synchro.net/synchro.net.tar/synchro.net/modem.madness/SMMNETML/ILAPP24.ZIP/ILAPP.DOC

Text File | 1993-07-01 | 15.3 KB | 311 lines

                      ILink APPlication Generator v.2.4
                      Copyright (c) 1993, S. David Klein

============
INTRODUCTION
============

Welcome to ILink(sm)!  ILink is one of the premiere echomail networks in
the world of DOS bulletin boards, consisting of more than 240 member
systems located around the world.  These systems exchange mail in more than
200 message areas on a regular basis, facilitating communication between
the users of these globally-scattered systems.

The purpose of the accompanying program (ILAPP.EXE) is to generate an ILink
admissions application.  The application can serve two purposes:  it can be
used by a sysop who wishes to become a member of ILink, and it can also be
used by an existing ILink sysop to update the board information in the main
admissions database.

The program will ask you a series of questions regarding both yourself and
your BBS.  It will then generate the completed application in a form that you
can either upload to ILink Admissions at the Software Society South, or can
print out and mail in to us.  APPLY.FRM will be generated for new applicants;
UPDATE.FRM will be generated for current system updates.

While we are very selective about the boards that are admitted to ILink (we
are currently admitting approximately 1/3 of the systems that apply), and have
a number of admissions criteria, we are always interested in reviewing new
applications.  If you think that your BBS and ILink would be a good match, we
encourage you to complete an application!

To begin the process, please read the following background information.  Once
you've done so, run ILAPP.EXE and answer all of the questions.  It will
generate the appropriate file for you.

Applications are accepted at two sites, depending on your location.  Systems
located in Europe and Africa can upload the file as a comment to Sysop at:

   Almac BBS, Ltd.
   Grangemouth, Scotland, UK
   44-324-665371

Systems located in the rest of the world can upload the file as a comment to
Sysop at:

   Software Society South
   Edison, NJ, USA
   908-777-7380.

Applications can also be submitted by mail, and are also accepted at two sites,
depending on your location.  Systems located in Europe and Africa can mail
a printout of the completed application form to:

   ILink Admissions
   Almac BBS, Ltd.
   141 Bo'ness Road
   Grangemouth, FK3 9BS, Scotland

Systems located in the rest of the world can mail a printout of the completed
application form to:

   Dr. S. David Klein
   ILink Admissions Administrator
   104 Mineola Place
   Edison, NJ  08817  USA

This submission information will be repeated for you by the application
generator once you have completed the application form.

===========
DISCLAIMER:
===========

Submission of an application for membership in ILink constitutes your
agreement that acceptance or rejection of your application is at the sole
discretion of ILink Admissions, and that, in the event of a rejection, ILink
is under no obligation to provide you with the reasons for the rejection.

Applications are currently being accepted from sysops running only registered
copies of PCBoard, Wildcat!  or RemoteAccess, since only these three packages
have been tested and approved at this time.  As a result, applications from
sysops running any other BBS software packages will not be accepted.  However,
other software packages are always being examined, and we encourage you to
watch for announcements as other software packages are approved for use in
ILink.

======================
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
======================

There are many echomail networks, and each one has its own unique flavor.  What
makes ILink stand out?  The best way to find out, of course, is to sample the
conferences that make up ILink, and see if you find the flavor to be to your
liking.  In a nutshell, one of the things that gives ILink its own unique
character is a belief in the idea of moderated conferences.

Each of our over 200 conferences has its own name, topic, and conference
description.  The topics range from something as broad as Chit-Chat, to the
narrow confines of a vendor support conference.  Each conference has a
moderator, or host.  The moderator, appointed by ILink to monitor a conference,
is there to make sure that the discussion in the conference flows freely.  The
moderator will step in if needed to deal with unpleasantness in the conference,
such as the use of obscenity (prohibited under ILink rules), or a personal
attack by one member of the conference against another.  The moderator might
also introduce new topics for discussion, and point off-topic conversations
toward a more appropriate forum.  The presence of a moderator tends to decrease
the 'noise' in a conference, letting more of the 'signal' through, which is one
of the reasons that ILink's conferences are so well respected in the BBS
community.

