ParaNet BBS/five

ParaNet BBS/five

File Name:	five.txt
Author:	Unknown
Date:	Unknown
Posting BBS:	Unknown
BBS Main Page:	ParaNet Main Page
Key Words:	ParaNet, UFO, Ufology

PARANET:  FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING
by Jim Speiser, Director of ParaNet 1986-88

It may be a bit late to celebrate an anniversary that occurred on 
New Year's Day, but the premiere issue of CONTINUUM provides an 
opportune moment to recognize that ParaNet is now over five years 
old.  The chance to write about those first five years brings with 
it the temptation to spout off about ParaNet's lofty goals, to 
boast of its various accomplishments, and to reflect on those 
triumphs not yet realized.  Not being one to resist temptation ...

On January 1, 1986, a bulletin-board system (BBS) called "The 
Other Side" opened its doors to enquiring minds, featuring a type 
of information which had, at that time, never been gathered 
together for electronic mass consumption.  The modem world had not 
yet emerged from its MacLuhanesque infancy; very few BBSs of the 
time had ventured beyond the "games-and-utilities-for-download" 
stage.  The idea behind ParaNet was revolutionary, and yet long 
overdue; it was to be a BBS network:

  - which accomplished more than merely supporting the habits of 
computer addicts;

  - which not only _informed_, but _inquired_;

  - which covered a topic that desperately cried out for studious 
inquiry and wide-ranging dissemination:  the paranormal.

Thus was born ParaNet's first motto, which was also the embodiment 
of its basic goals:  "Answering Questions, Questioning Answers".  

>From the beginning it was intended that ParaNet link together the 
three factions of paranormal debate:  the skeptics, the believers, 
and (most important of all) the undecided, which I believe 
includes the vast majority of Americans.  As ParaNet's first 
Director, I wanted it to be a place where those of us who had 
taken a firm position on the fence would feel comfortable, and 
would be able to benefit from public discussion of paranormal 
issues by the other two factions.

And so, from the start, I actively encouraged participation by 
skeptics and the unconvinced, as well as believers.  I think it 
was this promotion of ParaNet as neutral ground, tempered by our 
common-sense approach, that has contributed most to its reputation 
as a credible network.  This tradition has continued under the 
directorship of Michael Corbin, to whom I turned over the reins in 
1988 due to equipment problems and time constraints.  Mike has 
actively sought and gained the participation of the Bay Area 
Skeptics (via the Skeptic's Board), the South Shore Skeptics (via 
Cleveland FreeNet), and other skeptics' groups.

Another goal which I saw as vital to ParaNet's success was to 
bring as many recognized investigators, authors, and researchers 
on-line as possible.  This was no small task, as most of the 
world's paranormal researchers had never heard of a modem at the 
time, let alone bought one or learned how to use it.  
Nevertheless, over the years ParaNet's bandwidth has been honored 
by communications from Marge Christenson, T. Scott Crain, Dan 
Drasin, Stan Gordon, Barry Greenwood, Budd Hopkins, Linda Howe, 
Phil Imbrogno, Dr. David Jacobs, Dr. Donald Johnson, Philip Klass, 
Bruce Maccabee, Maj. James McGaha, Dr. Mark Rodeghier, Robert 
Schaeffer, Tracy Torme, and Dr. David Webb--not to mention our own 
Don Ecker, who brings with him Vicki Cooper and our interface to 
the premiere trade publication, UFO Magazine.

I believe that both we and they have benefitted from ParaNet's 
existence.  No researcher can operate in a void.  The 
investigator's raw material, in the form of sighting reports, 
comes from data supplied by "regular people", and there is 
probably no better way to stay in touch with regular people and 
keep one's fingers on the pulse of UFO activity than through a 
computer network.  The network concept provides the investigator 
with immediacy, one-on-one contact, and instant access to a global 
communications medium.  Best of all, the same advantages apply to 
the rank-and-file user, placing him on a communicative par with 
the big-name researcher--something not possible with conventional 
media such as journals and newsletters.  It is hoped that these 
advantages will have a "snowball" effect, attracting more 
researchers, who will attract more users, who will provide more 
raw information, which will attract more researchers, and so on--
until eventually ParaNet becomes the "network of record" for the 
anomalistics field.

