Using Forums

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Using Forums
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Topics

• Overview
• Getting Started
• Profiles and Options
• Searching
• Topics
• Messages
• Participating in a Forum
• Private Topics
• Private Messages

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Overview
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Forum Components Management
Managed By
Can be Managed By
Forum
Category
Moderator
Topic
Forum Owner
Message
Moderatos and Students
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Forum ComponentsDescription (1)

• Forum
• A single collaborative space
• Category
• A subdivision that covers aspecific area

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Forum ComponentsDescription (2)

• Topic
• Any entry that is not a direct reply to another
  topic
• Message
• A reply to a messageor a newmessage

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Forum Functions

• You can
• Post new topics
• Reply to other users topics
• Edit your messages
• Receive email notifications of replies to
  messages and topics you specify
• Send private messages to other members
• Set up a "buddy list" to see quickly which of
  your friends are online

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Getting Started
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Joining a Forum

• At Colby, you are automatically made a member of
  any class forum for which you are registered
• Because membership is driven by the registration
  database it is ESSENTIAL that you LOG IN
• Enter the URL of your class forum
• www.colby.edu/fusetalk/forum/?forumidnn
• Where nn is the forum id provided to you by
  your insturctor

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Common Interface
Menu bar
categories
Number of Forum users logged in
Identity of logged in users
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Interface ComponentsMy Menu

• Private Messages
• Links to the Private Messages creation window
• Links to private messages received from other
  members 
• Buddies
• Links to your Buddys List
• Quick Search
• Enables a quick single keyword search.
• Favorites
• Lists any links to topics or messages that you
  have identified as a favorite.

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Interface ComponentsGeneral Information

• Latest news that the Administrator wants to
  highlight
• Describes the number of users who are registered
  in the forum as well as the number of users who
  are logged in
• Provides a link to view the Forum Poll

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Interface ComponentsMain Navigation Bar

• Profile allows you to view and edit details of
  your profile
• Search allows you to search messages by phrase,
  author or search users
• Help allows you to view online help
  documentation
• FAQ allows you to view Frequently Asked
  Questions 
• Chat Server allows you to chat 
• My Forums displays statistics about your
  activity within the forums allows you to export
  topics and messages 
• Home returns you to the Home Page  
• Refresh allows you to refresh the current page
• Login/Logout allows you to login or logout of a
  forum

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Interface ComponentsCategories

• A category manages topics of discussion into
  folders or groupings
• Illustrated in this section are
• A list of all the categories to which the user
  has access
• The number of topics within each category
• The date/time/author of the last posting made to
  a category
• Category folder icon
• Hover over the icon to see new messages

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Profiles and Options
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Changing Profile Information

• Click on the Profile Button
• All fields can be editedbut the username field
• Since you do not need to log in with a password,
  you should not change the password field.

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Additional Personal Options

• May be turned off by administrator
• Allows you to set other profile attributes
• Profile and eMail visibility
• Receipt of personal messages
• Disabling private topics
• Menu sidebar
• Topics per page
• Other formatting values

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Using My Menu

• News and Statistics
• Displays the current date and time, and
  announcements that the Administrator has posted
• Reports statistics regarding the date on which
  youjoined, the average number of posts created
  by you per day, and the total number of messages
  you have posted in the forum
• Subscriptions
• Displays all the topics or messages to which you
  have subscribed
• Each listed topic is hyperlinked, with details
  pertaining to the number of posts in the topic
  and when it was last updated
• Favorites
• Displays a list of topics to which you have
  identified as favorites
• Each listed topic is hyperlinked, and identifies
  in which category it resides
• Hot Topics
• Displays a list of hot topics, including the
  category in which the topic resides, the number
  of posted messages within the topic, and when it
  was last updated
• Your Latest Messages displays a list of your
  latest posted messages.  You can identify the
  number of messages to be viewed, and from which
  category.

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Author Icons

• Small images that appear above usernames
• Graphical representations of the users
  personality or style
• Are displayed on all messages that are posted to
  the forum
• To select your Author Icon
• Go to your Profile

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Searching
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Basic Search

• To search within a single category
• Enter a category
• Enter a single keyword to search for in that
  category only

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Advanced Search

• Click the search icon

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Boolean Logic

• Operators are used to do searches between two
  words or values
• AND
• Find cat AND dog
• Finds all records that reference BOTH cat and dog
• OR
• Find cat OR dog
• Find records that reference either cat or dog or
  both
• NOT
• Find cat NOT dog
• Finds only records that reference cats none that
  reference both cats and dogs

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Topics
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What is a Topic

• A topic is a subject of discussion that appears
  in a category
• Also called a thread
• Topics consist of the originating message and all
  its replies
• Multiple topics can be created within a category

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Topics
Topic Or Thread
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Topic Screen Interface
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Topic Attributes (1)

• New Topic
• Link to create a new topic 
• Navigation
• Drop-down menu that allows you to move quickly
  between categories  
• Search Category
• Enter a keyword to perform a basic search within
  the category
• Notes
• Notices pertaining to the category that are
  posted by the Administrator
• Topic Page Number
• Maximum number of topics that will be displayed
  per page
• Topic Rating
• Visual expression of the users feelings about
  their message

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Topic Attributes (2)

