From: mrogers@nyx.cs.du.edu (Mark Rogers)
Subject: Update on "ONE" and "IBECC"
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix @ U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 92 18:26:08 GMT


Hi there.
 
Sorry to be so long posting this information, but Nyx hasn't been
answering my calls recently and I had no other way to post it.
 
Now I know that many of you are totally disinterested in this so
feel free to "j" this message.
 
You're still here? Good, cause I think it's important information to
anyone whose thinking of attending either of the bbs conferences
being held here in Denver in August, on the same dates and at the
same times.
 
I must admit I've snooped around and not been exactly 100 percent
honest when I called both the "ONE" group and the "IBECC" group.
Well, I called a couple of times, and had a friend call a couple of
times, and we compared notes just to see what's happening. And we
were a bit surprised.
 
I'm going to quote some things from _my_ original message, they'll
all be prefixed with "mr)" and then let you know what I found out.
 
mr) I've seen the names "ONE" and "IBECC" in the newsgroups around here
mr) and I am wondering just what the relationship between them is. I ask
mr) because they both seem to be running almost equivalent conferences
mr) on the same dates in the same town (Denver), though "ONE" seems to
mr) be mostly into the heavy-hitters (like TBBS and Wildcat and lots of
mr) emphasis on making money) and "IBECC" seems to be trying for the
mr) users and handicapped and those sorts of people.
 
Well, I got a response (here) from mbarry (on nyx) after I'd talked
to a Terry Travis of IBECC and a Peggy Kaniglio (sp?) of ONE.
 
Terry sent me a _whole bunch_ of information, dating from last
year's Fidocon (aka IBECC'91), along with documentation from
Boardwatch and "ONE". I guess he was just trying to be fair, but it
was a bit on the overkill side for me.
 
Anyway, I looked up their newspaper (The Denver Area BBS List and
News(tm)) and I picked up Boardwatch magazine and I read, and I read
and I read until my eyes were sore.
 
I'll get to the point. After talking to "ONE" and talking to "IBECC"
at least the latter (IBECC) had their story straight and could
produce some documentation to prove it.
 
The _facts_ I was able to gather are as follows-
 
"ONE" is a for-profit organization, owned and operated by esoft and
Boardwatch. Salaries, etc. are unknown. Profits _OBVIOUSLY_ go into
their coffers for their own use but heck there's nothing wrong with
that!
 
"IBECC" is a non-profit organization, owned and operated by Michelle
Weisblat, Marshall Barry and Terry Travis. They claim that they
receive no salary, that they use the money to pay bills and print
their bbs list and so on. They did enclose a copy of the KCNC Expo
program book (with their ad in it), a copy of their confirmation
letter from Infocom (they said they were too late to get into the
program book) as well as copies of Computer Diskovery (a local
newspaper) which showed them putting on free seminars, copies of
letters dealing with the Westminster PD and their dog pound and lots
of other things showing their community involvement and where the
money goes.
 
mr)  I called both of them with a modem problem (I just got a USR Dual
mr)  Standard) and asked questions, but seem to be getting some
mr)  conflicting responses.
 
mr)  At "ONE" (I called 303 693-5253) I talked to a Peggy Kaniglio (sp?)
mr)  and was told that "ONE" and "IBECC" are the same thing, only "ONE"
mr)  is a trade show and "IBECC" is the educational conference. That
mr)  sounds awfully different to me. I wanted to ask a question about how
mr)  to set up the modem, and got the answer to come to the conference
mr)  (which is $175.00!!! whew!) and there would be people who coult help
mr)  me there.
mr)
mr)  So I called "IBECC" (303 426-1847) and talked to a Terry Travis (he
mr)  spelled his name for me) and was told that "ONE" is a for-profit
mr)  show, run and owned by Jack Rickard (of Boardwatch magazine) and
mr)  Phil Becker (of esoft). No wonder it's so TBBS and big boy oriented!
mr)  He told me that IBECC is a non-profit organization, run by
mr)  volunteers, and that they are also the ones who publish the denver
mr)  area bbs list newspaper.
mr)
mr)  So I asked him the question about the modem, and he answered it
mr)  without telling me I had to spend money on their conference.  Since
mr)  I saw them both in BBS Caller's digest I asked him about their
mr)  conference, too. He told me that they had been the people who ran
mr)  last year's Fidocon, and that they were running the IBECC conference
mr)  in much the same way - informally and for the users as well as the
mr)  sysops.
 
OK so I quote myself a lot. But theres a lot more to this than meets
the eye.
 
More _facts_
 
ONE has claimed to be everything that IBECC claimed to be --- about
one month behind whatever IBECC annoucned.
 
IBECC announced their dates in July, 1991 (in their "Conference
Progess Report 3 - The Final Edition") on page 7. It says, clearly,
"Plan on attending The 1992 International BBSing and Electronic
Communications Conference (IBECC '92) to be held August 13 - 16,
1992 at the Lakewood Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center."
 
Pretty straightforward and hard to miss. They also sent me a copy of
a blue fold-over entitled "IBECC '92 The 1992 International BBSing
and Electronic Communications Conference August 13 - 16, 1992
Lakewood Sheraton Hotel" with the text "Announcement - Information -
Rates" (also copyright 1991 by IBECC) dated August 1991. Pretty hard
to miss, they claim it was handed out to everyone in their
registration package and was available all over the place. I believe
them.
 