Of course, the "network advantage" was also bound to attract 
people of a more disruptive nature, and as a result ParaNet's 
bandwidth has also been graced by the presence of provocateurs and 
troublemakers.  But ultimately the network's collective wisdom 
prevailed over the disrupters, simply by allowing them to hang 
themselves with their own words in a public forum.  ParaNet 
survived the incursion, and may even be healthier for it.

Another accomplishment that ParaNet can be proud of is its timely 
reporting of major, fast-breaking stories, often beating 
mainstream and even trade media to the punch.  The first of these 
was the unfortunate death of J. Allen Hynek, the founder of the 
Center for UFO Studies.  By happenstance, I found out about it 
from a secondary source, confirmed it, and ran his obituary on 
ParaNet a full day before it hit the press wires.  While bearing 
bad tidings is nothing to brag about, it did prove the viability 
of the computer network as a news medium.

Then, in January of 1987, I got wind of what was being termed a 
"major breakthrough" in the Cosmic Watergate.  Piecing together 
conversations with Bill Moore, Bruce Maccabee, and Barry 
Greenwood, I put out the word over ParaNet that the upcoming 
"breakthrough" probably involved something called "MJ-12".  Sure 
enough, in March of that year Moore released the first "sanitized" 
version of the Majestic 12 documents--and ParaNet was the first 
mass medium to publish them.  It would be a full two months before 
most other people in the UFO community would even hear of MJ-12.  
Thankfully, it wasn't more than a few months later that we 
published a series of strong caveats about the veracity of the 
documents, and we _never_ took a position endorsing their 
validity.

Other notches on ParaNet's gun include the JAL 747 "Encounter over 
Alaska" (thanks to a contact in Japan), the first reporting of the 
results of the testing on the Shroud of Turin (thanks to a slip by 
one of the researchers involved in the test), and the identity of 
Gulf Breeze's "Believer Bill" (thanks to the detective work of 
Mike Corbin).  More such scoops are in the offing, and may be 
breaking on-line by the time you read this.

One of our proudest accomplishments is our reach into foreign 
lands.  Thanks to the tremendous growth initiated by Mike Corbin, 
ParaNet can now be accessed in six countries on three continents.  
And it is entirely possible that by the time this magazine goes to 
press, there will be a ParaNet node up and running in St. 
Petersburg, Russia.  I think we can all agree that ParaNet is much 
more useful because it reflects the global nature of UFOs and 
anomalistics.

Which brings me to the part where I fret about those goals we have 
yet to accomplish.  Briefly, over the next five years I would 
personally like to see ParaNet:

  - establish a major presence in more countries, especially 
Japan, Belgium, Brazil, Peru, and South Africa;

  - establish a vigorous investigative arm, with "ready teams" in 
place to track down sightings and other claims;

  - promulgate investigative standards that are palatable to all 
sides, so that the results of our investigations are viewed with 
respect;

  - establish a press liaison office, and perhaps even a wire 
service, so that the mainstream press need not fish around in the 
dark for the definitive word on a paranormal story;

  - establish a Congressional liaison office, or perhaps just a 
regular publication to quietly and reliably keep Congress informed 
on the major issues;

  - begin to delve more deeply into other anomalies, including 
crop circles, surface features on Mars, Bigfoot, ghosts, and other 
mysteries.  We need not take a position one way or the other; I'd 
simply like to see us carry more information on these topics.  
[Editor's note:  Consider it done, Jim.  See the article on the 
Blue Grass, Iowa, crop circle in this issue!]

Overall, and most important, I'd like to see ParaNet establish 
itself as the "network of record" for the field of anomalistics.  
I believe we have truly come a long way toward accomplishing that 
goal, and it would be a shame to come up short now.  For once 
that's accomplished, we will be one step closer to achieving that 
ultimate, most elusive of goals:  Finding the Answers.

For that, of course, ParaNet will need the cooperation of as many 
of you as possible.  In the end, the network is only as good as 
the people who use it.  We thank all of you for contributing to 
the growth of ParaNet over the past five years; and we hope you 
will continue to use the network and benefit from it, so that we 
can maintain our stature as "the world's most important computer 
network."