How NetForum Works

The forums are really quite easy to use, and you will soon be a very comfortable participant. The most important thing to understand about them is the way the message structure works. There are three levels - TOPICS, Messages, and replies.

The message structure is very much like an outline, so I'll illustrate it by using an outline format:

I. TOPIC
         a) Message related to the topic
                i. reply to the message above

When there is some discussion, it might look like the abbreviated example below. Note that the replies are "threaded", or linked to each other in a sequence that reflects the order in which they were posted, with the most recent messages/replies being on the top. If you are confused, at first, about the order in which the messages were written, take a look at the time and date they were posted -- you’ll see that the most recent is at the top of the "thread". You'll soon adapt to this style of asynchronous communication:

(Topic)WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR FLAVOR OF ICE CREAM?
(message) d) Anyone ever had peanut butter ice cream?
(reply)         i. Yuccchhh!!
          c) The Journal of American Dairymen says that chocolate is most popular
                i. I believe them.
                ii. Which Issue?
                iii. May, 1983		
                iv. That may not be true anymore
          b) I like vanilla
                i. Vanilla is too bland
                ii. No it isn't.  It's yummy!
          a) I like peach

Because these messages are actually individual web pages that are linked together, you will easily be able to tell which ones you have already read. The titles will change color after you have linked to them.

Some Things to Remember About the NetForum Structure:

• Topics in the Virtual Classroom areas will be pre-set (usually to conform to the class syllabus). Students will only be able to post messages and replies there. In the student lounges, however, anyone will be able to start a new topic, post a message, or submit a reply to an existing message.
• Messages should relate to the topic under which they are posted.
• Replies should be responses to a specific message.

The most common error in posting tends to be "replies" posted under a message that are not actually replies to that message at all, but new ideas that should have been written as a new message. The second most common is "messages" that are actually replies to an earlier message. Think a moment before you post, and decide if you are really wanting to write a reply to the message that is on your screen (which you would start to do by clicking on the "reply" button), or if you should be starting a new message by going to the message list and clicking on the icon that says "new". Try hard not to make mistakes, but don't worry too much if you do. We all make mistakes eventualy!

The Posting Procedure:
This is a pretty straight-forward process. You start by clicking on the icon for a message or reply (whichever is appropriate), and then you fill in the information on the form that is provided. Enter the name that you used when you registered, and put information in the "Subject" box that will tell the reader what your message contains.
NOTE: If your message is an online assignment, and your I of R has provided a 3-digit assignment ID for online assignments, include that in the Subject box.

You don’t have to enter anything for “organization” (we know that you are organized), and the web site information is optional, but please get into the habit of always entering your e-mail address -- that will become a hot link in your message that a fellow student or faculty member can click upon to send you private e-mail.

When you get to the "message" box, just type in your message as if it were a wordprocessor or e-mail composing window.

Most people will want to use the default "HTML" setting for their message, but you may want to experiment with what the other settings do. You can do this in "preview" without actually sending the message. (Click HERE to see some basic HTML codes that you will want to use in NetForum -- and some that you won't!)

When you think that your message is complete, click on "preview" and it will show you how the message actually will look when it is posted. If you don’t
like something, you can choose to Edit Some More and go back to change it. WARNING: the "reset" button will clear away everything that you just entered! Don’t mistake that for an editing feature.

When you are satisfied with the way things look in preview, go ahead and Post the Message.

Another Warning!:
This does not affect many students, but. . . .
There seems to be an intermittent glitch that sometimes causes a warning to appear after the Post command is invoked. That warning says something to the effect of "Document Contains No Data". If you do happen to get this message, just ignore it ... back your browser up to where the messages are all displayed, click on the browser's "Reload" button, and your message/reply should be posted. DO NOT RESEND THE MESSAGE! Doing so will only post multiple copies to the forum (and you’ll probably feel a little silly). This problem appears to happen only to a few students who have very poor connections between their computers and the GWIS server, or whose ISP is overloaded with traffic. Using a high-speed modem with error correction often helps the problem.

To return to Step Three, click anywhere on this line!