A variety of on-line services and forums are available to the computer user who has a telephone and modem. Among them are computerized banking and shopping, informational database access, and interactive forums which allow exchange of ideas.
One type of on-line utility is the fee-based service. Examples of this are CompuServe and Prodigy, where computer users subscribe to the services offered (banking, stock trading, shopping, etc.). Users pay a monthly fee, plus additional fees for time spent on-line. Some offer a "Message" or "Chat" forum, where users may interact with one another through the computer.
Another type of on-line feature is the Bulletin Board System (BBS). BBSs are usually set up by private individuals or companies. These are not generally for profit. Similar to the larger, fee-based formats, BBS administrators usually charge a small initial fee to maintain the phone lines of the system. The atmosphere is often more relaxed, and users are not required to pay for time on-line. Users may log onto the BBS and exchange messages or "chat" with other users through the computer . Most BBSs have a library of shareware for their users to download. BBSs are generally small, informal systems with a few dozen regular users. Some, however, are quite large. In Southern California, for example, the USCBBS has over a thousand registered users and a shareware library of hundreds of megabytes.
As more people get access to computer technology, the utility of such on-line features increases. Once computers are as common as televisions, most correspondence will be conducted through modem links. Many favor the notion of having every citizen linked to a national board.
