One of the best ways to understand online services is to become one. That is, start your own computer bulletin board, or BBS.
What used to be the territory of computer nerds is now within reach of any computer hobbyist or business. A company that doesn't at least consider running a BBS to offer customer support or technical information is plain missing a huge segment of its potential market.With the advent of new, easy-to-install software, running a basic BBS is pretty simple. And with the cost of hardware dropping, it's no longer expensive, either.
Got an old 486 lying around? Add a decent hard drive, a modem and a phone line and you're online.
There are a number of software packages you can choose from. Courier Online, the BBS service I help run, uses Major BBS, a product of Galacticomm. It's a powerful package that will become more so when its "Worldgroup" software version is released later this year.
Worldgroup will offer Major systems a true "point and click" interface much like America Online.
The most popular BBS software is Wildcat, a product of Mustang Software, which has about 30 percent of the world market. After spending a couple of hours installing its new version 4.1 on my home system, I can confirm anybody can do this.
Installation of the software, which costs about $90 for a single-line system, was flawless. It recognized my hardware and software and configured itself correctly. It told it which parts of my hard drives I wanted users to be able to see and set up some basic menus.
Unlikes some packages, Wildcat includes a menu drawing program, so I was able to customize the menus my users would see. Adding CD-ROMs of software can be a pain in some systems, but Wildcat did that easily, too.
In all, my system was running in less than two hours. I've had more trouble installing a mouse driver upgrade.
Are BBS systems really necessary for businesses? You won't starve without one, but there are some pretty neat uses. You can leave e-mail, files and photos for your employees around the country. The Salvation Army in Florida uses a system to connect with its 46 field offices, posting meeting minutes and updates.
Business Interiors Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn., uses its system to showcase more than 3,000 products in its furniture catalog. Photos of the items are scanned in and made available for viewing online. Nutra Source, a natural food distributor in Seattle, allows customers to dial in and leave grocery orders. Before the company had a staff member take orders over the phone. Now the BBS system is available around the clock.
Computers By Design, an Evansville, Ind., computer company, offers software patches, technical support and prices over its system.
It's hard to think of a business that couldn't benefit from a system, or at least getting on an existing BBS. Users can call Mustang at 1-800-269-9185 for a brochure about how businesses are using BBS systems. It's free and doesn't push Wildcat software.
For hobbyists, running a BBS is another way to enjoy being online. Plus, it makes you appreciate system operators when you are one.
CALL OF THE WEEK: The new book "Making Money on the Internet" by Alfred and Emily Glossbrenner ($19.95, McGraw-Hill) should be called "How to get Flamed by a Million People." It's a shameless plug for the Glossbrenners' own Internet consulting business and offers such gems of wisdom that home pages on the World Wide Web "don't work" for businesses. Skip this one.
NEWSGROUP PICK: "alt.current-events.amfb-explosion" for interesting, sometimes sickening, comments on the Oklahoma City tragedy.
WEB PAGE OF THE WEEK: "http://thomas.loc.gov" for text of current and old Congressional bills.