UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday, December 2,1994
3A
BULLETIN BOARD BUDDIES
All over the world, total strangers and good friends are talking about everything from the weather to their most intimate secrets, all without the use of body language or seeing each other face to face. Welcome to the world of computer bulletin boards.
Story and photos by Jennie Zeiner
Even though it was 3 a.m., Ghostrider's fingers were still as quick as his mind, and he typed back a retort.
Though a member of the BART computer bulletin board for more than a year, Frederick Menninger, second from right, had never met his friends from the board, which he knew only by their log-on name, Bongo. Many members from BART go to the Granada Theatre, 1020 Massachusetts St., every Wednesday night to meet new members of the board and to talk to those they know.
"Ghostrider has just smacked Rob across the mouth and is laughing his head off!" he wrote.
Though this may not seem like a typical sentence to many people, those familiar with the Internet and computer bulletin boards know that conversation like this happens every day in Lawrence, the country and the world.
Many people continue to take advantage of the academic possibilities of bulletin boards, but others use it to explore social opportunities, he said.
Bulletin board systems, which enable people to communicate via computer, started in 1985 in Lawrence with a system called Lawrence On-Line. Since then, membership has grown so much that Lawrence now has two big bulletin
Such anonymity also can lead to psychological games among board users. Ben Clayton, Lawrence resident, said
boards and several smaller ones. There are several thousand people involved with boards in Lawrence, said Kevin Schumaker, an employee of Central Data, 745 New Hampshire St.
"When you meet someone in this way, you don't know if they smell or if they're fat, ugly, tall or good-looking." Belden said. "You don't have body language or any of the other normal methods to judge a person."
"Historically the Internet was to connect universities, and the most common uses were to find academic information and discussions," Schumaker said. "Since their tremendous growth, however, there is no limit to the information you can find."
Sean Belden, Lawrence junior and an operator of BART, a local bulletin board, said that the process of having a conversation with someone he had never met was odd at times.
he had logged on as a woman to see what life was like as a female on board.
Schumaker compared the bulletin boards and the Internet to a web or a net. He said that a user could log on one system and continue to move along the threads of the network to arrive at the desired destination.
"I got some completely vulgar pick-up lines," Clayton said. "I don't think people would ever be like that in person."
"You really have to spell out sarcasm," Clayton said. "Normally if you say something off-color, you give it your
Clayton, who received a psychology degree in May from the University of Kansas, said he found that a lot of people he met on the board revealed more secrets about their lives than he liked to know. Such secrets include three suicide threats in the last three months.
Problems with communication also can happen, resulting from the lack of body language and voice inflection.
intended meaning with voice inflection, but on the screen you really have to spell everything out."
A language of symbols is used to help communicate expression or actions. For example, the symbols: ) means that someone is smiling. Board users also can symbolize slapping, grinning, pounding and obscure gestures.
Despite the disadvantages, faithful users praise the benefit of being able to learn about a person's ideas without seeing his or her physical characteristics.
"A lot of these people are real introverts," Belden said. "The board is good to let people come out a little and get in touch with others."
Roommates Marilee Flowers and Alisa Reintjes, Lawrence residents, say they spend about four hours a day talking with others on a computer bulletin board.
LOWEVERYDAY CD PRICES!
NEW & USED CDs - BUY, SELL & TRADE
As the clock strikes Midnight and it becomes Dec. 6th... Be at KIEF'S for the GUARANTEED LOWEST LAWRENCE PRICE on PEARL JAM - "Vitalogy"!!!
BUY 5 CDs
25%OFF
MFG. LIST.
KIEF'S CD Specials . . Big Head Todd - $10^{88}$ . . Shawn Colvin - $10^{88}$ . . Tom Petty - $10^{88}$ . . Freedy Johnston - $10^{88}.$
Black Crowes - $10^{88}$ . “Murder Was the Case” - $10^{88}$ . . R.E.M. - $10^{88}$ . . Bad Religion - $10^{88}$ . . Nirvana - $10^{87}$ .
Aerosmith - $11^{97}$ . . Chris Duarte - $10^{88}$ . . Check KIEF'S for lots more Super CD Specials . .
AUDIO/VIDLO CAR STEREO CDs & TAPES 913•842•1811 913•842•1438 913•842•1542