Access to networked information, electronic mail and other forms of digital
media is part of the fabric of higher education today. With the Internet so
vast and accessible, why do campus leaders need to learn about commerical
information providers like America Online and CompuServe?
Lots of reasons.
Millions of subscribers participate in these services. Commercial online
services provide valuable links to the Internet for parents, alumni and
others to communicate with members of our campus communities. These services
are a significant part of the national information infrastructure. Their
user friendly client interfaces and diverse products influence access and
delivery requirements for all service providers.
Parents increasingly want a way to communicate with their college student,
and to check campus calendars and course offerings. A commercial service
with good Internet protocols can help. Alumni would like to chat with us.
Through the commercial services alumni can reach us, join campus discussion
groups and keep in touch with campus events.
Campus services are tailored to serve the educational mission of the
University; however, much of the architecture of the commercial offerings is
based on early campus models scaled to serve millions of customers with
diverse business requirements.
Commercial service providers are fundamentally in the same business as
information providers in higher education. They want everyone connected; so
does higher education. They provide help lines and documentation, monitor
usage and bill for service; so do computer service organizations on
campuses. The focus for clients is different but the service challenges are
the same. All service providers are attempting to provide easy-to-use
connections and software. All service providers face the challenge of
managing modem pools.
Commercial services work on a subscription basis. The market is extremely
competitive and most services can be explored for five to ten hours of free
use. Although the sign-up procedures require a credit card number, no
charges are applied until the free period is exhausted. If you have a
computer and a modem, trying at least one of these services is a must.
Getting Started
In the late 60's and early 70's higher education formed technology service
organizations to promote the use of computer resources in research and
instruction. Much effort was expended in training and documentation. Society
has now evolved to a point in the information technology revolution where
services like America Online can send a single diskette, unsolicited in the
mail, and assume a percentage of the recipients will know what to do with
that diskette. The diskettes also arrive shrink wrapped in magazines.
CompuServe publishes its 800 number in newspaper advertisements. Prodigy
includes a free offer inside new computer and modem boxes. Delphi mails a
card with an 800 number and access code.
The free diskette from America Online comes wrapped in a small cardboard
envelope that includes all of the instructions required to complete a
connection. The folks at America Online realize that no one reads long
elaborate instructions. However, they do expect their customers to be
successful in establishing a connection. The America Online paperless
approach is critically dependent on excellent software that comes on the
free diskette. The others are similar. Prodigy comes with a diskette in a
small envelope with nothing to read. CompuServe sends you a box with one
piece of paper that contains everything you need to know to get started.
America Online has a particularly interesting approach. You copy the
diskette onto your system. The diskette contains an account code to allocate
the free usage on start-up. America Online doesn't know where you live or if
you have a local phone number in your area to access the service. Upon
starting the local system software, the customer is presented with a simple
registration form. When the form is satisfactorily completed the customer
initiates a connection. The diskette is preloaded with an 800 number to
connect to America Online the first time. The customer is not required to
identify phone numbers, etc. All this information is downloaded during the
initial connection.
Using the area code on the customer's registration form, America Online
downloads a local phone number and an alternate. The customer has three
responsibilities: 1) Copy the initial diskette; 2) Complete the registration
form; 3) Select a password. The system offers the customer an ID
(identification) which the customer may alter.
The other services have similar, though not as streamlined, registration
procedures. Some require more information from the customer, and in one case
the software did not work without a call to the company help line.
Documentation
The computer industry is buried in guide books and manuals commonly referred
to as documentation. In contrast, America Online sends one additional piece
of paper with a few usage hints. Most information is imparted through the
user interface. The other services I've tried send more documentation, some
as much as a monthly magazine. Although the paper contains some
instructions, it is primarily designed to market additional services to the
customer.
Billing
One challenge all the services have met is an efficient approach to customer
billing. In general, online services issue small bills that would require a
substantial paper enterprise to process. Instead, they bill the customers'
credit cards directly. A customer who needs detailed billing information
simply connects to the service and checks the online version of the bill. A
paper copy will be mailed upon request.
Explore the options
On campus, user interfaces work well. Gopher, Mosaic and other network
navigation tools offer options that surpass the commercial service
providers. However, not all of our users are on campus. Recommending an
online service solves several problems. It allows alumni, parents and others
to access campus information without tying up the campus modem pool, which
in many cases is stretched beyond capacity.
In summary, commercial online information providers are growing and
servicing millions of clients. The services put a high priority on
easy-to-use software and low overhead billing systems. The communities in
higher education will interact with these services in a complimentary mode.
I highly recommend that you explore the various online services.
Geraldine MacDonald, Associate Vice President for Computing Services.
Internet: AS0GKM@BINGVMB.CC.BINGHAMTON.EDU Bitnet: AS0GKM@BINGVMB
© 1995 Educom.
