e_Board Frequently Asked Questions
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indicates an new Topic.
indicates a reply.
Some terms
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A "Thread" is a list consisting of a Topic and all of its replies.
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A "Topic" is a message that starts a thread, and isn't a reply to another
message.
The main Topic Page is divided into three parts:
The Links Bar:
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[View Archived Messages] - Click here to view messages that are older
or that the sysop feels are important enough to keep. Click [View Current
Messages] to return.
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[Expand Threads] - A "Thread" is a list containing a topic, and all
replies to that topic. Click here to view a list of all messages: topics
and replies.
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[Subscribe] - Click here to read if you want to receive, via e-mail.
a copy of all posts to this board.
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[Post Message] - Click here to scroll to the form and post a new message.
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[Help] - I'll bet you've already figured this one out! ;-)
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[Exit Board] - Click here to leave the message board area, and return
to the host's home page.
The Topic List
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A "Topic" is an original message. Here you'll see the Topic line
of each message. The newest ones are at the top. If you
expand the threads, replies to a message appear directly below that message
and are indented. If threads are collapsed, only new replies will appear.
To read a message, just click on the highlighted message subject.
Each message also shows the date that it was posted, and if a message
is recent, it will be labeled "NEW".
The Topic Form- These are used to post a message.
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Name: Type your name (or a nickname) here.
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E-Mail(Optional): If you'd like people to have the option of sending
you E-Mail, enter your address here.
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Topic: This is the topic of your message. Try to make it as
specific as possible. For example "Confused about POV" is much better
than "A Question," or the proverbial "HELP!!!!" ;-)
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On the Topic Form, you'll have the option: Check if you want to receive
replies via E-mail. This is only available if you are posting a
new topic.
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Message: Type your message into this field. Make it as
short as you can, so that more people will read it. Many just don't
read long messages.
NOTE: The next three boxes are optional.
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Link URL: Does your post refer to a web site? If so, enter
the URL here, and a link will be added to your message.
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Link Title: If you typed in a Link URL, Enter a title for the
URL here. This Title will appear as a link at the end of your message.
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Image URL: If you have a picture on the web that you want to
include with your message, type its URL here
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Click [Preview] to view your message for errors before you post it.
Follow the instructions at the top of the Preview page.
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Click [Post It] to place your message on the message board.
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Click [Reset] if you want to start over.
If you read a message and want to post a Reply, you can do it directly from
that page. Let's look at the parts of the Message Page:
The Link Bar:
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[Read Replies] - This scrolls you to the list of replies to this page.
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[Post Reply] - This scrolls you to the Reply Input Boxes, so
that you can post your response to the message you just read.
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[Back to Board] - Returns you to the main message board page.
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[Admin] - Administrators use this link to edit the board.
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[Help] - Gets you here.
The Message:
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Here you'll find:
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The poster's Name. If the name is highlighted, you can click
on it to send E-Mail.
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The Date and Time that the message was posted.
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The Message itself. (finally!!)
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If the poster included an image with their message, it will appear at the
top of the message. If they have included an URL, it will appear at
the bottom.
The Replies:
If someone has already responded to the message, their messages will be visible
here. Just like on the Main Message List, you can click on any
of these messages to read them.
The Reply Form:
These are exactly like The Topic Form, with three
exceptions:
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The Topic Box will contain the topic of the original message, with
a Re: in front of it. This shows that your message is a response to
the original topic. You can edit this, or leave it as-is.
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The Message Box will include the original message, with a colon at
the start of each line, to indicate that those lines were "quoted" from the
original message. You may edit these lines, or leave them as is. (If
you're responding to a small section of a rather large message, you can cut
the quoted part down,so that it just includes the relevant part of the message).
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You can't choose to receive e-mail replies to a reply. Only to a new topic.
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