|font:Courier New||B:0|BBSes range in size from the large and well established (like ECHO and the WELL) to tiny, specialized setups run out of someone's spare room with just one or two incoming phone lines. Not all BBSes are connected to the Internet; some you have to dial up directly. Some are devoted to just one subject, but the larger ones offer the same range of topics--from art to zoology-- that you'll find in newsgroups and listservs.|CR||CR||CR||B:1|1/4|CR|^|font:Courier New||B:0|The smaller BBSes are sometimes free, like listservs and newsgroups; the larger ones usually involve signing up, getting a password, and paying a monthly and/or hourly fee.|CR||CR||CR||CR||CR||CR||CR||CR||CR||B:1|2/4^|font:Courier New||B:O|Most BBSes are subdivided into discussion areas devoted to particular topics. These areas may be called conferences, forums, SIGs (special interest groups), or roundtables. These areas are further divided into even more targeted conversations. A gardening area, for instance, might have separate threads devoted to flowers (or even roses), fruits and vegetables, tools, organic farming, and pest control.|CR||CR||CR||B:1|3/4^|font:Courier New||B:O|BBSes can be the most intensive discussion forums of all. The better ones attract extremely knowledgeable people. The ongoing nature of the BBS, and the fact that you can often interact with the same group of people in different contexts (finding out, in the process, that the person who's been so helpful in the laptop computer discussion is also a cat fanatic), makes for a real community of experts.|CR| |CR||CR||CR||B:1|4/4|CR||CR||CR||CR|
