A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series:
I found a number of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago. I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a while back. Since then I have been posting the contents here.
Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie who used to run the “Close Encounters” Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.
A specific definition of this SIG was found in a document on one of the disks: “This SIG, known as ‘Close Encounters’, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.”
This service was text based and was accessed via whatever terminal program you used on your computer to dial in to Delphi’s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don’t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and probably wouldn’t be in such archives even if they existed.
This post includes the contents of DM0913.DOC which is dated September 13th, 1985. I believe that ‘DM’ in this case stands for Direct Mail which appears to have been Delphi’s version of e-mail. This document contains several such emails from September 10th and 11th, 1985. Subject matter includes the possibility of using the SIG to sell items (adult books and perhaps toys) among other topics.
See the previous post here.
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DM0913.DOC
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read 1
#1 10-SEP-1985 18:04:45 MAIL
From: BOS1A::JJM
To: CABUYS
Subj: OUR FIRST DATE
GREAT TALKING WITH YOUR TODAY..IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE A FEW THINGS IN COMMON..I'
D LOVE TO GET TOGETHER AGAIN..STAY IN TOUCH..ID LIKE TO BECOME FRIEND
S .
JAY
MAIL> re
To: BOS1A::JJM,CABUYS
Subj: RE: OUR FIRST DATE
Enter your message below. Press CTRL/Z when complete, or CTRL/C to quit:
Dear Jay,
I too enjoyed our chat and I'm sure we will become friends.
I look forward to seeing more of you in the sig too!
<hugs>
-Connie
^Z
New mail on node BOS1A from CABUYS "CONNIE"
Press RETURN to return to reading your mail
MAIL> delete 1
MAIL>
#2 10-SEP-1985 22:13:28 MAIL
From: BOS1A::JOHNMYSELF
To: CABUYS,JOHNMYSELF
Subj: shopping
now for our next trick...
what (if anything) shall we do with the shopping service?
let me see - good books, so called 'adult' books, toys ,
maybe we should consider what we can do with it and set up a
test situation to try it out.
and then we have to set up the other things - contest and membership
drive. Think we should hold off on memebrs a bit longer till they
kill a few more system bugs. <especially tymnet>
ps: I Love You
MAIL> re
To: BOS1A::JOHNMYSELF,CABUYS
Subj: RE: shopping
Enter your message below. Press CTRL/Z when complete, or CTRL/C to quit:
JOhn,
The problem with shopping is this, as far as I am concerned: I can't see
how we can approach vendors to sell their products thru the sig unless
we know for certain that we will be around longer than six months.
Keep in mind that most of the other sig managers (corection *all* of the
other sig managers) run their sigs in connection with their regular work
and have all the connections etc in place that we don't. That means we
are going to have to work a little harder, I guess, however I am not even
sure what kind of legal arrage\eg\ngements, ei\ie\ie contracts, they have
with their vendors, if any.
I have in mind contacting one outfit known as Twenty-One. It is a book
club for adults and would be a good test candidate, especially since they
already have the experience ocx\xc\f dealing with mail orders. If i can
find out about the "contracts?\?\" or "agreements", then I will contact
Twenty-One.
ANy ideas?
-Connie
^Z
New mail on node BOS1A from CABUYS "CONNIE"
Press RETURN to return to reading your mail
MAIL>
#2 10-SEP-1985 23:44:59 MAIL
From: BOS1A::RODM
To: CABUYS,RODM
Subj: OOPS - Soap Box!!!!
126 10-SEP 23:40 Noteworthy News
become a part of the sig
From: RODM To: ALL
Hello EVERYONE!
I do not have any role in the workings of this sig but I cannot begin
to tell you how much it has had to do with the workings of my life!
I have to believe many of you find things here that you have never or
seldom have found elsewhere and if that is true then this sig has done
it 'part' for you and behaps you don't realize it but there are some things
that you can do in return for it !
Rather than be redundant of these things let me invite you to read the
"Announcements" that have already gone by as well the new ones as they are po
posted, and take part in such things as the forum, polls, and conferences.
Afterall all of this is here for you !
Really now! - Ain't Life GREAT ? - And so is this SIG !
Enjoy!,
Rod
MAIL> d
MAIL>
#3 11-SEP-1985 03:43:04 MAIL
From: BOS1A::TIGLON
To: @ NAMES
Subj: TIGGY'S REQUEST!!!
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
NEWS IN BRIEF ANNOUNCEMENTS
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
TIGLON Productions 1985
All rights reserved
Due to the overwhelming popularity
of the "Premier" Issue of ==News In
Brief== sent out on Monday, I have been
requested by other subscribers for
a little more "personal" approach to
my little paper. (WHAT?? You say you
missed the first issue? You can still
receive your very own...just send email
to TIGLON and request it!)
!*!*!Fellow Delphions!*!*!
What I need is YOUR input: ie-
special interest items, birthdays,
hints, BBS information, lottery
winnings (please include amount!),
jokes, birth announcements, and so
forth. All the info will hopefully
bring us all a little closer together
on the tele-lines! Send all your data
to TIGLON as soon as possible for
future issues.
*******Deadline for Monday mailings
is Sunday at 12am EDT.*******
SEND IN THOSE TIDBITS!!!!!!!!
Thanks again for the comments and
suggestions from the last mailing!
They were all greatly appreciated
and needed!!
See ya in the email nodes!!
TIGLON
Publisher/Editor/
MAIL> d
MAIL>
#4 11-SEP-1985 07:04:21 MAIL
From: BOS2A::CABUYS "CONNIE"
To: BOS1A::TIGLON,CABUYS
Subj: RE: TIGGY'S REQUEST!!!
Hi Gayle,
Consider this my request for your very first issue of News In Brief!
I just can't imagine how I missed it! <grin>
-Connie
MAIL> d
MAIL>
