Club News
Buddy System
by Joan Gilkin
hen our president, Joe Carr returned from a trip to Vancouver early this pear, he posted a report of a meeting he had with the executive of the Vancouver IBM user group. He suggested that their mentor program, would be valuable addition to BB&C. At the clubhouse, I come in contact with a number of people who hear about BB&C from the dealers they buy their computer equipment from or some casual contact. Few of the callers are well informed as to exactly what we are, or why we exist. I have heard everything from "operators of a BBS" to "software distributors." In an attempt to reach as many new members as possible to explain what Big Blue and Cousins is and to help inexperienced new computer owners "get on line" and become involved (electronically at least) with the rest of our membership, I decided to start a Welcome SIG and compile a list of Buddy System volunteers.
Each month, I ask the Membership Director for a list of new applicants for membership; then, the week before the Welcome SIG, they receive a call inviting them to attend. We try to ascertain the new member's level of computing ability during this call, and if they need help to learn how to get onto the BBS and use our PCBoard software. How to do a download and decompress a file is old hat to most of us, but to a brand new modem owner, it is pretty complicated stuff. We have our communication SIG, but it takes more than one night to learn baud rate, protocol, mail doors, and PKZip and many are impatient to get started with electronic communication. This is the purpose of our mentor program, the Buddy System.
If someone wishes a Buddy, but is unable to attend the Welcome SIG, we try and match them up with a volunteer member who lives close to them. Someone who will coach them on the phone, if not in person, and answer any questions about BBSing. If a question arises which a Buddy can't answer straight off, they know where to run for help...conference 200 (Beginners), 2 (Software) or 3 (Hardware).
For the new members who can attend the Welcome SIG, our president Joe Carr tells them all about us, explains the resources available to members, how we came to be, and our ways and means. I give demonstrations of file transfer using the copy machines, how to unpack the file compression program, PKZip, then unzip some utilities. Another member calls into the BBS and shows them how to select message conferences, download a file, and enter a message. Les Fairweather, our Beginners Coordinator, has attended to answer questions and to invite them onto his Funnv Farm BBS and into the J beginners conference (200) on our board. Several of our members have also been coming to help out and make the new members feel welcome. It is good to see that there are so many of us who want to help the inexperienced members to learn how to get the most enjoyment possible from their home computer.
The purpose of this article is to reach our members who joined before we began the Welcome SIG, and who may still be out there thinking the Newsletter is the only contact they are ever going to get from us. You may be too shy to walk into a SIG of members you have never met, or into a clubhouse full of strangers. However we would like to meet you, and share our love of the computer with you. I have a long list of members who have added their names to my Buddy List and they live all the way from Sooke to Cobble Hill, even a few way up in Sidney. They are just waiting for the chance to help you get onto our BBS where you can meet everyone and get to know us via the electronic highway. Our BBS carries files and messages from all over the world. Soon we will be able to send and receive messages over the Internet from our BBS, and you will be able to bring the "wisdom of the world into your home with your modem. Please attend one of our Welcome SIGs, or give me a voice call if you would like one of our Buddies to contact you to help you get started.
We are a helpful friendly group. Some of us we hope you will soon consider friends. I am Joni Gilkin, (a.k.a. mum). I can be reached at *******[removed-ed]. There is an answering machine if I am out, and it answers on the fourth ring (just in case you don't like talking to them) but if you leave your name and phone number, I will call you back. You do not have to be a new member to be assigned a Buddy, though a modem and the desire to learn how to use it is the prerequisite.