The following is from a letter (I got a photocopy) from Jack Rickard
of Boardwatch, from mid-SEPTEMBER, 1991 - marked with "bw))"
 
bw))  BOARDWATCH MAGAZINE (Letterhead)
bw))
bw))      (parts omitted):
bw))
bw))  Essentially, after Fidocon91 there were two differing visions of
bw))  what a 1992 BBS show in Denver should be - resulting in two
bw))  different groups.  One group emerged from this, IBECC, plans a
bw))  similar event in the same hotel.  Our vision includes a much bigger
bw))  show, with fewer kilts and swords and more BBS people, as well as
bw))  more vendors, in a significantly larger facility.  We also see
bw))  wider participation from more diverse groups - from the PCBoard
bw))  Networks, Macintosh, and Unix communities.  In short - a BBS
bw))  industry trade show - while still retaining the grass roots sysop
bw))  orientation that makes these things so exciting.  And we will make
bw))  it happen.
bw))
bw))  Phil and I have funded a separate corporation solely dedicated to
bw))  producing a first class BBS industry trade show.  ONE, Inc. (Online
bw))  Networking Expositions) became a Colorado corporation on August 29th
bw))  and is being staffed specifically to put on a show for the online
bw))  world and BBS industry. The show will be titled "The Online
bw))  Networking and bbs conference - The ONE BBSCON".
bw))
bw))  The date for ONE BBSCON has tentatively been set for August 13-16,
bw))  1992 and we are surveying several larger hotels in the Denver Tech
bw))  Center as a location. We plan facilities for approximately 1500
bw))  attendees this second year to ensure a polished and strongly focused
bw))  presentation.
 
    OK. So what they said in mid-September is that they are starting
a TRADE SHOW, TENTATIVELY to be held August 13-16 in the Denver Tech
Center, with attendence of 1500 and claiming to be their "second
year". Can you see the confusion starting already?
 
Now, in the OCTOBER, 1991 issue of Boardwatch Magazine (the IBECC
folks provided a photocopy of a portion for me) "ONE" said (marked
by the same "bw))":
 
bw))  As a result, Phil Becker and I have formed a third company titled
bw))  ONE, Inc. (Online Networking Expositions) to host an annual BBS
bw))  show. We plan a bit larger and perhaps wider presentation next
bw))  August for 1200-1500 online enthusiasts.
bw))
bw))    We're titling the show The Online Networking Exposition and BBS
bw))  Conference (The ONE BBSCON) and it is tentatively scheduled for
bw))  August 13-16, 1991.
 
NOTE that it is still "tentatively" scheduled for the "IBECC" dates,
and that it's now a "BBS show" with 1200 to 1500 "online
enthusiasts".
 
If you're half as smart as the average CRT you're beginning to see a
trend and a snow job.
 
"ONE" now has a modest _limit_ of 1000 people, is holding their
convention at the Stouffer (a far cry from the Denver Tech Center),
and - in their last local ad - claims to be a "TRADE SHOW" (again)
for the "SYSOPS". According to their schedule in the July Boardwatch
magazine, it's a TBBS and Wildcat show, with a couple of sessions
thrown in for those of use who don't run either and who aren't
particularly interested in "Running a BBS for Profit"!
 
Still, I continued reading the "older" material and got more and
more _disgusted_ by these people at "ONE". The nerve of them trying
to call themselves the "ONE BBScon"! More like a BBS conJOB!
 
I understand business - all's fair they say - but this is downright
business fascism! The people at "ONE" are saying that "ONE" is the
"national" organization and "IBECC" is the "local" organization and
that they're working together. NOT!
 
I will go so far as to say that even "ONE"s vendors room contract is
identical to "IBECC"s - word for word - with a couple of minor
exceptions - such as doing a global replace of /IBECC/ONE/!
 
These big BBS types have _NO ETHICS_ and _NO MORALS_!
 
It's obvious that the intent of "ONE" is to tromp all over the users
and the small bbsers to make lots of money for their pockets - and
to hell with those who can't pay!
 
Sorry for my outburst, but I'm mad as hell and I don't want to take
it at all!
 
In any case I could continue this for another 400+ lines but to
spare the sensibilities of the rest of you (and the badnwith) I will
summarize this way -
 
If you think that BIG BUSINESS should run bbsing, that all of your
hard-earned money should go to supporting esoft and Boardwatch, that
the only thing bbses are for is making money and that the future is
TBBS, Wildcat and Boardwatch magazine - then go to "ONE" and be
hearded around like animals from session to session, be forced to
pass through the exhibition room to get your free coffee and donuts,
and listen to people lecture you on the "Jack and Phil show" and the
"ONE" true way to run your bbs!
 
If you want to help out a small group who is involved in the
comunity, working hard to support bbsing, trying to make things like
ISDN real, working with the PUC to prevent hassles with the phone
company (like in Oregon and Texas), has a number you can call to get
answers, and is still putting on what looks like a good conference
with some fun and interesting people - then go to "IBECC" and be
amongst people who judge you not by the size of your bank account
but by your interest in bbsing.
 
Or, be cowards and choose neither. This is a vote just as important
to bbsing as is choosing a president in November - and at least in
this one we have a real choice!
 
It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood -
Mark
Newsgroups: co.general