One of my Master's students did his thesis on Fidonet back in 1991 (you might find a copy through the Texas Tech University library). We pulled a paper out of it that was presented at ICA in 1992 - here's a link to that part: http://web.cci.utk.edu/~bates/papers/ica92-FIDOINFO.pdf As I recall there was also an online survey component (conducted through Fidonet) to the thesis. I'm at ECREA now, but can see if I have that data and if it's still accessible (it may be on an old floppy disc) when I get back to the office. Drop me a line after Nov. 1 if you're interested. Ben Bates College of Comm & Info, University of Tennessee, Knowville

Message: 1 Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:30:54 -0700 From: Kevin Driscoll <kedrisco@usc.edu> To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org, franceshaw@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Air-L] Air-L Digest, Vol 99, Issue 25 Message-ID: <CAC=7SkyxW5PSDfqhDJp=YJToBYWF=4JyK+B00hs9rZ1R787OxA@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Hello Frances,

I am currently working on a dissertation project on the technical and social history of Fidonet. Jason Scott's 8 episode BBS documentary has been an invaluable resource:

http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/

Scott's narrative focuses primarily on events in the U.S. and Europe but provides a useful starting point for scholarship in the area. There are also uncut versions of many of the interviews available on archive.org and textfiles.com.

Best of luck with your project. I'm looking forward to hearing more!

Kevin Driscoll PhD candidate Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism U. of Southern California

On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 3:00 PM, <air-l-request@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

...

Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:42:15 +1100 From: Frances Shaw <franceshaw@gmail.com> Subject: [Air-L] Comparative literature on bulletin board systems (BBS)

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working with Gerard Goggin at the University of Sydney on a study of Bulletin Board Systems and their place in the cultural history of the Australian internet. The study will include oral histories by former (and current) participants in BBS.

However we're hoping to include some comparative data and analysis on BBS use in other countries, particularly in Asia. This would include analyses of how BBS are understood in broader culture and media, as well as ethnographic studies and oral histories of BBS use.

We're particularly interested in research on BBS from China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, but other studies would also be very welcome and useful!

If anyone has any suggestions of literature on BBS, please let me know.

Older research (from the 1980s on) would also be very useful.

Thanks in advance,

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