BBSes (Bulletin Board Systems) can be a great way to meet new people online. While they aren't as popular as they once were, there are still many BBSes to be found on the Internet, even though such notable BBSes as MBnet have gone by the wayside. One popular BBS software tool is the Synchronet BBS, developed by Rob Swindell, which currently boasts over 160 BBSes around the world.
In its heyday, MBnet was proud to boast of itself as the largest BBS (Bulletin Board System) in the world. First designed specifically for subscribers of MikroBitti magazine (A Finnish magazine for computer hobbyists started in the 1980’s), it later on allowed connection through the Internet and exploded into the #1 BBS in the world.
Being a bulletin board system for a computer magazine, MBnet became dedicated to serving the needs of newcomers to the computer and Internet world. It was a great magazine and a great bulletin board system for those looking to get started in the new high-tech universe which was making the world smaller every minute.
Unfortunately for the many fans of the MBnet BBS, it went by the wayside in 2002. This was a time when many BBSes were going out of use, as other methods for online communication (chat rooms, message boards, blogs, etc., etc.) were coming into greater popularity.
Even without the Bulletin Board System, MBnet continues its online presence, through its Internet web site www.mbnet.fi, the online home of MikroBitti magazine. It is the 50th most popular web site in all of Finland, and one of the top 10,000 most popular web sites in the world according to the Alexa web search engine.
Another major player in the early world of the BBS was the Synchronet BBS. The software platform first began as nothing more than a hobby by its creator, Rob Swindell, in 1990. It soon became hugely popular, with bulletin board systems all over the world using the platform to create its own BBSes. In the late 1990’s Synchronet changed its platform to allow Internet use, implementing Telnet, FTP, SMTP, POP3, IRC, NNTP, and HTTP protocols.
There are currently 167 Bulletin Board Systems which utilize the Synchronet BBS software, most of which are located in the United States or Canada. If you are interested in logging on to one of these many BBSes, you can check out a list of all Synchronet BBSes at the software’s official web site: www.synchro.net
The heyday of MBnet and BBSes in general might be over, but that doesn’t mean that Bulletin Board Systems can’t still be a great way to get connected with people over the World Wide Web. Do to the nature of BBSes, it can be helpful in finding people whom you know are in your area, unlike the rest of cyberspace in which you can be talking with someone as far away as India or Venezuela and not even realize it. BBSes come in many shapes and sizes: Internet based, non-Internet based, Telnet based, FTP, etc., etc., etc., so there is something there for everyone.
If you are interesting in getting started with the fascinating world of Bulletin Board Systems, try doing a search for Bulletin Board Systems in your area. Also check around with your family and friends, see if they know of any good BBSes that are in your area. Finland, home of the deceased MBnet, is one of the largest countries for BBS systems, including Freenet Finland.
There are numerous BBS directories that you can find online, so get yourself looking. Directories are generally specific either to software platform (such as Synchronet) or country (such as Finland). All BBSes have different methods of connection, most directories will inform you exactly what you need to do to log on.
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