MAJOR RAKAL'S BBS TIPS 2: POSTING NEW MESSAGES

There are two kinds of messages you can post on these boards: a new message, which will start a new "thread," or a response to an existing message. Today I will describe the process of posting a new message.

To get to the message input screen to start a new message "thread," click on the line POST A NEW SUBJECT at the top or bottom of the message list. At the top of the new screen you will see your computer's "name" listed (a word version of your IP address that indicates your domain, among other things). If you change your mind about posting a message, click the "Back" button of your browser to take you back to the main screen.

Once you're in the message input screen:

• Type a brief but descriptive subject line (required), your name or screen nickname (required), and your email address (optional but highly recommended) in the boxes provided. The subject line is limited to 75 characters (200 on The Buzz) and the name field to 25 characters. Entering your email address allows people to contact you directly if they wish to continue a gameplay off the board, set up an online game, etc., and helps readers to distinguish between posters using simliar nicknames. You can Tab between the input boxes.

• Type your message in the large box below the Email field. The text you type automatically "wraps" at the right side of the box, so there is no need to enter Returns at the end of each line, and in fact that may cause strange formatting in the final post.

• If you wish, you can provide a live link to your own or someone else's website, or to another location on Decipher's website (for example, to direct someone to the FAQ). To do this, type the URL in the box labelled "Optional Link URL". Check your spelling and capitalization carefully; it's very frustrating to readers to attempt to use a link and find that it goes nowhere. (When I first opened my own website, I listed the URL incorrectly in my own email sig file, forgetting to capitalize Rakal.html. URLs are case-sensitive, so it didn't work.) Type in a descriptive title in the Link Title box.

• After entering all of the required and optional information, click the Preview Message button (below the message box). In a few moments, your message should appear on the screen as it will appear in the final posting.

• Take a moment to skim through the message to make sure your subject line appears as you want it, that your name and email address are correct (hold the cursor over the underlined name without clicking and the email address should appear in your browser's status bar), and that all of your message appears as it should. If you see something you want to correct, click on the line BACK TO POST below the Post Message button (at the end of the message text), and you will be returned to the message input screen. If at any time before your final posting you want to erase everything and start over, click the Clear Form button below the message box.

• If you forget to enter your name or a subject line, instead of a preview you will see an error screen telling you that one of these required items is missing. Click on BACK TO POST on that screen (not your browser Back button) and you will be returned to the message input screen. Enter the missing information and press Preview Message again.

• Once you have verified your message preview, click the Post Message button below the message text. After a few moments, a Thank You screen will appear stating that your message has been posted. Click on the BACK icon below that message (not your browser Back button), and you will be returned to the main screen, where your message will appear at the top of the message list, along with other messages that have been posted since you last refreshed the screen. You do not need to reload!

• If you like living dangerously (or trust your typing skills more than I do), you don't need to preview your message; just click the Post Message Now button at the bottom of the message entry screen and it will post with previewing.

Next time I'll talk about responding to messages. The basic process is the same, but there are some important differences to note.

Jolan tru,

Major Rakal

MESSAGE BOARD TOPIC CHOICES

YOUNG JEDI
gameplay
trading
card auctions
miscellany
deck designs and
dream cards

STAR WARS CCG
gameplay
trading
card auctions
miscellany
deck designs
and dream cards

STAR TREK CCG
gameplay
trading
card auctions
miscellany
deck designs and
dream cards