As anybody who has ever started or tried to start an online Bulletin Board System (BBS) knows, the learning process is unnecessarily difficult. The first thing you do is download copies of BBS software and pore over their documentation. This is as far as many sysops get.
January 8, 1997
Most BBS software documentation seems to assume that you already understand the way a BBS works, with little material to give the reader an introduction or overview. So neophyte sysops spend countless hours downloading different programs and add ons, exchanging messages with experienced sysops, and learning by good old trial and error.
Creating Successful Bulletin Board Systems is a book that every new sysop should read, and probably most experienced sysops as well. Alan D. Bryant is the Director of Marketing for eSoft, the developer of the TBBS BBS software package, a fact which made me leary of this book. However, although the book includes a scaled down version of TBBS, its content is mostly vendor neutral. Bryant does show some bias towards the design philosophy of TBBS, but it is slight. This book maintains far better objectivity than certain other books now on the market which aren't even written by BBS software company employees.
People considering starting their first BBS will find the early chapters of Creating Successful Bulletin Board Systems useful, since they guide the reader through deciding whether a BBS really is the best solution to their problem, and evaluating the resources that the BBS will take to start and run. Bryant then moves to the big decisions which must be made early on, such as what software to use, what kind of hardware to get, and what extra features can be added to the BBS.
The last three chapters move away from the technical issues towards the things a Sysop, whether they're just starting with their BBS or have been running one for years, needs to know to set their board apart from the crowd. Chapter 8 focuses on attracting and keeping users, and collecting money from them to pay for the board. Chapter 9 covers marketing, a very important topic for BBS's, and one which even the most experienced sysops are always striving to improve. Chapter 10 closes the book by looking at business considerations for BBS operators.
The appendix lists some useful resources for sysops, including a decent list of 17 software vendors, modem manufacturers, and companies which can provide useful services to sysops, such as credit card merchant accounts and internet access.
Of the BBS books out there today, Creating Successful Bulletin Board Systems is the most accurate, informative and useful.
