How to Register on the SHF/Two-Dogs Message Board Updated 11/13/2008 – John Lortz (jlortz@shf.org) & Susan Leavitt (sleavitt@shf.org) Introduction An “online message board” is a Web area you can visit using your regular Internet connection, where you can post short messages, read messages others have posted, and reply to messages. Message boards can be found all over the Web, and have become a popular way for people to exchange information and ideas. The SHF / Two-Dogs Message Board is where College of Saint Mary Students are to post replies to the topic of the week. The message board also offers students the chance to practice using a “friendly” online message board before they venture out to other Internet message boards. This short document is intended to help you get started with the message board. Requirements The message board supports most popular browsers, including Netscape, Internet Explorer, and America Online’s browser. The only requirements for using the SHF / Two-Dogs Message board, is that you have access to a computer with an Internet connection, and that you have a basic understanding of how to navigate between Web pages using your browser program. Accessing the Message Board To access the SHF / Two-Dogs Message Board: Connect to the Internet and start your browser program On the address bar (location bar), type in the address for the Two-Dogs site (www.two-dogs.com) and press ENTER. For CSM students using the Two-Dogs site you can find a link to the Message Board in various pages on the site. On the top page of the Two-Dogs site there are a column of link buttons in the middle of the page. One of the bottom button labeled Msg Board, will take you
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immediately to the Message Board area. As shown on the screen shot on the previous page. Also on the Two-Dogs page, look for the links to the various BIS classes and click on the link for your class. There is a link to the Message Board on your class page listed under a section titled Class Pages. You will also notice on the right of most of the pages off the top page there is a border to the left of the page with the same column of buttons as on the top page. To Register (part of your first assignment on the message board) When you click on one of the options to take you to the message board, you will be at the top message board screen, which looks like this:
You will first need to register before you can post messages NOTE: This is part of your first assignment. To accomplish this assignment you will first click on the Register link. In the screen shot above there is an arrow pointing to the Register link.
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After you click on the register link the following page will appear. This is actually the Rules, Policies and Disclaimer that came with the message board software. You will see this type of thing for any message board you become a part of on the Internet.
Click on the Agree button at the bottom of the page. You will probably have to scroll down the page to find this.
Below is the actual registration page. You will be required to fill out the textboxes that are boldly labeled. Notice the Login Name and Publicly Displayed Name. Make your Login Name the same as the network login at school which is the first initial of your first name followed by your last name and ending with the last two digits of the Power Campus ID (student id) this will make all your logins consistent. Type in your first and last name for the Publicly Displayed Name as shown in the screen shot. The E-mail Address and Confirmed E-mail Address will be the
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same. Also, the Password and Confirm Password will be the same.
Scroll down the page, and you may also add a signature to your postings as shown in the screen shot below.
When you are finished filling out the information, click the Submit Registration button at the bottom of the page. If you get a message that states there is a problem, like the one below, click the back button and correct the problem. Then click the Submit Registration button again. This message is showing that there was a problem with how the textboxes E-mail Address and
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Confirmed E-mail Address were filled out. Probably one was mistyped as these should both be the same. Remember, click the back button, correct the problem, and then click the Submit Registration button. When the registration has been filled out correctly, you will then receive a confirmation page like the screen shot below. At this point, it is wise to print out this page and keep it with the other class materials in case you would forget your login or password.
You are now register and you are also logged in. Notice under the Two-Dogs.com graphic at the top of the page it say >> Hello, Jasmine Lortz [ log out]. You are logged in and ready to start posting your first message. To the right of the page you will see the link Two-Dogs.Com / SHF Message Board >>. Click on this link to go back the Message Board Area.
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This will take you back to the Two-Dogs Message Board. NOTE: Your login name will appear on the page as long as you are logged in. If you are using your own computer and don’t push the logout when you are finished, you will automatically be logged in the next time you come to the message board even if you restart the computer. IMPORTANT NOTE: However, if you are using a lab computer or some other computer other than your own, you will want to make sure you log out after your session. If you do not someone else may post a message with your login name.
Login Name
You will notice in the screen shot below that there are currently two main message areas. BIS 101 and BIS 104 – Fall 2004 and BIS 220. Clicking on either of these will take you into the Message Board area for that particular class. For now click the log out link to log out and close Internet Explorer. The next handout will show you how to log back in and post a reply.
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