hubcap@hubcap.UUCP (Mike Marshall) (03/03/88)
Howdy - Here's a question (dilemma?) I have that some of you may have done some thinking about. Here I am, the unix admin at a medium sized university, (~14,000) and only about 160 people are using the net (these folks are mostly the grad students, staff and faculty that were using unix anyway). The people that DO use the net use it fairly heavily. I advertised the existence of usenet in our computer center newsletter, but that was kind of like preaching the gospel to a bunch of clergymen... they are already interested. What kind of novel ideas does anyone have about getting people who aren't already interested in unix/usenet/computers to realize what a powerful resource usenet is? I am not trying to drum up business/traffic on usenet because I don't have anything better to do, I just think that it is a shame that so many people here are missing out on such an important tool, just because they don't normally use computers and don't realize what usenet is. So... have any of you tackled the problem of informing a "general population" about the power of usenet? -Mike Marshall hubcap@hubcap.clemson.edu ...!hubcap!hubcap
russ@wpg.UUCP (Russell Lawrence) (03/05/88)
In article <1063@hubcap.UUCP>, hubcap@hubcap.UUCP (Mike Marshall) writes: > Here I am, the unix admin at a medium sized university, (~14,000) and > only about 160 people are using the net... > > What kind of novel ideas does anyone have about getting people who aren't > already interested in unix/usenet/computers to realize what a powerful > resource usenet is? I am not trying to drum up business/traffic on > usenet because I don't have anything better to do, I just think that it is > a shame that so many people here are missing out on such an important > tool, just because they don't... realize what usenet is. In metropolitan New Orleans, we have the same problem Mike reports, only worse, with only five machines in the entire city on the net and a readership numbering less than ten people. People here are not interested in usenet (or unix, for that matter) because they simply haven't been exposed to it. Thanks to those of you who responded to my recent pleas for email and news links, we now have broader base connections with the outside world. However, I would be equally indebted to anyone who could offer some sales ideas to promote usenet. -- Russell Lawrence, WP Group, POB 306, Metairie, LA 70004 AT&T: +1 504 456 0001 COMPUSERVE: 72337,3261 UUCP: {philabs,hpda,nbires,amdahl,...}!uunet!wpg!russ
sullivan@vsi.UUCP (Michael T Sullivan) (03/05/88)
In article <1063@hubcap.UUCP>, hubcap@hubcap.UUCP (Mike Marshall) writes: > Here I am, the unix admin at a medium sized university, (~14,000) and > only about 160 people are using the net (these folks are mostly the > grad students, staff and faculty that were using unix anyway). The people > that DO use the net use it fairly heavily. I advertised the existence of > usenet in our computer center newsletter, but that was kind of like > preaching the gospel to a bunch of clergymen... they are already interested. > > What kind of novel ideas does anyone have about getting people who aren't > already interested in unix/usenet/computers to realize what a powerful I know when I was in school it was all I could do to get the the computer center to do my assignments, much less do things like read netnews (which we didn't have, but you get the point). Since students don't have much time, what kind of .newsrc are you giving them? Say a student comes in, is kinda frazzled after having finished his program, and wants to read the news. He (she, whatever) starts up the programs and is overwhelmed by the millions of newsgroups there are. Seeing that there are just too many to read he gives up and leaves. How about giving students a default .newsrc with a subset of the newsgroups there are. After they get the hang of things they can add more as they go along. -- Michael Sullivan {uunet|attmail}!vsi!sullivan {ucbvax|ihnp4|sun}!amdcad!uport!vsi!sullivan HE V MTL sullivan%vsi.uucp@uunet.uu.net
karl@triceratops.cis.ohio-state.edu (Karl Kleinpaste) (03/05/88)
sullivan@vsi.UUCP writes:
Since students don't have much time, what kind of .newsrc are you giving
them? Say a student comes in, is kinda frazzled after having finished his
program, and wants to read the news. He (she, whatever) starts up the
programs and is overwhelmed by the millions of newsgroups there are.