This moderated conference approach has served ILink well for many years.  How
many?  ILink began in February of 1986 with a small group of sysops, an
innovative programmer, and a single conference.  This original network was
called PCB-Echo.  It later evolved into InterLink, and finally into ILink.
Along the way, the network has grown steadily by adding quality bulletin board
systems.  We now connect hundreds of thousands of callers around the globe.
What was once a network limited to PCBoard has today expanded to include
Wildcat! and RemoteAccess systems.  Other possibilities are being reviewed.

A frequently asked question about ILink is 'How is the network organized?'
ILink's structure is based on the .QWK mail standard developed by Mark Herring.
This standard defines a system of hubs and nodes, organized like a tree.  The
trunk of the tree is the International Distribution Site (IDS), which acts as
the central clearinghouse for all messages on the network.  The branches of the
tree are the National Distribution Sites (NDS), which collect mail from, and
distribute mail to, the individual member systems.  The vast majority of systems
in ILink may be thought of as the leaves of the tree.  They gather mail from an
NDS, and send mail left by their callers to the NDS for distribution to the
rest of the network.  A message left in an ILink conference is sent throughout
the network, and appears on every ILink system that carries that conference.

In ILink, the administrative and mail transfer functions are separate from each
other.  The National Systems Administrator (NSA) chairs the NetAdmin
conference, with various duties divided between several appointed
administrators.  The conference is shared with the sysops of the NDSs, so that
major policies have input from throughout the network.  Each NDS in turn has a
local administrative conference, when input from the member sysops can be
obtained.

All ILink network sysops have access to the ILink conference, where policy
changes may be discussed.  This conference is also open to the conference
moderators, and is the main channel of communication between them and the
network sysops.  It is in this conference, for example, that a moderator might
mention to a sysop a problem with a caller from that sysop's board.

The long and short of it is that ILink is managed by a group of volunteer
administrators, with input from both the NDS sysops and the individual network
sysops.  This structure, separate from the transfer of mail, offers a
two-tiered approach to solving any network problems which may occur.

When a new system applies for membership in ILink, a review is made of that
system's policies, message traffic, stability, capabilities, and overall
quality.  This review is carried out by members of the ILink Admissions Team.
If the application is successful, the new BBS is admitted as a trial member
for an initial 6-month period, and is assigned to an NDS for the mail
transfers.  As a new ILink member sysop, you would first choose approved
networking software to handle the mail transactions, and then begin selecting
the conferences that you wish to carry.  There are a very few conferences that
each system in ILink is required to carry:

  ILink - this is a conferences that is restricted to you and any
  moderators who call into your system.  As explained above, it is a main
  business conference of the network, and is one that you should scan on
  a regular basis.

  Mod-&-User - this conference is used for discussions between users
  and moderators with regard to conference moderation issues.  It gives
  users and moderators a chance to 'step into the hallway' to discuss
  a moderation call in any of the other conferences.

  ILink-News - this is a low-volume read-only conference used by ILink
  administration for net-wide announcements.

  ILink-Info - this conference is used for discussions about ILink itself,
  and for answering questions that are asked about the network.  It is a
  public conference, open to all.

The rules that govern ILink are contained in a file called ILDOC.  You are
encouraged to obtain and read this file, which can be found on most every ILink
member system.  If you are accepted for membership in ILink, you will be
expected to adhere to those rules.

============
NUTS & BOLTS
============

ILink has a number of minimum standards that are applied to systems requesting
membership in the network.  Applications from systems which fail to meet these
minimum standards will be declined.  The following is a non-inclusive list of
those minimum standards:

1.  The applicant BBS must have been on-line in its present location
    at least 6 months, and must be running either PCBoard, Wildcat! or
    RemoteAccess BBS software.

2.  It must be available to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with the
    exception of time set aside for board maintenance.

3.  The sysop should have a professional attitude toward the BBS and
    the system should reflect this in its prompts, in its display screens,
    in its bulletins, and in its rules of conduct.  Shareware that is used
    on the system should be registered.