Beyond the Campus
by Geraldine MacDonald
Publication: Educom Review
Release Date: May/June 1995
Sequence: Volume 30, Number 3
The following provides a glimpse at several of the commercial online
services. The author has tried CompuServe, America Online, Prodigy, Dow
Jones, PSI Link, e-World and Delphi. These are just a few of the
possibilities.
CompuServe
Phone: 800-524-3388
Cost: $9.95 per month. $4.80 per hour for extended services.
Internet access: In the past year, CompuServe has expanded its Internet
access.
CompuServe Information Services can be accessed directly from the Internet
using telnet protocol. Telnet access eliminates the need for a separate
modem connection, and for some members, the need to dial long distance to
access the service. CompuServe members can access Usenet Newsgroups. Members
can also download Internet files.
Comments: Beginning in this panel, the user highlights communications and
the software dials and automatically connects the customer. Log-on
information is stored on your personal computer, so you don't have to enter
a password or telephone number.
The next screen tells you what is new and if you have mail waiting.
CompuServe has many popular forums and provides bulletin boards for several
companies as a means of distributing information to their customers.
In CompuServe's technical forums, system operators offer technical tips to
participants. Customers can download updates to certain pieces of software,
or locate a packet driver for a new ethernet card. This technical component
of CompuServe does not seem to be duplicated by others.
In the entertainment forum, topics range from consumer electronics to
science fiction. Various services appeal to families. The online Grolier's
Encyclopedia can help with homework late into the night well after the local
public library has closed. Online research tools seem to be common among all
the services.
Dow Jones Business Information Services
Phone: 609-452-1511
Cost: $29.95 (one-time start-up fee); $1.50 per 1,000 characters downloaded
or viewed online.
Internet access: Main news service, Dow Jones News/Retrieval, is accessible
from the Internet.
Comments: Dow Jones Business Information Services is an older, less polished
service. The software lacks a GUI interface and the user is faced with a
"dumb terminal" connection and an arcane logon protocol. However, the
investment and business information is excellent once logged on. Current and
historical stock quotes are available, as well as full text articles indexed
in a variety of ways from publications such as the New York Times, Barrons
and The Wall Street Journal.
Delphi
Phone: 800-695-4005
Cost: $10 per month for four hours, additional use $4 per hour; or $20 per
month for 20 hours, additional use $1.80 per hour.
Internet access: First commercial service to provide consumers with a
gateway to the Internet.
Telnet to: delphi.com
Comments: Full Internet access, e-mail, chat lines, bulletin boards, news
and financial information, weather, travel and sports reports.
America Online
Phone: 800-827-6364
Cost: $8.95 per month
Internet access: America Online has a well developed access to the Internet.
Through the Internet Center, America Online offers WAIS and Gopher
navigation tools and a preliminary FTP service. Using the Gopher tool the
author connected to higher education, and through WAIS found references to
the State University of New York at Binghamton and searched Binghamton's
directory. Will we one day be able to search America Online's directory from
Binghamton's Gopher?
Comments: The best GUI user interface is on America Online. Although others
like Apple's e-World are beginning to catch up, America Online has a clear
head start. It is easy to use, tells you if you have mail, and points to
other interesting services. The Newsstand is an interesting way to review
selected magazine articles. The author originally discovered Wired here and
after browsing through the magazine placed a subscription online. There are
other ways to do business online with America Online. You can order flowers
and make hotel and airline reservations. In addition, the travel forum lets
you talk to others about where they have been and what they liked.
eWorld
Phone: 800-775-4556
Cost: $8.95 per month, includes 4 free hours, plus $4.95 for each additional
hour. Surcharge of $2.95 for use during business hours in the U.S. and
Canada only.
Internet access: eWorld 1.1, scheduled for release in April, expands
Internet access greatly, including USENET groups, FTP file servers, and
popular mailing lists.
Comments: Launched last June by Apple Computer, Inc., eWorld is exclusively
for Macintosh computer users. The software is prebundled with most PowerBook
and Performa Macintosh systems. The interface is the image of a town square.
Click on a building to access electronic mail, news, Apple product
information and software updates, and other services.
Prodigy
Phone: 800-776-3449
Cost: First month provides 10 free hours followed by $2.95 per hour or five
cents a minute. The second month is $9.95 per hour with an additional five
free hours. Regular rate thereafter is $2.95 per hour or five cents a
minute. A major credit card is required.
Internet access: Prodigy allows members easy, point-and-click access to the
Internet through the World Wide Web Browser allowing members into Home Pages
to search places such as the White House and the Library of Congress. Access
is also available to newsletters and magazines from around the globe.
Members can access Usenet Newsgroups.
Comments: Prodigy consists of 10 major content categories--news and weather,
entertainment, shopping, home/family/kids, sports- ESPNet, reference,
communications, travel, computers, and business/finance.
Special online news sections within the news/weather forum include AP Online
for round-the-clock updated news, business and sports from the Associated
Press, full color photos and international news updates.
The newest addition to this online service is Homework Helper, a resource
designed to help children with reports or even personal research for
yourself.
© 1995 Educom.