I feel that the page on "Joining Fidonet" doesn't make it clear at all to new users that one can read and write messages simply by registering on a BBS. It talks about requiring an application and a process that people who just want to

exchange messages would find far too complex.

There's this info on the "What is Fidonet" page

"Certain systems can be reached as well via FTP, TELNET or e-mail attached files.
Individual echomail areas may be gated and accessible via Usenet News.

Accessing Fidonet via BBS is gaining in prominence.", but probably it might be helpful to have a link to that at the top of the "Joining Fidonet" page.

something to the effect of...

"You can join Fidonet to exchange messages or join as an operator. Operators are
required to fill out an application (see below). To exchange messages, there are
several different ways, such as this, this, and this..."

--
-Andy


... MultiMail, the new multi-platform, multi-format offline reader!
-+- MultiMail/Linux v0.52

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Re: joining Fidonet
By: Andrew Alt to All on Sun Aug 18 2019 15:17:48

I feel that the page on "Joining Fidonet" doesn't make it clear at all to

new users that one can read and write messages simply by registering on a BBS.

that's not joining fidonet... users do not join fidonet... they join BBSes which may be part of fidonet...

It talks about requiring an application and a process that people who just

want to exchange messages would find far too complex.

then they are looking in the wrong place... see my first line above ;)


)\/(ark
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then they are looking in the wrong place... see my first line above ;)

Maybe separate the two things, and have a separate page where you explain that it's not necessary to be a fully fledged fidonet node to participate, but that you can do with any out-of-the-box mail reader?

I myself started as a grunt BBS-user before I realized that I wanted to take
the sharing one step further, and put up my own BBS (in May 1989) and then connect it to the fidonet BBS-network.



..

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