JL>Our present goal is to start providing some sort of internet services.  
ow
JL>do
JL>you handle yours (types of software, lines, services the callers can 
access,
JL>etc) ?
We use Worldgroup by Galacticomm. We upped our line count to 32 placing
half on dial in and half on internet for telnet in. We added a
fractional T1 (csu/dsu and router) and the Galacticomm internet
software. This now allows us to provide callers with slip/ppp/cslip
accounts as well as straight shell accounts. Our system is also on a
novell network. I obtain my services from a company called DataXchange
which deals only with providing internet lines to other bbses.
JL>I'd be very interested in learning how you do this.  I'd assume that you'd
JL>first have to be ON the internet?
Galacticom has some very nice features and some extremely good third
party software. One such permits the system to recognize the address of
anyone telnetting in and if they are on a list then give them special
access rights. CO-OP members get 90 minutes free on other members
systems per day. In the 2 months I have participated in it I have had
over 500 callers from the co-op alone. Some join(very small percentage)
but that is not why I do it. It provides variety and something no other
system in this area offers - a great marketing point.
JL>That's exactly right.  I don't see the death of the regular BBS coming
JL>anytime
JL>soon, but I DO see this as a "make or break" time.
You are right there in that it is important to set direction now. I did
not and do not want to be a 100% internet service provider, I will
always have the bbs. It is important to me and many of my callers
because it provides a LOCAL meeting point.
JL>I'll contribute whatever I can.  Glad to see something like this being
JL>discussed.  Hopefully it'll help us to stay in "business".
Given the competition out there a realistic discussion of the online
business can only help us...
       John
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