Exploring the online world: five comprehensive online services surveyed: which is best for your business? - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, Feb, 1993 by Rosalind Resnick

Have you always wanted to have the world at your fingertips? The world, in the context of online services, runs the gamut from gaining access to weather reports; finding a four-star Thai restaurant in Chicago; downloading the latest version of an antivirus program; playing an online version of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?; getting advice on desktop publishing and design; enrolling in college courses; and shopping for software, hardware, and office supplies. In this story, we concentrate on the business benefits of five major online services: CompuServe, America Online, Prodigy, GEnie, and Delphi.

Imagine the possibilities. Networking is the operative word of these online services: You can hook up with (potentially) millions of other computer users in areas ranging from marketing to wine tasting. You'll have access to the publishers and manufacturers of popular software and hardware, including online technical support. Downloading shareware and freeware is another plus of online activity--some services are a virtual software candy store. You can access trade industry data, gather stock quotes, send a fax, or even book a seat on the next flight to Tokyo. If you work from home--running a full-time business, moonlighting, or telecommuting--an online service can help you maximize your information-gathering efforts, and keep on top of your market.

For a price. Many online services charge by the minute, then tack on surcharges for access to specialized databases, plus extra fees for things like library searches, fax transmissions, and document retrievals. Some charge annual membership fees. Others offer all-you-can-eat flat fees--but charge more if you log on during business hours or access certain databases.

So much infonnation, so little time. Though many online services now are trying to simplify their systems by offering graphical, intuitive front-end software, the learning curve can still be steep in some cases--sticking you with a rather pricey tuition.

To help you sort through all this, HOME OFFICE COMPUTING put together this buyer's guide and glossary designed to help you choose the online service that's right for you. Each of the five services profiled provides a mix of consumer and business information, interactive services, and e-mail communications in a format easy enough for online novices to master. We challenged each service with common business tasks such as booking a flight, searching a database, and sending a fax.

Is side-by-side comparison fair? After reading this story, you may decide to subscribe to more than one online service like so many others do. Someone who's looking for a better way to send e-mail, for example, may pick a different service than the person who needs to perform market research or compile a mailing list. Each service has definite advantages. For example, CompuServe has amazing breadth in its variety of special interest forums; and Prodigy and America Online have inviting, colorful, easy-to-use interfaces to make navigation more efficient; Delphi and GEnie are lower-cost alternatives to the bigger services.

COMPUSERVE

In addition to providing access to thousands of databases and publications spanning the worlds of finance, business, and government, CompuServe offers hundreds of special-interest forms where you can leave messages, ask questions, or have live discussions on topics ranging from desktop publishing to working from home. Product support from most major hardware and software vendors is also available. The service's extensive e-mall system makes it easy to upload and download files, and to communicate with the service's one million-plus members--as well as those members on America Online, and others connected through the Internet gateway.

Finding your way can be costly. For novices, CompuServe's extensive command structure can be difficult to navigate without a graphical front-end program like CompuServe Information Manager ($49.95). CompuServe costs 21 cents a minute at 1,200 or 2,400 bps; though late last year, CompuServe tried to take away the sting with a $7.95 all-you-can-eat-within-limits plan that offers access to basic services and e-mail services. Unfortunately, CompuServe chose not to include its popular forums in this plan.

AMERICA ONLINE

America Online's mission is to give you the easiest and most pleasurable time online. The computing and software department is the flagship of this service, housing forums in business, communications and networking, desktop publishing, development, education, games, graphics, music, utilities, user groups, desk accessories, and more. America Online is a piece of cake to use--simply by clicking an icon, you can dash off an online message, join in a real-time chat session, or download from a choice of over 70,000 shareware or freeware files. Running into the service's 200,000 other members with similar interests is a possibility each time you go online. America Online includes a time-efficient Download Manager that lets you select a group of files, download them all at once, and log off. Members can also exchange messages with CompuServe members through the Internet gateway.