Re:Usenet, ISP's, and On-Line Services

[ericlob@cris.com (ericlob)]

Rubywand  <rubywand@swbell.net> wrote:
>Todd P. Whitesel writes ...
>> 
>> Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net> writes:
>> 
>> >     Could the Apple II world exist without a usenet newsgroup?
>> 
>> Translation: most users who pay for a 'true' ISP see no reason to spend
>> _more_ money to be part of an online service.
>
>     Not exactly. The cost of a good ISP is about the same as, say,
>joining AOL. The reason users end up leaving on-line services is that
>they can get better, faster net access via a "'true' ISP".

AOL has earned a vile reputation among net snobs by catering to the
beginning user. Alot of users jump ship once they learn more about
the net (which is the primary reason for most people joining).

>> For many people on on-line services, that service _is_ their ISP.

True but the only way online services can survive is to offer content that
can't be found on the internet. They do this mostly by creating custom
interface software that doesn't run on any Apple II. Some support a legacy
text environment, but it doesn't support all features and it will be hard
to justify the expense of supporting so few legacy users when they cut
costs to be more efficient.

>> It is far more likely that usenet will be replaced by a truly workable
>> form of distributed on-line bulletin board service, than that on-line
>> services will die out because of customers jumping ship to usenet. Far
>> more likely.

Message boards have their place, as do list-servs, but for all the shit
you have to put up with usenet is still better.

>Small on-line services are the ones in a bind. With so much free to
>net users, what do small on-line services have to offer?

A sense of community mostly. To alot of people the internet is a big and
scary place. An online service offers a controlled environment.

As to the point made about commercial vendors not frequenting usenet, it
wasn't too long ago that any kind of commercial activity was frowned upon
and the perpetrators were viciously flamed (now of course we have all
sorts of wonderful spam, but that's another story).