English Composition 1
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Using WebBoard: Writing Messages
Writing messages in WebBoard is not difficult, although you need to understand a little about how to click the correct links to put your message where you would like it to appear.
Imagine that Lisa wants to post another message in response to the original posting under "Discussion of Thoreau's Essay." She would begin by clicking on the title "Discussion of Thoreau's Essay." The original posting will open up at the right side of the WebBoard screen (illustrated below).
To write her response, Lisa would click "Reply" above the message she is responding to. She should not click "Post." Clicking "Post" would add a new topic to the conference, which would appear directly under "Revised Draft of Essay 1" (above). Clicking "Reply" will put Lisa's message in the correct space.
Once Lisa clicks "Reply," a screen will open in which she can write her response. As illustrated below, because Lisa is responding to a posting under an existing topic title, the title of the topic is automatically inserted in the small box near the top of the message screen. The larger box will be empty, and it is in this box where Lisa will write her message.
You should leave the series of boxes that you can check as they are, but check "Attach file or picture" if you are planning to send a file attachment with your message (as when you submit essays).
Once you have finished your message, click on the "Post" button to the right of the title box. (Do not click on the "Post" button in the blue menu bar that appears at the top of the WebBoard screen.)
After she clicks "Post," Lisa will see the preview screen below. This is important: the message is not yet posted after you click "Post" once. The preview screen shows you what your message will look like once it is posted and also spell checks your message, highlighting misspelled words in blue. You can click on the misspelled word to correct it, or you can click on your browser's "Back" button to make the corrections.
After she has previewed and proofread her message, Lisa simply clicks "Post" in the preview screen to post her message. Her message is now posted, and she will see that message in the right side of the WebBoard screen (below).
Because Lisa's message is a response to the original posting by the instructor, Lisa's new message will line up evenly under the other messages in the "Discussion of Thoreau's Essay" that were also posted in response to the instructor's message.
WebBoard puts the word "New" after the title of Lisa's posting and italicizes the title to let other members of the class know that this is a new message. Under "Conferences," there is also the indication that we have "1 New" message posted.
To read Lisa's new message, we would click the "Discussion of Thoreau's Essay" title that is italicized. We could also click on the first title of "Discussion of Thoreau's Essay" (posted by Randy Rambo) to read all of the message posted under that topic, including Lisa's new message.
If you want to reply not to the original posting by the instructor but to another student's posting, simply click "Reply" above the message written by the students.
If you click "Reply" above Lisa's message, your message title (on the left side of the WebBoard screen) will be indented under Lisa's message title to indicate that your posting is in response to Lisa's message.
Clicking on the correct "Reply" button helps readers understand where messages should logically appear in the discussion thread, clarifying whose message you are replying to.
You also have the "Reply/Quote" option, which gives you a message box with the original message you are responding to copied into the box. You also have the option to "Delete" your message once it has been posted or to "Edit," or make changes to, your message. Please note that when you are responding to messages in WebBoard, you should not click "Post." You should click "Reply."
Finally, there is also a "Post" option along the blue menu bar that runs across the top of the WebBoard screen (below). However, this button is only for posting new topics in conferences, not for replying to messages under existing topics. You should not use this "Post" button to write messages.
With just a little practice, you should have no problem writing and posting your messages.