BBSING: Your attraction

What your interest are?
by: cr1mson@phatstar.org
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Now that you know what BBSing is and some of the technology behind it, what
interest you the most when you call a new BBS?  What is it that attracts
you?  If you don't have any knowledge of what a BBS is, I'll keep it simple
and let you know that message areas are like social media, file transfers
are like downloading files (except, with BBS, you can upload and share
too!).  Sharing photos is like Instragram, netmail is like private e-mail.
That's just brushing the surface.  So, what is it that keeps you calling
back to BBS?  Is it the fancy graphics, how slick it looks... the amount
of files on a particular board... the SysOp and community... how reliable
a BBS might be, always be able to connect without much disappointment.  I
suppose you could wrap all this up and get a really nice BBS that could
have the potential to attact a lot of users.  One other thing, do you like
it complex or simple?  Personally, I find too much on one screen to be
overwhelming, but too simple doesn't quite have enough.  So, like every-
thing, we need a good balance.  Menus of different sorts spread out
through the whole board, with good hot-keys to make it easy to navigate
to the part of the BBS you're wanting to get to.  The easy the flow, the
better the experience IMHO.  Everyone is different though, that's what
makes it interesting.  Perhaps we could create themes for a handful of
different types of styles to fit everyones budget, or have one to try to
please everyone.  If you've ever been on a BBS and been a user, you
pretty know already what's available.  Don't forget the games, there's
games on about every BBS... everyone likes a little entertainment and
relaxation.  But don't overdue it.  Make sure you participate in the
messages and make some new friends, get to know each other as a
community... relate to other what they go through, don't be closed
minded to get a little advice or a light on how others do it
differently.  We all come from different parts of the ball park and
we all have special gifts and talents.  This is what makes a BBS
strong is when we come together and make the BBS whole.  A SysOp
can't do it all.  The SysOp runs the show while the users are the
actors you might say, putting on one good play.  Take that in good
like.  Think of it as your favorite film, everyone has a role and
the producer sets the stage.  When the curtains open, it's fair
game for everyone.  So don't hesitate to get on a BBS, take your
time, feel free like your visiting someones home and get involved.
Also, there are files, so don't forget to upload to share with others
so the well doesn't run dry.  Communicate in relay chat and talk
amongst the groups, interact.  BBSes are put here for you, the user
to love and enjoy.

So the question is, what do you like most about BBSing?  What
attracted you when you first started?  Is there anything missing
or is the fire still alive?  I hope whatever it is you're looking
for that you find it, but if you don't find it, create it!

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