Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!ox.com!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!432!Lloyd.Rasmussen From: Lloyd.Rasmussen@f432.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Lloyd Rasmussen) Newsgroups: misc.handicap Subject: Genie Message-ID: <18881@bunker.isc-br.com> Date: 19 Apr 91 20:21:04 GMT Sender: wtm@bunker.isc-br.com Reply-To: Lloyd.Rasmussen@f432.n109.z1.fidonet.org Organization: FidoNet node 1:109/432 - The Idea Link, Wheaton MD Lines: 45 Approved: wtm@bunker.hcap.fidonet.org Index Number: 15058 [This is from the Blink Talk Conference] Willie: I would encourage you to try GEnie. It still does not have as many sighted users as Compu$erve has, but it's growing fast. Sometimes it's growing so much that it runs pretty slow in the evenings. The number of files in the disability area is quite small so far, but disabilities was part of the non-profit connection conference until last August, so it was rather hard to find. Between separating it out in August, the beginning of Star*Services in October, and the opening of a visually impaired discussion category in March, business has really been building up. I suppose we're getting 15 or 20 messages a day, compared to BlinkTalk's 55 or 60. But some of the traffic is going into private GE-mail messages, which removes a lot of the clutter from the topics. But we have some good silly and serious discussions over there. My bill runs $15 to $30 a month. I spend a lot of that getting news stories which match the keywords I have set. That will get slightly cheaper when I move up from a 1200 to 2400 baud modem. Several people, like W.Siren and J.Shaffer5 are using Aladdin, the off-line reader. I do everything manually using Qmodem. Some people complain about the banners and advertisements that come up when you go into a new area and when youlog on. I would just as soon have them, because you're not being charged for the time on some of them, and if that's what it takes to keepthe subscription fees down, then I'm all for it. File downloading costs $6.00 per hour in most areas during evenings and weekends, and uploads are free. Uploads don't get posted until they have been screened by the sysop of the area they were put in. The *Able conference is page 8011;10. Adaptive technology is under category 7 of *Able, and visually impaired discussion topics are category 9. One important thing that both subscription services have going for them is that messages and E- mail are delivered much faster than they possibly can be on Fidonet. Much less stuff "crosses in the mail" that way. No, we've really not been talking about you that much so far, but it might change. Hope to see you there. L.Rasmussen2 -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!432!Lloyd.Rasmussen Internet: Lloyd.Rasmussen@f432.n109.z1.fidonet.org