Online services alternatives.

The information superhighway has become a hot topic lately. In past columns I have discussed electronic mail, telecommunications, and teleconferencing.(1) This column focuses on alternatives for going online. A future column will discuss the information highway itself, the Internet.

Attorneys need to keep up with the times. Accordingly, here is a roundup of online services.

Older Systems: CompuServe, Delphi, GEnie, and Prodigy(2)

Each online network has a "personality." Some appeal to more technically inclined users; others interest those looking to make new friends across the country and around the world. Almost all the services offer a combination of news, sports information, weather, reference materials, shopping, shareware and public domain software for downloading, "forums" or conferences on specific topics, electronic mail, and electronic mail on the Internet. Some services offer investment information.

CompuServe Information Services (CIS), owned by H&R Block, has close to 2 million subscribers and is extremely popular among those with technical computer experience.(3) The number of forums where subscribers post messages keeps increasing and includes discussion groups for Novell, Microsoft, and Lotus Development Corp. products.

Most people involved with these technologies are on CompuServe. CIS also has an active LAWyers Special Interest Group (LAW SIG) where West Publishing posts information about its latest computer-focused products on a monthly basis. Subscribers may want to buy CIS communications software to make navigating the system as easy as possible.

Delphi is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and uses menus and submenus instead of a graphical user interface (GUI) like Windows programs or the Macintosh computer.(4) Besides providing many forums and other online services, Delphi is currently the only company that provides access to all the services and features of the Internet.

GEnie is owned by General Electric, and subscribers seem very loyal to the system, making it one of the major players in the online world.(5) Like CompuServe, this network requires users to navigate the system by following menus and typing in commands. Again, buying GEnie's communications software will help users learn the ropes.

Prodigy, a joint venture between Sears and IBM, claims just over 2 million members and is based on a GUI.(6) Although the service is easy to use, customers are bombarded with unsolicited advertisements from vendors who pay Prodigy to present their marketing materials. Those interested in shopping and getting information about products and services online will find Prodigy's services absorbing.

America OnLine and eWorld

America OnLine (AOL) is an independent service.(7) Although based on a GUI, it does not subject its users to constant advertising like Prodigy's service. AOL users move a pointer on their computer screens with a mouse or trackball and then "click" on an "icon" or picture to perform a particular function like moving to a discussion group or accessing electronic mail.

AOL uses a shrewd series of marketing techniques to attract customers. Besides providing a full-featured and comprehensive system, it gives some free software to users and provides software for Windows, Macintosh, and even MS-DOS users (if they have a GUI-compatible monitor on their computers). By early 1994, the service was growing so fast that it had to restrict access at high-volume parts of the day for a while, and the response time (the time it takes from the moment users click a mouse or tap the "enter" key to the moment when the desired action takes place) was not satisfactory. Now it seems those problems have been corrected. AOL may be the fastest growing online network.

A group of lawyers and others are testing a new service called eWorld, sponsored by Apple Computer, Inc.(8) For years, Apple has run an online service for Macintosh users called AppleLink. eWorld will cater to both Macintosh and Windows users and is based on a GUI.

A "city" concept is used to navigate the service. When subscribers dial up the system, they see pictures of buildings labeled Library, eMail Center, Newsstand, and so on. As services, forums, and conference areas are added, they can be accessed via this graphical approach.

As with AOL, users move a mouse or trackball to select what they want to do with a pointer on the computer screen. By clicking the mouse while pointing at a building icon, they enter that service or application. With such an easy-to-use system, even users with minimal typing skills can get maximum results. eWorld looks promising and should be evaluated when it is publicly available.

Other Online Services

A new kid on the block is Counsel Connect, created by American Lawyer Media, an affiliate of Time-Warner, Inc.(9) This service originally focused on large law firms but has lowered its prices to a modest $9 per month subscription fee. There is an online charge of 65<cents> per minute, which is high for online services, but there is a cap of $79 per month. The vendor has done a good job of making network access easy, even for users who have older software. The jury is still out on how this online service will fare in the marketplace.

Another new concept for lawyers is accessing Lotus Notes Groupware via online communications.(10) Lotus Notes has been successful on local area networks because it integrates a GUI with a database and it gives users the power to manipulate and create different "views" of information.

This diverse and customizable resource can provide information to lawyers at any level of computer expertise or interest. Lotus Development Corp. has jointed AT&T to provide dial-up access to Notes, which may be the ideal resource for law firms and bar associations with more than one location.(11) This service was announced in early 1994, so it's too early to tell how it will be accepted in the marketplace.