• Topic Title
• Short description of the topic
• Replies
• Column indicates the number of messages in the
  corresponding topic
• Views
• Indicates the number of times the topic has been
  viewed.
• Originator
• Name of the user who had created the topic.   
• Last Post
• Date and time of the last posted message

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Topic Icons
Plain Topic Icon - no status associated with this icon
New Messages Topic Icon - new messages posted in this topic since your last visit
Alert Topic Icon - topic contains important information for you to read
Alert New Messages Topic Icon - new messages have been posted in this alert topic since your last visit
Locked Topic Icon - topic has been locked and no further messages can be posted
Question Answered Icon - this question has been answered
Question Answered New Messages Icon - new messages that has been answered since your last visit
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Messages
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What is a Message

• Word communication sent by one person to another
  user or multiple users
• Can be the originating message that starts a new
  topic or it can be a response within an existing
  topic
• Also called posts

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Message Interface
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Topic Header Elements (1)

• Category Title
• The name of the category in which the topic
  resides
• Topic Title
• The name of the topic in which the originator has
  entered
• Topic Summary
• A brief description about the topic  
•  Created On Date
• The date and time on which the topic had been
  created 
• Refresh
• A quick link to refresh the page
• Topic View
• How you wish to view the messages within the
  topic (linear, threading, single, or branch)

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Topic Header Elements (2)

• Quick Reply Icon
• Creates a quick reply to the original message
• Subscribe to this Topic Icon
• A link to a window that will enable you to
  subscribe to the topic
• E-mail this Topic to Someone
• A link to a form that will allow you to send the
  URL address of the topic to another person via
  email
• Add this Topic to My Forum Favorites Icon
• A link to a window that will allow you to add the
  page to your Favorites
• View Topic in Raw Text Format
• A function that converts the viewing page into a
  pure text page (i.e. no images), which will allow
  you to print the entire topic.

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Message Body Feature Set (1)

• Topic Rating Icon
• A visual expression of your feelings about the
  message
• Date of Posted Message
• The date and time on which the message was
  posted\
• Author Icons
• The personal icon that you can choose from within
  your profile.  
• Username
• The username that you had provided during the
  Joining process.
• User Titles
• A title given to you based on the number of
  messages that you have submitted.  

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Message Body Feature Set (2)

• Number of Posts
• The total number of messages that you have
  submitted in the entire forum
• Date Joined
• The date on which you joined the forum.
• Message Text
• The body text of the message.  
• Attachments
• A link to any attachments that have been included
  in the message.
• Report this to a Moderator
• A link to a message window that will allow you to
  report any issues

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Additional Features
User Is Online
User Is Offline
View Profile
User will accept private chat
User will accept video conference
User will accept whiteboard talk
Send Private Message
Print this Message
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Message Navigation

• Reply
• Reply to the message.  
• Quote
• Quote the message 
• Top
• Go to the top of the page. 
• Bottom
• Go to the bottom of the page. 
• Edit
• Edit your own posted message only  

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Participation
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Creating a New Topic

1. Login to your FuseTalk Forum
2. Click on the category in which you want to create
   the topic
3. Click the new topic tab  
4. Enter the message title and a brief summary of
   the topic under topic summary  
5. Enter the message in the message text box
6. Click Post Message button when completed.  

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Replying to a Message

• Enter the topic in which you want to reply to 
• Select the Reply link. 
• Enter
• Message title
• Brief summary
• Message
• Press Post Message button

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Editing a Message

• Enter the category in which the topic/message you
  wish to edit resides
• Enter the topic in which you want to edit
• Click the Edit link beside the message you wish
  to edit   
• If there is no edit link that means you are not
  the originator of that message and do not have
  permission to edit this message
• Edit your message
• Click Edit Message button when done

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Viewing a Message

• Navigate to a category
• Click on a topic that is of interest
• Messages posted under that topic will appear

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Private Topics
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What is a Private Topic

• Private topics allow users to send each other
  messages that can only be read by selected
  recipients
• Private topics can include multiple users

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Creating a Private Topic

• Enter "Private Topics" category
• Click new topic button
• Add users you wish to send your private topic to
• Click "Create Topic" button
• Enter message title, summary and message per
  usual
• Click Post Message

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Private Messages
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What is a Private Message

• Private Messaging allows a single user to send a
  private message to another single user  
• Can only be read by the intended recipient

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The Private Message Center (1)

• Gain access to your Private Message Center by
  clicking on the Private Message icon
• This is hyperlinked to provide quick access to
  the private messages

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The Private Message Center (2)
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Private Message Options (1)

• Banning
• Ignore messages from other users
• Buddy List
• Identify other user(s) as your buddy
• Export Private Messages
• Export all private messages, or private messages
  received within a certain time frame
• Search Phrase
• Search for a private message based on a phrase
  identified in the field
• Send Private Message
• Enter the username of the user to whom you wish
  to send a private message

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Private Message Options (1)

• Delete Messages Created Before
• Enter the date (mm/dd/yyyy) from which private
  messages received on and prior will be deleted
• Private Message User History
• Displays the history of your messages by the
  username of the other party
• Messages
• Listing of Private Messages
• Private Messages Folder
• Select to view the Inbox or Sent folder from the
  drop-down menu.  You can also add or remove
  folders.