The Thankless Job Courtesy Of: Kris Lewis
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The following is a portion of a bulletin captured on MicroSellar BBS.
Please read it carefully, and react accordingly!

These guys and gals (Sysops) are letting us use their computers,
their time, and their money so we can possibly get some enjoyment out
of it. Unfortunately, many users are abusing the privilege (and
therefore, the SysOps...)! Don't be an abuser!

If you have nothing to upload to the particular BBS you are on-line
to at the moment doesn't already have, leave a note to the SysOp and
thank him or her for the use of the system, look through the messages
(maybe someone asked a question that YOU know the answer to!!), and
most importantly, REMEMBER that there is a REAL PERSON at the other end
of the line or internet connection.

I, for one, enjoy, and appreciate this service (YES, I said "SERVICE!!")
that these people are providing us for free, or next to nothing. The most
I've been asked to pay for the use of a given board is $25. That says
something for the people operating the BBS's: They are interested in
people. Those that ask payment are usually running large boards that they
cannot afford to pay for completely out of their own pockets. Don't get
the idea that you and I, and the other users are "letting him freeload",
as I saw in a bitter message from one user somewhere... WE are the
"freeloaders" whether we pay for the service or not! Even those that
charge are paying a sizable chunk of the operating costs out of their own
pockets. We should all know this and appreciate it. Just a quick note
(selecting "C"omment on most boards is a quick and painless way to do so)
to the SysOp saying "Thanks!" is a lot more than they are getting from a
lot of people.

I am not a SysOp. I am just a user who sees a lot of this abuse,
though I hadn't realized its extent till I saw this bulletin. Read it,
please, and take note: Thank a SysOp. He (or She) is a real person and
deserves to be treated as one... Thank You.

Kris Lewis

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Whatever happened to the COMMUNICATIONS in telecommunications? Is
this the result of the Computer Age, that people don't talk or even
communicate with each other? Are we getting so totally in tune with
our equipment that we're excluding PEOPLE? If so, then Orwell's
predictions are tame in comparison with the reality.

Who took the BULLETIN BOARD out of Bulletin Board System? The file
transfer section and door areas on my board are shiny from daily use,
but the bulletin section and message areas are obscured by cobwebs.
The thought has crossed my mind more than once just to load up a host
program, and let people grab whatever programs look interesting.

"Do you have a logon code for this system (Y/N) ==> Y <=="
"What is your account number? 775"
"What is your logon code? PASSWORD"
"INVALID LOGON CODE"
"Do you have a logon code for this system (Y/N) ==> Y <=="
"What is your account number? 305"
"What is your logon code? PASSWORD"

et cetera, ad infinitum et ad nauseam.

Hackers. Or so they'd like to believe. Vandals, pests, yes. Hackers??
They should be so talented, devoted and lucky. Why do these computerized
delinquents find such delight in trying to break into bulletin boards?
Don't they realize that Sysops are ordinary people just like themselves
trying to find a little enjoyment in their hobby? Why pick on me? I'm
spending a lot of time and money trying to provide people a service for
free, and they want to go and spoil it for everyone. Heck, if they want
onto the system, all they have to do is apply for a logon. Why make life
difficult for everyone? Leave me alone. Go pick on a big online ISP.

Caller logs on. Leaves E-Mail to a friend. Lines only fill half the
screen, so he's probably using a Commodore 64. Goes to file transfer
section, and selects UltraTerm protocol. Chooses a file that indicates
it's a TRS-80 program. BBS goes to send, he figures out that he's
somewhere he doesn't want to be and drops carrier.

Another caller logs on four times in a row, but keeps losing carrier
before he can do anything. Probably freaking on a cheapie phone service.

Another caller successfully downloads a file. Sit. Wait. Wait some
more. System eventually times out and drops him.

I'm not the most polite person in the world, and I'm certainly not
one to stand on ceremony, but I am old enough to remember what manners
were. They also went down the tubes with "communications" and "bulletin
boards."

Whoops! Dropped carrier! So what? If it's a halfway decent system, it
will reboot. Well, I'll just go to bed while downloading this long file,
the system will eventually throw me off and reboot.

Never mind that there's other people wanting to call into the board.
Who cares that the Sysop climbs the walls when he sees someone drop
carrier or time-out on the system? Lately, I've gotten into the habit of
dropping carrier ON MY END for the worst offenders. One good hangup
deserves another.

Along with all the other goodies that have bitten the dust, there's
good old APPRECIATION. As I mentioned before, my BBS has fielded over
12,000 calls. Out of all of them, I have gotten maybe a dozen messages
saying "Thanks for running your BBS." That's about one "Thank You"
per THOUSAND calls!

Unfortunately, it seems that people think they have all this data
automatically coming to them. It's their right!

Sorry to disillusion anyone, but that just ain't so. The master switch
for this system is two feet away, and I'm not so decrepit that I can't
hit it in a flash. Alternatively, I can ban anyone I wish from my system.
Callers use this BBS at my forbearance only, and it's not a God-given
right. It's a Sysop-given privilege! I sincerely feel that we should
proclaim a "Sysop Appreciation Day." We certainly don't get any on a
day-to-day basis!

Don't get me wrong. There ARE joys and benefits in running a BBS;
although sometimes in my nether moods, I'm hard pressed to enumerate
them. But the fact is, there have been many occasions when I've rested
my finger on the switch with the idea of going offline forever.

Now, for the moral of the story. I'm only one Sysop among many, and
I'm not trying to evoke sympathy for myself through this article. The
point is that almost every Sysop around has these feelings to some
extent or another. And further, most of these Sysops (especially the
best and most devoted ones) are going to reach a saturation point, and
wind up depriving the general public of their services. I foresee a
day coming, and very soon at that, when the high quality BBS's will be
all gone.

