I'm a little older and am nostalgic about BBS's. It brought people together in a specific city. I've still got friends whom I might never have met in real life if it weren't connecting with them first on the BBS.
My experiences online also gave me a big jump over most people on understanding the potential of the Internet. Despite my sermonizing a lot of my friends didn't see any value in getting online for a good three to five years.
When I got a Palm Pilot phone in 2003(?) and showed them I had Internet access on it they were incredulous. These same people who were late to the Internet laughed and said why would you ever want the Internet on your phone?
Back in the mid-1980s in Champaign-Urbana, one of the most vibrant BBSes in town (Tranquillity II) had no downloads - conversation was its specialty. There were even real-life gatherings of the participants. That sort of thing is hard to do when almost everyone you interact with could be halfway around the world.
My experiences online also gave me a big jump over most people on understanding the potential of the Internet. Despite my sermonizing a lot of my friends didn't see any value in getting online for a good three to five years.
When I got a Palm Pilot phone in 2003(?) and showed them I had Internet access on it they were incredulous. These same people who were late to the Internet laughed and said why would you ever want the Internet on your phone?