🚀 go-pugleaf

Submitted by Jane Smith, reviewed by Judy Hallman

About 50 people attended this first meeting. After viewing a
15-minute video from the National Public Telecomputing Network
(NPTN) about the Freenet, a round of self-introductions revealed
that mony of the attendees were computing-related professionals,
but librarians, educators, writers, and others with a general
interest in information exchange were represented as well. Most
had some computing experience.

Bill Hutchins, president of the volunteer Public Information
Network (PIN) which formed three years ago, briefly reviewed the
history of Freenet and PIN. Tom Grunder, an educator, started the
first Freenet in Cleveland as a small bulletin board system for
the exchange of medical information. The Cleveland Freenet is
currently operated by about 300 volunteers and often has more
than 100 simultaneous users.

PIN is now incorporated as a non-profit, tax exempt 501-C3
organization which can accept and administer funds. Members of
PIN have contacted many Chapel Hill public officials and other
area groups about its goal to establish a computer-based
information resource and exchange system which is publicly
accessible and oriented. While officials showed interest in the
project and some indicated funding might be available, none is
currently budgeted and budgets are tight.

Hutchins said there are 150 private computer bulletin board
services in the Triangle area, each specializing in a little
piece of what might be integrated into a larger, area-wide
system. In citing examples of public data already available for
private use, he referred to the Orange County land records and
information from the public school systems.

Judy Hallman reviewed some of the other electronic services
available in the Triangle: a touch-screen system at University
Mall called "24-Hour Courthouse;" 968-TOWN, a telphone touchtone
system of recorded messages; the North Carolina Information
Network (NCIN), a bulletin-board/electronic mail/database system
operated by the State Library and accessible by member
librarians; NC Cooperative Extension network, offering
agricultural extension information; Learning Link, operated by
UNC Public Television for K-12 educators; and the UNC-Chapel Hill
Extended Bulletin Board (EBB), which offers dialup computer
access to electronic mail, Usenet news, and other national and
international information resources.

Hallman defined National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN) as
"an organization of local organizations." PIN has joined NPTN,
for which it has received information about the existing and
planned Freenets and guidelines for setting up a local or
regional Freenet. Freenets are planned in several cities, but the
Triangle is the first area in the Southeast to show interest.

She then reviewed approximate costs for starting up and
maintaining an area system. Based on the experience of existing
Freenet and similar systems and other research conducted by PIN,
the major costs are staff expenses and associated overhead, with
the total operating costs coming to approximately $100,000 to
$150,000 a year. While the Freenets are operated by volunteers,
one full-time position is required to coordinate the activities,
plus at least a part-time secretary and a part-time systems
operator.

It will be the task of the funding committee to indentify and
contact funding sources. Possible sources include: corporate
donations (money and/or hardware or software); private donations;
membership fees; grants; and chargeback to non-profit
organizations for "private" electronic mail services on the
system.

Other aspects of "getting started" are increasing visibility of
the effort, organizing volunteers to help, creating and
evaluating system and user interface designs, and evaluating and
selecting software and hardware.

Hallman noted that the accomplishments of PIN -- a small,
changing group which met intermittently over past few years --
are significant, but it is apparent that more organization,
community involvement, and commitment are needed to make an area
system a reality.

She suggested that the attendees of this meeting and other
interested parties could get a lot of work done by communicating
via electronic mail. She offered registration forms for accounts
on the UNC-CH EBB to those who had modems but no current network
access. A majority of the attendees indicated they already had
network access and most of those who did not indicated they had
access to computers and modems they could use to take advantage
of the EBB.

Hallman then reviewed activities for working committees and asked
the attendees to comment on the reasonability of the goals for
each committee.


Hardware/Software/Networking/Facilities

Suggested activities:

Explore implementation details such as software and housing
facilities, communication line alternatives and costs;
investigate and recommend hardware; coordinate inclusion of
existing resources such as MicroNet (Western Carolina
University), Learning Link (UNC Public TV and Public Broadcasting
System), FidoNet, FredMail (State Dept. of Public Instruction),
the UNC VTX information servers, and other resources.


User Interface

Suggested activities:

Explore and evaluate existing systems (for example, the Freenets
based on a "city" model) and recommend interface guidelines;
draft system use policies and have them reviewed by legal experts
as necessary; and build and test prototypes of various interfaces
for useability.


Data

Suggested activities:

Identify and enter data into the system; formulate guidelines for
growth and maintenance, and timelines and milestone markers for
adding and updating data. Develop a plan that will facilitate
funding, so that corporations can see how their contributions
would be used.


Funding and Staffing

Suggested activities:

Research and present a business plan (perhaps based in part on a
needs assessment survey this committee might design and conduct);
obtain and allocate funds for short-term for activities such as
the distribution of public relations mailings and videotapes and
long-term activities such as growth and maintenance; approach
vendors and corporate groups for sponsorships; determine
memberships fees and benefits of memberships (benefits might
include newsletters and "vanity" userids); seek paid advertising
sources (public agencies such as the Dept. of Travel and Tourism
who have advertising budgets); market services such as private
e-mail for non-profit organizations; secure facilities; determine
staff requirements and recruit staff.


Publicity, Administration and Training

Suggested activities:

Write and distribute press releases and other public relations
materials via print and electronic media (newspapers,
newsletters; electronic mailing lists, triangle.freenet
newsgroup); design and distribute system account applications;
install and maintain accounts; make presentations to groups;
write and distribute end-user documentation and training
materials for "sysops."


Hallman called for volunteers for each committee, noting there
was significant overlap in committee activities so participation
in more than one committee was reasonable. She suggested the
committees work as much as possible online, using the mailing
list rtpfreenet@gibbs.oit.unc.edu and the triangle.freenet newsgroup, but
that they also schedule face-to-face meetings.

Bill Hutchins briefly reviewed some of the various network
facilities already in place in NC.

The next organizational meetings were scheduled:

Tuesday, Sept. 22 5:30 p.m., Friday Center, Chapel Hill

Tuesday, Oct. 20

Tuesday, Nov. 17

Announcements will be made to rtpfreenet@unc.edu and
triangle.freenet.

Attendees then broke into groups to discuss their tasks and
schedule further meetings.