Guidelines on using newsgroups in InterLearn

Newsgroups are online discussions, where conversations can be conducted between multiple people across time and space. Some terminology specific to newsgroups is explained at the end of this document. The InterLearn newsgroups are displayed within the standard my.monash portal navigation rather than within InterLearn.

Accessing the newsgroups

As the newsgroups used within InterLearn are displayed outside of it, it is suggested that you open the newsgroup in a separate window. To do this right click the [news] or [forum] link - if one has been added by the academic in charge of the unit - from the InterLearn navigation and select "Open in new window" from the shortcut menu that appears. You can then return to InterLearn at any time by swapping to the original window. When have finished using the newsgroup you can simply close the window by clicking the cross in the top right hand corner of the window.

The index screen shows the numbers of the articles currently displayed and the total number of articles posted to the newsgroup. The articles that will be displayed will be the last 20 articles posted to the newsgroup. The name of the newsgroup is given, followed by the list of articles. Articles are displayed in threads, with the subject, the author of the article, and the date it was posted. An example newsgroup index is shown in the image below.

Where the subject of the article appears in bold font, it indicates that this is an unread article. Articles you have read will not be bold. To display all messages as having been read (ie. not bold) without actually reading them click on the [mark everything as read] link.

How to participate in a newsgroup

To read an article, click on the subject of the article in the index. The message will be displayed in a new screen, similar to the example below.

The name of the newsgroup appears above the article, along with links to the previous and next articles in the thread, and to the previous and next articles posted regardless of thread. The example below was the first article posted to the newsgroup therefore does not show any links to previous articles. There are also three other links that enable you to post a response to the article, to return to the index using the [More…] link, or to view the article in a format suitable for printing. The article itself begins by showing the subject, poster, and date the article was posted. This is followed by the content of the article.

To respond to a post click the [Respond to this article] link. A composition window will open with the subject already completed and preceded by "Re: ". Do not delete this as it is used in maintaining the thread. If you wish to initiate discussion on a new subject, you should start a new thread (see instructions below).

To respond to the poster only click the name of the poster appearing above the article. An email composition window will appear in which you can type your response. Your response will be sent directly to the poster's Monash email address, rather than to the newsgroup.

To print an article click the [Print view] link. This will reload the article message into a "clean" window. You can then print in the usual way. To return to the previous screen click the [Normal view] link.

To view the index of articles in the newsgroup click the [More...] link. This will show the latest 20 articles posted to the newsgroup.

To start a new thread by posting an article unrelated to any existing articles click the [post] link from the article index. This will open a composition box with the subject blank. The name of the newsgroup to which you are posting the article appear at the top. Your name will automatically appear.

Enter a title into the subject field and then enter your article into the "Your comments" box by typing directly or copying from another program, for example Word or Notepad, if you have already composed it. If you think your article might take a while to write, it is advisable to compose it in Word or Notepad first so that you can save it as you go. Then copy the complete article to the "Your comments" box. When have finished composing your article, click the "Send" button. You can cancel your article at any time by clicking the [Cancel this posting] link at the bottom of the composition screen.

That's it! Just remember that the newsgroups are designed for everyone to present their ideas in an open forum. Any responses should be directed to the content of the message, not the author of it. Normal rules apply as to language, common courtesy and any other issue covered by the IT Services Regulations. Defamatory, obscene or frivolous comments are not acceptable and may be removed.

Newsgroup terminology

Article - a message appearing on the newsgroup.

Post - to send an article to the newsgroup

Poster - the author of the article appearing on the newsgroup

Subject - the heading or title of an article

Thread - a series of related articles; can be considered analogous to a conversation, as articles are posted in response to one another.