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ResourceNet and GardenNet



Subject: ResourceNet and GardenNet

This message was originally addressed to Leo Elliott [76440.1416@COMPUSERVE.COM]
and a carbon copy was sent to you.
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This message was from JIM MCNELLY to all
originally in conference rec.gardens on GRANITE (Granite Cities Information Ser
and was forwarded to you by JIM MCNELLY
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                    ----------------------------------------

G>I hope to catch the attention of Jim McNelly, The Compost Man with this
 >post. Jim, could you please tell us more about your plans concerning this
 >ResourceNet and GardenNet that I've heard rumors about? Quite a few of
 >the old $P Garden BB members are now on GEnie (including moi) and I'd be
 >happy to convey your comments in that direction. BTW, my GEnie e-mail
 >address is g.williams42@genie.geis.com.

Hi Garry,

I was planning on making an announcement soon, but your inquiry nudged
the glacier a bit.

After nearly three years of visiting on various networks talking about
the environment, composting, and household ecology, I and others have
made many virtual friends who have tried with difficulty to keep in
touch with each other.

As we have kept in touch, it increasingly seems that Internet can be an
E-mail linking thread between many different public BBSs and commercial
networks.  At the same time, it has become apparent that many people are
having difficulty either accessing Internet, using it, or paying for
their access.

After dropping Compu$erve and $Prodigy, I have been hanging out in the
local BBS conferences and in UseNet, such as here on rec.gardens.  In
private e-mail, it was suggested that maybe I and other garden and
environmental posters join forces and create our own BBS and Network
dedicated to Gardening and Sustainable Agriculture/Community issues.

The local BBS where I access various networks, Granite Information
Service, has a Sysop who is also an avid gardener and she and I have
created two networks, GardenNet and ReSourceNet.  We first acquired our
own Internet domain, granite.mn.org which subscribers to our network can
share as their own e-mail address.  Secondly we translated the process
of subscribing to mailing lists a "conference" process rather than an
E-mail process. We have over 3,000 conferences we now carry!  Joining is
and unjoining is just a click of the mouse. Know of a conference or list
we don't carry?  We will add it.

Then we translated Interneteeze into common BBS language using
inexpensive "off-line" mail readers.  Our gateway is what I call an
"off-ramp" on the Data Super Highway.  So our goal was to make Internet
and other national networks accessible for the common computer
user who is having difficulties with unix and its commands.  So
Granite Info Services provides E-mail, FTP via E-mail, and other
Internet services that most users want.  But it is all available using
easy and well supported "off-line" readers.

Once we worked out the technicalities, which took more than six months,
we then knew that to provide a central clearinghouse would require many
gardening and environmentally progressive persons to join up and form
our own "networks".  GardenNet was formed with the householder in mind
and we plan on inviting our favorite experts from all the garden
networks to answer questions and post their favorite garden discussions
back to GardenNet.  We want it to be the "Best of all the Garden
Conferences" for the person who does not have the access or the time to
subscribe to multiple networks.

We are also creating an archive of garden software, files, and
frequently asked questions for downloading.  If all goes well, our new
credit card door can be used for ordering books, catalogues, supplies,
and other resources.  I am also in discussion with several periodicals
regarding posting their magazines as text files for browsing,
subscribing, and reading off line.  For catalogs that sell on line, we
can also provide instant customer service through their e-mail and
conferences.  Not to mention the wealth of experience from garden gurus
across the networks.

ReSourceNet is for professionals such as myself in the waste management,
community planning, agriculture, contracting, and regulatory fields.
It will "bundle" lists and conferences like GardenNet for easy Internet
access, but it will also carry several technical magazines and
newsletters for electronic reading.  It will help many professionals
and businesses access E-mail without having to create expensive
networks.

This is all made possible by the use of conference and file compression
software that reduces the volume of data by over 60% into what are
called "QWK" packets which can be uncompressed by the offline reader.
With a high speed modem, 14,400 or 28,800, log on time can be reduced to
a matter of a few minutes.  Which can be inexpensive even making daily,
automated phone calls at night. The cost of the phone bill should be
under $10 per month using this technique.  My $Prodigy bill was running
over $50 per month and was about to go up even higher when I dropped
out.  Ouch!

We are looking for a base rate of $12 per month for full access to
GardenNet and $20 for ReSourceNet.  We have also entered into a
licensing agreement with Sparky Herring, author of 1stReader
communications and off-line reader so that we can offer a custom
configured registered software package for only $25.

I think that this "off ramp" format will help to keep the various
gardening experts in touch and keep the cost down.  We will offer free
subscriptions to the best experts, even paying them for some
participation as the system grows.

So that's the story about GardenNet and ReSourceNet which are just now
coming on line, although Granite Information Service, our host, has been
operating since 1987.  So for more information, write via e-mail, call
the numbers in my signature to log on for free 21 day access, or write
me snail mail at:

Mr Compost~~~
PO Box 7444
Saint Cloud, MN 56302

Jim McNelly~~~
Granite Information Service 612-654-8372-HST 656-0678 v.32bis
jim.mcnelly@granite.mn.org
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 * February 15th - Insufficient Funds? Where is a bank WITH sufficient Funds

cc: Thea Hardy [HARDYT@CSOS.ORST.EDU]
    Michael Million [MM24681@UAFSYSB.UARK.EDU]
    Byron Belitsos [71055.3435@COMPUSERVE.COM]
    Peg Seremjian [SEREMJIA@CS.UWP.EDU]
    Frank Shields [FRANKE@CRUZIO.SANTA-CRUZ.CA.US]
    ENV-LINK+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU
    Scott Foerster [FOERSTER@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET]
    Dan Massey [massey@world.std.com]
    Lawrence London [LONDON@SUNSITE.UNC.EDU]
    Tom Richard [TLR2@CORNELL.EDU]
    Lee Fox [LFOX01@MAIL.MORE.NET]