Before Social Media, There Was the BBS
In short: In 1978 two Chicago hobbyists connected a home-built computer to a basement phone line, and the bulletin board systems that followed made the computer a place where people gathered.
A 1:55 short film in the series “Being Social Online”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: IEEE Spectrum (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), “History of the BBS: Social Media’s Dial-up Roots”; Computer History Museum (archive copy of Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, "Hobbyist Computerized Bulletin Board", BYTE, November 1978, retyped by Emmanuel Roche), “C:\Users\Luanne\Documents\SISIG\Corporate Histories Document Preservation\Emmanuel Roche DRI documents conversion\XMODEM History\XMODEM History.txt”; IEEE Spectrum (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); feature by Kevin Driscoll, 24 Oct 2016, “History of the BBS: Social Media’s Dial-up Roots”; Elsevier (ScienceDirect Topics), drawing on the books Scene of the Cybercrime (Second Edition, 2008) and What is Social Media?, “Bulletin Board System - an overview”; Smithsonian National Museum of American History, “Radio Shack TRS-80 Telephone Interface II / Modem”; The Atlantic, “The Lost Civilization of Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems”; BBS: The Documentary (episode uploaded to YouTube), “BBS The Documentary: Episode 2 of 8: SYSOPS AND USERS (The People)”; IEEE-USA InSight (article by Nathan Brewer, IEEE History Center, 1 March 2013), “Your Engineering Heritage: Bulletin Board Systems”; Yale University Press, “The Modem World”.
Sources used in this film
- IEEE Spectrum (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) — History of the BBS: Social Media’s Dial-up Roots · View →
- Computer History Museum (archive copy of Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, "Hobbyist Computerized Bulletin Board", BYTE, November 1978, retyped by Emmanuel Roche) — C:\Users\Luanne\Documents\SISIG\Corporate Histories Document Preservation\Emmanuel Roche DRI documents conversion\XMODEM History\XMODEM History.txt · View →
- IEEE Spectrum (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); feature by Kevin Driscoll, 24 Oct 2016 — History of the BBS: Social Media’s Dial-up Roots · View →
- Elsevier (ScienceDirect Topics), drawing on the books Scene of the Cybercrime (Second Edition, 2008) and What is Social Media? — Bulletin Board System - an overview · View →
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Radio Shack TRS-80 Telephone Interface II / Modem · View →
- The Atlantic — The Lost Civilization of Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems · View →
- BBS: The Documentary (episode uploaded to YouTube) — BBS The Documentary: Episode 2 of 8: SYSOPS AND USERS (The People) · View →
- IEEE-USA InSight (article by Nathan Brewer, IEEE History Center, 1 March 2013) — Your Engineering Heritage: Bulletin Board Systems · View →
- Yale University Press — The Modem World · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: IEEE Spectrum (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers): History of the BBS: Social Media’s Dial-up Roots
- Also: Computer History Museum (archive copy of Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, "Hobbyist Computerized Bulletin Board", BYTE,: C:\Users\Luanne\Documents\SISIG\Corporate Histories Document Preservation\Emmanuel Roche DRI documents conversion\XMODEM History\XMODEM History.txt
- Also: IEEE Spectrum (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); feature by Kevin Driscoll, 24 Oct 2016: History of the BBS: Social Media’s Dial-up Roots
- Also: Elsevier (ScienceDirect Topics), drawing on the books Scene of the Cybercrime (Second Edition, 2008) and What is Social : Bulletin Board System - an overview
- Also: Smithsonian National Museum of American History: Radio Shack TRS-80 Telephone Interface II / Modem
- Also: The Atlantic: The Lost Civilization of Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems
- Also: BBS: The Documentary (episode uploaded to YouTube): BBS The Documentary: Episode 2 of 8: SYSOPS AND USERS (The People)
- Also: IEEE-USA InSight (article by Nathan Brewer, IEEE History Center, 1 March 2013): Your Engineering Heritage: Bulletin Board Systems
- Also: Yale University Press: The Modem World
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