229 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
229 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
------------- Continued from previous message ---------------
|
|
PART 11
|
|
==========================================
|
|
10.03 - Can I make money running a BBS?
|
|
==========================================
|
|
The BBS As A Profit Center
|
|
|
|
How To Successfully Run a BBS for Profit:
|
|
By S. Carol Allen
|
|
___________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Review by Dan D. Gutierrez, SYSOP, AMULET:vc BBS: A Collection of
|
|
Virtual Communities (specializing in Virtual Reality, Artificial Life,
|
|
Nanotechnology, Cyberpunk Lifestyles, Cyberspace). 310-453-7705
|
|
dataline.
|
|
|
|
As a Sysop who has been running boards since 1984, the idea
|
|
of charging for what in the past has been a labor of love, a
|
|
hobby, a way to communicate with my students at UCLA, and the
|
|
occasionally useful tool for my business, is new to me. The
|
|
realities of this economy, a mortgage, and the desire to excel in
|
|
virtual reality, have been the impetus for me to look around for
|
|
information about making my board self supporting. There is not
|
|
much out there that I could find and when I received a copy of
|
|
this book from the publisher, the title intrigued me -- How to
|
|
Successfully Run a BBS for Profit.
|
|
|
|
Being a skeptic by nature, I approached this new release in
|
|
my usual fashion. I read the foreword, checked out the table of
|
|
contents, then started to scan the chapters that most interested
|
|
me. I was instantly hooked. For me, chapters 8-10, Getting the
|
|
Word Out, Hooking Your Caller's Interest and Assuring Your Callers
|
|
Return, were exactly what I had been looking for. I read those
|
|
chapters then proceeded to read the entire thing (unusual for me).
|
|
When I finished, I couldn't wait to put several of the creative
|
|
and inexpensive marketing ideas to work.
|
|
|
|
As I assume is the case with most Sysops, when setting up my
|
|
board I concentrated on the technical needs of the board while
|
|
the marketing needs seemed unimportant. In my case, they were
|
|
also unknown. The author of this book obviously recognizes that
|
|
for most of us, marketing experience is not part of our past.
|
|
She tutors the reader, not with just an explanation or description
|
|
of what needs to be done, but with numerous worksheets and a
|
|
collection of sample marketing tools (press release, direct mail
|
|
letter to potential subscribers, a "report card" for user
|
|
feedback, etc.) that can easily be customized for any BBSes use.
|
|
|
|
Don't think that this book is just for the hobbyist turned
|
|
entrepreneur. Any individual or business that is running or
|
|
planning a BBS will benefit from the marketing secrets revealed
|
|
throughout this book. True, there is the basic business
|
|
information on putting together a business plan, determining
|
|
start-up costs and long term costs, and getting financing if you
|
|
need it. But, then there are the BBS focused tips on attracting
|
|
new callers, getting them to call back and to pay you top dollar,
|
|
collecting the fees by credit card (even if you don't presently
|
|
have a merchant account) and guaranteed ways to generate other
|
|
revenues besides subscription fees. There are phone numbers,
|
|
board numbers and addresses for a long list of BBS resources.
|
|
|
|
Some of the suggestions seemed pretty simple and were just
|
|
common sense, but I hadn't know about them so they gave me ideas
|
|
for my board. Other marketing avenues seemed too advanced for
|
|
me, but on the other hand, I can see myself growing into them. In
|
|
essence, the tools are laid out in the book, it's now up to me to
|
|
choose the timing and implementation.
|
|
|
|
For all of us, the timeliness of this book seems significant.
|
|
Although I found little information out there on making money with
|
|
my BBS, it's hard to read a magazine these days without seeing
|
|
references to the explosion of the BBS industry. With this book
|
|
has come the realization that a BBS can be a significant profit
|
|
center.
|
|
|
|
Not only does it contain the marketing tools described, it
|
|
also includes over $1,000 worth of money saving coupons from
|
|
vendors of products and services for Sysops. Also included with
|
|
the book is a disk with the full version of a DOS based decision
|
|
support program. It proved to be very useful and lots of fun
|
|
whenever I needed to choose between alternatives the book
|
|
recommended.
|
|
|
|
Here's a list of the Chapters from the book:
|
|
|
|
1) Winning in the 21st Century
|
|
2) Surveying the Marketplace
|
|
3) If You Fail to Plan Then Plan to Fail
|
|
4) Choosing the Theme of Your BBS
|
|
5) Value Adding Options For Your Customers
|
|
6) Pricing for Profits
|
|
7) Increasing Profits by Reducing Costs
|
|
8) Getting the Word Out
|
|
9) Hooking Your Caller's Interest
|
|
10) Assuring Your Callers Return
|
|
11) Collecting Your Money
|
|
12) Owning a Gold Mine
|
|
13) Growing and Expanding Successfully
|
|
14) Achieving Your Goals
|
|
Appendix A - BestChoice3 Documentation (software disk included)
|
|
Appendix B - Marketing Toolkit
|
|
Appendix C - Bibliography, Glossary and Quick Phone Directory
|
|
Appendix D - Coupons
|
|
Index
|
|
|
|
The publisher is so confident that a reader who applies the
|
|
techniques described in this book will be making profits within
|
|
90 days that they offer a 90 day money back guarantee for the
|
|
book. I would be surprised if they get many back. It's on my
|
|
reference shelf with a 5 star rating.
|
|
|
|
So, bottom line, this is probably the BEST investment you
|
|
can make for your BBS!
