CONTENTS
WebBoard is an on-line conferencing system for the Web, whether a particular Web is part of the global Internet or on an internal network in your company or organization. WebBoard lets you communicate with other members on the Web and keep a record of your interactions, sorted topically and attached to a specific site. WebBoard users can browse through conferences, select topics of interest, look for new messages, post messages for all other users, and reply to messages directly through e-mail.
WebBoard users form a community of people who share information and ideas electronically. You can learn about the other members of the WebBoard community and provide information to them about yourself.
Types of Conferences: Public, Moderated, Private and Read-Only
Most conferences you participate in will be public - open to anyone who cares to join. Public conferences let you freely read and post messages. Other conferences may be moderated with one user exercising editorial control over what messages are posted. Moderated conferences are used to keep discussions focused.
Some conferences you participate in may be private. They are limited to specific users who are authorized to read and post messages. Private conferences allow you to discuss confidential or nondisclosure topics such as new products being developed. The fourth kind of conference you may encounter is a Read-Only conference. These conferences are used to distribute official information to WebBoard users, such as company policies or product announcements and updates. You can read, but not post messages to a Read-Only conference.
Whatever types of conferences you participate in, you'll find WebBoard an easy, intuitive way to share information and collaborate with others. This user's guide provides you with instructions on using WebBoard and making it an effective tool.
Choosing a Login Name (same as UserName)
WebBoard identifies you with two different names. Your login name is used with your password to let you into WebBoard. Your real name is used to identify you and your messages to other WebBoard users. You should choose a name other than your real name for your login name. Your login name for WebBoard is independent of any other account names you have for your system or on-line service provider. The name you select to log in to WebBoard is kept by WebBoard and not used anywhere else. The following example may help to clarify login versus real names in WebBoard.
Let's assume you work for a company that develops educational CD-ROMs. At work, you have an Internet account - jsmith@cd.dev.com. You also have an America Online account that you use from borne where your user name is HomeAOLone.
From work, you log in to a WebBoard devoted to market comparisons and competitive discussions about CD-ROMs. Part of your purpose for participating in this WebBoard is to keep up to date on your competition, but another part is to maintain your company's visibility. This WebBoard has become an important professional contact point for a large number of CD-ROM developers, user groups, and marketers. Your WebBoard login name is cd_pro and your real name is John Smith.
One weekend, you get e-mail at your AOL account from a colleague to check out something on the WebBoard. You fire up the AOL Web browser, surf to the WebBoard site, and log in-not as HomeAOLone, but as cd_pro. WebBoard recognizes you, updates you on messages that you have not yet read, adds your real name (John Smith) to the Today's Users list, and signs any postings that you make with this name. As far as WebBoard knows, you re the same person that cd_pro has always been, regardless of the method you're using to connect to that site.
To log in to WebBoard you need a login name and a password. If you are a new user, you make up your own login name and password and self-register. If you have used WebBoard before, you'll use the same login name and password as before.
If You Are a New User (or if you do not have an assigned UserName and Password)
You typically enter a WebBoard from a hyperlink on another Web page. (You can also get to WebBoard directly by entering the following URL in your browser:
http://web.server.name/webboard/$webb.exe
where web.server.name is the fully qualified domain name of the Web server hosting WebBoard. When you point your browser at WebBoard, it responds with a Basic Authentication dialog box. To finish the login procedure, follow these steps:
When you have completed the fields, press the Login as New User button. WebBoard responds with the Welcome page. The page identifies you as a new WebBoard user. The page also includes a link to the WebBoard Main Menu, from which you participate in conferences.
If You Are an Existing User (or if you have an assigned UserName and Password)
Each time you log in to WebBoard, you are asked for your name and password, as discussed above. If you mistype your name or password, WebBoard lets you try again or lets you log in as a new user. If you can't remember your login name or password, log in under a new name and then ask the WebBoard administrator for assistance.
Each time you log in as an existing user, WebBoard displays its Main Menu, from which you can participate in WebBoard conferences.
From the WebBoard Main Menu you can participate in conferences, read all new messages, change your user profile, and view information about other users. The WebBoard Main Menu contains the following selections, each of which is a hyperlink to another location in WebBoard.
To continue with WebBoard, select one of these menu options. To pick up where you left off in your last WebBoard session, choose Next Unread Message. To see all the conferences available at the site, choose List Conferences. The former choice is good for small, low-volume WebBoards where you want to read everything that is posted; the latter is a good choice for large, popular, or complex WebBoards where you want to pick and choose the messages you read.
