Mystery Writers Forum

General Discussion and News => Chat => Topic started by: MysteryAdmin on October 04, 2006, 05:53:59 PM

Title: Navigating the forum
Post by: MysteryAdmin on October 04, 2006, 05:53:59 PM
The basic navigation is pretty simple.

Click on a board to see the messages there.

When you're reading a thread, if you click "Reply," then you'll reply to the thread in general. If you click "Quote" in a post, you'll reply to that post. Trim out/delete the excess stuff if you're only replying to a particular sentence.

If you have any questions, let me know.
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Bob Mueller on October 08, 2006, 02:35:45 PM
Thought I'd add a few comments here, now that we've had a few days to play around.

The applaud/smite "karma" thing is just a way to add (or subtract) from someone's reputation. If you like their post, then applaud it. If you really hate it and think it was the dumbest thing ever written, smite it. (If you think it's really completely inappropriate, use the "Report to moderator" link in every post.)

Stars (and the names like "Wordsmith," "Hack," etc are all based on post counts. I copied your post counts over from Lauri's site, so anyone new who joins us here has an idea that some of us have been around longer than others.

In general, if you want to make text bold, strikethrough, or otherwise mark it up, there are two ways to do it.
And yes, I've noticed that glow and shadow don't always work. I'll look into that.

Also, if you type, for example, a colon followed by a right parans, the software will automagically convert that to a smilie.

There's also a User's Manual available by clicking the "Help" button on the button menu, which is located just under the "Search" box.
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: CarolG. on October 08, 2006, 05:15:59 PM
"SmiTe"? It says, "smiTe" ?? :o <wiping off my glasses...>

Oy favoy! It's a good thing you explained that Bob.

Honest to god, I thought the options were applaud or smiLe. I thought, "oh how nice, we can only get good karma here!"

I apologize to anyone whom I've accidentally smitten. Honest -- I thought I was smiling at ya. :-[
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Michele Viney on October 09, 2006, 05:29:53 AM
Bob

Is the reason why I cannot see Applaud/smite to the left of my posts because I cannot applaud or smite myself?! - Just curious!

Michele
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Bob Mueller on October 09, 2006, 07:59:05 AM
Bob

Is the reason why I cannot see Applaud/smite to the left of my posts because I cannot applaud or smite myself?! - Just curious!

Michele
Yeah...smiting yourself is illegal in some states.  :D
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Michele Viney on October 09, 2006, 08:46:51 AM
::)

And to think some politians do it to themselves all the time - unintentionally of course!

Michele
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Ingrid on October 09, 2006, 01:37:51 PM
I still don't understand the purpose of "smiting".  What exactly is that supposed to do for communication? And how does one find out that one has been "smitten"?  And what is one to do then?  And what is a parans?

Ingrid (also apologizing for accidental smitings -- I click on anything to see what it does.)
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: ArlineChase on October 10, 2006, 04:28:19 PM
I read it as smile, too. Also would like to know how and where to mark messages read so they don't all come up every time. Maybe I'm just too old for this...

arline who went to her 50th High School Reunion on Saturday. ???
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Susan August on October 10, 2006, 05:37:35 PM
Arline,
I find it is really helpful to click on 'show unread posts since last visit'.  Then I instantly get everything that arrived after I last stopped by to check on things.

Susan
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Bob Mueller on October 10, 2006, 05:52:49 PM
Arline,
I find it is really helpful to click on 'show unread posts since last visit'.  Then I instantly get everything that arrived after I last stopped by to check on things.

Susan
That's what I do as well. If you go in to the regular forum view, watch the icons for each board; they change colors if there are new posts since your last visit. Once you're in the board, look for the "New" icon to the right of each thread title.
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: JIM DOHERTY on October 10, 2006, 06:57:09 PM
Arline,

Also, once you've clicked on the "Show New Messages" link, if you click on that blue "new" button that comes up on each topic, it'll take you right to the newest messages.

If you just click on the topic, you'll get all the messages that have posted so far.
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Joyce S on October 10, 2006, 08:34:39 PM
I must be blind; I don't see a "Show New Messages" link. What screen is it on and whereabout on the screen.
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Susan August on October 10, 2006, 10:27:34 PM
It may be hidden.  There is a little arrow to the left of the HOME button.  If it is pointing down, then click on it and it will open up the "User Info" section.  Under User Info you will see 6 lines, one of which says your login name.  The 3rd line should say "Show unread posts since last visit".  Click on that and voila! ;D

Susan
Title: Re: Navigating the forum -- "Show unread posts since last visit"
Post by: Joyce S on October 11, 2006, 08:47:17 PM
It may be hidden.  There is a little arrow to the left of the HOME button.  If it is pointing down, then click on it and it will open up the "User Info" section.  Under User Info you will see 6 lines, one of which says your login name.  The 3rd line should say "Show unread posts since last visit".  Click on that and voila! ;D 

I found out what the problem is. I had changed my look-n-feel setting to get the larger size print. When you do that you lose the little arrow ... etc.

