What is SCNET?

SCNET is a FREE statewide electronic mail service, provided to all users as a
public service by participating Fidonet Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and Hubs
in S.C.  There are now 100+ systems connected, with the total number of nodes
rising steadily.  Please ask ALL local System Operators (SysOps) to add this!

As it exists now, users who call up a BBS that is connected to SCNET (whether
he/she is in Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, Columbia, etc.) are able to
publicly send, read or reply to electronic messages on any other SCNET board.
As the number of participating BBS's grows, so does the "Power" of SCNET too.
If you want to "sound off" to a truly statewide audience, SCNET is THE place!

For example, SCNET could be considered a 20 lane (line?) "Info Superhighway"
running between Charleston and Columbia with about 40 "On-Ramps" available to
users in Charleston.  In 1994, the Associated Press' statewide feature story
on SCNET was picked up by newspapers in Columbia, Greenville, Orangeburg,
Aiken, Hilton Head & other towns.  Amazingly, most of SCNET was organized by
people who have never even met one another face to face.  (Newsworthy, eh?)

How can all this be FREE you ask?  Well, thanks to the generous nature of the
folks running S.C. Fidonet mail hubs, SCNET is offered to BBS operators as a
FREE echo.  When messages are compressed and sent over high speed modems, the
actual "real cost" is quite low.  Because this expense is waived by the hubs,
local BBS operators are also willing to offer it to their users at no charge.
Remember a phrase: "Taketh not for granted those who move thy mail for thee".

It is hoped that SCNET can further advance the concept of Online Democracy in
our state.  Several members of the South Carolina General Assembly have been
monitoring activity as a new source of public opinion.  Members of the press
are also beginning to hook up to SCNET to gather ideas for news stories, etc.

An SCNET rule of thumb is there are probably HUNDREDS of folks reading SCNET,
for every person who sends a message.  Traffic can exceed 100 messages daily.
An effort has also begun to have SCNET carried over the Internet as a Usenet
Newsgroup (Worldwide!), so South Carolinians everywhere can communicate with
each other - no matter where they live.  If you have the technical knowledge
to help make this a reality, your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

SCNET is not only an individual echo, but a sizable statewide "Free-Net" too!
For the first time EVER, all 12 Fidonet (amateur) networks within this state
are relaying e-mail to each other, something "They" said would NEVER happen!
Just since the beginning of 1995, SCNET has enjoyed a significant expansion,
in both the number of systems who carry it & the number of its "conferences".
SC_SYSOP, for S.C. BBS operators only, is a place for network administration.
SC_4SALE, the STATEWIDE For Sale Conference, is also FREE for all connected.
Several statewide online auctions have successfully been held in this echo.
Consider it as an "Electronic Yard Sale", for everyone in the Palmetto State!

To reduce the complaints the SCNET discussions often became "too political",
the SC_LIB, SC_DEMO & SC_REPUB echoes were started to advance our cause to
bring REAL Online Democracy to the Palmetto state.  SysOps: Add these, ASAP!
They just MIGHT make a difference during the coming 1996 statewide elections.
Believe it or not, it's now OFFICIAL, you can register to vote in SC ONLINE!
Major kudos to Jim Faucette for getting the SC Election Commission approval.
Visit SC Election Central (http://awod.com/election/) on the World-Wide Web!

The SCIWAY (SC Information highWAY) Echo, now going 2-Ways, is growing fast.
E-mail (including from the Governor's office!) is now gatewayed from SCIway,
a Listserve first created by Mr. Rod Welch at The Citadel in Charleston, SC.
It's THE place to discuss how we can improve in-state online communications!

4 echoes (SC_USC_SPORTS, SC_SEC_SPORTS, SC_CLEMSON_SPORTS plus SC_ACC_SPORTS)
are among the most active, even though they've been around the shortest time!
The gateway software to handle them was tested & is now working like a charm.
All other new statewide BBS<=>Internet possibilities are under consideration.
If *YOU* are willing to help our cause, please go right ahead & speak up NOW!

Plans to establish 2-way links from SCNET to the Internet will be continuing.
The establishment of statewide internet newsgroups, using SCNET areanames for
a guide, has been underway for quite some time.  The breakthrough may be near.
If SCNET's spirit of cooperation is maintained, possibilities remain endless!