WebBoard maintains messages in a logical hierarchy with several levels. At the top of each WebBoard is the list of conferences. WebBoard conferences are analogous to forums on other on-line services. They are also similar to Usenet news groups on the Internet. A WebBoard conference can have any number of topics, each of which has at least one message (the one introducing the topic) but may have dozens or hundreds, which are called follow-up messages.
This hierarchy lets WebBoard keep track of information in a logical, easy-to-use fashion. Sometimes called "threaded," this conversation management scheme lets you zero in on the subject that interests you, rather than have to scan through the entire list of articles looking for the ones you want to read.
When you select List Conferences from the WebBoard Main Menu, you see a list of conferences. This page is called the Conference List. Each conference name is a hypertext link to the actual conference. The link shows the subject of the conference, and the number of messages, if any. If there are any new messages, WebBoard displays a NEW icon next to the link. Below each conference subject is a short description of the contents of the conference. From the subject and the description, you should be able to determine whether or not to explore a conference further by clicking on the subject line.
The Conference List page includes a brief menu of commands, which perform the following functions:
Browsing Topics and Follow-up Messages
If you do want to explore the subject within a conference, click on the hypertext link. WebBoard opens that conference and displays the next level of hierarchy: topics and messages.
A conference begins by someone posting a topic message. Other users can respond to the topic by posting follow-up messages in response to the topic. They can also post new topic messages at any time. All messages in a topic may have the same name as the topic or a different name; however, follow-up messages are indented under the topic message The entry for the topic message shows the number of follow-up messages in parentheses. In essence, a topic message starts a conversation, and any follow-up messages continue the discussion. WebBoard's ability to let you browse by message or by topic from the complete list means you can either follow a subject exhaustively or pick and choose just the messages you want.
The Conference topic page includes a brief menu of commands, which perform the following functions:
From the Conference Topic list, select a message to read by clicking on the name of the message or using the Next Unread command. WebBoard displays new, unread messages in bold so you can identify them easily. The message page contains not only the message but also a menu of commands and information about the message and sender. The Message page includes a brief menu of commands, which perform the following functions:
Whether you like to read every message in a conference or only those on specific topics or from specific users, WebBoard's New Message Notification feature makes it easier for you to quickly see new messages of interest to you. As you browse the list of conferences, WebBoard lists the number of messages in a conference and indicates how many of them are new for you. WebBoard also displays the NEW icon (a yellow splash with black text) next to conferences that have new messages since your last login. A unique WebBoard feature is that new and unread messages are tracked for each individual user.
WebBoard also tracks messages that were in conferences before you first logged in. These are also considered unread or new messages, but to distinguish them from messages that are unread since your last login, WebBoard displays them in the color your browser uses for hyperlinks, but in boldface type.
WebBoard allows you to search for specific text in the messages. The search capability is available as a menu item on several WebBoard pages. In a search, you enter the word or words you want to look for, give WebBoard a maximum number of messages to return, and specify whether you want WebBoard to return just the message title or the line of text that contains your search string as well. When WebBoard finds messages that match your search criteria, it lists them by date order, grouped by conference. Each entry on the list is a hyperlink, so you can click on any message and view it from the Search page.
The Search Messages page includes a brief menu of commands, which perform the following functions:
Conference bulletins contain general information that is useful for all participants of a conference. A bulletin might mention upcoming events or release of new products. In a moderated conference, a bulletin often describes the conference's focus and goals and tells something about the moderator. Conference bulletins can contain any text, graphics, or other HTML.
When a conference bulletin exists, the menu item Bulletins on the conference topic page is a live hyperlink. To read the bulletin, click on the Bulletins menu item. You should get in the habit of checking conference bulletins so that you'll always be up to date on the latest information about your participation in that conference.
Once you become familiar with conferences, you will want to post messages. You can post follow-up messages to existing topics or entirely new topics. The procedure for doing so is the same, except you use a different menu command, as described in the preceding sections. This section explains how messages are displayed to other readers and then how to post messages.
Appearance of WebBoard Messages
Since WebBoard messages can be read only through a Web browser, the body of a message is interpreted as HTML. As in any HTML document, you can include hyperlinks, images, and other HTML tags in your message. Be careful with images because they can be large and may take a long time to load on another user's system.
When you create a WebBoard posting, you will see a check box titled, "Convert blank lines to HTML paragraph tags." WebBoard formats what you type as HTML output when your message is posted. Typically, to separate paragraphs in HTML, you use the <P> HTML tag. WebBoard can simplify your HTML editing by assuming that any blank line - that is, any time you press the return key twice in succession-means the same as a <P> tag. If you don't check this box, your paragraphs will run up against one another.
