U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration Office of Business Analysis (202) 482-1986 =================================================================== The ECONOMIC BULLETIN BOARD =================================================================== Bulletin 1: EBB Overview Last Updated: 01/25/93 ------------------------------------------------------------------- This overview provides GUEST users and subscribers with an introduction to the EBB, very brief instruction on EBB use and subscription information. A registration form is available as bulletin #2, EBB REGISTRATION FORM and a complete manual is available as bulletin #3, THE EBB QUICKSTART MANUAL. The EBB is an electronic bulletin board run by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Business Analysis and provides a one-stop source of current economic information. The EBB contains press releases and statistical information from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of the Census, the Federal Reserve Board, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Treasury and several other Federal Government agencies. A menu-driven system simplifies the task of locating and using the 2,000 plus EBB files. Three main services are provided on the EBB; reading and downloading bulletins, reading and downloading files and sending and receiving messages to the EBB support staff. There is also a resources section which provides contacts for exporters and a utilities section which controls "housekeeping" tasks. The EBB supports a free, limited-use service for non-subscribers. GUEST users may access and download bulletins and send but not receive messages. GUEST users have download access to bulletins and a very limited selection of general-interest files. They also have access to the "Helpful Resources for U.S. Exporters" section of the board. It is not possible to register for the ECONOMIC BULLETIN BOARD on-line. Functions available on other electronic bulletin boards such as uploading files or sending messages to other users are not available on the EBB. The EBB runs two separate speed services depending on what speed modem you are using. Both services contain identical information and are only separated due to modem speed. 300/1200/2400 bps parameters are: No parity; 8 bit data length; 1 stop bit; the fastest transmission speed your modem supports. Dial 202-482-3870. The EBB supports 32 concurrent normal-speed users. 9600bps parameters are: No parity; 8 bit data length; 1 stop bit. The 9600bps service uses US Robotics Dual Standard HST/V.32 modems. Dial 202-482-2584. The EBB high-speed service supports six concurrent users. Both EBB services are available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. To sign-on as a GUEST user, dial the EBB and type in the word "GUEST" when prompted for a user ID. This limited access service allows you to read and download bulletins on the EBB. Several EBB-specific attributes are important to note: * The EBB has an automatic timer and will disconnect any user after three minutes of inactivity. There is a warning given after two minutes of inactivity and then you are disconnected after another inactive minute. * A GUEST user is allotted 20 minutes per call and a paying subscriber is normally allocated 60 minutes per call. You will be disconnected after that time has expired, but may call back immediately if you wish. * To stop information from scrolling across your screen at anytime, just press the letter "S" and you will be moved to the next menu. To pause the information scrolling across your screen, press "P". To resume the scrolling, press Enter. * To get on-line help from any menu, press "H" to access the instructional screens. The ECONOMIC BULLETIN BOARD allows users to read bulletins or files on the screen of their personal computer or download the information. When reading information typed to your screen, the screen will pause when it fills with text and gives a prompt. To move to the next screen and view more text, press Enter. This method of reading information is convenient, but time consuming (EBB charges subscribers for connect time) and does not produce a hard copy of the information for others to read and reference. DOWNLOADING actually copies the information from the EBB to your personal computer or prints to an active printer attached to your personal computer. Downloading procedures vary according to the communications software you use. While most packages support an ASCII download which allows the information to be printed directly, the ASCII download is not recommended because it provides no error checking. Please refer to your communication software's manual to determine which types of downloading it supports and for instructions on how to receive a file from bulletin boards. (Brief instructions for downloading with several popular communications packages are available in the EBB QUICKSTART MANUAL, bulletin #3.) BULLETINS provide general news about the EBB, instructions on how to use the EBB, sample EBB files and information on other bulletin boards and sources of economic information. GUEST users and new subscribers will find the bulletins especially helpful. To access the bulletin system, press "B" at the main menu of the EBB, a list of available bulletins appears. Press the number of the bulletin you wish to read or download and press Enter. Choose the reading/downloading method suited to your needs. FILES are the biggest section of the EBB and are categorized into 17 directories (file areas) according to subject. (GUEST users may not enter the file menu and may not download any files. There are sample files and a list of all files available in the bulletins sections.) Access the file menu by pressing "F" at the main menu. Follow the menu choices to either see a list of the file areas or download a file immediately if you know the exact name of the file. Bulletin #12 (and the file named FILES) is a current list of all files available on the EBB and is a good document to download and examine at your leisure after signing off the system. COMMENTS (messages) can be written to the support staff of the EBB by pressing "C" at the main menu. Type the message when prompted and end by pressing Enter twice. To save the message to the bulletin board and assure that the support staff sees it, press "S" for "save" at the menu. The staff appreciates useful suggestions and notification about problems. Messages are responded to on a daily basis. The next time you sign on the bulletin board, you will receive a message saying "MESSAGE ## MAY BE FOR YOU". (GUEST user can leave messages, but cannot receive responses from the EBB staff and should leave a voice telephone number in their comment if a response is required.) USER CHARGES: For 300, 1200 or 2400 bps users, the annual subscription fee is $35, which includes $12 of connect time. Additional connect time is billed quarterly at $0.20 per minute 8AM-NOON, EST; $0.15 per minute NOON-6PM, EST; and $.05 per minute 6PM-8AM EST and 24 hours on weekends. For 9600bps users the annual subscription fee is $100 which does not include any connect time. Connect time is billed quarterly at $0.50 per minute 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Users will also incur long distance telephone charges where they apply. For more information on the ECONOMIC BULLETIN BOARD, call the Office of Business Analysis at 202-482-1986. To subscribe to the ECONOMIC BULLETIN BOARD, download bulletin #2 and use the registration form or call the Office of Business Analysis at 202-482-1986 to charge your subscription. You can fax the registration form (using a VISA or Mastercard) to us at 202-482-2164.