Computer User
Encyclopedia
Computer User is a computer magazine originally founded in 1982, and which, after several owners and fundamental changes, is still in business today online
as computeruser.com. This is not to be confused with a magazine briefly published under the name of Computer User by Tandy
for users of its Tandy computer.
use, Computer User was originally founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota
as a free monthly magazine published by Computer User, Inc. a Minnesota corporation
. Steven Bianucci, Publisher. (Harvard, 1981.) Dale Archibald, Editor. Diane Teeters, Advertising Sales. (Gustavus Adolphus College, 1980.) Revenues were derived from advertising
. Computer User took advantage of a tradition in the Twin Cities
metropolitan area of placing free publication newsstands in business districts
and stores
. The magazine, printed originally in black and white with one spot color on newsprint
, proved immediately popular with distribution, eventually hitting many hundreds of sites and a circulation around 25,000 in the Twin Cities for a full color piece on newsprint paper. It was then still free to pickup but could be subscribed for mail distribution for $34.95 per year.
Computer User won numerous awards such as this from 2001 or as now listed on the current publishers website awards.
Computer User became franchised
to 18 metropolitan U.S. markets wherein Computer User provided content and the local publisher provided advertising and some local content. At some point, based on a reference from the University of Minnesota
Library the publisher was Computer User Publications, Inc. Computer User was sold to M. S. P. Publications - a highly successful Minneapolis based magazine publisher. MSP published Computer User until 2004, when paper publication ceased and the enterprise and web based name rights were sold to ComputerUser, Inc. a New York State registered company.
, assembled in part or in whole by the user. Computer User articles
might include personal experiences, advice on how to use software, and expert advice columns.
In the first decade before the internet
a very popular feature was a complete local list of computer bulletin boards
. The monthly index of these, which frequently changed because they were usually based on someone's home computer
, included the bbs name, a phone number one could dialup with your computer modem, a list of the modem speed(s) offered (not all were as exists today. The most common speed available to home users then was 300 baud
or "bits per second."), and a summary of the topics or interests of those using the bulletin board. It was, in the 1980s and 1990s a form of social networking and a very important reason many people read the magazine. The magazine also published an equally popular index of Computer User Groups and their meeting
schedules. Some were generic but others were focused on a single type of computer such as Tandy or Commodore. The magazine list enabled one to go to a meeting and ask other enthusiasts how to do things in a world where there was no other source. Therefore the magazine often published articles aimed at the groups and how to use them.
Online magazine
An online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
as computeruser.com. This is not to be confused with a magazine briefly published under the name of Computer User by Tandy
Tandy Corporation
Tandy Corporation was a family-owned leather goods company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Tandy was founded in 1919 as a leather supply store, and acquired RadioShack in 1963. The Tandy name was dropped in May 2000, when RadioShack Corporation was made the official name.-History:Tandy began in 1919...
for users of its Tandy computer.
History
In the beginning years of publicly popular computerComputer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
use, Computer User was originally founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
as a free monthly magazine published by Computer User, Inc. a Minnesota corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
. Steven Bianucci, Publisher. (Harvard, 1981.) Dale Archibald, Editor. Diane Teeters, Advertising Sales. (Gustavus Adolphus College, 1980.) Revenues were derived from advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
. Computer User took advantage of a tradition in the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area of placing free publication newsstands in business districts
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
and stores
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
. The magazine, printed originally in black and white with one spot color on newsprint
Newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
, proved immediately popular with distribution, eventually hitting many hundreds of sites and a circulation around 25,000 in the Twin Cities for a full color piece on newsprint paper. It was then still free to pickup but could be subscribed for mail distribution for $34.95 per year.
Computer User won numerous awards such as this from 2001 or as now listed on the current publishers website awards.
Computer User became franchised
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
to 18 metropolitan U.S. markets wherein Computer User provided content and the local publisher provided advertising and some local content. At some point, based on a reference from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
Library the publisher was Computer User Publications, Inc. Computer User was sold to M. S. P. Publications - a highly successful Minneapolis based magazine publisher. MSP published Computer User until 2004, when paper publication ceased and the enterprise and web based name rights were sold to ComputerUser, Inc. a New York State registered company.
Content
Computer User's style was, from the beginning, focused on the user of the then new micro computers. Nearly all other publications national and local focused on more the more technical aspects of having a computer, many of which were homebrewHomebrew (video games)
Homebrew is a term frequently applied to video games or other software produced by consumers to target proprietary hardware platforms not typically user-programmable or that use proprietary storage methods...
, assembled in part or in whole by the user. Computer User articles
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
might include personal experiences, advice on how to use software, and expert advice columns.
In the first decade before the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
a very popular feature was a complete local list of computer bulletin boards
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
. The monthly index of these, which frequently changed because they were usually based on someone's home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
, included the bbs name, a phone number one could dialup with your computer modem, a list of the modem speed(s) offered (not all were as exists today. The most common speed available to home users then was 300 baud
Baud
In telecommunications and electronics, baud is synonymous to symbols per second or pulses per second. It is the unit of symbol rate, also known as baud rate or modulation rate; the number of distinct symbol changes made to the transmission medium per second in a digitally modulated signal or a...
or "bits per second."), and a summary of the topics or interests of those using the bulletin board. It was, in the 1980s and 1990s a form of social networking and a very important reason many people read the magazine. The magazine also published an equally popular index of Computer User Groups and their meeting
Meeting
In a meeting, two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal setting.- Definitions :An act or process of coming together as an assembly for a common purpose....
schedules. Some were generic but others were focused on a single type of computer such as Tandy or Commodore. The magazine list enabled one to go to a meeting and ask other enthusiasts how to do things in a world where there was no other source. Therefore the magazine often published articles aimed at the groups and how to use them.