WebBoard also gives you the option of previewing your message before it is posted to the conference. If you use HTML formatting heavily, you should select the preview option to make sure you've used the right HTML tags, that you've turned off any special formatting characters (such as using </A> at the end of a hyperlink reference), and the like.
A new topic message begins another topic in a conference. If you have something to contribute to the general subject of the conference but it is not a response to an existing topic, then start a new topic by posting a new message. If you are the first visitor to a conference, you will have to post a new topic message.
To post a new topic message to a conference, follow these steps:
The next time you visit this conference, you will see your new topic posted-and perhaps some follow-up messages.
Posting a follow-up message uses the same basic steps as posting a new topic message, with a few simple differences:
Sending a Reply to an Individual
Some responses need to be shared with all the WebBoard participants, while others apply only to the individual that posted a message. WebBoard lets you choose whether to post a follow-up message, as described in the previous section, or to reply privately to the message author by electronic mail. To reply to the author privately, choose E-mail Reply from the menu of options on the Message page. Since this function uses your Web Browser's mail capability, your browser must be set up to send e-mail. See the manual or on-line help for your Browser. WebBoard itself does not provide electronic mail capability.
Participating in or Running a Moderated Conference
The purpose of a moderated conference is to keep discussion focused on the conference's purpose. To this end, moderators are selected to verify messages before they are posted to the entire conference audience. The WebBoard administrator assigns moderators to moderated conferences.
From time to time, a moderator may choose not to verify a particular user's message. In such cases, the moderator should send a short, polite note to the participant whose posting was not accepted, explaining why it did not fit the conference's published goals. The moderator may wish also to make suggestions about what the participant might change to make it appropriate. The best way' to prevent inappropriate messages or unhappiness for users whose messages are rejected is to post clear goals and guidelines for the conference. Using a conference bulletin or the first topic in the conference is the recommended manner.
The mechanics of operating a moderated conference are relatively simple. The moderator sees a slightly different conference topic page than regular users. To the right of each message are two checkboxes: Verified and Delete Msg. If the message is suitable, the moderator checks the Verified box. If not (and the problem can't be resolved privately), the moderator checks the Delete Msg box. The moderator must press Save Changes to post (or delete) the messages to the list. The moderator should regularly check for new messages and post them quickly, so the conference discussion can continue.
Participants in a moderated conference read, reply, and post normally. (E-mail replies do not go through the message verification process, but are handled as normal mail messages.) The only difference users may observe is that their messages do not appear in the conference until the moderator has verified them. The amount of time that this takes varies with the volume of messages for a particular conference, the moderator's time constraints, and many other factors. If you feel messages are handled too slowly, you may want to contact the WebBoard administrator or moderator directly.
You can delete one of your own messages if you don't want the rest of the participants to read it. To delete a message, follow these steps:
Your user profile is a way of letting other WebBoard participants know a little bit about you. When you first log in as a new user, WebBoard asks you to fill out the new user form, as described earlier in this chapter. This information (except for your login name and password) is then displayed whenever you or another WebBoard user clicks on your real name within WebBoard
You can edit your user profile at any time. To do so, select the Personal Profile option from the WebBoard Main Menu and change the appropriate fields. You should keep your personal profile up to date, editing it for the following reasons.
Before becoming a WebBoard user, you may have participated in some kind of on-line communication such as a bulletin board system, an electronic mailing list, or Usenet news group. If so, you've probably come in contact with the concept of on-line etiquette, sometimes called "netiquette." You may even have violated it at one point. If you have, you almost certainly knew about it right away from the responses that flooded your e-mail or from the irate, furious, or insulting follow-up posts that dogged your article for the next several days. In short, if you've violated netiquette, there's a good chance you've been "flamed-that is, been the subject of vitriolic on-line comments made in the relative safety and anonymity of distant electronic communication.
This section offers some pointers to help make sure you don't get flamed, or at least to let you see why you did. Online communication works best when everyone is working to keep things moving in the same direction. Whether you know it or not, you have a personality and a function in the on-line community in which you participate. You have a say in how you are perceived on line, both by what you choose to say and how you choose to say it.
Five Tips for More Effective Online Communication
In general, it's a good idea to ask yourself the following questions before replying to a posting in WebBoard (or any other on-line forum for that matter):
Five Tips for Less Effective Online Communication
Just as the preceding tips are suggestions for ways you can make your on-line communication more effective and more powerful, the following tips are things you should try. not to do, or at least characteristics of messages that you can begin to recognize as bad netiquette: