Subj : Promoting BBSing To : alt.bbs.internet From : Lee Knoper Date : Sat Sep 27 2003 01:45 am [Was Subject: - What is the best telnet program.] On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 17:23:11 -0400, Kilowatt wrote: > I use to use bbs before the internet was mainstream. > I sure do miss it. It was so much easier to locate what you > were looking for than ftp. Well...yes. But in the meantime, if you're looking for files, perhaps you could increase your use of such tools as Archie, gopher and the few remaining Jughead and Veronica servers. Try out some of the e-mail based offline resources listed in that excellent reference document currently maintained by Gerald Boyd, namely: "Accessing the Internet by E-mail FAQ." It's periodically posted here (most recently on 16 Sep), or you can retrieve it from the FAQ archives. Your activity may help keep alive these very useful resources. > I know that bbs never went away but I feel that they could > make a comeback and I would like to try finding some good > ones. I frequent usenet so I feel like I am still in the > click. > Anyone want to tell me the best way to start this again? I'll take a stab at it. First, though, let me offer my sincere thanks for raising a very timely subject. Thanks to the ravages of pathogens circulating on the Internet recently, I can't recall ever seeing the level of frustration among Internet e-mail and USENET users being so high. As seen in the Internet Traffic Report, the performance index of the Net in North America has been in the range of 80-90% recently, whereas earlier this year it was running around 95-98%. Out of 78 NA backbone routers, six (8%) were down. Traffic in some of the high volume USENET forums has been far more chaotic than usual. What's more, there is little relief in sight, thanks to continuing vulnerabilities in certain popular software and ongoing efforts to exploit them. Protective measures appear unable to keep pace with the onslaught. All sorts of people are actually LOOKING for alternatives. Some of them think a BBS is merely a standalone message board at a Web site, while others don't have even =that= much of a clue. It occurs to me that SysOps are missing a golden opportunity to promote their proven solutions. Marginal utility kicks in and opportunity knocks! Here are some actions you can take as a prospective user: 1) Find a suitable BBS watering hole and participate in the forums, especially if the board gives you access to any USENET newsgroups. The board wouldn't necessarily have to be your best choice - just one that can serve as a bootstrap. Migrate later if necessary. 2) When participating in USENET forums, occasionally mention in your articles and followups that you are accessing it via a BBS on the amateur computing nets. Use offline mail and news readers; the tearlines and taglines will generate interest among the uninformed. Write your own custom promotional .sig or tagline. 3) Try to persuade ISPs to accomodate offline mail and news in QWK, SOUP, BW and similar formats. For example, target ISPs that offer shell accounts. (Long ago I used to access USENET via QWK/REP from the shell account at Concentric, my ISP at the time. They also had an in house BBS and a huge multi CD file repository on a separate server.) Even better, become a member of a community based ISP such as a FreeNet and pressure the BoD or steering committee to implement BBS-like offline mail and news. 4) Set up your =own= BBS and become a Point off of an established board - whether it's just a part time endeavor, or even if you're the only user of your board. Invite your friends and acquaintances to access your board. Experience up "close and personal" just how much "fun" it is, and better appreciate why SysOp'ing is truly a matter of personal interest, enthusiasm and generosity. 5) Work with SysOps to ensure the integrity of their systems. SysOps can't watch everything all the time. Report bugs and flagrant abuses, minimize demand during peak hours, and try to reciprocate for benefits realized. Obviously there is a certain user-provider dynamic here, so there are likewise some expectations of SysOps to make their services more appealing (but which expectations are largely ignored). Perhaps that area is better left for another thread, though. [To the general audience: I SysOp'ed a part time board for seven years, until Net 9 shut down in the summer of 2001. (Net 9 wasn't quite my first choice for subject matter, but it was the closest thing available.) I'd like to join or start an FTN net for emergency preparedness and disaster response activities, possibly to include gateways to appropriate USENET newsgroups. Feel free to unmung my address in the "From:" header above and reply off-NG if desired. Thanks!] HTH, Lee_K .