Post by BD on Aug 17, 2013 9:03:06 GMT -5
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 do.
NOTE: A copy of this post will always be available via the link at the top of the board's home page, or directly in the Documents Forum.
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. In Proboards v5, this list of page numbers always remains visible on your screen 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 the "New", it will take you to the first unread post...at least, it's supposed to. That feature can be a bit flaky.
Finally, 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.
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.
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.
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 above 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.
Some new PM-ing features of ProBoards v5 are that they're threaded (rather than just a bunch of stand-alone communications like the Agoracom post list is in chaotic unthreaded mode.) Also, you can have multiple recipients and all replies go to all participants by default (you can edit the recipient list as well).
Ads at the top/bottom of the board:
Banner ads appear at the top and/or bottom of each page. You can make them totally disappear by using Firefox with the "Ad-Block" add-on enabled. There are probably other utilities as well, for use with IE. Using one of those is a Very Good Idea
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.
ProBoards App for the iPhone:
There's an iPhone app for ProBoards:
www.proboards.com/iphone
With the free version you can browse the board, and the $3 paid version lets you post. I bought the paid version and I find it very useful.
NOTE: A copy of this post will always be available via the link at the top of the board's home page, or directly in the Documents Forum.
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. In Proboards v5, this list of page numbers always remains visible on your screen 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 the "New", it will take you to the first unread post...at least, it's supposed to. That feature can be a bit flaky.
Finally, 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.
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.
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 > All About MNKD > 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.
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 above 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.
Some new PM-ing features of ProBoards v5 are that they're threaded (rather than just a bunch of stand-alone communications like the Agoracom post list is in chaotic unthreaded mode.) Also, you can have multiple recipients and all replies go to all participants by default (you can edit the recipient list as well).
Ads at the top/bottom of the board:
Banner ads appear at the top and/or bottom of each page. You can make them totally disappear by using Firefox with the "Ad-Block" add-on enabled. There are probably other utilities as well, for use with IE. Using one of those is a Very Good Idea
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.
ProBoards App for the iPhone:
There's an iPhone app for ProBoards:
www.proboards.com/iphone
With the free version you can browse the board, and the $3 paid version lets you post. I bought the paid version and I find it very useful.