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Back in the early eighties, when 1200 baud modems were the fastest you could buy but most people could only afford 300 baud modems, I called my first Bulletin Board System (BBS) which I believe was running on a Commodore/64. Oh what fun that was listening to the computer dialing the phone.

Those were the beginnings of the information age and we are only now realizing the benefits which I then envisioned.

When calling that first BBS in Wausau (that I was aware of anyway,) at 300 baud -- so slow that I could read plain text at the speed it appeared on the screen -- I could already see the potential of this new medium.

Fifteen years later, 28,800 baud modems now woefully inadequate for what is expected of them, I am finally communicating with old friends via internet email the way that I thought would be possible at the then-awaited lightning fast speed of 2400 baud. Why would we need to go any faster?

Although I saw the potential for electronic communication, my vision was limited to email, and the Bulletin Board concept of posting notices. Since at that time graphics was nonexistent on IBM PCs, I saw no need for the great speeds necessary to transfer graphic information. Nor did I foresee the World Wide Web; I was happy with Gopher, and before that; Bulletin Board Systems.

But even in this day of ISDN, Cable Modems, satellite down-links, and the endless other ways we can increase bandwidth only to create applications which will use it all and ask for more, I have found email -- straight text -- to be the best thing to have come out of the internet.

It seems to me that the computer industry is so busy coming up with new technologies that we don't even figure out what to do with one thing before going on to the next.

Of course the fact that pictures don't do much for me has a lot to do with my belief that instead of increasing bandwidth to make the net more visual, we should learn how to make use of a text based net, using the bandwidth we have now to get everybody connected first. As technology advances and most of society is connected both to the net and in turn to the community, then we can increase the level of illustration as the infra structure will allow -- not that I've got any say in the matter anyway.

It took longer than I thought it would but we have finally reached the point where electronic communication is an everyday occurrence. However, until the vast majority of the world population is as familiar with the internet as they are with a telephone, we cannot attain the true value of the network -- community involvement.

Over the past few weeks, I have been catching up with old friends. I still haven't heard anything back from Guy, but I have re-established relations with two former classmates whom I met in 1980. Both have graduated and moved away never to be heard from again ... until now.

Kathy, I contacted after my brother Kevin saw her name on a mailing list that he subscribes to. He forwarded her message to me and I sent a "remember me?" message to her. She gave me Bill's email address and I then contacted him.

I am also very easily found on the net by anyone wishing to find me. My email address is listed in the most popular directories, and my web page is in all of the major search engines.

Last week I got a email from another old friend named Bill, From a more recent time-period, it has nonetheless been some time since he moved and it was nice to hear how he's been doing.

There are still far more people that have not discovered the need to be wired than those that have. Or, perhaps it's still too complicated for the majority of people. All of the people that I have found through the net have had prior computer training. But even if I disregarded those who never use a computer, there is still a small percentage of those from my past that have made email a part of their daily life.

Attitudes are changing though and technology is improving. As online communication becomes easier and easier, more and more interwoven with our daily lives, even the most vocal of computer-haters will see the light. It's now just a matter of time before the rest of the world comes on line.

As more and more people find their way online I expect that I will be catching up with more and more old friends. So far, only one other member of my family is online and it may be a while before any others join us out here, but internet appliances which connect to the internet without the need for a computer may help.

The internet has made correspondence easy. Keeping in touch was never so much fun, and I enjoy writing letters as much as I enjoy writing this column. Possibly more-so since writing to a specific person, not everything need be explained and I can write things I may not be comfortable writing in a public forum. Unfortunately, I may need to resort to a form-letter approach, or a news-letter possibly for larger groups of people; I'd hate to have to write to everyone I ever knew, that would be a little too much.

The world is getting smaller as our universe expands. Geographic separation, even frequent moves, no longer have to mean losing track of old friends and relatives. Physical interaction aside, distance, and for the most part location, are irrelevant in regards to keeping in touch.

My email addressbook now contains 28 entries. Most of them are people that I have met online, and have never met in person. Corresponding with these people has been interesting, informative, and even somewhat profitable. Some I will keep in touch with, and some I hope will keep in touch with me.

Last week I added two entries for people that I *have* met in person, and I am looking forward to adding even more family and friends to my addressbook file in the near future.

At last. I'm not just playing with my computer anymore; I'm networking!

Running a BBS was fun; email rules!