BDPAnet: Ramp To The Information Highway
by Ollie Morgan

Success can, to some extent, be measured by where you are
in relationship to your industry trends. When Vice
President Al Gore coined the term, "Information Highway" it
was a term without definition. However, if you have
noticed, the telecommunications industry did not wait for a
definition before starting to position themselves. The same
goes for you, the professional within the industry. You
need to be in position now for what is coming tomorrow.

BDPAnet is your ramp onto the information highway. BDPAnet
is an electronic bulletin board system (bbs) supported by
the national association, and its member chapters. Through
the dedicated efforts of nearly a score of electronic
bulletin board systems operators your association currently
supports eighteen such ramps, or nodes if you are hung up
on industry terms. But, unlike the expressway you travel to
and from the office, the highway is currently dramatically
underutilized.

There are a mired of reasons for this underuse, but the
primary one, in this author's opinion, is lack of interest.
Just like any new invention, or technological application,
there must be an audience. Right now that audience is
missing. Another reason might be the attractiveness of the
product. Most will tell you they don't sign onto the bbs
because as a product they don't find the information they
are interested in. What kind of information is not
available? Not much. You can reserve a seat on a plane or
at an auditorium from your home or office using the
information highway. You can read the Bible, or the Wall
Street Journal. You can exchange communications with your
next door neighbor, or your cousin in Mobile. And, like the
telephone, calculator and personal computer, this
information highway will, one day very soon, be commonplace
and omnipresent. The question remains; where will you be in
all of this?

BDPA-Chicago has available for its membership a personal
computer located at the chapter office. The IBM Model 70 is
equipped with external modem and communications software
required to log onto our local bbs, or the resume database
system. On both systems are career opportunities that you
might want to know about, but more than that it is a ramp
onto this new highway. So, now what is the excuse? Access?
Okay, you can always call the office and request access.
But please don't be like some who make such requests and
then they, themselves, don't show up, or call, or apologize
for wasting another member's valuable time. But the ramp is
there when you are ready.

Have you given any consideration as to what this undefined
information highway is going to contribute to the manner of
life? You hear terms like "global market". This medium will
be the communications highway for that global market. Just
as purchase orders are carried online between retailers and
distributors today, the same will occur between retailers
in this country, and distributors in other countries, and
vice versa. Through this medium you could very well end up
on a team that has members scattered across the globe, and
the one thing they will have in common will be that
information highway.

And, please don't let terms throw you. Keep in mind that in
our industry we fall in and out of love with terms as
Casanova did during his time. "Enterprise systems", "Open
systems", "GUI", etc, are terms for the application of the
technology you are very familiar with. As technology
develops you could expect new terms to develop as new
applications are surfaced, but there is no need for panic.
Just a need to attend more workshops, seminars, and product
demonstrations; many without fees.

But, the information highway is here, and BDPA intends to
play a significant role in its definition. BDPAnet will be
the primary communications vehicle for National BDPA in
1995, and beyond; promise. Everyone associated with the
management and implementation of association programs and
activities will be online, and available to answer your
inquiries. Our national bylaws, and your local chapter
bylaws, are online. Career opportunities are online. Our
membership resumes are online. A good percentage of our
high school computer competition team members are online.
The President of the United States is online. The question
remains will you be online?

Let your imagination take a trip on the possibilities. Not
only new career opportunities, but those careers that will
fall by the wayside. As long as you have a need to eat you
have a need to stay informed, and the manner of information
exchange for now, and the future, is associated with the
usage of the information highway. If this trend is "good"
or "bad" for our society is yet to be measured. There could
be greater communications between us all, and that could be
termed good. There could also be less personal interaction,
and that might be termed not so good. But, whatever the
assessment, it is here.

The economy of your community is on the line, and your
future career is on that same line. Don't arrive at the
starting gate after the race is over.