• I don't understand the new format of the Bulletin Board
• What is a theme?
• How do I view the Bulletin Board?
• Who can post a message on the Bulletin Board?
• Who can read the Bulletin Board?
• How do I post a message?
• How do I reply to a message?
• How do I modify a message?
• How do I delete a message?
• How do I report an inappropriate message?
• I want to search for a message
• How do I catch up on past discussions?
• I want to view all the messages for a particular theme only
  
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I don't understand the new format of the Bulletin Board.

The new format of the Bulletin Board may look confusing at first glance, but take a closer look and you will see it is actually much easier to use.

The first thing you will see in the new board is a list of all the Themes we have setup with their descriptions. Next to it is a count of the number of discussions already underway in that theme. You can also search or view the archives from this page.

Click on a Theme to see a list of all the discussions in it. This new page will contain a list of all the discussions and a count of the number of replies to each. Click on the discussion to see the message and all the replies. Want to start your own discussion? Click on 'Start a New Discussion' at the bottom of the page. You can also easily jump to the other themes by using the drop-down list.

Clicking on the name of your Bulletin Board located at the top part of the page will always take you back to the main Bulletin Board page.

Go through the other topics in this page to understand all the new features of the Bulletin Board.


What is a theme?

A theme is an area of discussion that we at Alumni.NET have conceptualized to allow you to organize your postings. Different sets of themes exist for the different organization types. The themes will give you a starting point for your discussion from which you may branch out. After all, this is your board! If you have any new theme suggestions, send email to support@alumni.net with the subject 'New Board Theme'.


How do I view the Bulletin Board?

When you are viewing the Alumni Registry for your organization, the subjects of the 5 most recent postings on the board are displayed. You may click on them or click on the 'View Bulletin Board' link to view the entire board. You need to be logged in to view any posting (the site will ask you to do so).


Who can post a Message on the Bulletin Board?

To post a message on the Bulletin Board of an organization, you must be a member of that organization, and must be currently logged in.

When you post a message on the Board, you may choose to make the message public or private. A public message may be viewed by all members of Alumni.NET, while a private message can only be viewed by members of that organization.


Who can read the Bulletin Board?

Any member of Alumni.NET, as long as logged in, can view the board. Only public messages can be seen by all members. Private messages can only be viewed by members of the organization, who are currently logged in.


How do I post a message?

Now that the board is divided into several themes, scroll through all the themes, read their descriptions and decide where your new post belongs. Click on the theme you wish to add your post to, then click on 'Start a New Discussion' located at the bottom of the page.

A new page will load where you can type your message. Fill up the subject and message fields. You may even choose an illustrative mood icon to accompany your message. When you post a message on the Board, you may choose to make the message public or private. A public message may be viewed by all members of Alumni.NET, while a private message can only be viewed by members of that organization.

You can preview how your message will look like by clicking on the 'Preview' button. To post directly without previewing, click on 'Submit'. Remember that you need to be logged in AND a member of the organization to post a message (the sytem will ask you to do so)

Tip: Our board supports html postings. If you are familiar with html, now's the time to let the world know!


How do I reply to a message?

To reply to a message, click on the 'Reply' link located just below the author and time of post of the message you wish to reply to. Similar to posting a message, a new page will load where you can type your message. Fill up the subject and message fields. You may even choose an illustrative mood icon to accompany your message. You can preview how your message will look like by clicking on the 'Preview' button. To post directly without previewing, click on 'Submit'. Remember that the message will be posted on the board for all to see.

If you'd like to send a message to the author of the message and not the entire board, click on the author's name to view his/her profile then click on 'Send Email to Member'.


How do I modify a message?

You can modify your message before posting. To do this, after typing your message or your reply to a message, click on the 'Preview' button to see how your post will look like. To make changes, click on the 'Edit' button that will appear. To post, click on the 'Submit' button.

Once your message has been posted, it cannot be edited. You will need to post a new message, then delete the incorrect or old post.


How do I delete a message?

You can only delete a message you have posted, and only if there are no replies yet to that post. Once a reply has been posted to your message, you cannot delete the message. You know you have the authority to delete a message if the 'Delete' link appears in the post below the author and time of post. Click on the 'Delete' link, a confirmation page will appear, and your message will be instantly deleted the moment you confirm the deletion.

How do I report an inappropriate message?

If you see a message that contains inappropriate content, click on the 'Report Abuse' link located below the author and time of post. A new page will appear where you need to enter the reason for the request, and click on 'Submit'. A member of our support team will review the message and delete it if it is deemed inapproriate.

I want to search for a message

With our new Bulletin Board you can now search for a message that contains a certainword or phrase. From the main Bulletin Board page, click on 'Search for a Message' and a new page will appear. Fill in the word or phrase you are searching for, choose to search for subjects only or entire messages, and to limit your search to a certain theme. Click on 'Search' to begin the search process. Results will be displayed in another page with the word or phrase searched for highlighted.

How do I catch up on past discussions?

If you are new to the Bulletin Board and would like to catch up on past discussions, simply click on the 'Read the Archives' link on the main Bulletin Board page. You will be shown a table with the number of messages that have been posted per month displayed. Click on the number to view all the messages for the that month. While reading the archives, you have the choice of viewing all the messages by date or by thread.

Note: The messages displayed will be from all themes. To view the messages per theme, you will need to go to that particular theme and choose to view all the messages.

I want to view all the messages for a particular theme.

To view all the messages per theme, click on the theme, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on 'View all Messages by date'. You will be shown all the messages in that theme, sorted by date. A link will appear on that page to view all those messages by thread should you want to follow each discussion as they progressed.