Subj : Re: Social Media Subsitute
To   : Alan Ianson
From : Tony Langdon
Date : Wed Aug 05 2020 08:02 pm

-=> On 08-04-20 22:36, Alan Ianson wrote to Tony Langdon <=-

 AI> Yep, QWK is well supported and has been up and running for about the
 AI> same amount of time as FTN networks. It has a dependency on a BBS
 AI> though. I don't think that's a bad thing myself but folks today are not
 AI> (in any numbers at all) going to sign up at a BBS to join the
 AI> conversations that are going on.

Well, I'm not sure what you're proposing, or if it even makes any sense,
because the BBS is the entry point to the network.  Sure, you can run a point,
but there's a lot more complexity there.  And for those of us who want mobile
access to existing accounts, the point paradigm is totally wrong.  That would
be like logging into social media and finding all your stateuses and group
memberships are different on every device you own!

The BBS at least provides something that can keep track of those variables
across multiple devices.

 AI> In the 80's and most of the 90's if you wanted to get online you got on
 AI> a BBS but that's not the case anymore. BBSs are among my favorite
 AI> things but they don't have the place in the world that they once did.

 AI> I think the idea of apps for a tablet or phone, or other device is
 AI> interesting but it's not easy. We'd need a way to serve those apps also
 AI> so we'd have to design, implement and maintain that on top of what we
 AI> are already doing. We would need to experiment with all that to find
 AI> what can work.

You may be going a bit Internet centric with this and overthinking it. :) 
What's wrong with a network where you choose your home base (i.e. BBS?).  With
cooperation from BBS authors, you could simplify the signup process to
"username and password", with the rest of the info being stored in your profile
on the device and sent to the BBS during a registration "handshake".  And of
course, if you register on your mobile device, you can simply login later from
your PC. :)


.... I know exactly what a sextet is...  But I'd rather not say...
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