BBS DESIGN

BBS DESIGN

You will want a catchy name for the BBS. Don't use trademarks any-

where in the name, or you will get sued.

You should make sure that your address (P.O. Box) is easily found in

the BBS so that making contributions is easy. You should include the

following in your log-on information screen:

BBS Name, BBS Phone Number (+ area code)

BBS Mailing Address (P.O. Box), Your Name, or Business Name

BBS Hours, Baud Rates & Modem Info

Protocol, Info, Time, Limitations

Number of Lines, Other Available Phone Lines

What Line User Is On, Any Networks

BBS Policy, Statement, Location

This information will probably take up about 2 screens, but don't

worry. The only people who will need to read the information are first-

time users. They will read it because they want to find out about the

BBS.

BBS POLICY

Put simply, your policy will just let people know what your BBS is

about. This will determine your users. Always make sure that your

policy is easy to find. Don't be afraid to change your policy in the

event that you find a better way to work the system. You will need to

state such things as how to gain online credit, etc. As you go along,

you will find more things you want to add.

ACCESS PRIVILEGES

You will need to verify your users by a phone call, usually within

48 hours. Don't make your users have a hard time qualifying to use

the BBS. Let them have a lot of access as soon as they have been

verified. You will have to give them access so that you can get a

group of users that will want be there. If you want to find out if

someone will not deserve access, then grant them full access and

see what happens.

If you don't allow certain people in certain areas, don't tell them

that. They don't need to know that they can't get somewhere; it will

make them angry and jealous. If you have a door only available for

businessmen, then only tell businessmen that the door exists.

CHARGE? OR NO CHARGE?

Unless you are planning on having a private BBS, you can plan on

NOT making any money with the BBS. You can, however, request

donations frequently. If you want to, you can charge a minimal fee to

help pay for running the BBS, but I would operate only by donation;

you will get more users this way.

One way to get people to donate is to offer bonuses for donations.

For example, you might give more access for donations of $10 per

month. If you are charging a fee, then make sure that the users know

that it will be worth their money to stay online with your BBS. Don't

make them pay for something that they can get free somewhere

else. I would say that there is one general rule when it comes to

making money with BBSes: If your BBS is a fun BBS, then don't plan

on making a profit. If your BBS is for profit, then don't plan on having

any fun.

LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOUR BBS

After you have everything set up, you will need to advertise your

BBS.

You can do this by placing notices on other BBSes across the

country. You might want to advertise locally, also. Most cities have

lists of BBSes just in their area. This will get you a lot of local

business, because many people like to save money by just dialing

BBSes that aren't long distance.

Your ad should tell them what your BBS is called, who it is for,

and when they can call. It should state what the BBS is used for, and

all that you would want to know if YOU were trying to decide if you

wanted to join this BBS.

You might want to make up some fliers and take them around to all

the computer stores and places that sell software. Let them know

that you would just like them to make it available to people who walk

into their store. In most cases, they will be happy to be of service to

you. Just make sure that a lot of people know about your BBS. You

might want to consider advertising in a national magazine, such as

"Boardwatch Magazine."

You should also consider placing your BBS number and modem

infor- mation on your business cards and letterhead. This way,

anyone who sees your card will see your BBS number.

Don't expect people to start calling overnight. They might, but don't

expect it. You will start getting a steady line of users in about 3-4

months.

The more you advertise, the quicker your response wil be. If you

don't start getting calls in a few months, then don't despair; just keep

trying to spread the word, and eventually, people will start calling

frequently. If you still aren't getting calls, you might find that your

format isn't appealing to the public. If this is the case, you may want

to change the format and start all over. Just stay informed about what

the public is interested in, and you will soon start getting users.

ABUSIVE CALLERS

Every once in a while, you will get a caller who is just there to

cause problems. If you notice that it just happens once, then give

them a chance to correct their own behavior. If they do it more than

once, then you should send them private mail outlining what it is that

you don't like about their behavior. If you notice that they are

behaving better, send them a thank-you note; if it doesn't stop, then

tell them that if they don't stop immediately, then you will terminate

their access. If they cause trouble once more, then take them out of

the user list. They won't have access next time they try to call the

BBS. They will have to try to become a new user again.

When you terminate a user, you should tell them why they were term-

inated, and explain that you would like them to join again in the future

after they change their behavior. You should make them stay off the

BBS for 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days, depending on the degree of

disturbance.

You should be aware of crashers and hackers who will no doubt try

to ruin your BBS. You should have some fellow sysops try to log on

and crash the system to find out if it is possible. If they can't, then you

should probably be pretty safe. You just need to make sure that

nobody can get where they don't need to be. Unless you charge for

access, or brag about how nobody can "hack" your system, you

shouldn't have very many problems with hackers or crashers.