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November 21, 2009

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Webboard Tutorial

VII. Reading Conference Messages

The conference menu shows the list of conferences and messages available to you, and provides a link to new messages. The names of conferences and the subject lines of the topics and replies appear in combinations of either red or blue text, and as either plain or italicized text. Individual browser preferences or the preferences set for your board by your instructor may override the colors of visited and unvisited links listed below. The following list shows the meaning of each text format:

red: a visited link

blue: an unvisited link

plain: a previously read message, or one marked as read

italics: a message that has never been read since your first login (even if you have marked all messages read).

Message subject lines and authors names appear as links. Once you've read a particular message, your browser records whether or not you've visited the link represented by the subject line. If you click on the name of the message author, you'll view their profile. Once you refresh your window, the message links and links to profiles you've visited will change from blue to red.

Note: Since it is the browser, not WebBoard, that keeps track of visited links, which messages appear visited versus unvisited will be consistently represented only if you always use the same machine to access WebBoard (and you're the only one who uses the machine to access WebBoard). This doesn't mean you must use the same machine all the time, only that the link colors may appear different from one machine to another.

WebBoard also keeps track of messages you've marked read-this is separate from the process of your browser keeping track of visited links. Unread messages appear as italics. Once you've read a message, its link will appear in italics until you tell WebBoard to refresh your screen (using the Refresh button).

Navigating Conferences

WebBoard displays the list of conferences in your board, but will only show you the messages in one conference at a time. To view the messages in a conference, click on the name of the conference. If there are more than 20 messages in a conference, up (t) and down (u) arrows will appear next to the name of the conference. Click on the arrows to scroll up and down through the list of messages. To close a conference, click on its name again, or click on the name of another conference.

Navigating and Taking Action on Messages

Each WebBoard message has a message menu above the header with links that move you to other messages, allow you to post new topics, reply to other messages, and edit or delete your messages after they've been posted. These links will appear red or blue, or not as links at all, depending on what actions you've already taken on the message, whether or not it's the first or last message under a topic, or whether or not there is another topic following it. The list below defines the function of each link.

TOP moves to the first message (topic) in the thread.

Post opens a new message form.

Reply opens a new message form with the subject line of the current message.

Reply/Quote opens a new message form, quoting the body of the current message and retaining its subject line.

Email Reply calls up a new message form in Web-browser's mail reader, or other client email program (e.g., Eudora) if already launched. This allows you to send a private reply. The To field of the new message is automatically filled in with the email address of the current message's author.

Delete deletes the current message; you can only delete a message that you authored.

Edit opens the current message and allows it to be edited; you can only edit a message that you authored. Note: this option may not be available for some courses.

Previous moves to the message before the current one.

Next moves to the message after the current one.

Previous Topic moves to the topic before the current one.

Next Topic moves to the topic after the current one.

Reading a Message

To read a specific message in a conference, do this:

Open a conference by clicking on it.
From the list that appears under the conference name, click on the subject line (either a Topic, or a reply) of the message you want to read.
The message will appear in the right frame (with frames on), or in a new window. If you have Full Topic View on (the default setting), then you will be able to view the entire thread relating to the message you chose.
To view another message, click on its subject line in the Conferences menu.

Marking Messages as Read

WebBoard cannot automatically store information about which messages you've read; it is necessary to tell WebBoard to mark messages as having been read. You can only mark all messages in a specific conference, or all messages in all conferences; you cannot mark messages read one by one.

Note: if you do not mark messages read by one of the following methods, you will receive incorrect "New Messages" reports from WebBoard the next time you log in to the system.

Marking messages in a single conference as read

Click on the Mark All Read button at the top of the screen.
In the Mark Messages Read window (see the example below), click on the name of the conference in which you want to mark all messages as "read." The system will inform you that "All messages in "conference name" have been marked as read."
Click the browser Back button to go back to the main page of your board.

Marking messages in all conferences as read

Click on the Mark All Read button at the top of the screen.
In the Mark Messages Read window, click on the Mark All Conferences Read link. The system will inform you that " All messages in all conferences have been marked as read. "
Click the browser Back button to go back to the main page of your board.

Checking for New Messages

When you log in to WebBoard, the Welcome screen will inform you about new messages. You can view them as a list by clicking on the "You have x new messages" link, or by clicking on the new messages link at the top of the Conferences menu.

The new message list appears as an alternate version of the Conferences menu. Instead of displaying all messages for your board, this screen shows only the threads containing new messages. This allows you to follow prior discussion leading up to the new messages, which appear in italics. Read these messages just as you would the regular Conferences menu.

When you are finished reading the new messages, click the Mark All Read button in the menubar and select the conferences you just finished reading.

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