|
|
Many features of the discussion pages on your site can be customized. This page provides an overview of some of the basic features that you may want to change.
Note: In every case described here you must get to the page where the settings are altered by:
- Logging in to your site.
- Clicking on the Prefs link in the Editors Only menu.
- Selecting the appropriate settings page in the left sidebar.
Editorial Settings
If you set up your discussion according to the guidelines on this site, you will receive an email message every time a new discussion message is posted. This, and other preferences, may be set on the Editorial prefs page. To get there follow the steps described above and then click on the Editorial link in the sidebar. Scroll down the Email Notification section.
A series of radio buttons let you select which events will cause a notification email message to be sent to you. Normally you will want to select Yes for notification of new pictures, stories and discussion messages. Since the person who posts such materials can return and change them later you can add an extra level of security by also getting email notification when if these materials are changed.
Below this you can enter the email address from which these messages are sent. Normally the default address is fine.
There is also a Send Email To: box where you can enter email addresses of others who should receive notification. Normally you will not add other addresses here, but you might want to if you share management of your web site with someone else.
Discussion Group Settings
The Discussion Group Prefs page contains a number of settings that affect the workings of your discussions. A thorough coverage is beyond the scope of this guide, but here is a summary of some that you might want to change from our suggested defaults.
Do you want your discussion group to be topic-based?
Our default choice is Yes. The Discussion page provides a list of all recent discussion topics.
If you choose No the discussion page instead organizes the list of messages by date with each day's messages listed separately.
Do you want home pages to appear in discussion group listings?
Do you want pictures to appear in discussion group listings?
Do you want stories to appear in discussion group listings?
Do you want news items to appear in discussion group listings?
The default for all four of these options is No. If you select Yes then each new story, picture, gem, or news message will appear as a discussion item on the discussion page.
How many messages do you want to list in the chronological view of the discussion group?
This determines how many messages are listed on the Discussion page if you choose not to use the "topic-based" display. Any setting is OK, although very large numbers could slow display of the page.
How many days do topics remain listed in the topics view of the discussion group?
This determines the number of days that a message will remain in the topic-based list on the Discussion page. After this period has passed the topic is no longer listed, though visitors can still find it by using the navigation calendar on the Discussion page.
How many days do topics remain active in the topics view of the discussion group?
A topic becomes inactive when no one posts messages and replies for a period of time. An inactive message is indicated by a small "closed folder" icon next to the message on the Discussion page. This number determines how long it take a message to become inactive.
|
|
|
