FX MAGAZINE, April 1995

Coffee a la Modem

SF NET - Wayne Gregori 

The idea for the coffee house network or the virtual cafe was conceived in our Noe Valley kitchen, February 1991. My wife Jill and I were discussing the woes of a society that is continually breaking itself into smaller and smaller groups. I realized that my life's most important experiences had come from dealing with people outside my social milieu, and that I had learned early on that whether it was living with my Cajun shipmates while working off- shore in Louisiana or discussing politics with snobby French socialites while attending school in Paris, it was exciting to understand how others lived and interpreted the world. 

All.my eye-opening experiences had begun with simple dialogue, and I immediately thought of using a BBS (Bulletin Board System) to initiate such dialogue and extend that experience for myself and others. But though I saw the BBS as a way to help bring people together, initially I was disappointed. It didn't help cross social boundaries. Most BBS's aggravated social isolation by further categorizing 

people; what I hoped would be an exciting journey outside my social bounds turned out to be more connections with white collar professionals, programmers, stu- dents and hacks - people who had done much the same as me, and were on much the same rung of the social ladder. 

The solution was simple and straightforward; create an affordable network for those who wanted to participate from home, and provide public terminals, inex- pensive and easy to operate, for non-computer owners. The system would have to be subscriber supported so as not to have to bend to the whims of investors. 

We watched computer prices fall through the floor, allowing us to think of them as a disposable product. I built our first 12 cafe terminals, and then we turned our attention to finding the right locations. Having spent a great deal of time in cafes in France, I understood what made a good cafe and how important they are to the community. We also knew that people used BBS's as a cyberspace hangout and that our public locations would need to be places where people felt comfortable just... hanging out. 

After lots of talking, jumping up and down and just plain selling we had our six - initial SF NET cafes and the concept had been launched. SF NET has now been serving the cafe crowd and the alternative net crowd (those who shun the large commercial networks) for almost four years. It is in a constant state of change, trying to find the right mix of cyber elements that will allow a community to grow and mature. We have had our share of prob- lems, ranging from computer hackers to community hackers. I had not played social custodian and arbitrator in the past, but with the help of our users we have been able to make decisions that empha- size personal freedom and social responsibility. 

The service looks very similar to hun- dreds of other services in the area offering Internet mail, Usenet Newsgroups, share- ware software, local forums, on-line games and interactive chat. But the differences begin with the type of people who use those services. SF NET's real mission is to help create a common culture for people who have little in common. The simple act of putting a public terminal in a coffee house in a less affluent neighborhood introduces technology to a few curious people who might otherwise live in fear of the technological revolution. Once these brave cafe goers have tamed the beast technology, they bring friends to demon- strate their new skills. Taming that beast allows them to overcome their fears which in turn unlocks a door to a world of people. The skills that they are sharpening are people skills. The long lost art of conversa- tion is being born on computer networks and people are learning how to enjoy themselves once again just by conversing. 

There is the drama online. One never knows who will drop a quarter into an SF NET machine and join the conversation. Is he a she, she a he... a criminal, prostitute, priest, politician? Not knowing is real excitement because anyone who has participated on SF NET for any length of time knows that everyone leaves some impact on the community, virtual or other- wise. SF NET doesn't pick and choose who will be allowed in or who will be turned away. An eager participant's best calling card is conversation; if you are willing to add to the madness with a contribution of 

humour, drama, sarcasm or information then you are welcome. 

The landscape of BBSing has changed. significantly since we introduced our system; there are more and more people, a much broader spectrum of society, buying computers and modems. But no matter how many people buy computers there will always be a need for public access to the Data Highway even if it is on a country road like SF NET. 

For some, it is sheer entertainment, for others it is the support network they never had, and for others it is simply a way to get a little closer to people and make life more enjoyable. For me and Jill it is a connection to people who have enriched our lives and those of our children. It has taught us to be more tolerant and it has 

revived our confidence and faith in people. The modern human has little use of the imagination. The less s/he uses it the more likely s/he is to forget how to connect with our most powerful inner tool of enjoyment and fulfillment. SF NET, by contrast, has a bland and simple presentation method. There are no graphics and all communications are done in the simplest of fonts, Courier 10. There is literally nothing to colour one's imagination other than the words of others. 

So the question remains: Who is behind the words on the screen? As the commercial networks sign up droves of overworked, bored yuppies and stiff-necked business people, SF NET will be taking a few quar- ters and signing up the others. Who would you rather talk to?