Post by liane on Aug 17, 2013 11:46:32 GMT -5
ProBoards Hints for New Users
(Written by BD, updated February 20, 2021)
If you've never used a "ProBoards" board before, here are some good things to know and take advantage of. I'll be updating this thread periodically with additional features as I discover them or as member questions guide me to.
The Documents and User Tips Area of the Board:
This document is part of a number of posts in the subboard mnkd.proboards.com/board/11/documents-user-tips ... please familiarize yourself with the topics of the other documents in this area. It's worth looking them over.
Seeing NEW Posts:
Posts now appear in forward chronological order (newest last) within a thread.
When there are more than one page of posts on a board, or more than one page of replies to a post, you may go directly to page n by clicking on the desired page number that always appears at the top of a thread list or post page. This list of page numbers always remains visible on your screen ("floats") as you scroll up and down through the entries. This is a very cool feature.
If the small word "New" appears to the left of a sub-board name or a thread subject line, there have been new posts to that board/ thread since the last time you viewed the thread. If you click on that little icon, it will take you directly to the first of those new posts. (At least, it's supposed to. That feature can be a bit flaky.)
At the top of each page is a "Participated" link that displays "New" when threads you have been active in have been updated, and you can see them all by clicking on "Participated" and then go directly to any thread you want.
Finally, on the home page in the "Forum Information & Statistics" section at the bottom of the screen, you'll find links named Recent Threads and Recent Posts. These each give you a way to see all recent board activity on one consolidated page, rather than having to browse in and out of the various sub-boards.
Quick post previewing:
While viewing the thread list for a board, if you hover over the subject line of a post for a second, the first part of the post will appear in a little Tooltip-type popup window. For short posts, the entire content will fit in the popup.
Referring to other members in posts:
If you precede a member's ID with the @ symbol (e.g., for a member named john, you write '@ john' (without the space) in a post, the system will turn that into a hot link to that user's profile (e.g., john ), making it easy for anyone to check their post history, PM them, etc. Note, however, that you have to know the user's actual login ID; if they have configured a different "display name", using that display name won't work.
How to place a member "on ignore":
If you want to ignore a poster, click on their user name, and in their profile, click on the "gear" icon in the upper right. Select "block" and you're done.
You can remove members from your "blocked" list by going into your profile, "Edit Profile", "Privacy", and deleting entries from the "Member Block List" at the bottom of the page.
Board navigation:
If you look up near the top of the page, just below the menu bar, there's a line that looks like this:
You can click anywhere in that line and you'll be taken directly to that section of the board. I find this to be the easiest way to navigate around the board; easier than creating a bunch of browser bookmarks. But that's just my own experience.
Bookmarks:
If you're reading a thread and you'd like to bookmark it for later attention, the board can do it for you. At the top of the thread, if you pull down on the "Action" menu, you'll see a simple selection called "Bookmark". If you select that, the thread will go into your personal set of bookmarks.
Then, up at the top of the screen, a new menu option, "Bookmarks", will appear (if it wasn't there already) between "Profile" and "Messages". You'll find your bookmarked threads all nicely held in there, where they'll stay until you remove the bookmark manually from within that Bookmarks area.
Private Messages (PMs):
ProBoards has a Private Message (PM) feature; up at the top of the screen, a little number in a balloon will appear about the word "Messages" in the menu bar to indicate how many new PMs you have, if any.
Because that little balloon is easy to miss, I actually requested a better notification feature and a ProBoards volunteer created one for me. I've installed it here. It pops up a little window when you have any new PMs, and you can go directly to the PM list. Or, you can close the window or even ignore it completely and it will go away after 5 seconds.
Please make use of this PM feature, it's a very easy way to communicate with other members (including the staff).
In your board Preferences (Profile... Edit Profile... Privacy), you can block specific members from PM-ing you.
Time Zone and DST:
ProBoards requires that each member select their own time zone and DST on/off settings (they're in the Profile). The default time zone is EST, with DST adjustment off I believe. So you may need to turn that on in order to see the correct time at the top of the board.
Getting the Staff's Attention:
If you see any posting activity that seems like it requires some action from the staff (either inappropriate somehow, such as spam, offensive language, or otherwise against the board rules, or perhaps it is your own post that has passed the 60-minute editing limit and you'd like a change made) you can request attention from the next available staff member by clicking on the Report Post link in the "gear" drop-down menu on right-hand side near the top of the post. This will give you a chance to describe the issue, and any staff members who are on line will be notified.
You can also PM an admin or a global moderator for assistance, but no other staffers except the ones you PM will be able to see the message.