|
|
|
|
The book has 304 pages and costs $49.95. You can call the
|
|
publisher, InfoLink, to order this book by credit card (Visa/
|
|
Mastercard/AMEX) by calling toll free 800-776-3818 Ext. FG20 (US) or
|
|
619-228-9653 Ext. FG20 or Faxing an order to 1-619-369-1185. FAX
|
|
orders please include: "ATTN Dept. 254-FG20". Orders with checks can
|
|
be mailed to InfoLink, 56089 Twentynine Palms Highway, Suite 254-FG20,
|
|
Yucca Valley, CA 92284. $49.95 + $5.00 shipping and handling + California s
|
|
ales tax.
|
|
|
|
* Reprinted by permission of AMULET:VC BBS
|
|
|
|
=========================================
|
|
10.05 - Building your online commmunity.
|
|
=========================================
|
|
- This topic will be available in future versions of the BBS FAQ.
|
|
|
|
=========================================
|
|
10.06 - BOOKS & OTHER SOURCES FOR SYSOPS
|
|
=========================================
|
|
|
|
QUICK REFERENCE PHONE NUMBERS
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
PRODUCT COMPANY BBS# VOICE
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
DLX Baudtown 818-893-7600 818-894-4150
|
|
Excalibur Excalibur Comm. 918-496-8113 918-496-7881
|
|
Kitten Telpro Technol 804-442-5867 804-442-5865
|
|
Major BBS Galacticomm 305-321-2404 305-583-5990
|
|
Megahost ASCII Comp. 209-836-2402 ---
|
|
OPUS-CBCS -- 214-528-4943 214-528-4687
|
|
PcBoard Clark Dev. 801-261-8976 801-261-1686
|
|
Powerboard NUIQ Softw. 914-833-1479 914-833-3479
|
|
Proboard Proboard Intl. 612-537-8655 612-537-8655
|
|
Remote Access Wantree 913-441-0595 913-441-1336
|
|
RoboBoard F/X Hamilton Tele. 819-685-0994 800-363-7626
|
|
RY BBS The Ryco Co. 414-962-1097 414-962-5967
|
|
Spitfire BBS Buffalo Crk. So 515-225-8495 515-225-9552
|
|
Sapphire Pinnacle Softw. 514-345-8654 514-345-9578
|
|
Searchlight Searchlight Sw. 216-631-9285 800-780-5483
|
|
Synchronet Digital Dyn. 714-529-9547 714-529-6328
|
|
TBBS eSoft 303-699-8222 303-699-6565
|
|
TinyHost Bruce Krobusek 716-924-4193 716-924-8284
|
|
Virtual BBS Virtual Tech. 616-399-4818 210-787-2443
|
|
Wildcat! Mustang Soft. 805-395-0650 805-873-2500
|
|
WWIV WWIV Soft. Svcs 210-631-5841
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- INTERNET USENET NEWSGROUPS
|
|
----------------------------
|
|
alt.bbs.allsysop
|
|
alt.bbs
|
|
alt.first-class First Class (Mac)
|
|
alt.bbs.majorbbs MajorBBS, Galacticomm Inc
|
|
alt.bbs.pcboard PCBoard
|
|
alt.pcbuucp PCBoard UUCP gateway
|
|
alt.bbs.unixbbs UnixBBS, Nervous XTC
|
|
alt.bbs.wildcat Wildcat!, Mustang Software
|
|
|
|
comp.bbs.misc
|
|
|
|
- BOOKS
|
|
--------
|
|
- The BBS Construction Kit
|
|
Author: David Wolfe
|
|
|
|
- Creating Successful Bulletin Board Systems
|
|
Author: Alan Bryant
|
|
|
|
- How To Successfully Run a BBS for Profit:
|
|
Author: S. Carol Allen
|
|
|
|
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
MODEMS
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|
|
10.08 - Carrier Dedected
|
|
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|
|
Below is a list of companies which offer reduced prices for sysop's
|
|
when purchasing a modem for BBS's.
|
|
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
VENDOR BBS# VOICE FAX
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
AT&T Paradyne 813-532-5254 813-530-8276 813-530-2398
|
|
ATI Technologies 905-764-9404 905-882-2600 905-882-2620
|
|
Cardinal Technologies 717-293-3074 717-293-3000 717-293-3104
|
|
Computer Peripherals 805-499-9646 805-499-5751 805-498-8306
|
|
Digicom Systems 408-262-1412 408-262-1277 408-262-1390
|
|
Galaxy Networks No BBS 818-998-7851 818-998-1758
|
|
GVC Technologies 201-579-2380 201-579-3630 201-579-2702
|
|
Hayes Microcomputer 404-446-6336 404-840-9200 404-449-0087
|
|
Image Communications No BBS 201-935-8880 201-935-6548
|
|
Intel Corporation 503-645-6275 503-629-7000 503-228-8707
|
|
Microcom 617-255-1125 617-551-1000 617-551-1988
|
|
Multi-Tech Systems 612-785-9875 612-785-3500 612-785-9874
|
|
Practical Peripherals 805-496-4445 805-497-4774 805-374-7202
|
|
Supra Corporation 503-967-2444 503-967-2400 503-967-2401
|
|
Telebit corporation 408-745-3861 408-734-4333 408-734-3333
|
|
U.S Robotics 708-982-5092 708-982-5010 708-982-0823
|
|
Ven-Tel 408-922-0988 408-436-7400 408-436-7451
|
|
ZyXEL 714-693-0762 714-693-0904 714-693-0705
|
|
Zoom Telephonics 617-423-3733 617-423-1072 617-423-9231
|
|
|
|
=========
|
|
CD-ROMS
|
|
=========
|
|
10.08 - Takin' a spin through the CD-ROM showroom
|
|
|
|
------------------- End of The Official BBSFAQ ----------------------
|
|
|
|
|