Why a BBS today is relevant, IMHO

There are adults alive today that have absolutely no concept of what a BBS is/was. Simply put, once the internet came along, the BBS world came to a screeching halt and faded into obscurity - for the most part.

The BBS world was akin to record albums when CD's came out, and CD's to MP3 and MP3's to streaming audio... technology kept marching on and everything else relegated to history.

But like most things in the world, a cycle happens and old becomes new again. This is true in music, fashion and even technology. The growth of BBS systems, while not in the traditional sense using a phone and modem, has been steady the past couple of years. But are they relevant in an instant gratification world?

Here's why I think they are.

Background and comparison

So let's talk briefly about what a BBS was and compare that to it's modern equivalents.

Then: Back in the 1990's you used your telephone (no, not cell phone... we're talking wired land line) and connected a modem to your computer that would in turn allow others who dialed your number with their modem and a terminal emulator (Procomm Plus, Hyperterminal, etc) to connect to your system.

Needless to say, speed was not part of the equation.

You then logged into the BBS and you could hold discussions with others via message boards. This was not like chat where it was instantaneous. You posted a message and then waited for others to respond. It was slow, especially if the BBS only had one phone line. 

I will say that, for the most part, when you posted a message, there was a bit of thought that went into it. You had time to think out responses, to reflect on other peoples posts. The slower pace was a benefit, not a detriment.

You could also play text-based games called "doors" (such as Tradewars, Legend of the Red Dragon, etc) and you could upload and download files (I'll create a whole other post about uploads and downloads, warez [software obtained illegally], adult images, etc. in another post).

You had to have patience in every aspect of using a BBS. The other thing is, back then, most of the time you called local area code BBS's because of long distance phone charges (something the youth of today have no clue about) which meant your BBS community, nine times out of ten, was local to you and BBS system users became almost like family.

Now: The internet came along and the one single thing it accomplished was to make things almost instantaneous. Message forums and blogs replaced BBS message boards and not only did the amount of people viewing your message increase, so did the time it took to get responses. But chat applications like ICQ, AOL, etc. took communication to a whole new level. Not only was it instantaneous, it was worldwide.

Add to that you could now find virtually anything you were looking for online, download and upload (again, the early days warez and adult images ruled... and while warez is definitely still out there to this day, adult content rules the internet).  

The biggest difference is that communication between people no longer required locality. The world was literally wide open. While some forums and blogs are more personal, the majority of them you are a tiny speck in a vast ocean of users. The concept of a tight knit community where the people involved actually get to know the other members of the community personally is the exception, not the rule today.

And unlike the thought out, reflective posts of the BBS days, most interaction these days is knee-jerk with little to no thought/research involved in questions and responses. Not always the case, but it is the more common scenario.

Get to the point already Nic!

So, why do I think running and being a member of a BBS is relevant today? 

1. You have a better chance at having a tight-knit community. You and your users have something in common, whether that is interests, locality or nostalgia. This means you are not that speck in the vast ocean of users. You have a name, you have value.
2. Discussions become more meaningful. They are also better thought out, reviewed and presented. Quality over quantity.
3. There is still good tech to be learned. If you are a tech geek there is still lots of ways to stretch your skill set - whether that be in the programming of the BBS, the networking, understanding the base operating system better in order to get the most from your BBS. Mixing old tech and new tech takes skill and effort.

Conclusion

In the end modern BBS systems will most likely only be visited by those who are seeking to rekindle their BBS/sysop days of yore. The majority of the world is clueless as to what a BBS was/is and could care less if asked.

But for those willing to take the dive and rediscover or discover for the first time, the joys and benefits that being part of a BBS can offer, I say all the best to you and I hope your adventure brings you insight not only into yourself but into others.