So I have a big choice -- larger more legible print --OR-- the ability to zoom right to unread posts. Decisions, decisions!!!  :-\  Well, I guess it's good for me to exercise me eyes, right?

Joyce S
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Susan August on October 11, 2006, 09:00:37 PM
Joyce,
There is another alternative that Andy shared with us about a week ago.  If you hold down the Control(CTRl)key on your keyboard and move the wheel (or scroll) on your mouse, it makes all the fonts 'grow' or 'shrink' magically.  (Think of Alice in Wonderland!).  That way you can adjust to how tired your eyes are.  A malady, alas, that I often suffer.

Susan
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Jonathon on October 11, 2006, 09:12:33 PM
Applaud?  Smite?  If you hadn't told me I'd never have seen them.  So I haven't applauded or smitten anyone.

As for colour and other special effects, especially scrolling and bouncing thingies, you'll not get them from me.  Well, maybe a smiley if the old standby of sideways eyes and round bracket translate into one.

I'm not big on fancy nom-de-plume's either.  But at least everyone knows who I am first glance.  :)

Oh, and I found the spell check. :):)
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Ingrid on October 12, 2006, 05:52:07 PM
Dang!  I just found the wheel on my mouse.  Well, it's a new mouse, so maybe the old one didn't have one.  What will they think of next?

Ingrid
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Joyce S on October 12, 2006, 09:05:32 PM
Joyce,
There is another alternative that Andy shared with us about a week ago.  If you hold down the Control(CTRl)key on your keyboard and move the wheel (or scroll) on your mouse, it makes all the fonts 'grow' or 'shrink' magically.  (Think of Alice in Wonderland!).  That way you can adjust to how tired your eyes are.  A malady, alas, that I often suffer.

Susan

I saw that post; but I can't make it work. Maybe it's because I'm working on a MacBook and not an IBM-clone? I can't make any combination of buttons [fn ctrl, alt, or the button with the little apple on it] and the mouse wheel do anything but the screen moving up and down. Oh, well. Not to worry. I'll just use this opportunity to exercise my eyes.

Joyce S
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: AndyA on October 12, 2006, 09:16:24 PM
'Nicked' from another site...
Don't know if the mac bit will work...
.
Enlarging the type size
You can increase the type size for many of the online books that appear in your Web browser (if it's not a page image-based book, and doesn't require a special plugin). In many browsers, there's a "Text size" option under the View menu that lets you increase or decrease the size. A commonly supported shortcut for changing font size is to hold down the Control key (or the Apple key on Macs) and either rotate your mouse's scroll wheel (if it has one), or hit the '+' or '-' keys on your keyboard.

Andy..
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Joyce S on October 13, 2006, 07:07:44 AM
'Nicked' from another site...
Don't know if the mac bit will work...
.
Enlarging the type size
You can increase the type size for many of the online books that appear in your Web browser (if it's not a page image-based book, and doesn't require a special plugin). In many browsers, there's a "Text size" option under the View menu that lets you increase or decrease the size. A commonly supported shortcut for changing font size is to hold down the Control key (or the Apple key on Macs) and either rotate your mouse's scroll wheel (if it has one), or hit the '+' or '-' keys on your keyboard.

Andy..

Wow! I can read without squinting! Thanks, Andy.
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Ingrid on October 13, 2006, 02:14:07 PM
Byron posted on the old site that he has password problems here.  Can anyone help him get in???
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: Bob Mueller on October 13, 2006, 03:19:09 PM
Byron posted on the old site that he has password problems here.  Can anyone help him get in???
I'm looking into it, and have emailed him.
Title: Re: Navigating the forum
Post by: CarolG. on October 14, 2006, 08:05:40 AM
Don't know if the mac bit will work...
<snip> A commonly supported shortcut for changing font size is to hold down the Control key (or the Apple key on Macs) and either rotate your mouse's scroll wheel (if it has one), or hit the '+' or '-' keys on your keyboard.

It does work! Cool -- Thanks! If I hit the plus four or five times, then I can see very clearly that it's smite, not smile  :P
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