The WWIV Support Network ======================== WWIV is rapidly growing in popularity and many people are considering using it for their BBS. Unfortunately, there isn't enough established support. There are BBS's which offer help for WWIV Sysops, but these aren't advertised. The only way to get help with WWIV was to look hard for it. That is why the concept of the 'WWIV Support Board' came into being. The basic idea is to establish a group of BBS's nationwide which are capable of helping other Sysops and prospective Sysops with WWIV installation, program files, help and hints. In the original documentation which came with WWIV, there was only one BBS mentioned where users could call for help. That was of course Wayne Bell's, the author of WWIV. But consider this: over the weekend Wayne could receive as many as 90 pieces of feedback. His board averages at least 70% activity per day. Very recently Wayne had 171 pieces of feedback waiting when he got back from a 5 day trip. 80% of these questions could be answered by someone else. And most WWIV-related files may also be found on other BBS's as well. Enter the WWIV Support Board. There are many WWIV Sysops who are eager to help other people set up their own BBS. They are very knowledgable about the inner workings of WWIV, and often have megabytes worth of WWIV-related files available. If you run such a system, you can help! As an the Sysop of an Official WWIV Support Board, you would be qualified to offer other WWIV Sysops help for their BBS. A Sysop in need could ask you for help and you would be able to respond to his questions. Help could range anywhere from installation problems to the most complex problems. If one Support Board Sysop doesn't know how to help you, then that Sysop can ask other Support Sysops if they can help. If not, then the problem can be brought to Wayne Bell's attention. Also, as a WWIV Support BBS, you would have the very latest in WWIV Support Files, such as Games, Modifications, and other miscellaneous files that WWIV Sysops might look for. Remember, the idea of the Support Network is to give WWIV Sysops alternate places to find things for their boards other then Wayne Bell's System. Thus, reducing the traffic flow on his system and increasing the total WWIV Support available. In order to be effective, there should be some standard features that WWIV Sysops may find on all the boards in the Support Network. Due to this fact, there are some certain requirements that a potential Support Board must fulfill. WWIV Support Board Requirements =============================== The requirements for becoming an official WWIV Support Board are as follows: 1. You must be a registered WWIV Sysop. You must be a WWIV Expert. You should know WWIV like the back of your hand. You should know all of WWIV's commands, and how to use them. You also should have the knowledge to help another Sysop put up a WWIV System from the ground up. More importantly you should be prepared to answer questions from sysops across the United States. 2. Your BBS must have been running for a minimum of 3 months. You must promise to continue the BBS for at least 3 months into the future. It is imperative that your system remain OPEN for obvious reasons. 3. You must offer at least one WWIV-Related message base. The more WWIV-Related message bases you offer, the better your WWIV Support Board will be. Some good examples of these Message Bases that you could have would be WWIV Modifications, WWIV Sysop Boards, And maybe some Technical Help Boards. 4. You must offer at least one WWIV-Related file transfer directory. As with the message bases, the more files you have to offer, the better. You must not enforce an Upload/Download ratio for WWIV Sysops either, as most of them would be calling Long Distance. 5. Your must be familiar with WWIVnet. It would be helpful if your BBS were a part of WWIVnet, but this is not absolutely necessary. However, you should know how it works and how to help someone get started in the Net. If you are an Area Coordinator, it is a good chance that you already fulfill most of these requirements. 6. You should know how to work with WWIV Source Code. Since you have registered and have the WWIV Source Code, it would be quite helpful if you were knowledgable enough about C to help someone else get started. How to compile WWIV, how to add modifications, etc. The rest is up to you. Having 10 megs of WWIV files, 7 WWIV-related message bases, and a staff of competent assistant sysops would greatly increase your total support. Handing out your phone number, keeping in touch with authors of WWIV games, mastering Turbo C, it all depends on how much you are willing to put into it. But the best qualification is that you are willing to help in whatever way you can. Helping at least one person set up WWIV from the ground up should give you plenty of satisfaction. Whether you meet or EXCEED these requirements, you are there to help. Once you have fulfilled the previous obligations, you must complete the following form and send it to Wayne Bell through the U.S. Mail. He will send you a letter in reply. Once you receive notification that you are now an Official WWIV Support Board, you may start to announce it on your BBS and in BBS lists! You may also decide to put that in your Welcome Message and on WWIVnet Sub-Boards. Remember, that as the Sysop of a WWIV Support Board, you have become an Official WWIV Representative. You will have the responsibility of providing accurate information to other WWIV Sysops. Any help you offer to those in need will reflect on you, your board, and WWIV as a whole. The concept of the WWIV Support Network was conceived by Eric Golden with the initial inspiration of Bill Curran, Doug Fields, Sam Kerns, and Michael Coyne. Special Thanks go to Mike Bateman, Joseph Rybaczek, and Jason Bittle for helping with the final drafts. The Support Network is still alive, thanks to the persistance of Joseph Rybaczek for trying to keep it going. I would like to extend extreme gratitude to anyone who is willing to run a Support Board. WWIV Support Board Registration Form ==================================== Name: ___________________________________________ (____) ____________ (Voice Phone) Address: ______________________________________________________________ (Street name and number) ______________________________________________________________ (City) (State) (Zip Code) BBS Name: _______________________________________ (____) _____________ (BBS phone no.) Name of Sysop: ______________________________ WWIV version: __________ WWIVnet Node: ______ BPS: ______ MB On-Line: ______ Users: ________ Month/Year you registered WWIV: _____________ WWIV Reg # ____________ My BBS has been up since: ____________ Number of Callers: ___________ [ ] My Board is PCPursuitable through Pursuit Node: _________________ [ ] My Board is Starlinkable through Starlink Node: _________________ Describe the activity level of your BBS: ______________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ ( You may include a separate sheet to describe some of the features you offer, and any comments you may have about this file. ) I certify that my BBS meets or exceeds the above requirements to become an official WWIV Support Board. If I do not meet up with the Standards of "The WWIV Support Network" I understand that my system may be removed from the Support list. ____________________________________________________ _______________ (Your Signature) (Date) Please send completed form to: Wayne Bell 904 Silver Spur Road #636 Rolling Hills Est, CA 90274