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By the mid-1980s, CompuServe was one of the largest information and networking services companies, and it was the largest consumer information service. It operated commercial branches in more than 30 US cities, selling primarily network services to major corporations throughout the United States. Consumer accounts could be bought in most computer stores (a box with an instruction manual and a trial account login) and awareness of this service was extremely high. By 1987, the consumer side would be 50% of CompuServe revenues. The service continued to improve in terms of user interface and offerings, and in 1989 CompuServe purchased and dismantled one of its main competitors, The Source.
The corporate culture was entrepreneurial, encouraging "[[skunkworks project]]s". Alexander "Sandy" Trevor secluded himself for a weekend, writing the "CB Simulator", a chat system that soon became one of CIS's most popular features. Instead of hiring employees to manage the forums, they contracted with sysops, who received compensation based on the success of their own forum's boards, libraries, and chat areas.<ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/media-telecommunications/internet-www/10555321-1.html The INTERNET, ARPANet, and Consumer Online, by Michael A. Banks; Jan. 01, 2007] {{
=== Newspapers ===
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Before the widespread adoption of the [[Internet]] and [[World Wide Web]], the United Kingdom’s first national major-brands online shopping service was developed by the UK arm of CompuServe/CIS as part of its proprietary closed-system collection of consumer services.
Andrew Gray set up CompuServe UK's operations as the European arm of the US company back in the late 1980s and later became the company's European general manager, while David Gilroy was CompuServe's UK director of customer services. The service continued to grow and offered technical support managed by Suzanne Gautier and sales managed by Colin Campbell.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sw.csiac.org/techs/abstract/057810#.VPiuZzqeyfQ|title=COMPUSERVE UK EXECS DEPART FOR INTERNET VENTURE.|publisher=|accessdate=26 May 2015|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402110806/https://sw.csiac.org/techs/abstract/057810#.VPiuZzqeyfQ|archivedate=2 April 2015|df=}}</ref>
The service was proposed by Paul Stanfield, an independent business-to-consumer [[electronic commerce]] consultant, to Martin Turner, Product Marketing Director for CIS UK, in August 1994. Turner agreed and the project started in September with rapid market research, product development and sales of online space to major UK retail and catalogue companies. These included [[WH Smith]], [[Tesco]], [[Virgin Megastores|Virgin]]/[[Our Price]], Great Universal Stores/[[GUS (retailer)|GUS]], [[Interflora]], [[Dixons Retail]], Past Times, [[PC World (retailer)]] and Innovations.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/high-streets-big-names-go-online-1617420.html |title=High Streets’ Big Names Go Online |publisher= The Independent | location=London |first=Nigel |last=Cope |date=28 April 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/home/compuserve-in-first-uk-on-line-shopping-launch/2036995.article |title=CompuServe in First UK On-line Shopping |publisher= Marketing Week}}</ref>
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