Added: 11/09/2005 |
Putting the MB Into The BBS?Rise and Fall of MBnetBack in the good old days, it used to be that the synchronet bbs was all there was, and if you were lucky to be part of the network -- mbnet was even better. The BBS or synchronet bbs was nothing more than an online social network that provided a communications link for a myriad of social groups: pen pals, employment networking, online matchmaking, travel companions, the list goes on and on. The largest BBS was MBnet which - during it's heyday - enjoyed a shelf-life of 6 years. MBnet came to life in Finland and had the most licensed users of any BBS in the world.
Hard to believe it's been almost 25 years since the introduction of mbnet. Nowadays, bulletin board systems seem almost archaic. They take to long to access and you can't really converse. Well, not in real time anyway. But like any over-the-hill fighter, the BBS refuses to retire. MBnet and synchronet bbs still offer services that fill a need. They still provide a convenient way to post information that doesn't require immediate feedback.
BBS'es for online scams and other employment networking tools are as good examples as any. And the information accessable on this type of mbnet can always lead to bigger and better things. Here you've got a network social group with serious interests. And as anyone who has ever looked for a job knows, the more people you network with the better your chances are of finding the job that suits you.
Downloadable computer graphic icons and animations can enhance any message you write on an instant messaging system or e-mail. But the most the bbs had to offer was regular text. As the GIF format became more widespread it wasn't unrealistic to find graphics and other animations on the mbnet. As modems became faster and bandwith bigger, the bbs gained more acceptance and grew in popularity. At the same time though, other internet modes of communication were evolving as well at far greater rates. MBnet and the bbs just couldn't keep up.
Which is why mbnet and synchronet bbs had a downside to it. Like anything cyber-related, the computer and its online social networks can be addicting. That person on the other end -- do you really know who it is? That mysterious female who seems so accommodating to every desire you type on the keyboard - is it really a female at all? Or some 300 pound ex-bouncer trying to get in touch with his feminine side? Who knows for sure?
At the height of it's popularity, some bb systems even developed special levels of access that enabled users to enjoy pirated software, pornography or even a larger user list. But these were fads to be sure as the largest of the bbs'es -- mbnet for example -- was used merely for information exchange and forum discussion.
As stated earlier, the bbs is still around offering forum-type discussion. So synchronet bbs can be very rewarding: bbs and mbnet can provide important contacts, friendships, and an avenue to share ideas. Even an opportunity for growth. But as each succeeding generation gets farther and farther away from the traditional bulletin board system, they are destined to become a thing of the past...like an 8-track tape or ex-wife.
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