From: kudut@hamp.hampshire.edu
Newsgroups: alt.bbs,alt.bbs.allsysop,alt.allsysop
Subject: Universal Comment To the Sysop
Date: 6 Apr 92 04:24:15 GMT
Organization: Hampshire College


                 +------------------------------------+
                 |                                    |
                 |           Kenneth Udut's           |
                 |  "Universal Comment to the SysOp"  |
                 |                                    |
                 |   Version 1.00    April 3, 1992    |
                 |       (c) 1992 Kenneth Udut        |
                 |        All Rights Reserved         |
                 |                                    |
                 | Internet: kudut@hamp.hampshire.edu |
                 | Fidonet : Kenneth Udut @ 1:107/952 |
                 | PO Box 151  Roselle Park, NJ 07204 |
                 +------------------------------------+
 
Dear Sysop,
 
        Thank You for providing us with this gift!  Your Enterpreneurial
Spirit is doing a wonderful service to the community.  Twenty-Four
Hours a Day you are willing to share a part of yourself with us and for
that, I am grateful.  However, there are some things that I think you
should keep in mind while running your BBS:
 
 
        1) Please respond to each "Comment To Sysop".
 
I realize that you are quite busy at times, but I'd like it if you could
do this for us.  We don't usually write a comment to you unless we feel
that it is something you should know or can help us with.  When I write
a comment to you and don't get a response, I feel worthless and cheated.
Even a smily face ( a :) or :-) ) along with a piece of my comment is
usually enough to make me happy.  It shows that you care.
 
 
        2) Make your Login Screens, Bulletins and Menus abortable.
 
Almost every BBS program has the facilities to let the user abort a
screen of text.  Please take advantage of it.  I realize that you want
us to read your News and your Bulletins and you'd sometimes like to show
off your skill at making ANSI color pictures.  This is fun the first two
times that we see it, but after a while it gets to be a drag.  I can't
think how many BBS's I no longer call because I have to wait through "My
Current Statistics", "BBS News", Bulletins, and complex ANSI menus.  It
may look nice on your end but it gets to be a bit much for us DAY after
DAY after DAY, when we're just coming in to check for mail and for the
new files and we're in a hurry.  You'll also lose your long-distance
and 300/1200 baud callers by forcing them to read entire screens before
pressing <enter> at the end of them.
 
Also, if there is a way to let users SKIP over the bulletins and menus,
then please use it.  We might even be willing to pay you a couple of
bucks just so that we can get straight to the BBS and not have to go
through the same material day after day.
 
 
        3) Keep your News and Bulletins up to date.
 
Purge the old News and look through the bulletins AT LEAST once a week.
How many BBS's do I see with "Merry Christmas" / "Happy New Year"
Bulletins or News all the way into April and beyond?  It's tacky and it
shows that you just don't care about keeping your BBS up to date.
 
 
        4) Move your Uploads from the "New Uploads" section to their
           appropriate places at least once a week.  Remove duplicate
           files/old versions.
 
Files that are in the New Uploads section for more than Four Months are
no longer new, you know.  Every couple of days spend a half-hour moving
the files to the right places.  Unless you are keeping different versions
for comparison, there's really no reason to have PKZIP .93, 1.02, 1.10,
1.93 Alpha, etc. on your BBS or every version of LIST ever made.
It doesn't take long to check through it all, and it really helps you
look just a little more professional.
 
 
        5) Be more careful with ANSI color and IBM graphics (IBM BBS's)
 
Not every user of your BBS can see ANSI colors.  By the same token, not
every user can see IBM graphics (even some IBM users!).  Please don't
forget them.  Your Macintosh, CoCo and Commadore users will be happier for
it!  Even if they can't participate in your file section, at least they
can post messages.
 
Also take it easy with the animated screens.  Most people that I know
abort them or just hangup when they're "forced" to watch them.
 
 
        6) Don't forget about your 300 and 1200 bps friends.
 
There's a lot of them out there.  It's easy to assume that because you can
afford a 2400 + modem that everyone else can.  There are still "TV set"
computers out there, original IBM's, and some network dial-outs that can
only call at 300 or 1200 baud.  These people may eventually get a 2400 +
modem, and they will thank you for allowing them to call at 300/1200.
What's more important?  Efficiency or happiness?
 