(Written by BD, updated February 20, 2021)
If you've never used a "ProBoards" board before, here are some good things to know and take advantage of. I'll be updating this thread periodically with additional features as I discover them or as member questions guide me to.
The Documents and User Tips Area of the Board:
This document is part of a number of posts in the subboard mnkd.proboards.com/board/11/documents-user-tips ... please familiarize yourself with the topics of the other documents in this area. It's worth looking them over.
Seeing NEW Posts:
Posts now appear in forward chronological order (newest last) within a thread.
When there are more than one page of posts on a board, or more than one page of replies to a post, you may go directly to page n by clicking on the desired page number that always appears at the top of a thread list or post page. This list of page numbers always remains visible on your screen ("floats") as you scroll up and down through the entries. This is a very cool feature.
If the small word "New" appears to the left of a sub-board name or a thread subject line, there have been new posts to that board/ thread since the last time you viewed the thread. If you click on that little icon, it will take you directly to the first of those new posts. (At least, it's supposed to. That feature can be a bit flaky.)
At the top of each page is a "Participated" link that displays "New" when threads you have been active in have been updated, and you can see them all by clicking on "Participated" and then go directly to any thread you want.
Finally, on the home page in the "Forum Information & Statistics" section at the bottom of the screen, you'll find links named Recent Threads and Recent Posts. These each give you a way to see all recent board activity on one consolidated page, rather than having to browse in and out of the various sub-boards.
Quick post previewing:
While viewing the thread list for a board, if you hover over the subject line of a post for a second, the first part of the post will appear in a little Tooltip-type popup window. For short posts, the entire content will fit in the popup.
Referring to other members in posts:
If you precede a member's ID with the @ symbol (e.g., for a member named john, you write '@ john' (without the space) in a post, the system will turn that into a hot link to that user's profile (e.g., john ), making it easy for anyone to check their post history, PM them, etc. Note, however, that you have to know the user's actual login ID; if they have configured a different "display name", using that display name won't work.
How to place a member "on ignore":
If you want to ignore a poster, click on their user name, and in their profile, click on the "gear" icon in the upper right. Select "block" and you're done.
You can remove members from your "blocked" list by going into your profile, "Edit Profile", "Privacy", and deleting entries from the "Member Block List" at the bottom of the page.
Board navigation:
If you look up near the top of the page, just below the menu bar, there's a line that looks like this:
MannKind MNKD Message Board / Documents and User Tips / ProBoards hints for new users
You can click anywhere in that line and you'll be taken directly to that section of the board. I find this to be the easiest way to navigate around the board; easier than creating a bunch of browser bookmarks. But that's just my own experience.
Bookmarks:
If you're reading a thread and you'd like to bookmark it for later attention, the board can do it for you. At the top of the thread, if you pull down on the "Action" menu, you'll see a simple selection called "Bookmark". If you select that, the thread will go into your personal set of bookmarks.
Then, up at the top of the screen, a new menu option, "Bookmarks", will appear (if it wasn't there already) between "Profile" and "Messages". You'll find your bookmarked threads all nicely held in there, where they'll stay until you remove the bookmark manually from within that Bookmarks area.
Private Messages (PMs):
ProBoards has a Private Message (PM) feature; up at the top of the screen, a little number in a balloon will appear about the word "Messages" in the menu bar to indicate how many new PMs you have, if any.
Because that little balloon is easy to miss, I actually requested a better notification feature and a ProBoards volunteer created one for me. I've installed it here. It pops up a little window when you have any new PMs, and you can go directly to the PM list. Or, you can close the window or even ignore it completely and it will go away after 5 seconds.
Please make use of this PM feature, it's a very easy way to communicate with other members (including the staff).
In your board Preferences (Profile... Edit Profile... Privacy), you can block specific members from PM-ing you.
Time Zone and DST:
ProBoards requires that each member select their own time zone and DST on/off settings (they're in the Profile). The default time zone is EST, with DST adjustment off I believe. So you may need to turn that on in order to see the correct time at the top of the board.
Getting the Staff's Attention:
If you see any posting activity that seems like it requires some action from the staff (either inappropriate somehow, such as spam, offensive language, or otherwise against the board rules, or perhaps it is your own post that has passed the 60-minute editing limit and you'd like a change made) you can request attention from the next available staff member by clicking on the Report Post link in the "gear" drop-down menu on right-hand side near the top of the post. This will give you a chance to describe the issue, and any staff members who are on line will be notified.
You can also PM an admin or a global moderator for assistance, but no other staffers except the ones you PM will be able to see the message.