旼컴컴컴컴컴커 쿧our Product� 읕컴컴컴컴컴켸 You have to think of your BBS as a product. Whether you have a 32 line commercial BBS, a single line hobby board or somewhere in between, you are selling a service. Just as with any other product, you have to decide where and how your public relations efforts should best be spent. Now may be a good time to look at your BBS and take an inventory. If you haven't already done so, print the file PRODUCT1.TXT included with this package. It will help you take stock of the strengths and weaknesses of your BBS. Some of these things you may already have thought of. Others possibly not. Whatever the case may be, this is a very subjective matter and there are no right or wrong answers. We'll take this step by step and briefly examine some of the immediate public relations problems your BBS may present and some ways to solve those problems. I want you to bear in mind that it is NOT my intention to tell you how to run your BBS. In addition, I don't think there are any "bad" features for a BBS, except of course those that are patently illegal. If anything like that is implied, it wasn't intended. BBS NAME: The name of your BBS should be chosen very carefully and it should be in keeping with the overall tone of the BBS. Chances are you wouldn't want to call your BBS "Thunder of Cloven Hooves" if the emphasis is on scholarly Biblical discussions. Sysop: If you are known to users mainly as the Sysop, that could be creating an aloof image. That could be the image you want. On some larger boards with staffs that may be the best way to handle administrative duties. But if you want to have a more folksy and personable board you need to make yourself known. Create an account with your name, if you haven't already done so. Encourage users to refer to you with your name, instead of The Sysop. Graphics: Several graphics types are fighting for dominance in the BBS industry. For now, ANSI is a de facto standard since Product 2 pg 1 that is a baseline. Nearly every computer can handle ANSI graphics. RIP, NAPLPS, and JPEG are making headway. This is a matter of Sysop Choice. You might even want to have several available. You may want to poll your users to see what type they prefer. General Interest/Special Focus You may want to have a BBS with a little bit of everything for everybody. Even with cable becoming more prevalent, the three major broadcast networks still have the largest viewership. A General Interest BBS with a very large plate to offer will draw users but could overwhelm some users, especially new users. As can be expected, though, some users may visit to get an overview, but prefer to go somewhere else for more depth on a subject they are interested in. With that you also run the risk of losing them permanently. A BBS with a specific interest runs the risk of being too narrowly defined. There is probably a market for a BBS about horse racing jockeys six feet and taller with green eyes, but it's also so specialized it would attract few callers (if any). A specialized BBS could encounter problems with subject matter that may appear to be at odds with its theme. For instance, a Board with an emphasis on adult discussions of sexual matters might have missing child GIFS. While the motives may be pure, that could be a major public relations headache. Users Most BBS have very large user lists. Many of those lists are bogus in that they reflect all the people that have visited since the BBS was established. Some Sysops routinely clean the chaff out of the user lists. This is a good idea in that it makes it easier for Sysops to keep track of who is active and who is not. In addition it helps users who log in only occasionally. If a user hasn't logged on recently he has usually lost track of what happened the last time he was on. It reminds occasional users that it might be a good idea to stop in more often. The average age of your users may be able to help you determine the image you present. At the same time, the Product 2 pg 2 average age of the user you want to attract will dictate the image you create. As an example, you may have a large number of teens who are interested in role playing games. But you may want to discourage them from logging on by having amortization tables available instead. Do you have mostly male callers or mostly female callers? BBSs are generally dominated by male callers. Topics dealing with what are considered "women's issues," such as recipes, child care and others could bring in some female callers. Money: As I'm sure you are aware, a Bulletin Board can cost a lot to operate. The trend is to charge some kind of subscription. There are a number of different ways in which to do this. A very large portion of the BBS community believes that charging for access violates the spirit of freedom of information that has been intertwined with personal computers since their introduction. You will face that sort of resistance, especially if your BBS has had a history of access at no charge. A common promotion is to provide free, nearly unlimited access for a limited time and then expect some sort of payment for a subscription. The method of raising money I've seen most often is to have different levels of access for varied prices. Usually that involves additional time and downloads for different price points. Some BBSs simply ask for donations occasionally. And of course there are Sysops that are vehement about free access FILES: File areas are arguably the heart of a BBS. And just as with a human heart, they can create a huge amount of trouble if not properly taken care of. If you have adult areas you need to ensure that minors do not get access to them (the same should go for adult oriented message bases). Requiring photocopies of a valid driver's license is the easiest way to make sure minors don't get into the adult file areas (especially the GIFS). Despite the huge popularity of adult areas on BBSs, you are more likely to encounter resistance from the user base and the general public with an adult file area than you would without one. You also run a higher risk of being raided by law enforcement authorities. Product 2 pg 3 File Requests can be a valuable promotional tool. Many software companies allow potential buyers to request a demo from thier support board to try the software before purchasing it. Some BBSs allow file requests of certain informational files without having the caller registered or verified. This is potentially a very powerful feature and probably should be implemented on your BBS if it isn't already. A file explaining your policies, the message bases available, some hints on how to use your BBS (especially if it uses a less well known software package), and maybe even a registration or subscription