(Note: This thread is a part of the Millennium Salons onscreen Instructions. If you've stumbled on this by accident, or this seems a little out of context, that's probably why. If you'd like to view the instructions - designed to get you familiar with this forum software ASAP - just click here.)

When you click on any one of the subjects on the list on the "top level," it will open the related file. Immediately below this entry you see the word "Answers," the original answer, comment, example addition to this "main topic." In addition, below the word "Answers," you will see the practice comments people such as yourself have made. the first "Answer" explains how to make an addition to a thread. Read that and try it now.

-- Bill (billdale@lakesnet.net), April 16, 1998

Answers

To answer a question, make a comment, or add to the discussion or "thread," simply click on the link at the bottom of the thread (you may have to scroll on down a ways) that says, "Contribute an answer to..." (the subject. In this case, Forum Instructions Example Question/Comment.)

That will bring up another screen where you enter your name, email address, and then type (or paste in) whatever it is you have to contribute. When you're finished, click submit, and your comment will be added beneath the previous reply.

And that's all there is to it. Be sure to proof read your postings, as there is no facility for you to edit them once they're posted. And, as mentioned, if you're not comfortable typing in a text entry box, you can type your response in an email program or word processor and paste it into the text box.

The size limit per message is approximately 1 1/2 to 2 printed pages. Longer posts will have to be posted in consecutive posts. If your posting is too long, you'll get a message from the software that says, "Ouch!"

If you paste any emails in here, be careful. It will probably be simplest if you just copy and paste the body of the email in, and type the name of the person it came from, the date, and any other header info you feel is important. One of the more powerful features of this software is that it accepts HTML. It's too much to go into here (see the "Advanced: Using HTML" section of the instructions), but the long and short of it is that email headers seem to have something in them this software interprets as HTML. One of the things about using HTML in this software is that if you use it in one place in your post, you have to put it everywhere. For example (if you're familiar with HTML at all), if you wanted to make a bold headline using the bold tag, you would then have to be sure to put paragraph tags between each paragraph. If you don't, your posting winds up as one solid block of text without any distinction between paragraphs. So be careful about pasting email headers in here (and with HTML - read the instructions first).

Try adding an answer now. Don't worry about what you say. Just type a sentence or so to see how it works. Scroll down to the bottom of the page now, and look for the blue link that says, "Contribute an answer to Forum Instructions Example Question/Comment."

(And by the way. Should you want to comment or converse directly with the any person posting here, you can contact them by clicking on their email link at the end of their comment.)

-- Bill (billdale@lakesnet.net), April 16, 1998.

This is a sample answer/question.

-- Rodger Stevens (page11@cdsnet.net), May 10, 1998.

This software promises to be of great benefit for the discussion of positive community oriented solutions to our collective Y2k challenges and I am grateful for that. A couple of suggestions re: the instructions and practice section that got me here. A) Don't even refer to the HTML stuff until after have practiced the simple stuff here as I am doing. I suggest getting people to use the system as quickly as possible rather than simply reading about it. B) Rather than having user scroll to bottm of previous screen have them hyperlink there so that they can more quickly add their comment/answer.

-- Edward Alpern (edmalpern@aol.com), May 10, 1998.