How do you manage the new boards?

[Kay in Cal]

Hey, boardies! After a two week vacation in Florida, I returned to find all new boards :eek:. OK, I got a couple of email heads-up, so I wasn't THAT shocked.

 

My question is: How do you manage your board reading?

 

I'm not familiar with the tools and format yet. Is there a way to see more posts on one page? How do you mark what you are reading/have read? How far back do you go when you check the boards--I know updates move up, but is there a way to tell how far back you have scrolled?

 

In the old format I could scroll top to bottom, see the whole thing in a few minutes. Since I've been back, I've tried to read a couple of times, and ended up wandering off in confusion. Old habits die hard. At this rate, I'll never be a larvae! Help me, Obi-Wan, you're my only hope!

[RoughCollie]

Go to the User Control Panel (top left on the page) and click on "edit options". Scroll down and check it out. You can view up to 50 posts per page. Explore the User Control Panel for more interesting ways you can tweak the boards for your viewing pleasure.

[Kelli in TN]

I just keep clicking on the "New Posts" link at the top and it gives me the threads that are updated.

 

It takes some adjustments but I love smilies :) and I love the ignore list.

 

I am so glad to see you back!! I am going to see if I have an rep power left and if I do I am going to sling you some rep just for coming back!!!

 

Now you go use the search function to find out what my last paragraph meant!! Go on, it is your first research project on the new boards!!;)

[PariSarah]

Hey, Kay!! Welcome back! We missed you!

 

What do I do? Hmmmm . . . not sure. I post much less frequently now, I think. I usually hop on, check "new posts" for one or two pages, and then check to see if any of my recent posts prompted a reply. Every so often I remember to do a search for my name in case somebody is hallooing me.

 

I miss a lot more this way. THere's lots more threads I just don't see. Which is maybe a good thing.

[ELaurie]

I was just thinking about you and your dh this morning. Welcome back!

 

Just to encourage you, I can't think of anyone who is more of a technophobe than I am. If I don't know what an icon will do, I'm terrified to click on it because I'm afraid I'll never be able to undo what I've done :o

 

After a week of so on the new board, however, I am finding my way around. This is a huge accomplishment for me, but I am motivated :)

 

The best trick I have found is to "subscribe" to any thread that interests me (click on "thread tools" at the top of the post). When I check the boards in the morning before school, I limit myself to only those threads in my "subscribed items" file (click on "quick links" at the top of the board).

 

If I check in later in the day, I scan the same threads again, deleting of filing any that are no longer active or interesting. I scan the entire board at the end of the day, going back several pages, and start the process over again. There's probably a better way to do it, but this has streamlined the process for me, and it allows me to check in quickly without losing track of the threads that interest me.

 

I miss the feel of the old board too, especially the feeling that we're all sitting around in SWB's living room chatting about life and home schooling.

[ELaurie]

Somehow (I'm sure someone her can tell you) the board automatically lists any thread I post a reply to in my "subscribed items" file. Then I don't have to do it every time, and I can check back to follow those threads.

[Brenda in FL]

I leave the default the way it is when the board first opens and read just the first page. This way I might catch new posts on previous threads that may be interesting - but won't spend too much time doing it.

 

Then I go down to the bottom and choose "thread start time" and read back to where I previously left off.

 

If there is a thread that I know I want to check back on, I will subscribe to it.

 

I also select hybrid mode for the thread display so that i can scan the responses before further reading. You can click with in the hybrid block and use your arrow keys to scroll through it.