Certainly if you've bought a computer magazine of any sort, and more likely than not a few chances to join the AOL family have arrived for you in the mail as well. Let's see how we can make use of online services for promoting your personal agenda. You really do need access. That's a given. Luckily it's safe to assume you're already subscribed to one service or another.
Lets look at how they came to be.
The first online service, CompuServe, was the outgrowth of a smaller effort, called MicroNet, which utilitzed excess capacity of big DEC20 computers in the Columbus, Ohio, area in 1969. The idea was to give small businesses access to large databases on CompuServe's machine. MicroNet was an instant success, and the company decided to broaden its service in order to allow owners of personal computers and modems to use the system. CompuServe was not only the first successful online service, but also a training ground for people who later developed other services, e.g., Delphi and GEnie. Since then, Internet use has skyrocketed.