New Format

[mlg]

I don't think I am liking the new format. I can't find my controls to reply or send personal messages. Did it keep the ones I had in my inbox?

I'm just finding the whole thing harder to follow. I know I'll get used to it but would like a little more help in finding things. The help box basically just said what was available.

[MartyT]

I'm having the same issues you are, Mary Linda! The only way I can learn all the different features is to fiddle with them until I can figure them out. I have great empathy for you and all of our members, as I am no more skilled at this computer stuff than you are. Like you, I learn by doing, and sometimes I'm too rattled or too busy or too impatient to deal with all of this change

Regarding the Personal Message feature, here is what I've discovered so far. At the top of the main page, you'll see your own name on the right side. Click on your name, and in the drop-down menu that appears, click on "Messenger." That will get you to your Personal Messenger files. I think the contents of your Inbox will still be there.

[Boo Mayhew]

Mary Linda,

in the top right hand corner of the screen, click on your name (once ... in other words you don't need to double-click)

this brings up a menu

click on messenger

all your saved messages will be in there.

Boo

x

I don't think I am liking the new format. I can't find my controls to reply or send personal messages. Did it keep the ones I had in my inbox?

I'm just finding the whole thing harder to follow. I know I'll get used to it but would like a little more help in finding things. The help box basically just said what was available.

[Boo Mayhew]

Hi everyone

I just discovered that "view new posts" is now called "view new content" and this is in the right hand side of the screen, near the top.

Basically this does the same thing, more or less. If you log on every two days it will. But if you have been away from the boards for longer, you'll need to surf through the topics to see changes. If this is going to be an issue for you, then please use the "follow topic" feature, then you'll be sure not to miss any new posts on that topic.

Hope that made sense!

[Boo Mayhew]

I am loving the new "status" facility (similar to Facebook's). If you click on your profile, simply type in what you're doing or feeling or thinking or whatever, then when someone clicks on the box that now appears to the right of your name (in the list of posts) they can see what your status is. Nice touch.

Chai and I have both changed our status, so you can read those to see what I mean. I'm sure others will have as well, but I haven't checked yet

Very useful so that we can see quickly who needs our support most on any day, also it's a nice way of knowing how we all are, just makes you feel connected, and hopefully will also provide some laughs every now and again.

Yesterday, I would have added, "Boo tucked her skirt inside her pants at work and walked outside the toilet" Oh yes really. VERY red face indeed.

Am also loving the fact that we now have rich text, so can type H₂O for example. Not that we are going to discuss chemistry here, but it just shows that we can do more than we could before!

[MartyT]

Okay, Boo, we're nominating you to be our official guide to this new rendition of our Board. I'm so glad that somebody understands all this new-fangled stuff

[mlg]

Thanks you two. I thought I'd clicked on everything on the page and didn't even notice that little down arrow.

Oh Boo, That is how I first met my friend Sherry (shhh65 on here) We were at a women's fitness center and she told me I had a tail. Thank heaven's she didn't let me leave the building like that. Tom could never understand how I did that. I told him it was because he didn't sit down.

[Maylissa]

Oy! Just saw the new format, and no time to even stop and figure it all out. But some questions:

Has our Profile info (e.g. "Interests") disappeared? Maybe I'm just blind, but I didn't see that any longer on my Profile page.

And what's a "code snippet"? - on the tool bar above where you're posting.

In fact, what's "sub-script" & "super-script" for? (also on the tool bar)

K, gotta quit with the cursor-highlighting now, cuz I'm starting to breathe too fast! (<-speaking of this guy, wish we'd gotten some new "emoticons", too)

[Boo Mayhew]

Hi Maylissa

My profile info has disappeared too. Chai's hasn't though. So unsure why.

A code snippet (I think) is a text editor feature that you can use to put in frequently typed text (NotCoping, correct me if I am wrong because I don't know what the difference between that and a macro would be).

See above post for sub and super-script.

Boo

[MartyT]

To share your Profile information, see if this works for you:

Click on your own name.

You'll find yourself on your Profile page.

Notice the "About Me" tab. Click on it.

On the upper right side of the page you'll see "Edit My Profile." Click on that.

A column appears on the left of your screen entitled "Change Profile Information."

Select "Change About Me Page."

In the box that appears, type in your Profile information.

As for the "Insert code snippet" option, I still haven't figured out what that does. Is there a computer-savvy member out there who can answer this question for us?

[Boo Mayhew]

Just spoke to IT support here and he tells me:

basically it is a small piece of code that is used in a larger piece of code for programing

the smaller piece of code functions on its own but can make a larger piece of code for functionality

and those are the emotions that I go through when I read that - hahaha. Suffice to say, I probably won't need to use it.

In the box that appears, type in your Profile information.

