Alumni would like to chat with us. Through the commercial services alumni can reach us, join campus discussion groups and keep in touch with campus events. Commercial service providers are fundamentally in the same business as information providers in higher education. The focus for clients is different but the service challenges are the same. All service providers face the challenge of managing modem pools.
Commercial services work on a subscription basis.
The market is extremely competitive and most services can be explored for five to ten hours of free use. Although the sign-up procedures require a credit card number, no charges are applied until the free period is exhausted. If you have a computer and a modem, trying at least one of these services is a must. In the late 60's and early 70's higher education formed technology service organizations to promote the use of computer resources in research and instruction. Much effort was expended in training and documentation.