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From: EDSTROM@UNCAEDU.BITNET
Newsgroups: mod.comp-soc
Subject: Getting people to use communications systems
Message-ID: <1393@hplabsc.HP.COM>
Date: Mon, 9-Mar-87 16:35:23 EST
Article-I.D.: hplabsc.1393
Posted: Mon Mar  9 16:35:23 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 10-Mar-87 06:51:15 EST
Sender: taylor@hplabsc.HP.COM
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Approved: taylor@hplabs

An observation and a question -

OBSERVATION:
I have been involved in setting up an electronic bulletin board dedicated to
animation and film. The facility is connected to DATAPAC an we pick up the
charge so it is free. I had expected that a lot of people would have been
interested in using it. Instead, although when directly asked about the
concept people seem favorably impressed or even eager, hardly anyone uses it.
Access to terminals and modems is not the primary problem here. Even those
with the hardware have been reluctant to participate.

Looking at the situation from my current perspective I notice that there is not
much involvement by artists and people with arts backgrounds in electronic
communications in general. For example, there are no real arts forums on
COMPUSERVE or BIX and the content of local bulletin boards is heavily slanted
towards computer science students/grads and miscellaneous hackers. The only
class of user that approaches an artist is the computer graphics type who,
quite often, has entered the field from an engineering path.

A re-questioning of the bulletin board's prospective users suggests that they
are shy, intimidated by or scared of the technology. This seems to go beyond a
fear of looking silly with an unfamiliar tool because some of the people would
be comfortable with and willing to try an unfamiliar but conventional medium but
seem unwilling to touch a computer. There seems to be an irrational element in
all of this. Not only do they not object to the concept they seem to agree that
its a good idea but they simply do not use it.

QUESTION:
I have no formal training in communications, my training has been in the
biological sciences. I don't quite know how to deal with this situation.
I think that the film and animation community can benefit form the use of
such a free service but I don't want to crack skulls and twist arms to force
people to use something they don't want. I suspect that if they tried
it they'd like it.

1) Is this exclusion or alienation of artists from electronic communications a
   real phenomenon or is it only my imagination or limited experience?
2) If it is real or imagined, is there some way to encourage potential users
   without brow-beating them?

I'd appreciate any help with this problem.