For lawyers, law firms, and bar associations, electronic bulletin board system (BBS) technology offers many significant benefits. Confidentiality is better assured because the main computer can be stored on the premises. This also makes it easier to add more hard-disk space for storage, more modems for remote access, or a CD-ROM hook-up to your system. Also, more and more BBS-based systems are obtaining full access to the Internet. Easy-to-understand information on BBS technology can be found in Boardwatch Magazine.(12)

There are many online alternatives to choose from. This summary should be a good jumping-off point to enter the exciting online community. Start with the ATLA BBS (see below), mine,(13) or a BBS in your community. Attorneys should log on to a free-to-access BBS to learn the ropes and gain confidence before dialing up more expensive services. Free-to-access systems allow users to log on without preregistering and use the system without paying a fee.

A computer modem hooked to the telephone network is a portal to worlds of information. Attorneys who hook up to online services can reach out and contact other attorneys in their fields, many types of experts, and anyone else logged on to the service. Give it a try, and send me an electronic letter. I'll be waiting for you to say "Hello!"

Notes

(1)See Paul Bernstein, Using an Electronic Bulletin Board, TRIAL, Jan. 1989, at 11; Paul Bernstein, Electronic Communication: Key to Effective Advocacy, TRIAL, Feb. 1990, at 90; Paul Bernstein, Let's Telecommunicate, TRIAL, Jan. 1991, at 58; Paul Bernstein, Telecommunications and Teleconferencing: What Are the Choices? L. OFF. COMPUTING, Spring 1991, at 8.

(2)For a more detailed description, see Kyle Schurman, Steering onto the Superhighway, PC NOVICE MAG., Apr. 1994, at 63. Available from Peed Corp., 120 West Harvest Dr., Lincoln, NE 68521, tel. [phone].

(3)CompuServe, Inc., 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd., Columbus, OH 43220, tel. [phone]. My contact is 72466,3137.

(4)Delphi, 1030 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, tel. [phone].

(5)GEnie, 401 North Washington St., VB2, Rockville, MD 20850, tel. [phone].

(6)Prodigy, 445 Hamilton Ave., White Plains, NY 10601, tel. (800) PRODIGY.

(7)America OnLine, 8619 Westwood Center Dr., Vienna, VA 22182-2285, tel. [phone]. See also Nicholas Terry, America's Lawyers--Online, L. OFF. COMPUTING, Dec./Jan. 1994, at 110. My AOL contact is PaulB143.

(8)eWorld, Apple Computer, Inc., 20525 Mariani Ave., Cupertino, CA 95014, tel. [phone]. My contact is "LAW.PaulBern."

(9)Counsel Connect, 600 Third Ave., New York, NY 10016, tel. [phone].

(10)See Paul Bernstein, Lotus Notes: Groupware Comes of Age, TRIAL, Apr. 1993, at 82.

(11)AT&T Co., 55 Corporate Dr., Bridgewater, NJ 08807, tel. [phone].

(12)Boardwatch Magazine is published monthly. Jack Rickard, Editor/Publisher, 8500 West Bowles Ave., Ste. 210, Littleton, CO 80123, tel. [phone], BBS [phone].

(13)I started the first lawyer-run BBS in the country, using "RBBS." Dial [phone], standard N-8-1 settings.

ATLA BBS: Fingers Do the Talking

ATLA's electronic bulletin board system (BBS) was created for members and staff to communicate quickly and efficiently. With a computer, a modem set at N-8-1, and ANSI or VT100 terminal emulation set at N-8-1, attorneys can access the bulletin board by dialing [phone] or [phone]. (If this looks like Greek to you, ask any computer techie to explain what it means.)

Once logged on, members can read messages in specific conference areas (like civil rights law or law office technology), download huge files (legal files and BBS-related software are available) to their computers, send messages, and upload files for other users. The Exchange's Subject Category Index, Brief Bank Index, and Deposition List are available for free in the Legal Files area. Selected briefs and other court documents may be downloaded for a fee.

This new technology was designed to be easy to use so attorneys can receive maximum information with minimal technical skills. After "playing" on the system for half an hour to learn the basics, members will be ready to tap into information and exchange messages with attorneys across the country. For information, contact Peter Larsen, ATLA's BBS system operator (Sysop), at [phone], ext. 308.