We give new accounts a prototype .newsrc which has them subscribed to
only the local newsgroups. We depend on entropy for them to find out
about the rest of the newsgroups. :-)terrell@musky2.MUSKINGUM.EDU (Roger Terrell) (03/06/88)
In article <1063@hubcap.UUCP> hubcap@hubcap.UUCP (Mike Marshall) writes: > >What kind of novel ideas does anyone have about getting people who aren't >already interested in unix/usenet/computers to realize what a powerful >resource usenet is? I am not trying to drum up business/traffic on >usenet because I don't have anything better to do, I just think that it is >a shame that so many people here are missing out on such an important >tool, just because they don't normally use computers and don't realize >what usenet is. > >-Mike Marshall hubcap@hubcap.clemson.edu ...!hubcap!hubcap I sympathize completely. Although Muskingum is not a very large college, it has proven difficult to get people to use this resource. We put a blurb about it in the college computer newsletter, but that didn't do anything to speak of. The only way that I have found to get people using it is by word-of-mouth. Tell friends who are not using it about this neat/useful/fun thing that you know about. Some of them will start using it and like it. Encourage them to tell their other friends, etc. Not very practical, but it is slowly doing the job... --Roger -- Roger Terrell Muskingum College ...cbosgd!musky2!terrell (UUCP) New Concord, OH 43762
david@dhw68k.cts.com (David H. Wolfskill) (03/07/88)
In article <1063@hubcap.UUCP> hubcap@hubcap.UUCP (Mike Marshall) writes: >.... >What kind of novel ideas does anyone have about getting people who aren't >already interested in unix/usenet/computers to realize what a powerful >resource usenet is? I am not trying to drum up business/traffic on >usenet because I don't have anything better to do, I just think that it is >a shame that so many people here are missing out on such an important >tool, just because they don't normally use computers and don't realize >what usenet is. Agreed. In fact, access to USENET was one of the big concerns I had when I was deciding what kind of machine to buy for myself -- one reason I avoided Intel architectures. (This was in late '84....) >So... have any of you tackled the problem of informing a "general population" >about the power of usenet? Well, now that I have this wonderful resource -- and rather more computing power than I am likely to need all to myself -- I give away logins. In particular, I have made the offer quite explicit to a couple of groups: the local chapter of ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), and my colleagues at work. The folks in OCACM have not been anywhere near as interested as I rather thought they would. Part of this seems to be a case of failure to get "a round TUIT", but part also seems to be a lack of familiarity with UNIX (combined with a certain impatience with learning curves). The folks at work are a rather diverse group. The ones with the most technical expertise seem to be the ones that use USENET the most. (One of them is logged in on the other MODEM as I write this, and is undoubtedly running "rn"....) Some of those who are reasonably familiar with how to use the system don't seem to have/make time to use it. At least one person (a "non-computer type") from work seems to be overwhelmed by the whole thing. The case of the technical folks at work is kind of curious -- they (including my manager, frank@dhw68k.cts.com) seem to have become quite "taken" with USENET... to the point that they want me to find some way to link the IBM box at work (running MVS -- and no asynchronous ports available on the 3725) to the net. Well, I've rambled a lot.... I guess the only point I have (other than pleading for help with the concerns of the immediately preceding paragraph) is that there is a perception of a very steep learning curve for making use of USENET -- and whether the curve is, in fact, steep or is not, it's the *perception* that matters... at first, anyway. Note that this is the case even with "computer types" -- the limited experience I have had with "non-computer types" indicates that (for the most part), the learning curve is perceived as even steeper. Any other experiences...? david -- David H. Wolfskill uucp: ...{trwrb,hplabs}!felix!dhw68k!david InterNet: david@dhw68k.cts.com
tmanos@aocgl.UUCP (Theodore W. Manos) (03/08/88)
WHY does everybody put notices of the availability of USENET in the COMPUTER
newspaper/bulletin??? Hell, the people that read THAT are probably already
aware of USENET availability. Put it in the SCHOOL newspaper, where the NON-
computer types can read about it. Who knows, you might even pick up a few
non-nerds along the way :-).
