The computer is now viewed as the most essential business tool available. The only problem is, many businesses buy a computer just for the sake of having one, with no plans as to how the computer will be used. Sure, they start to type letters on it, maybe a few marketing documents, kms auto and the customer list goes on it, but that’s the extent of computer use for many businesses. Some don’t even get that far. Well, those businesses are missing out on a valuable low-cost marketing opportunity open ONLY to computer users. To take advantage of this opportunity, you need to have a MODEM. First, I’ll tell you what a modem is, and an overview of how to use it. Then, I’ll let you in on some valuable marketing secrets.
WHAT IS A MODEM?
The word stands for MOdulator DEModulator, and it’s just a fancy name for a telephone hookup for your computer. Modems can either be a card that is easily installed into your computer, dryer repair san diego or it can be an external unit. Basically, the only difference from modem to modem that the average user needs to worry about is the speed. Modem speed is indicated by a BAUD rate, which indicates how many “data bits” are transferred per second. The most common baud rates for modems are 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, and 14,400. Don’t get a 300 or 1200 baud modem, as they are outdated and too slow. A 2400 baud modem is sufficient for most people and is very economical (usually $50 or so).
With a modem and a special computer program called a terminal program (one is usually included with the modem), fancy name you can call up other computers and communicate with them, including transferring programs and files. You can communicate with individual computer users, or through BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEMS, or BBS’s, which are services run primarily by private individuals.
When you call a BBS, you are instructed to type your name and a password of your choice. If it’s your first time calling the BBS, you will usually go through a short registration process, similar to filling out a form. This is all done on your computer. The information you type on your end is sent through the phone line to the system operator’s, or SYSOP’s, computer, which is running the BBS. Once you are registered, there may or may not be a membership fee, depending on the individual SYSOP, though most will allow free use of their BBS by non-members for a short period of time each day. This will be all the time you’ll need, though, to use the methods I’ll describe in this report. There are also large ON-LINE (accessible by modem) services you can call, such as Compu-Serve, Genie, America On-Line, and others. These are basically the same as BBS’s, but on a much larger scale, provrf and all have monthly membership fees, with most charging by the hour.
WHY SHOULD I CALL A BBS?
That’s an easy question to answer. The two main features of the average BBS are FILES and MESSAGES. Files are computer programs that you can DOWNLOAD (or transfer) to your computer. Here’s a simplified explanation of how you do it: First, you select the file you want from a list on the BBS. Then, you tell the BBS to send the file to you. The file is sent through the phone line to your computer. Then, after you LOG OFF (leave) the BBS, you can use the program just like any other computer program.
This process can also work in reverse. You can send a program you have written or acquired to the BBS, so other users can download it and use it. This is called UPLOADING a file.
Keep in mind that copyrighted programs, like the ones you buy in a store, CAN NOT be uploaded to a BBS. This violates copyright laws. The programs you find on a BBS will be either public domain (anyone can copy them and distribute them), themenu or shareware (free for you to copy and try out, but there is a registration fee if you use the program regularly). Also, if you find a BBS that has commercial, copyrighted programs available for downloading, DON’T CALL IT AGAIN! You can get in BIG trouble if you mess around with copyrighted programs, including fines, jail terms, and confiscation of your computer. You won’t need to worry about this, though, if you stick to legitimate BBS’s.
WHAT OTHER BENEFITS CAN I GET FROM A BBS?
The other function of a BBS is messages. On almost any BBS, you can leave a message, either to a specific user of the BBS, or to everyone. You tell the BBS who the message is for, a short description of what the message is about, and then type the message, or upload a previously typed message. Then, when the person you’ve left the message for accesses the BBS, he or she will see a note on their screen telling them they have mail. Or, if you left the message for everyone, anyone who enters the message area of the BBS can read the note you left.
Many BBS’s participate in NETWORKS, which allow you to leave messages for people who don’t call that particular BBS, but call another BBS that is a member of the same network. There are many different networks, some dedicated to special interests or hobbies, others more general. Here’s how they work: You leave a message to either a specific person who can access the network on a BBS they call, or the message can be for everyone. The SYSOP of the BBS you call then collects all the messages in that particular network and transfers them by modem to the network headquarters, which could be in an entirely different state. At the same time, the SYSOP receives a packet of new messages from the network headquarters, these having come from the other member BBS’s. This distribution method means you can leave a message on your local BBS to, for example, your friend in Hawaii, who calls a BBS that belongs to the same network. In a few days, your friend will see a “mail waiting” note when he or she accesses the BBS. Many times, this will happen faster than if you sent a letter through the mail!
Hopefully, this will give you a basic understanding of what BBS can do for you. The programs alone will be exciting enough for anyone who hasn’t been exposed to this before. For example, the BBS I frequent, Radio Daze, has over 65,000 programs that can be downloaded! But what about the marketing secrets I promised earlier?
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES VIA BBS
The networks are the key to effective marketing with your modem. Remember that I said you can leave a message that everyone can read. Why can’t this message be an ad? Ah ha! I have used network ads extensively to publicize my newsletter, Small & Home Business Journal, and it has been very successful. I’ll use my marketing methods as an example. For more info please visit these sites:-https://brightwell.co.il/ https://go-projects.co.il/ https://populary.co.il/ https://go-projects.co.il/ https://achim-laneshek.co.il/
One of the advantages of the way Small & Home Business Journal is published (on disk, instead of printed) is that, for all intents and purposes, it is a computer program. I made the first issue a sample issue that is copyright free. I then uploaded the sample issue to Radio Daze BBS, as well as CompuServe, one of the huge national on-line services mentioned earlier. Thus, people could download the sample issue into their computer and use it, the same as if I handed them a copy on a disk. This vastly reduced my marketing expenses, as I could get a sample issue to someone without the expense of the disk and mailing.
Here’s where the crafty part is. I then composed an ad on my word processor explaining the benefits of reading SHBJ. At the end of the ad, I noted that there are two ways the reader could get a sample issue. Either they could send two first-class stamps to me, and I would send a sample on disk, or they could download a sample by calling Radio Daze BBS or CompuServe. I saved this ad as a text file, then called up Radio Daze, which participates in a number of networks. I went into either the small business area or the classified ad area of each network (networks are usually composed of a number of message areas, making targeting easy) and uploaded the previously typed ad as a message readable by all. For the message description, I tried a number of different descriptions, with the most successful being “Make more $$$ now!!!”.
