Msg: 199 *Conference*
07-10-91 12:25:00
From: RICHARD HANSON
To : JOHN NEUFELDT
Subj: REPLY TO MSG #194 (BBS SAMPLING)
Excellent feedback, John. Yes, I've heard of Prodigy and tried it once. Prodigy has no value for me--real or perceived. I'm not thrilled by a service a mile wide and an inch deep. However, my reaction is not typical for the "new user" to online information services. Prodigy is a money machine. It took vast amounts of money to push into the market but has reached its critical mass, now, and thus receives a respectable ROI. I, too, read the story of the Ma and Pa BBS. I've known about their service for some time, now. No, I haven't called it, but will in the future. It's all part of my basic research. Your closing comment, "mild long-distance phobia," helped me see something obvious. There, indeed, is a phobia, or fear, to calling long distance. However, that fear goes out the window when the value received out strips the value spent. And, in well documented cases of excessive long distance use, the actual charges are "totally ignored" as the user is taken in by the online drug. In such cases, I feel that the service providers share a social obligation to minimise the financial impact of excessive use. The social responsibility of business is fast becoming the policy for businesses in the 90s. The concept, of which, started in the 60s. The 60s children--like myself--are the 90s business owners and leaders. -Rick-