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Posting

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What is an online discussion area?
An online discussion group is a private Internet-based workspace where participants can share ideas and post replies to discussion topics. Using customized web discussion software, this discussion area is hosted and facilitated within the ONESTEP website.

What are the benefits of an online discussion tool?
Online discussions are a tool for conversation and collaboration. In an online discussion people's ideas and responses become topic threads that are sorted, archived and available to all participants. This online discussion area also supports associated files or attachments from a variety of file formats so it's a great tool for sharing documents and providing feedback in one reliable place. Rather than searching through your old email inbox to find information, an online discussion allows everyone to share ideas and see one another's responses in an open, transparent format. Online discussions are a great tool for managing the information, feedback and document sharing needs of groups in the ONESTEP community.

How do I post a new message?
From the Message Home page of the ONESTEP Discussion board you can post a new message by clicking Post. When you are reading or responding to a particular message and want to post a new message, just click Back to Messages to take you back to the main page of the Discussion where you can post your new message. When you are posting a new message to the online discussion area always ensure you give your message a clear and concise subject line. If you are asking for help or feedback, be explicit in your subject i.e. "Focus Group Participants Needed for Study on Women and I.T." It is also considered good "netiquette" to briefly introduce yourself in your first message. You should also remember to customize your own personal settings in order to link to your short bio and allow others to get in touch with you.

How can I attach a file to my message?
The ONESTEP discussion area allows you to upload associated files or documents just like you might add attach a file to an email message. You may upload files in any format, but we would generally suggest you use Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, Rich Text Format (RTF) or PDF where possible. In order for visitors to view your associated document, they must have the software at their end to support the file so try to post documents in common file formats. Just give the document a name, indicate what file format it is (for example, Microsoft Word, PDF etc) click on "Browse" and then select the file from your hard drive. If you have questions, you can always contact us at webadmin@onestep.on.ca If you are collaborating on a document with others and wish to make changes to an associated or attached file, simply click on the file to open it, make any changes or edits and then save the file locally to your own hard drive. Remember to re-name the document clearly to ensure others understand which version of the document reflects your changes. When you respond to the original message, simply attach your new document accordingly.

What kind of "Associated Files" can I upload?
You may upload files in any format, but we would generally suggest you use a file format that can be viewed in a browser such as HTML, jpeg or gif images. For documents, we suggest Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, Rich Text Format or PDF where possible. In order for visitors to view your associated document, they must have the software at their end to support the file so try to post documents in common file formats.

How do I respond to a message?
When you click on "Post Response ", the text of the message you are replying to appears in the body of your new posting. It is considered "good netiquette" to avoid over-quoting - This happens when someone replies by posting a long message (over a full screen of text) that was posted before and the sender tacks on just a short comment at the very end�. such as "me too!" When replying to a message, it is a good idea to carve out the major thoughts and insert your comments within these selected gems. The general rule on the Net is: "keep messages to one page or less."

What are Personal Settings?
Personal Settings allows you to manage your password, customize the display of the discussion area, register to participate in other publicly available discussions and provide other users with information about you and your interests. Not all of these fields are required but we encourage you to fill in this information so that if you select Allow users to see my Profile other ONESTEP discussion area participants can contact and network with you effectively. Whether or not you choose to make your profile visible, we at ONESTEP respect your privacy and will NOT distribute or use this information for commercial purposes.

What is a Short Bio?
By providing a brief bio on yourself, you allow other participants to find out about you and your interests. This is easier than including this information in the body of your messages or responses. It is also a great way to get a better sense of who is participating in the discussions. Please take a moment to tell us where you are from, what kind of work you do and what you hope to gain from participating in the ONESTEP Online Discussion Area.

Can I change my password?
In Personal Settings you may change your password at any time. Your user id however, must remain the same and cannot be changed.

What is "Hide my Email Address"?
Online discussion participants have the option of hiding their email addresses. If you do not choose to hide your email address, then whenever your name appears as the author of a message it is a link that will allow users to see your User Profile and directly email you. If you chose to hide your email address then only your name and short bio will appear.

What is "Email Notification"?
One of the challenges of participating in online discussions is remembering when to return to the website to check for new messages. With email notification, the ONESTEP discussion area will automatically send you an email notifying you whenever there is a new message in any of the discussions you are registered in.. While you won't receive the text of the message in this email, it will remind you to log on to see new messages and responses posted to the ONESTEP Discussion Board. From within this email you may click on the hyperlink to take you to the discussion where you can log in to read the new messages. There is no better way to ensure you know when your questions are answered online!

What is Hide all Message Replies?
This feature allows you to manage your volume of messages more easily. As the discussion area grows and more and more message are posted with more and more replies there can be a lot of scrolling involved in viewing all the messages. In order to help you manage this volume, you can select Hide Message Replies so that only the main message appears visible, minus the replies. You can click on the plus sign to show replies to an individual message that interests you. Whether or not you choose to Hide Message Replies, when you log on you will be able to see the Message Header and in brackets next to it, how many responses each message has including new responses you have not yet read.

What is "Allow users to see my Profile"?
By allowing users to see your profile including your contact information and/or the short bio on yourself, you allow other participants to find out about you and your interests. This is easier than including this information in the body of your messages or responses. It is also a great way to get a better sense of who is participating in the discussions so take a moment to tell us where you are from, what kind of work you do and why you have registered to participate in the ONESTEP Online Discussion Area and then allow users to see your profile.

How can I search for a message?
When searching for messages, you can search for words or terms contained in the subject of the message or in the body of the message itself.. You can also search by user by choosing the author of a message from a drop-down menu a list of registered discussion participants. Finally, you can order all the messages by date or by subject in order to find what you are looking for.

Do I need to logout?
For those who share computer equipment with others, it is a good idea to log out of the discussion when you are finished visiting the online discussion area. This ensures that anyone else who accesses the discussion from your computer uses his or her own distinct user id and password.