The better the provider, or the price, the more likely it is that people will flock to the service, and overwhelm it. When too many eager users responded, the system collapsed from overload, and now is slowly limping back into service - well almost. The era of personal communication is barely dawning, but computer users have become more sophisticated, or at least more demanding than in the past. This is not surprising. E-mail is only a part of communication, but it is the one that generates the most interest in new computer users.
All services have two things in common.
They provide messaging as the words wing their way magically over the Internet. You may not know it, or pay for it, but travel is on that common electronic superhighway. The thought of no-cost worldwide messaging without even a toll call, generates great enthusiasm in newcomers. It works just like your television. It is supported by advertising.