Hi,

The first thing to say about using this forum software is that while it's probably some of the most powerful software I've ever encountered, using it is very easy and simple (which is part of what makes it so powerful).

The second thing to say is, "Remember when you first started using computers?" You may have been one of those people who didn't want to do anything wrong for fear of breaking something. I've taught introductory computer classes, and that was always the first issue/stumbling block that had to go. I'd tell people that when it comes to hurting a computer and the software, the number one thing to remember is not to spill coffee or pop on the keyboard. "If you can avoid that, you should be all right." Same basic thing goes here.

On the most basic, common use level, this software is a simple process of clicking on a link, reading, clicking on another link, typing (or pasting things in), and repeating the process. Really. That's all there is to it. Amazing, advanced things can be done with it too, but most people won't need or want to even think about that stuff.

There are a set of basic intructions you can read by clicking on the "About" link near the top of the main forum page. Reading that, and spending about a half an hour looking around, clicking links, and maybe even trying to "Contribute an answer..." (or comment, or piece of pertinent information), should have you feeling mostly at home...

There is also a set of more extensive online directions you can utilize by clicking here. You probably won't need them (check "About" first), but they'll be here if you do.

Here are just a few of the major features of this software that make it so useful for projects like this and communication in general:

• For The Online "Record": This software creates a categorized, online record of people's ideas, actions, information, etc., that others can refer to - in the relative present, or in the future when they may be interested in the background and the library of information that's been built up over time. When comparing this feature to the nature of email communication, one of this software's major strengths stands out prominently.

• Suddenly, You're The Web Master!:Sound intimidating? Don't worry; it's automatic. Essentially what happens is everyone's input (postings, which are just as easy to contribute as a email message is to compose and send), are placed on web pages by the software. This is, in my opinion, one of the absolutely greatest, most powerful underlying features of this software: The forum is, for all practical purposes, the web site, and in web publishing the most important thing is content. It's not graphics or layout or "page flow design," but the site's content that counts. Ordinarily, that content is controlled by one person: The "Web Master." Not so here. The users of the site are in control of the content. I won't rattle on about that, but I thought I'd mention it. It's a great feature that people aren't often aware of. While you're working and communicating via this forum (it's main purpose), you'll be creating a dynamic, growing, changing web site. And, as it said on this site's "home page," the content you'll be creating may soon be content people all over the world will be acutely interested in reviewing. Interesting, isn't it?

• Working Together: A small book could be written here, but in a nutshell, as you become more familiar with this software you'll see what it's creator (Philip Greenspun), had in mind when he set out to create a "collaborative tool." This aspect is another part of what makes it so powerful... Use it, you'll see...

• Staying Current: At the bottom of the "About" page, Philip Greenspun comments that this software combines the best of the web and the email worlds. And that's just what it does. You can communicate "off-line" and more in-depth with someone whose post interests you, if you choose to, by simply clicking the email link at the end of each posting. That's a nice feature, but the real power of email comes into play when you "add an alert" (by clicking that link on the forum main page). When you do, the software will send you batched updates of any new postings to the forum at whatever frequency you tell it to. That means you can keep up with what's happening here without coming to the forum itself. This feature lends the forum the convenience of an email listserver digest while posting messages and information to the web at the same time. Be sure to add an alert.

This note could be 10 pages long, but that should be enough to get you started and give you some basic insight into why I'm so crazy about this particular program. Why I believe it's such an appropriated, powerful tool. I hope you enjoy it, get a lot of mileage out of it, and find it useful as can be.

Good luck with it!

Bill

An Important P.S. For purely technical/mechanical reasons, please don't spread word of this software around at this point. Given what I've just said, that may sound strange, but the long an short of it is that the server the software runs on is reaching the limits of it capabilities of handling the traffic. Which reminds me: You may, from time to time, encounter "busy signals," or, occasionally, other odd problems. You may go to post or read something and find that nothing happens. Be patient. That's the technical/mechanical problem in operation. I always click "Stop" on my browser and go do something else for a few minutes. I'm real busy working to solve that problem for those of us attempting to cope with y2k, but for now, just be aware of that traffic problem, and please don't add to it by spreading the word around at this point. Thanks.

-- Bill Dale (billdale@lakesnet.net), May 30, 1998