So all this is really a plea for everyone to shape up their acts
before it's too late. If nothing else, when you're on a bulletin board,
leave a little message to the Sysop. "Thanks for the use of your system"
or "Fine BBS you have here." Let them know that they are appreciated.
When I see a message like that, I say to myself, "THAT's why I'm doing
all this!" Sysops are real, live human beings with feelings and emotions.
Let's start treating them as such!

- + - + - + -

EPILOGUE: Twelve hours after the above was written, I find out that
one of my best friends (with higher than normal access to the system)
has allowed a third party to use their logon. That's forbidden for anyone
on my BBS to do, but it hurts even more; because a valued, and trusted
friend who should have known better, went ahead and did it. That's the
last straw. The Most Significant Byte BBS is no longer in existence.

Jim Anderson, Ex-Sysop
The Most Significant Byte BBS
Billings, Montana
January 13, 1985

- + - + - + -

I agree completely with Jim in his above comments, if not his action.
I find it difficult to comprehend the mind of individuals...who take
advantage of those of us...who, through our generosity and good nature,
are supplying them, free of charge, this service.

Please note, this attitude of SysOps is spreading, and BBS's around
the country are disappearing, or getting more difficult to access. I
certainly hope this action in tiny Billings, Montana has some effect on
the community of computerists. Don't abuse a good thing!

Dave Williams, still SysOp
Magic City BBS
Billings, MT
January 13, 1985

- + - + - + -

It's sad, guys, but these guys are right. My best friend has a
statistic on another BBS of "Uploads = 0. Downloads = 50". I just
can't stand it.

The average SysOp spends AT LEAST an hour a day sitting at his computer,
keeping the BBS alive. I have received FIVE notes saying "good BBS" in
my board's lifetime. I counted. They're THAT important.

The heartening thing is that I got this only a few months after its
original distribution in Montana. SPREAD THE WORD! SysOps, keep this
as a bulletin on your systems. I, personally have gone on a crusade to
expand the bulletins and features on my BBS, and this is the 19th.

BUT, users are already complaining about the length of the menu! I
DON'T BELIEVE IT! I just wonder why sometimes. Why? WHY do SysOps
go through all this? You figure it out.

John Hodal, Sysop
Lakes Region BBS
Wildwood, IL
May 24, 1985

- + - + - + -

After running a BBS for only a short while, I can see the Sysop's
side of the coin, they put in long hours, lots of money for equipment
and phone bills, and offer it as a SERVICE to the users. Then, the users
call up, go straight to the Download Section, and download, download,
and download some more. They don't upload anything, or contribute to
the message base.

Ed Wilkinson, Sysop
Hacker's Haven BBS
Orem, Utah
December 30th, 1986

- + - + - + -

Thanks for reading this far! Perhaps this bulletin has given you
another side of the BBS business, the Sysop's. And believe it, there's
lots more! At times a caller will make our day, help out and take the
time to see what its about...and it helps. You came this far. We
are working our tails off to make this one of the better boards to
call - now it's up to you!

Andy Keeves, Sysop
The Executive Network Board
Westchester, New York
January 24th, 1987

- + - + - + -

As you can plainly see, this is not the only BBS where abuse is
widespread. Maybe it's a sign of our times...I sure hope not.
Attitudes must change. ME! ME! ME! ME! Let's make a concerted effort
to change it. Instead of waiting for the Sysop to request something
of you, why not ask what you can do to help him/her out to lessen the
workload? Just following system policies will help. Read the Sysops'
logon messages and bulletins. Spend some time in the message bases.
You might find a wealth of information there. You might even be able
to help someone else out! My ideal system (from a Sysops' point of
view) is one where 90% of it's maintenance is done by it's USERS. I'd
gladly settle for 50%. A BBS should be interactive and self-sustain-
ing by it's very nature. Pitch in and help me make this system, OUR
system, the best of it's kind.

Mark Rapp, Sysop
MicroSellar BBS
Verona, NJ
April 20, 1987

- + - + - + -

After running a BBS for over 20 years now...even though it was down at
times...as noted at the top of this bulletin, there are some users...
and Sysops...who think that "rules are made to be broken".

The latest example was with a member of a message network posting a
rather nasty message to the network Sysop...in effect, saying "who
are you to judge their BBS ads, and how often they can post them?".

Sadly, just like what happened to "The Most Significant Byte BBS",
the Sysop pulled the plug on both the message network, and shut down
his BBS. People can't seem to accept the hard fact that "Life is NOT
Burger King...you can NOT always 'Have It Your Way' (I can say that...
I worked for them in central Arkansas from 1979 to 1984).

I've also seen where users and Sysops refuse to give me their information,
which is kept STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL...released only for a law enforcement
subpeona, or to confirmed Visiting Sysops for BBS rules violations. What
they do OUTSIDE THE BBS is THEIR BUSINESS, but they're a GUEST IN MY HOME
AT LOGON. To me, if you let a total, unknown stranger into your home
nowadays, you have a "Death Wish". If they won't play by the simple
rules I've laid down, and trust me to keep their data CONFIDENTIAL
(except as noted above), then I can't trust them as a user on my BBS.

Daryl Stout, Sysop
The Thunderbolt BBS
Little Rock, Arkansas
Sept. 27, 2010

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I hope that this gave you something to think about...Kris

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Note to SysOps: Feel free to post this. I sent it as a file due to its
length, but there is no reason why it cannot be a bulletin if you so
wish; Oh, By the way... Believe it or not, you ** ARE ** appreciated!
Thank You. Kris

Thank You, Kris. :) DS


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

--- Virtual Advanced Ver 2 for DOS
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS (1:19/33)