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Tips On Using Our 'Senior Moments' Chat Board
Posted By: Ginger
Date: Sunday, 31 August 2003, at 3:48 p.m.
Tips On Using Our 'Senior Moments' Chat Board
A Bulletin Board (or BBS or forum or Message Board or Chat Board) on the Internet is a great places to share with other like-minded people. You can exchange opinions, advice, comments, information, ideas, jokes, news and just about anything that might be of interest to you. You may just read the posts and comments (called lurking), or post your own comments, pictures and other URLs.
When you want to post a new message, click on the 'Post New Message' button at the top of the Index Page (the Index page is the page that lists all the messages). There is also a place to respond beneath each posted message, just scroll down until you see it.
Click in the 'Your Name' space, and type your name. You can use your real name or a nickname. This name will appear as the author of the message.
The 'E-Mail Address' space is where you put your email address, but you do not have to put in your email address if you don't want to. If you do put in your email address it will be seen as a link that others can click on to contact you.
In the 'Subject' space you put the subject of your post or just a short message. If no message is entered in the message box "NM" (which means "no message") will appear after the text to tell readers that there is no other message besides what is in the Subject box.
In the 'Message' space type your message. This is what the reader sees after they click on the Subject you typed in the previous step.
Above the 'Optional Link URL' and the 'Optional Link Title' it reads, "If you'd like to include a link to another page with your message, please provide both the URL address and the title of the page". This means if you want to share a web page with others you would type in the URL of that web page in the 'Optional Link URL' space, or you can copy and paste the URL in that line.
Next to the 'Optional Link Title' is the space where you type a name for the link you typed in the previous step. Or you can just type 'click here'. This will show up in a different color and underlined in your posted message. And guess what? You have just created a hyperlink!
Next it reads, "If you'd like to include an image (picture) with your message, please provide the URL address of the image file". This is where you type in a link to an image you want to display like a picture of you or your pet. Remember, in order to post a picture it has to be already on the Web. You cannot link to pictures on your hard drive. If you have your own Web site, you will be able to upload pictures from your hard drive to your web site. The photos have to be in .gif or .jpg format, as they are the only ones that will show up on the Web. After they are on your web site, find the image and right click. A little dialogue box will come up. Left click on 'view image' and you will get a web page with just that picture on it. Go up to the "Location" or "Address" box on the tool bar at the top of the page and do a copy of that URL. Paste this in the “Optional Image URL” and you have posted a picture!
"If you'd like to have the option of deleting your post later, please provide a password (CASE SENSITIVE!)". This is where you can choose a password. Only you will know your password. The password is only necessary if you wish to DELETE a message that you have posted. To use this feature, enter your password at the time you make the "post" on our message board. Thereafter, our board should remember your password. There is no problem if you don't fill in a password, but you can't go back later and delete your message. If you need to have a specific message deleted and did not use a password, please tell me the message number and then it can be deleted for you. The message number can be found by opening the message in question, and then noting the number at the end of the URL in the Location box.
"If you'd like e-mail notification of responses, please check this box". This feature on our chat board gives you email notification of all responses to your posts and is checked by default. If this box is checked, our board will automatically send you an email telling you that someone has posted a message in regards to your entry. You need to include your email address if you want email notification of responses to your posts. If you do not want to get email notification of responses to your posts you must make sure this box is not checked, so just click it.
Click the 'Preview Message' button to see how your message will look. It is a good idea to check any links to see if they are working before you post. If you wish to change something go down to the message box and make your changes. At this point the message has NOT been posted.
When your message is the way you want it, click the 'Post Message' button, then our board will automatically take you back to the Index Page.
About User Profiles
It is fun to create a profile and the how-to-directions on our chat board are easy to follow. Please take a minute to create a 'Profile' of yourself – the bonus will be no one else can then post as you because your name will be tied to your password and without that no one can use your name! My only suggestion would be not to put in personal information like your phone number or address unless you want everybody to know it. If you have created a Profile you may also change your password. Go to 'Edit Profile' and there you can enter a new password.You can access the profiles of other posters by clicking on 'View User Profiles', and then clicking a user's name or by clicking a user's name from the 'Top 30 Posters' page.
If you are like me and can't remember everything (oops! Another Senior Moment) you could copy these instructions. Then open a new word document and do a paste. You could print them out and have them next to your computer when you are posting on our board.
To copy, select what you want to copy and then use the hot keys, 'Ctrl + c'.
To paste, click where you want to past the info and then click 'Ctrl + v'.Note: 'Senior Moments' is NOT a Chat Room, which is a whole different thing.
Smiley Faces
"Smiley" faces will appear when you type the appropriate text.
If you type an * followed by BG and then another * you get
If you type an * followed by yawn and then another * you get
If you type an * followed by shifty and then another * you get
If you type an * followed by wow and then another * you get
If you type an * followed by spin and then another * you get
If you type an * followed by rolleyes and then another * you get
If you type an * followed by looney and then another * you get
If you type an * followed by jester and then another * you get(Hey, this might be a good one to put in after the subject so we all know it is a joke?)
If you type an * followed by thumbup and then another * you get *thumbi[*
If you type an * followed by thumbdown and then another * you get *thumgdown"Tip: To make sure you have the right smiley face, click the Preview button at the bottom of the form next to the Post Message button and you can see how your post is going to look. If you wish you can edit it. Remember, the message has not been posted so you still must hit the Post Message button, and then you will be taken back to the Index Page.
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