SysOp's Arsenal/SysOp's Arsenal 1 (Arsenal Computer).ISO/net_info/frog1294.txt

Text File | 1994-12-16 | 9KB | 191 lines

         *** PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS FILE AS FROG1294.WRI ***


                           FROGnet

                         Its hip to hop...

Are you a FROG?

Have you been hopping around from BBS to BBS at all hours of
the night?  Are your eyes starting to bug out from staring
at your monitor all night?  Are the pads on your fingertips
getting flat and wide from pounding messages out on your
keyboard?  And, do you look a little green in the morning
after a full night of BBS'ing?

If so, maybe you're a FROG.  And if you are, you need
FROGnet.

What's FROGnet?

FROGnet is a new long distance service designed especially
for BBS sysops and callers.  FROGnet saves you up to 50% off
regular long distance rates. FROGnet is provided by Emerge,
Inc., a provider of communications and computer products and
services.

Is FROGnet easy to use?

You make long distance calls on FROGnet the same way you do
now, by dialing "1" plus the long distance number.  There's
no change to the way you dial now,  there are no special
access numbers to dial, and there are no special lines or
equipment to install.  And you can call anywhere, anytime.
With FROGnet, there are no modem pools to swim through and
no X.25 gateways to slow you down.  Its that simple and
easy.  And you can use your FROGnet service to save money on
both your long distance voice and BBS calls.

Why is FROGnet better than the long distance service I'm
currently using?

Let's be frank.  FROG to FROG.  Most long distance companies
target their services at the general public, not FROGs.
FROGnet is for FROGs, not the general public.   Using a
regular long distance service to call BBS's is like trying
to hop on one leg.  For example,  like most FROGs you
probably do most of your hopping at night, usually after 11
pm and on weekends because that's when rates are lowest.  So
FROGnet made the night longer by getting rid of the
"evening" rate period.  In our neck of the swamp the moon
comes out at 5 pm on weeknights, not 11 pm.  Of course, the
night rate flows through the entire weekend as well.  But
while every other phone company charges a higher, evening
rate on Sunday from 5 pm to 11 pm, we don't.  With FROGnet
you can start hopping sooner and keep hopping longer.  And
farther, too.  Most phone companies increase the cost of a
call by its distance so that the farther away the call is,
the more expensive it is.   Its called a "mileage-sensitive
rate".  The point is, you never know what you're paying
unless you know the airline mileage between the two points
you're calling.   But FROGnet rates aren't distance-
sensitive.  You pay the same low rate whether you're calling
a FROGpad on the Colorado River or a FROGpad in the
Okeefenokee.   So the next time you get a nationwide list of
BBS's you want to call, you'll know how much you're paying
regardless of the mileage.  Finally, while other phone
companies round the cost of every call in full minutes so
that a 4.1 minute call is charged as a 5 minute call, we
round each call in 6 second increments so you only pay for
the time you actually use.  Every FROG makes a lot of short
calls.  For example, you may be trying out new BBS's, or
just polling your messages,  or just cruising different
boards for new files.  Or maybe you can't get a clear
connection to a particular BBS and have to dial back five
times.  FROGnet would have charged you for five 6 second
increments or 30 seconds.  That's 7.5 cents.  But your phone
company would have charged you for five full minutes or 75
cents.  All these little things add up to big savings on
FROGnet.

Plus, each month your calls are conveniently charged to your
credit card (no surcharge) and your invoice and call detail
are delivered as an attachment to a private mail message
addressed to you on our BBS, FROGnet BBS.   You can read
your invoice on-line, download it, or store it for future
reference.  No way would the other phone companies do that
for you.  But that's what they should be doing if they were
really "green".  FROGs live in the streams, rivers, and
lakes, and in the forests and the trees.  And we don't like
the idea that the other phone companies generate mountains
of paper to collect their bills.   We don't like the idea of
cutting down huge forests to make paper bills and envelopes
and stamps.  And we don't like the idea of bleaching the
tree pulp white using poisons that get dumped into our
rivers.  And we don't like having to burn barrels of oil to
deliver the bill to you and then back to us.   And we don't
like the idea that it ends up in landfills for the next
generation to deal with.  For you its just one envelope and
a couple or pieces of paper.  But for FROGs and FROGnet its
a wasteful depletion of our resources and unnecessarily
irresponsible given an electronic alternative.  We believe
in less paper, more trees, cleaner rivers and air, and less
landfills.  We like our riverbeds free of chemicals, we like
our trees big and strong and lots of them, and we don't like
waste paper buried in our deserts, mountains and canyons.
It's a FROG thing and we're proud of it!

What kind of savings does FROGnet offer and how much does it
cost?

FROGnet rates are a flat 15 cents per minute at night, $0.25
per minute during the day.   Every call you make to any BBS
who's also a FROGpad member of FROGnet is discounted 25%.
That's $0.1125 per minute, night rate.  And each month you
get a discount of 35% to the top 10 FROGpads you call the
most.  That's $0.0975 a minute.   And finally you get a 50%
discount to the five FROGpads you called the most.  That's
7.5 cents a minute to your favorite FROGpad!  Plus, you
don't have to maintain any calling circles or lists like
other phone companies require.  We do all the work,
automatically.

How much would you pay for a service that saves you up to
50% on your calls?  Or one that bills your calls in 6 second
increments?  Or one that makes the night rate start at 5 pm
instead of 11 pm?  Or one that doesn't increase the cost of
a call based on distance?  Or one that delivers your call
reports on-line?  Would you pay a measly $1 a month?  Good,
because that's all it costs, just one skinny, slightly wet,
very green,  FROGbuck a month.  That's only 12 greenbacks a
year.   1995 may not be a leap year but next year you'll be
hopping in the fast lane.

As a Sysop, why should I sign my BBS up as a FROGpad on
FROGnet?

FROGnet will dramatically enhance the success of your BBS.
When you add your BBS to FROGnet you become part of a
national network that attracts callers from all over the
country to your system.   You'll have a national presence
"on the network" instead of a local or regional one.  Your
BBS will be preferred by new users who are test-driving new
systems.  You'll be more competitive versus other BBS's who
aren't a part of FROGnet (unless they sign-up and you
don't!).  You'll attract more new users to your BBS and your
current users will call more often and stay on longer.
Your peak usage will start at 5 pm instead of 11 pm on
weeknights resulting in improved system utilization.  And
all of your users, both new and old, will appreciate the
fact that you chose a service that's "BBS friendly".  And
that will make your BBS more successful.

Plus you get all the same great benefits when you call other
FROGpads.

So join us!  Be a part of this great leap forward in the BBS
industry. Jump right in and get hopping before everyone else
beats you to the water!  Last one in's a toadie!

Ok, let's do it!  How do I sign-up?

Sign-up is simple.  Call FROGnet BBS at 404-663-0760 and
complete the on-line order script.   We'll instruct your
local phone company to do a PIC conversion of  your lines
from your current long distance service to FROGnet long
distance and you'll be on your way.  Your local phone
company will probably bill you a nominal fee for changing
long distance service.  And we will bill your credit card
for the annual fee.  The whole process takes about 5
business days.

And don't forget to tell other FROGs and other sysops about
FROGnet.    Feel free to upload this file to your favorite
BBS's and spread the fun.

To contact us by mail or phone:

Emerge, Inc.
320 W. Broadway
Suite 520
Louisville, KY 40202

Phone     [phone]
BBS       [phone]
Fax            [phone]

FROGnet service mark pending.