Literature 127

Introduction to Fiction

On-Line

"We have the words in our pockets,
obscure directions." 

- Denise Levertov

To join the Web Board:

1. Go to http://online.parkland.edu:8080/~LIT127RBusker/login
2. Click on "New User."
3. Fill out all the required fields (indicated with a red dot).
   1. You MUST use your real name, and your login MUST be first initial (or initials) last name:  "jsmith" or "jwsmith."  No "Im2sexy" or "bearsrule."  First initial, last name.  Ignore that " For security reasons it is best to keep your login name different from your real name."  First initial, last name.
   2. You MUST enter a valid email address.  I don't require that you use Parkland's email system, but you must enter an email address that you check routinely.  Whatever address you enter will be the address I use to send out routine announcements, and once you enter an address, only I can change it.
4. Make sure you remember your password.
5. Go back here  http://online.parkland.edu:8080/~LIT127RBusker/login
6. Use that login and password to log in.

To Use WebBoard

I'm not going to give a lot of super-detailed directions, since mostly you will learn this by doing.  However, some basic tips:

1. “Conferences” are a group of posts dedicated to a single topic.  You might also think of them as “threads,” since the posts are arranged in threads of replies.  If I reply to your post in a conference, my reply will appear under your post.  This helps the reader navigate discussions.  A few notes on conferences:
   1. Only I can create new conferences.  If you feel there’s a need for one, let me know.  I may create one, or I may suggest an existing conference.
   2. To post in a conference, you must first click on the conference heading (the title in bold type).
   3. To determine if you are posting in the correct conference (which is kinda sorta important), look at the title.  The title will usually be in the form of “Group Name; Week Number.”  So, if you are (a) in the Derry group, and (b) posting your response to Week Three’s discussion prompt, you would do so in the conference labeled “Derry; Week Three.”

2. To post a message, you must first do the following:
   1. Enter a conference by clicking on the title.  You cannot post a message until you enter a conference.
   2. MAKE SURE you’re in the right conference.
   3. In the very top left hand corner is the “post” command.  Click on “Post.”
   4. This will bring up the posting window.  Once you’re there:

                                                               i.      MAKE SURE you’re in the right conference (sensing a theme, here?).  The first sentence in the window will say “Post a New Topic in "Conference name.”

                                                             ii.      Enter a Topic title.  Choose something that reflects what your message is about.  If, for example, you are responding to a discussion prompt about “The Fall of the House of Usher,” you might want to call it “Usher.”

                                                            iii.      Ignore everything between the topic and the large box.  Really.  Don’t mess with it.

                                                           iv.      Type your message in the box.  If you are familiar with basic HTML commands, you can use those.

                                                             v.      Click on “Post.”

3. Reading messages is pretty simple: you just click on the message.  To see the messages in a conference, click on the little plus-sign (+) by the conference title.  To hide the messages in a conference you are not reading, click on the little minus sign by the conference title.

4. To reply to a message, first click on the message to display it.  In the window with the message, click on “Reply to:” 
   1. To automatically quote the message you are replying to, click on “Reply/Quote.”  Note: if you do this, please, please, please trim the quotation by deleting everything but exactly what you are responding to.

And that's your basics.  If you have any problems, there are three steps you can take.

1. Read the screen.  Seriously, most information about how to use a computer program is on the screen.  Think about what it is you want to do, and look on the screen for a word or command or picture that seems to reflect that.  Give it a try.
2. Read the Help file.  Click on "Help, and look at the table of contents.  Browse through.
3. Call/email me.  I'm happy to answer questions, but please try the other two options first.

Basic HTML

If you would like to add some formatting to your WebBoard posts, you can use basic HTML to do so.  To format a word or phrase, you put HTML commands on either side of it, like this:

<command>word</command>

Note the brackets: <command> starts formatting and </command> stops it.

Basic commands include:

• <i>Italics</i> (good for emphasis)
• <u>Underline</u> (also good for emphasis)
• <b>bold</b> (extra emphasis - use sparingly)
• <small>makes text smaller</small> (can be used for asides, but again, use sparingly)
• <a href="http://www.domain.com/site">Link</a> (if a web address is too long just to copy into the message, you can use this format to link to it.