The Online World by Odd De Presno
2. Online services
514 words | Chapter 26
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The term "online services" refers to information services provided
by computer systems, large or small, to owners of personal
computers with modems.
What is offered, differ by system. It may include access to
libraries of programs and data, electronic mail, online shopping
malls, discussion forums, hardware and software vendor support,
games and entertainment, financial data, stock market quotes, and
research capabilities.
You do not always need a phone and a modem when "dialing up."
Some services can be accessed through leased phone lines, amateur
radio, or other methods.
Check out appendix 1 for a list of major services mentioned in
this book, with addresses, phone numbers, and a short description.
CompuServe (U.S.A.), Twics (Japan), and Orbit (England) are
commercial. They charge you for using their services.
Some online services are priced like magazines and newspapers
with a flat subscription rate for basic services. You can use this
part of a service as much as you like within a given period. GEnie,
CompuServe, BIX, America Online, and Delphi are among those
offering such pricing options.
Other online services charge for 'connect time'. They have a
rate per hour or minute.
MCI Mail uses "no cure, no pay." You only pay to send or read
mail. To check for unread letters in your mailbox is free.
There are all kinds of creative pricing schemes. Some services
have different rates for access during the day, night and weekends.
Others have different rates for users living far away. Sometimes
the remote subscriber pays more, in other cases less than ordinary
subscribers.
Still, most online services are free. This is particularly true
for the over hundred thousand bulletin board systems around the
world. The owners of these services often regard them as a hobby, a
public service, a necessary marketing expense, or do it for other
reasons.
The cost of setting up and operating a bulletin board system
is low. Consequently, the BBS systems are as varied as the people
who run them. Each BBS has its own character.
My BBS is also free. I consider it an online appendix to this
book and the articles I write.
National Geographic BBS in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. (tel.: +1-
202-775-6738) is run by the magazine of the same name. This board
is also free. They regard it as a part of their marketing strategy.
It provides them with input to the editors, and it is an easy way
of maintaining contacts with schools.
Semaforum BBS in Norway is run by a company. Its purpose is
customer support and to give information to prospective customers.
The cost is a marketing expense.
Some large, international online services on the Internet,
BITNET, and UUCP are almost free. They address research and
educational institutions and are financed by public funds. These
services are now being made available to other users at very
moderate rates.
Some users fear that using online services will increase their
telephone costs dramatically, and especially when using services in
other countries. This is often unjustified. Read chapter 13 and 15
for tips about how to keep your communications costs down.
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