As for the "Insert code snippet" option, I still haven't figured out what that does. Is there a computer-savvy member out there who can answer this question for us?

[Maylissa]

Holy crow, Boo....that's (from IT) about as useful as the instructions that came with our push lawnmower (Gardena), which warn you to not use it for mowing your rooftop...or w/o tall, rubber boots on! These techie types just don't speak the same language...it's no wonder technical writing is in such high demand and pays so well - they're still looking for those who can translate!

Thanks to both you and Marty for the other explanations. It looks like I'll have to redo my "Interests" section, as it's indeed gone.

One more question related to that:

Once inputted/edited, does anyone know if your "interests" show up as a separate section ABOVE your signature, as it's my signature that's currently showing in the "About Me" section (the section Marty said needs to be edited)? (hope this makes more sense that IT chatter!)

Also noticing more quirks in the messaging system, like it seemingly sending before you've even hit "send." It did this twice already, giving me a window once that said "this message has already been sent" right after I'd hit the "send" button. Aye...my head hurts.

[MartyT]

Maylissa and Boo, all I can say is that I'm right there with you, in the same boat, paddling like crazy

I tried to edit our Grief Bibliography page this morning, and now half of it shows up as HTML code. I worked on it for nearly two hours and cannot come up with a fix. I have submitted a "request for help" ticket to get this resolved, but I'm still waiting for a response

As for your question, Maylissa, I do think that your "About Me" information will show up above your signature, but all you can do is try it to see. Just make sure to copy your signature to your clipboard before you make any changes, so you'll still have it in case it does disappear when you "publish" your bio. Click on my name and "About Me" tab, and you'll see how it looks there. The bio is above, with the signature underneath.

And remember to just breathe

[MartyT]

I just received an answer for the Grief Bibliography page and it's all fixed now! Yay!

[Paul S]

Well, it's been nearly a year since I last logged in, and nearly 2 1/2 years since I last posted. I just dropped by to see how the site was faring (since it saved my sanity).

I must say that I like the new digs. I wish the Facebook-y and Twitter-y elements were around when I was active! That would've been nice.

Hi Marty!

God Bless, all.

Paul

[MartyT]

Hey Paul! How wonderful to "see" you here again! You are missed ~ along with your wisdom and your wit God bless you, too

[Maylissa]

As for your question, Maylissa, I do think that your "About Me" information will show up above your signature, but all you can do is try it to see. Just make sure to copy your signature to your clipboard before you make any changes, so you'll still have it in case it does disappear when you "publish" your bio. Click on my name and "About Me" tab, and you'll see how it looks there. The bio is above, with the signature underneath.

And remember to just breathe

Finally made it back here to attempt the additions/corrections -- it was a loooooong breath!

First I tried just adding back my interests in the "interests" section of the main Profile page, because this seemed a simpler way to do it, but they actually then took up too much vertical space on EACH post - didn't realize they'd now be added there instead of only on the Profile page. So I deleted that and instead did it according to your directions (much thanks for those!), & so my "interests" now sit instead on my Profile page. I also noticed, while doing this, that you can edit your signature (and other such things) separately, so my present one was unchanged nor removed by just editing the "about me" section - yay! So all is well.

[Maylissa]

Hmmm....maybe I spoke too soon!? Now I can't find any way to archive messages/"conversations" anymore. Does anyone know where to do this from? I'd hate to think we've lost this common board feature, but all I can find so far is a way to "delete" messages, not archive them....and I'm rapidly running out of "storage space"!

In fact, I can't even seem to find a "help" section for board features. Yikes. Big forest, no flashlight!

Who was it who originally said technology would make our lives easier????

[Paul S]

Hey Paul! How wonderful to "see" you here again! You are missed ~ along with your wisdom and your wit God bless you, too

Thanks, Marty!

I missed this place but due to a variety of circumstances, I moved on. Even my face-to-face grief support group meetings, both formal and informal at the Syracuse Hospice ended at about the same time I stopped posting here. Something clicked inside and I knew I was "done" with active griefwork. I had processed my Mom's death, incorporated her loss in my life, and settled into a "new normal". I still miss her, but she is with me spiritually. I may post about this in an appropriate forum, give some people hope that "it does get better."

I found that you can download whole discussion topics, and so I did that. All of the topics that I started and I think all of other people's topics that I posted to are now in my Mac's hard drive.

I was scrolling though them and picked out names of people who showed up for a few weeks or months and then drifted off:

"I remember her!!"

"Wow! I wonder how he's doing now!!"

And so on. I thought of Heaven and how wonderful arriving there would be and meeting up again with people you hadn't seen in decades, and almost forgot about.

Death is a type of companion, or guide, or just a process. Not something to be feared or dreaded. At least, not by me.