-> Theodore (Ted) W. Manos tmanos@aocgl.{UUCP,uunet.UU.NET}
Alpha Omega Consulting Group, LTD ...!{uunet,mcdchg}!aocgl!tmanos
400 Springhill Drive, Roselle, IL 60172
Mobile: +1 312 590-0298 (auto-fwd to office if I'm not in)
"Don't take life TOO seriously - you'll never get out of it alive anyhow."
************************ DISCLAIM WHAT? **********************************
* My company agrees with my views completely - I hold all of the stock! *
**************************************************************************sweissm@pacsbb.UUCP (Steve Weissman) (04/08/88)
In article <369@wpg.UUCP>, russ@wpg.UUCP (Russell Lawrence) writes: > > > What kind of novel ideas does anyone have about getting people who aren't > > already interested in unix/usenet/computers to realize what a powerful > > resource usenet is? I am not trying to drum up business/traffic on > > usenet because I don't have anything better to do, I just think that it is > > a shame that so many people here are missing out on such an important > > tool, just because they don't... realize what usenet is. > The Philadelphia Area Computer Society (PACS) launched a Unix-based BBS a year ago to promote better communications between our large membership and more than 30 Special Interst Groups (SIGS). Most of our members have no interest in Unix (yet!), although we have a small but active Unix SIG. We put together home-grown software that offered some custom features for our needs, as well as the usual public messages and file downloadings that characterize most "BBS's". Our members are issued accounts on our system, which run a BBS main menu as a shell for member logins (no Unix savvy required). The interface to private mail, including uucp-style addresses, is transparent to the "BBS" mail front end. About 3 months ago, we got netnews 2.11B software working on our 4-line dial-in system, and put together a series of shell scripts that allow users to read "all news" or "Specific newsgroups", and automatically maintain a subscription list which can be erased to re-initialize, or disabled ( "-x" option of readnews), based on simple menu choices. In other words, we traded off some nice features for a fairly simple interface to readnews and vnews. I also added a "T"ips command that displays a few pages of fast advice to a first-time user concerning the mechanics of news-reading. The real challange, as other articles have mentioned, is publicity and motivation. In our case, we prepared a one-page handout summarizing a few neat features of Usenet (stressing mainly the non-technical topics in English), and have been writing a series of gung-ho articles for our monthly newsletter. At a recent Computer Festival geared to the general public, we ran demonstrations of Usenet. All of this has generated a modest groundswell of interest (we're up to 100 regular readers after 2 m onths). The best publicity, however, came when I forced a sign-on bulletin for all BBS users that said: >>> The 200 articles on basketball in rec.sport.basketball >>> probably won't interest anyone. Basketball is a silly game. THAT got some attention! Steve Weissman, PACS VP and pacsbb system administrator uucp: {ihnp4,att-cb,rutgers}!{bpa,cbmvax}!temvax!pacsbb!sweissm --------------------------------------------------------------------
Lee_-_Wells@cup.portal.com (04/13/88)
well i can only call myself a 'small time' user of usenet in fact this will be the first time i have successfully posted a message (i hope) i don't even have a unix system (i do have a pdp11/23 i am trying to get unix for however) i personally cannot even find the fabled usenet tape! i mean someone besides mike horton is bound to have one right? i mean how can people use the news if they can't get the program for the news??? i don't know if 'stargate' puts usenet on shortwave or if i am just dreaming all this..... I know someone is going to say there is a group for just what i need to know news.admin.setup or something...but i can't even find it...i don't know if portal gets all the groups, i don't understand the commands, and i don't even know if usenet is user friendly or not (but i do know one cannot type help anywhere and expect to get it) in short i think the best way to get people to use the news is to make it useable (i have very little trouble with VAX VMS) and maybe just maybe tell people where they can find the usenet tape, and you might open up a few more nodes.
bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) (04/14/88)
In article <4446@cup.portal.com> Lee_-_Wells@cup.portal.com writes: >... tell people where they can find the usenet tape ... I don't know what tape you're looking for, but you can get news version 2.11, plus 14 patches, from osu-cis via UUCP. Drop me a line if you'd like instructions. -=- Bob Sutterfield, Department of Computer and Information Science The Ohio State University; 2036 Neil Ave. Columbus OH USA 43210-1277 bob@cis.ohio-state.edu or ...!att!osu-cis!bob