We value our message board as one of the most important services available to NMUG Members – always there, day and night, when you have a hardware or software problem and – almost always – ready to answer them!
But we know that some of our members don’t use the message board. We realise that it can look a little complicated if you’re a beginner, or have limited experience with macOS or iOS – and we want to help!
This short session will walk you through the NMUG message board basics, and explain in plain English how you go about asking a question, how you might respond to other members and how you set up your preferences.
We don’t anticipate the session lasting longer than 30 – 60 minutes, and it will be our goal to answer ALL the questions you may have, so be sure you pop this important event in your diary today – We look forward to seeing you there!
Are you a member? Log in to view the Meeting. Not a member? Join today!
Summary
Summary was generated by ai and may contain inaccuracies.
NMUG Website Access Discussed
Mike guided Dan through the steps of joining the website, highlighting the importance of logging in and creating a password. The team also discussed accessing a password-protected page, with further guidance from Mike. Mike emphasized the importance of the process, explaining that members have full access to the website’s resources, while non-members can only access limited content. Mike also addressed questions about paying dues and logging in, and mentioned the possibility of providing assistance to members with login issues.
Website Message Board Design & Functionality
Mike and Dan discussed the design and functionality of their website’s message board. They focused on the structure of the board, which includes two main group discussions, website-related topics and general questions, and the ability to create new topics, search for previous discussions, and view recent activity. Dan demonstrated how to reply to a post and navigate through the different threads. The team also discussed the use of a new message board system, encouraging members to ask questions and be descriptive with titles. They decided not to implement the use of tags for now due to the efficient search function. They also mentioned the inability to ask questions via email and promised to show a shortcut for browsing the site through an RSS feed.
Forum Notification Functionality Discussed
Mike, Dan, Chita, and others discussed the functionality of a submit button and email notifications on a forum. The team addressed user preferences, including concerns about the volume of emails received. Dan demonstrated how to manage subscriptions, and Mike emphasized the importance of staying informed via the message board. The team also touched upon the frequency and type of emails being sent out, the importance of acting quickly in potential scam situations, and the need to balance notifications with other communications from Nmmugmug. Additionally, the team discussed posting and notifying in a discussion thread, using reaction buttons for feedback, and answering a post from the daily digest or an individual email. Questions related to WhatsApp concerns and a moving emoji feature were also addressed. The group decided to revisit the issue of reducing emails at a later time.
Email Login Issues and Site Feature Discussion
Gill faced difficulties logging into his email account on his phone, leading Dan to suggest that the problem might be due to his old phone model. Chita brought up Mary’s question about how the nickname affects the password, which Dan clarified that the nickname is essentially the email address and can be used for signing in. Mary expressed her desire to eliminate her nickname to avoid confusion, leading Dan to offer to change it to her email address on the back end. Kimi Okada questioned the edit message board’s digest information page, specifically about the ‘digest type’ field and who can view it, which Dan clarified related to the site’s digest feature. Donna Warnock suggested a feature to sort posts by likes, which Dan explained would be confusing for users and is not currently possible, echoed by Mike Kwasniak. Don Peacock pointed out that the ‘special member benefits’ page on the site lacks a login button, which Dan agreed to add to improve user experience and also mentioned that the icon in question is a standard login icon and not an arrow pointing into a door as it might have appeared. Dan also mentioned that he would add an explanation for those unfamiliar with the icon.
Team Work and Technical Concerns
Ed praised the team’s work and raised a concern about the daily digest feature, suggesting an improvement that was ultimately rejected by Dan and Chita due to its potential length and complexity. Ed also brought up the issue of pass keys, which are planned for implementation but not yet ready. Roger Johnson raised a question about a link in his email leading him to the wrong site, which Mike Kwasniak clarified would be resolved by the end of October when the old message board would be paused. Furthermore, Mike announced that the decision to keep the old board active or fully transition to the new one would be made in a few months. Finally, there were several audio and muting issues during the meeting, which affected the clarity of some participants’ questions and answers.
How to Review Previous Meeting Videos and Site Usage
Chita asked Dan how to review previous meeting videos, to which Dan explained the process. Chita then brought up a question from Ward about the functionality of the site when pausing groups’ I/O. Mike Kwasniak admitted he didn’t know the answer and promised to research it. Bob Mckenzie praised the site’s usability and asked about the process for changing his membership status. Dan advised him to use the frequently asked questions section or email the team directly. Afterwards, Chita helped Bob navigate the site to renew his membership. Various other questions were raised about obtaining meeting replays, accessing the summary, and posting to the message board. Dan clarified that the replay and summary can be found on the event page, while the message board is not the place for these postings. The site also sends an email notification 30 days prior to membership renewal. Finally, Dan was about to give a tip on subscribing to all events when Chita suggested moving on due to the unrelated questions. Mike then asked listeners to submit further questions about the message board in the chat.
Technical Help and Class Clarification Meeting
In the meeting, Dan explained how to subscribe to the calendar for daily updates and clarified that the link leads back to the website or meeting. Mike Kwasniak asked about the classes, which were clarified to work in a similar way to meetings and be purchaseable. Chita, Dan, and Eckart addressed technical issues faced by members, including login problems, recommendations for logging in, finding old classes, and subscribing to the calendar. They also guided members on how to reach out to them for assistance. Furthermore, Mike encouraged members to contact him or Dan for further help. The discussion was then posted on the event page for members to see.
