticipate having this area ready to go by the New Moon on May 27; we're already pretty close, after a lot of programming work the past two weeks (thanks to everyone at Planet Waves who has been working on this).

We are taking pre-orders whenever you're ready to begin. Please note that one of the terms of service is that Gold Members be 18 years of age or older.

The first method of signing up is online by credit card. We're offing a flat-rate upgrade for existing subscribers, including comp subscribers, for $49. This is flat-rate because it covers you whether you have two months or 10 months left to your subscription. The idea is to make it simple and economical. To do that, you would go to the regular credit card sales area (the "subscribe" link) and select "Gold Upgrade - flat rate." Here is the link:

http://www.planetwavesweekly.com/sales/home.html

Then (because we are still developing our automated sales area) you will need to email Chelsea from your subscriber email address and tell us you're upgrading. In about a week, you'll receive your password. Her email is chelsea@planetwaves.net. Please put the word Gold in the subject header.

The second method of signing up is by phone. This is for those who feel they have too little time left on their subscription to make it worth the $49 -- and for those who want to offer more for the service. This project was initially designed as an incentive for our fundraising efforts (it was originally called the "Supporter-Sustainer Area" but that is not exactly a catchy tune). Those subscribers who call because they are close to renewal will be given a special renewal offer including the Eros Area.

Those who would like to make a greater contribution toward our work can offer any amount they like. As usual, we will use these resources to keep building and developing Planet Waves, developing the talents of our staff, and offering you more exciting features as time goes on.

Our numbers are (877) 543-8265 or for international callers, (206) 567-4455. It's best to call during Eastern Business Hours (Monday would be good).

You may be one of the people who remembers before Planet Waves offered paid subscriptions. That began in September 2002. This was a big step in my life, because the project had been entirely free for five years; that is, I supported it with other work I was doing, and gave it away. I promised then that everyone would benefit: the subscribers would get a richer service, and the free site would be developed as a result. I feel very good that this has come to be.

Though some of the best and most innovative work you see on Planet Waves has been donated, we've been able to make some enormous strides toward professionalism and developing our infrastructure thanks to having a dependable revenue stream.

For that, I must thank you. And thank you for signing up for our Eros Gold Member area. I look forward to seeing you there for the first scheduled Le Chat session right after the Gemini New Moon, in about a week.

Very truly yours,

ERIC FRANCIS
Planet Waves, Inc.

PS, we have other areas under development that we did not include -- but which will be included in the future. One is the full archive of Q & A entries from Astrology Secrets Revealed, placed into a database; a fiction section; and others. The Eros 'Gold' Area will be the development zone of Planet Waves where we put some exciting projects -- notably ones that don't require me to do much extra work, but which provide you with some interesting benefits. Thanks again for signing up!

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