form. This gives the user an idea of what your BBS is like and can leave him with a good feeling in that he received something without having full access. BBSs are commonly cited as a major source of computer viruses. If you take great pains to check all files for viruses before making them publicly available then you can put many users' minds at ease. Make sure you promote that often on your BBS and in any advertising you do. Sometimes a virus will sneak through even the best virus checkers. Track down the offending file, delete it and apologize to those who downloaded it. But gently remind users that you are not responsible for damage caused by the virus. They downloaded and used it at their own risk. There are a number of File Distribution Networks you can receive new files from. These operate much like the message networks only they deal with files, mostly shareware. These will give you continuous sources of fresh files on a regular basis without much hassle. A good choice for BBSs that emphasize files and is easily promotable. Message Bases: If File Areas are the heart of a BBS, then the Message Bases are the soul of your BBS. That is where your users have the biggest opportunity to contribute to the board. This is also where you have the biggest opportunity to set the image of the BBS. Your message bases can be wide and varied or narrow and focused on just a few topics. Keep in mind not everyone is going to be tactful and considerate. Some are rude and downright mean. Nationally echoed message bases can be a valuable asset to your board. But there will be times when there are matters of interest in Wenatchee, Texas that folks in Erie, Pennsylvania won't be interested in. Chances are you have at least one message base that is specific for local matters. Product 2 pg 4 You may want to consider opening up a few others depending on the demand from your users. You may want to police the message bases periodically. There have been occasions when a parts of a mail packet received from a hub had been tossed into the wrong area. Frank sexual discussions have turned up in family oriented echoes. There aren't too many other ways to alienate a loyal user faster than to have something like that happen. If it does, apologize quickly, delete or move the offending messages and hope the user accepts your actions as reasonable. DOORS: Your choice of Door programs create a twofold public relations challenge right out of the box. First, there may be times in which you add a door that doesn't quite fit the image you are trying to create on your BBS. In that case it's a fairly simple matter to remove the door program. Second, a very popular door could tie up your BBS for hours a day with just a few users, causing frustration to others. This is particularly true of games. You may wish to limit the time per day in a door. Some Sysops also require users to contribute files or messages in order to gain more time in doors. That may be the route you choose. You should probably remind your callers from time to time about policies regarding games. Games that pit one user against another are preferred by users. Multi-node systems that encourage game playing should also encourage users to set aside times to play certain games at specific times to take advantage of that capability. Not every game can support multiple players at one time. But many can. A Saturday Night Trade Wars Tournament would be much like a Saturday Night Pool Tournament and is very promotable. Online Magazines and Newspapers for Bulletin Boards are growing in number. Those are increasingly being produced as doors. Just as with print magazines or newspapers they can be expected to create controversy. Some users may take their complaints out of the door and onto the BBS. You can either encourage this since BBSs thrive on discussion of issues or you could politely ask them to take the matter up with the publisher/editor. Product 2 pg 5 MISC: Most BBSs run a screen full of Bulletins when the user logs on. These bulletins should be updated as often as possible. Callers need to know what's going on with your BBS, even if it's just the latest scores for "Red Dragon." Most users don't read the bulletins on a regular basis. But, they leave the impression that you have a "happening" BBS. A business owner I once worked for said to me "The impression that we have business generates business." He always made sure there were cars in front of his business, even if they belonged to employees. Your bulletins can be the cars in front of your business. Curiously, though, a lot of bulletins can also turn away a user. If you have a potload of bulletins, you might want to think about moving some to areas in which they are more appropriate. Bulletins of game scores might be moved to a gaming conference, as an example. Rules, policies and news should be the primary considerations when developing log on bulletins. There are several BBS and Sysop groups and associations that you can become a member of. There might even be one or more in your area. They are sources of support, solutions, and other information. If you are having trouble with another sysop, the association can be a place to arbitrate your difficulties. If worse comes to worse and you run afoul of the law as a result of your BBS, the group may be able to put you in touch with some legal help. A meeting can also provide you with the opportunity to unwind after a hard day of slaving over a hot keyboard. I strongly recommend joining a group. 旼컴컴컴컴컴커 쿒OAL SETTING� 읕컴컴컴컴컴켸 Even if you don't run a commercial BBS, you should think of it as a business. There is hardly any business that does not take an inventory on a regular basis. Any business that does not analyze itself occasionally is doomed to failure. Every six months or so, sit back and look at where your BBS has been, where it's at and where it's going. Do you Product 2 pg 6 have specific goals in mind? What are you doing to meet those goals? How is your Public Relations campaign reflecting the climb toward those goals? Whatever you are up to, PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE. Tell your users what's going on. Tell your co-workers. Tell the dog. Get the word out on the street somehow. This is only a cursory look at some the things you should be aware of from a public relations standpoint as you examine your BBS. You might want to do things differently. Public relations is an art, and you may prefer to do yours in oil while I prefer chalk. I encourage you to write me and let me know what your are doing in the area of Public Relations. Robert Parson 2501 Phoenix Fort Smith, AR 72901 501 646 9332 (voice) 501 484 0944 Paradox of Arkansas (Fred Ayers, Sysop) 501 484 1043 node 2 Product 2 pg 7