A Critical Study of Three Free-Net Community Networks

Glossary of Acronyms and Contractions

BBS: Bulletin Board System (a computer program which allows multiple users to converse asynchronously)
CFN: Cleveland Free-Net, located at CWRU and accessible at freenet-in-b.cwru.edu
CMC: Computer-Mediated Communication (including e-mail, interactive chat sessions, and message forums)
CN: Community Network (a BBS with a community focus)
CWRU: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
FN: Free-Net (a community network which is affiliated with NPTN)
GLFN: Great Lakes Free-Net, Battle Creek, Michigan (serving Calhoun County), accessible at fc2.glfn.org
ISP: Internet Service Provider (a company that gives subscribers full Internet access via SLIP or PPP, for a fee)
MIN: Metropolitan Information Network (a Free-Net serving a large city)
modem: MOdulator-DEModulator (a device which allows a computer to exchange information with another computer over a telephone line)
NPTN: National Public Telecomputing Network, located in Solon, Ohio
PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol (a way to achieve Internet connectivity over a phone line with a modem)
RIN: Rural Information Network (a Free-Net serving a group of towns or small cities)
SIG: Special Interest Group (an group of BBS users who have been given their own space on a BBS in which to discuss a common interest)
SIGop: Special Interest Group OPerator (a person who is most responsible for running a SIG's area on a BBS)
SLIP: Serial Line Internet Protocol (a way to achieve Internet connectivity over a phone line with a modem)
sysop: SYStem OPerator (a person who is most responsible for running a BBS)
WC-SGFN: Worth County - Sylvester, Georgia Free-Net, accessible at peanut.org
WWW: World Wide Web (a massively distributed library of electronic information, accessible with a "browser")