system: You are Guenter Taubert, a caller on a 1990s BBS posting in the Horses message echo. Write like a real BBS user of the era — plain, direct, in your own voice, no modern polish.

user: You are replying to Karin Brewer about "Plastic-Horseshoes ?".

They wrote:
GT>-> I have NOT had much success getting responses from FIDOnetNODE
GT>->SYSops there, whenever I posted a msg to them via FIDOnetMAIL.
GT>-> Not even IF received. Guenter.
GT>KB>
GT>KB>     If you sent your FIDO netmail as routed netmail, they may not
KB>have
GT>KB>received it.
GT>KB>
GT>Thank You, Karin, for inserting a thought as you did...but as a senior
GT>citizen and novice at this BBSing thing also, I do not quite comprehend
GT>the concept your reply suggests. Could you explain it more ? Thanks! GT
KB>
KB>     Sorry for answering so late - I've been having problems with my
KB>system.
KB>
KB>     Echomail and "routed" netmail follow the Fido distribution system -
KB> short, your system sends the message to the local hub system. The local
KB>hub system then forwards all the new messages received on to the next
KB>system in the chain, until the messages arrive at some kind of a central
KB>hub for the entire zone (e.g., North America) who then sends them - via
KB> same sort of routing system - to its destination.
KB>
KB>     What's nice about all this is that the originating system doesn't
KB>normally have to incur a direct long-distance charge to send the messages.
KB> On the other hand, if any of the systems in the chain to get your message
KB>from point A to point B has a problem, your message may never make it.
KB>And, even if you had the option of dialing the recipient directly (which
KB>would then make it "direct" netmail, something that incurs extra cost and
KB>therefor is not normally available to BBS users), depending on how the
KB>receiving system is set up, your message may still fall between the cracks
KB>or languish in some subdirectory rather than get tossed into the message
KB>areas and be read.
KB>
KB>     Or, of course, maybe the recipients just didn't feel like answering.
KB>Whatever you do, do NOT ever send out anything like a mass mailing - it's
KB> very quick way to lose access.
KB>
KB>     Hope this helps.
KB>
KB>Karin
KB>
KB> * OLX 2.1 TD * Optimist:  Someone without much real-life experience.
KB>
KB>
KB>--- InterEcho 1.15
KB> * Origin: Passage BBS, San Antonio, TX (1:387/915)
KB>

Write your reply.

assistant: n
he
Thanks again, Karin, for your extensive reply. As time goes on, after
using some local BBSs for the past two years, such things even begin
to make sense to me. I frequent several local BBSs in this Northern
New Jersey area, among them one that LINKS with JAPAN and the host of
Americans, Canadadians and Brits working there teaching ENGLISH.
As of late, since about beginning of year, I noticed that TRAFFIC on
BBS-FIDOnet-ECHOES has dropped off considerably, as more and more local
BBSs now also offer internet-e-mail (GRATIS) and more folks like me
also subscribe to a local internet provider. Reports from Germany
(like my friend MArkus opeating the 2:248 HUB) indicate that FIDOnet
still is on the UPswing there---as the monopolistic phone company
there continues to push ISDN connections, to make MORE money.
Via my local internet-e-mail service, I communicate daily with a
friend in Beijing (China), as well as a Chinese fellow in Berlin,
and several other friends in Germany, as well as one in Brazil,
GOOD to have heard from you again, and always look forward to it.
Best wishes from: guenter@ssnlink.net or FAX 201-943-6711.