 
        7) Advertise your place on other BBS's every couple of months.
 
There are new folks with new modems popping up every day.  Make sure
they know about you.  Invite people from other BBS's to test your BBS
and give their comments.  Heck - advertise using a cheapie advertisement
in the local newspaper.  See what happens.
 
 
        8) Post on your message boards/bases/discussion places.
 
Maybe you've said "We need people to post here".  Spend some time each
day and read what's going on with your Board.  Reply to messages as if
you were an everyday user.  You can even create a special username just
for your "posting persona".  If you have multiple personalities, then
you can reply to the same messages 2 or more times and even argue with
yourself (under a different name, of course)!
 
 
        9) Add exotic files to your BBS every once in a while.
 
Login to other BBS's once in a while and download some interesting stuff
that you don't have.  Write a message in the Lobby/Public Discussion
group praising the high qualities of this file, saying how you don't
know what you would have ever done without it, etc.  Get us to login
just to see what new files you've come up with this time!
 
 
       10) Try something UNIQUE!  Maybe write a newsletter!
 
Make your BBS something "official" - write a newsletter.  One or two
pages describing the status of the BBS, with interviews of the users.
Maybe include an overview of the past week's/month's discussions in each
message section.  You could actually place main pieces of the discussion
in the newsletter.  (Heck - the people that posted were posting on YOUR
BBS, so you have every right to reprint it in paper form)
 
Oh did I mention that maybe you should try to make it a PAPER
newsletter?  An electronic newsletter is nice and can get around
quickly, but it's MUCH more fun to receive a newsletter from a BBS IN
THE MAIL rather than just downloading it.
 
 
        11) Have a UNIQUE focus of your BBS.
 
Sure.  There are plenty of "Shareware/Messages/Doors" BBS's out there.
Some even have pretty screens on login and logout.  However, those ANSI
screens are not reason along to call back again and again (in fact -
they're reason NOT to call back - see #5).  Give your BBS a FOCUS point.
 
For example:  You're interested in CB Radios.  So, make that the focus
on your BBS by having discussion groups on CB's, special file sections
set aside for CB modification text files and, of course, have a CB
simulator online (which would mean being multi-line even!).
 
Or, maybe you're interested in Classical Music.  Don't be afraid to show
it - be proud of whatever it is and make it the focal point of your BBS,
so that people will call again and again.  They'll hear your reputation
and speciality and call in from far away.
 
 
        12) Install an Offline Mail Reader Door.
 
This is related to having abortable menus/bulletins.  Many of us would
like to participate in discussion, but just don't have enough time to
think online.  Installing an Offline Mail Door (like BlueWave, Silver
Xpress or Qmail) and promoting it allows people on your BBS to download
new messages, get off of your BBS (freeing it up for another caller),
reply to messages and entering new ones, requesting files, etc., get
back on your BBS and do everything in one great swoop.
 
This saves you time and it saves your users time.  The discussion can
get more detailed and thoughful because your users have time to think
and reply at their leisure.
 
 
        13) Have fun!
 
If you find your BBS is a chore after a period of time, then here's what
you do.  Contact all of the BBS's in your local area and in your local
long distance area.  Post a message (public AND to the SysOp) saying
that your BBS will be closing down by a certain date.  When that date
comes (in a week or so), unplug the modem from the wall, get out of the
BBS program and shut down the computer.  If you wish, contact the phone
company and tell them that you would like your number changed.  Request
that the old phone number NOT be reassigned for 6 months, since the
number was to a BBS.  (Say it was like a FAX number if they're
confused).
 
Don't continue to run your BBS once it's no longer fun (unless you're
running it for profit).  There will always be another BBS to happily
take your place.  And feel free to start it up again if you wish, but
make sure that you're not just starting it up again trying to recover a
"feeling" that's no longer there.  Just leave it down and get on with
your life.  Heck - write a letter to each of your users (Xeroxed is ok)
stating the reasons why it's closing down, etc. if it makes you feel
better.
 
(c) 1992 Kenneth Udut   All Rights Reserved.  Freely copy only in full.
Newsgroups: alt.bbs