4.  The system should have a set of posted BBS rules which clearly state,
    at a bare minimum, that the use of alias names is not permitted in any
    area where it might impact on a board's relationship with ILink, and that
    commercial or pirated software is not to be uploaded, nor should such
    software be in evidence.  A member of the ILink Admissions Team evaluating
    the BBS should not find commercial software, pirated software, or
    registered shareware in a file list or download directory.

If your system meets these criteria, then please, consider applying for
membership in ILink.  If it doesn't, and you still want to be a member of
ILink, consider the changes that you would have to make to meet these
standards, and please remember, these are the MINIMUM standards.

Once you have submitted your application, a member of the ILink Admissions
Team will call your system to review its policies and procedures.  This call
will be made using a pseudonym to permit the Team member to honestly assess
your system.  While, as stated above, we expect the use of alias names to be
discouraged in connection with ILink, we ask your understanding of the
necessity that we do this.  The pseudonym will be used once, for the review
call.  If this is not acceptable to you, please do not submit an application.

The capture log that is made during the review call will be reviewed by one or
more members of the ILink Admissions Team.  We do not make any judgements on
whether you are a good or bad sysop, or whether you run a good or bad system.
Rather, the judgement call is made on whether or not your system would be a
good match with our network, and that is all that should be read into it.

Some of the things that we look at when conducting a review, in addition to the
minimum standards listed above, are (in no particular order):

- Are users validated?  Are there access limits on new callers?  How well
  defined is system security?

- Is the system run in a competent, professional manner?  Does the sysop
  respect his callers?  Do the callers respect the sysop?

- Is all software in use properly registered?

- What is the orientation of the system?  Is its primary focus on games or
  adults-only material?

- Is there profanity in the local message bases?

- Are there existing echomail conferences?  To what other networks does the
  system belong?

- If there is existing echomail, can a nonvalidated user leave public
  messages in those conferences?

- Has the sysop worked at making the system something out of the ordinary,
  or is it pretty much a "BBS out of the box"?

- Is the sysop present and active on the system, or does it seem to be
  running on autopilot?

- Does the system have an established user base that it can bring to ILink?
  Are the message bases active? (An active user base is the primary benefit
  that a new system brings with it to ILink.)

This list is by no means inclusive, and is intended to give you some idea of
the kinds of things that the ILink Admissions Team will be taking into
consideration when they review your system.

Once the review is completed, a representative of ILink will call your system
to inform you of whether or not we are extending an invitation to join the
network.  Should an invitation not be extended, no reasons will be provided,
in accordance with the disclaimer above.  Our current policy, subject to
change, is that if you wish to discuss, in general terms, the reasons that an
invitation was not extended, you may do so by contacting the ILink Admissions
Administrator at the BBS number given above.

In general, it will take us about two weeks to process your application, from
the time that you submit it, to the time that we inform you of our decision.
It may take somewhat less time than that, or somewhat more, depending on the
workload at the time your application is submitted.  ILink Admissions tries
very hard to stay within the two-week turnaround window, so please be patient;
applications are reviewed in the order that they are received, and we will get
to your application just as soon as we can.  If you haven't heard from us
within four weeks, that could be an indication that something has gone awry.
In that case, please inquire about the status of your application at the site
where it was submitted.

=============
REAPPLICATION
=============

If you have applied for membership in ILink, and your application has been
turned down, you must wait at least six months from the date that you recieved
your rejection before reapplying.  In addition, if you have applied twice
within twelve months, and have been turned down on both occasions, you must
wait a full year before submitting a new application.

============
SPECIAL NOTE
============

ILink Admissions is pleased to state that, as of this date, it has fully
caught up with all pending applications.  All systems that were in the queue
have been evaluated and notified of our decision regarding their application.
If you applied to ILink in the past and have not heard from us regarding your
application, it quite probably went astray during the change in Administration.
If you submit a new application, you may rest assured that it will be dealt
with in an expeditious fashion!

S. David Klein
ILink Admissions Administrator
1 July 1993