Visitor Messages, Friends, Private Messages, etc.

[BobD]

Hi Gang,
Got a few questions about what the difference between Visitor Messages and Private Messages.


With the new message board software, we're trying to integrate more social networking into the site. Your profile on the message board is now similar to a Facebook page where people can contact you or leave visitor messages that anyone can read. It's kind of like when someone writes on your Facebook wall.

Like Facebook, you can decide who can see what in your profile. Under the User CP (Left-most link in the green bar above), click on "Profile Privacy." It will bring up a screen similar to the one I've attached. The forum default is that everyone can see everything. You can set it so that only registered members can see information, only your contacts can see the information, or only your friends can see the information.

That brings us to "friends." Again, to use the Facebook analogy, Friends are your friends. If you set your privacy settings to only allow "friends" to see certain parts of your profile, these are the people who can see those parts.

Private Messages are always private and viewable by only the two people corresponding.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[Irish]

OK?!?

So how do you access and use this part of the message board? And Groups??? what are groups?

Hate to admit the simple fact that I am not 'experienced' with places like Facebook or Twitter ... I guess I am one of those Computer socially impared personages.

Did the new software come with instructions that you might like to share with the rest of us ?

Susan ( looking down, staring at my feet and feeling very STUPID here)

[BobD]

OOPS...forgot to attach the file. Let me do that real quick.


Nothing specific...I'm passing info on as I learn it <GRIN>.

Social groups are set up as another point of contact for members. You can set up sub groups for the forum (carvers who are also Chicago Bears fans, etc.). The SSWC site jumped on this and there are groups of people discussing their favorite fiction books, or sharing recipes, etc.

To access this part of the forum, click on someone's username and click "View Profile"

That will bring up the screen shown below. You can see a few visitor messages I've received. I'll use you as an example of how I'd leave a visitor message for someone (the second photo). To send someone a visitor message, go to their profile and click on the message box and type away.

To befriend someone, go to their profile page and click on the Befriend XX link. It will send a friend request to them, and if they approve the request, you'll be one of their friends and be able to see parts of their profile that they have set to "friends only."

[BobD]

I've started a social group based on my own interests (Sci-Fi and Fantasy fiction). You can find it by clicking on the Community link in the green bar near the top of the page and then clicking on Social groups (see the screenshot below). Then you can go the social group that I created (the second photo below).

Bob

[doris]

hmmm... why are wci trying to copy facebook ? ... if we want that, we can go there, can we not ??? ... here, we want talk carving, and carving related things, and fun stuff in off topic section,,, but what you describe is like we make a social event and need all behave correctly ???... i mean, why should i ever want to degrade some wci members by not including them into my friends list ? or why is "contact" less than "friend" ??? all this is beyond me,,,maybe i am too old for all that ...lol...

[BobD]

The options are there for people to use if they choose. It's included in the software so we're making it available for our members to use. If you don't want to figure out how to use it, or to take advantage of it, that's up to you.

[BobD]

Friends are chosen (by "befriending xx"). Friends have to be chosen from registered members. In picture 3.jpg (attached to post #3 above) you can just see "Befriend Irish" in the bottom corner of the photo.

Bob

[doris]

yes, that is good,that we have the choice..,,and, i did not mean to offend... but it is all there, and even if i (we) decide not to use it, we are confronted with it and need work our way through it ,,,like i received requests for being friend...now what does that mean ? i said yes, of course, since anything else sounded offending to me, and an icon appear, but what does it mean ?

[BobD]

Friends can see different information in your profile if you decide the change the privacy settings (as shown in the photo attached to post #1). If you PM one person often, friends show up in a friend list so you can PM him or her immediately instead of trying to find a post by him or her or wading through the member list.

[Terry Vance]

I think the default setting should be at least "registered users" and not everyone. I can see the junk pouring in because some outfit has someone surfing aroung the site gathering info about us to use for personal gain or who knows what...