In Quebec we had this one huge mofo of a BBS called Juxtaposition that would issue the "Juxtaposition BBS List" every so often. The list was pretty complete, with description, number of nodes, what services were offered, what program it ran on etc. Putting your BBS on that list was a sure way to get started. And once a BBS has grown past a certain point, it attracts its users just by existing. Don't forget that users SEARCHED for new BBS back then and they were used to it. Not at all like today where you just sit there and everybody in the world spams you with adverts. It was more a "build it and they will come" type thing back then.
