RootsChat.Com
Beginners => How to Use RootsChat (Please don't post requests here) => Topic started by: Geoff of Devon on Friday 29 October 04 15:01 BST (UK)
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Personal Messages
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It's not easy when you first start and someone tells you to send a "Personal Message" or "PM".
Here's how to do it.
Click the brown blue "xx messages" at top right of screen.
Click the bluish/grey "new msg" icon.
Click the grey box next to the brown "Find members"
Type in say "yyyy" and click "Search"
After it has found yyyy's address, click the brown "yyyy" and it should address the mail to that person!
Type away.....
Enjoy, :D
Geoff.
Moderator Comment: colour changed
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Another way of doing this is:
If you are looking at a posting from someone you want to send a PM to,
then go to the left of the posting, and hover your cursor over the little green scroll.
A little box should come up, saying "Personal Message (online)" (if they are currently logged onto RootsChat) or "Personal Message (offline)"
Click on here and
Type away.....
To read your PMs, go to the top of the page and look for this line:
Welcome back, XYZ, you have X messages, 2 are new.
The "X messages" is blue, indicating that it is a link. Click there to read your messages (PMs)
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Is there anyway we could have a list of members to refer to their posts ,I had read one and wanted to send a message later but couldn't find where to find the member's name.
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Im not really sure whether to type this message but ive realised that it would be handy to be able to view just one recieved message instead of being transported to the message within your inbox screen...
..the reason being, that it would be quite useful to be able to print the message out for research notes/files as i've often found myself wondering "where did i get that info from" and then remember that i have an inbox on here.
I dont know how adaptable the coding is for this site as im guessing here (not wanting to offend any coders who built it!) that it is a generic style into which the founders of RootsChat added their customisation images/styles.
Just a thought...
Or alternatively (but probably just as challenging) the ability to forward messages to an email address.
I can survive without either of these... but it would be very nice to have those kind of features :)
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Where is the brown "xx messages" at top right of screen? I cannot seem to find it on my computer. Thanks!!
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Hi Sylvan,
Welcome to RootsChat :)
In your case the text would say "Welcome back, Sylvan, you have ..... "
regards,
Bob
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I'm in serious trouble... can't see the "new msg" icon or find a 'little green scroll' -- I've tried hovering over everything on the left but cannot for the life of me figure out how to send a PM !! ;) Help !!
S.
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Never mind..... as soon as I posted, I spotted the scroll !! Thank you!!
S.
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I think you have to have more than one post to send or receive messages.
Kooky
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That explains it then - thanks. The magic scroll appeared when I made the earlier post... it was my second. Thought I was loosing it.... ;)
S.
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I am trying to reply to a PM, but also can't find the reply, the scroll, or anything that will let me answer the PM I received. So now I'll try posting this and see if everything magically opens up for me!
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Hi Sundance
You might have to post a few more times on Rc before you can use the PM system. An artificial limit was added recently to prevent spammers using the system.
Try replying here and see if that helps!
Kind regards, Arranroots ;)
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I am trying to reply to a PM, but also can't find the reply, the scroll, or anything that will let me answer the PM I received. So am posting this to see if anything happens
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Hi garlaff
I think you need to have 3 posts on the boards before you can send personal Messages.
So...if you reply to my post here I think you will be OK :)
Barbara
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Hello Everyone,
Have been very occupied with other things over the past few months, so have not posted very often, just visting briefly. So probably have missed out on quite a lot of activity.
However I have received Messages in my Email, relating to various Topics, Members have posted.
Regarding the aspect of having to have 3 posts on the boards before you can send personal Messages.
Is this a NEW rule, if so I think that is a good Idea.
As going back a few months, I had a couple of Personal Messages from New Members, who had never posted in the Forum. Of which I suggested that they do so, as it would be more beneficial to them.
Hopefully, I am able to check back more often and get my thoughts around the Family History again.
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Hi Barbara,
thank you for your advice. Strangely enough, immediately after I sent the mail this little green scroll appeared on the left hand side and things seem to work.
Thank you Garlaff
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Strangely enough, immediately after I sent the mail this little green scroll appeared on the left hand side and things seem to work.
Not strange at all, you now have three postings and the PM facility has been enabled for you ;D
Enjoy :)
Bob
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Bob
The PM facility for me seems a bit erratic. I've had a reply to one I sent so I know it got through but another is either being ignored after 2 attempts.........and the recipient has logged in since they were sent.........or was not received. I also tried to send 2 messages from the SIT and was told in RED that my allowed number had been reached. Is there a daily allowance ?
David
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Hi David,
As far as I know, there is no limit to the number of PMs one can send or receive
(but we do hope you clear out your IN and OUT boxes now and again :) ).
The error message is misleading in that it usually refers to the recipient.
Could it be that you are trying to PM new members who haven't got access to PMs yet ??
Bob
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OK ... so new members have to post to the boards three times before the off-board messaging system is permitted to work for them. A couple of thoughts:
1. Could that not be clearly set out in the overall introduction or as guidance notes in the Help pages? Seems a bit odd -- the site is scarcely still in its infancy. I daresay I am tediously repeating the ancient comments of others if I observe that the Help section does NOT do "what it says on the tin"! And still no FAQ info.
2. The same problems afflict puzzled new members at the earlier stage of simply wanting to discover the basics of how to set up a PM, i.e. long before they progress to this board and discover that they are banned from sending such messages anyway (until they have served a weird sort of apprenticeship or probation period on the open message boards).
This seems to treat grown-up researchers as clairvoyants AND children!
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Welcome to Rootschat rol :)
The restriction is a relatively new introduction due to a recent spamming problem. I can see it is catching a few newcomers out, especially if they read what looks to be a post from family and only want to make a discreet contact. I believe the restriction could be still in a trial phase and I agree newcomers could get a briefing of the system if it is to continue ...
Happy researching
:) mare
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Thanks for those good wishes, Mare.
I'm no techie, but I can't see how a few initial public posts (which could easily be bland and innocent-looking dummies generated by a computer) will prevent determined bad guys building the launch pad for a mega-spam attack once the PM system has been enabled for their account.
If the site owners are really relying on that, we are all being defended from the tide by castle walls built of sand. Surely their coders have constructed more effective barriers. If so, why hassle people with such irritants as an unannounced ban on starters' PMs? And if not, horrors! They need better consultants, who won't try to treat gangrene with itchy sticking plaster ...
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Hi Rol,
Welcome to rootschat.
I can see that you are not happy about the P.M system for newbies. Thats just the way it goes on here and others have no problem with it. Others if they think they have found a person with the same family research interest just post onto the board where others have information posted on that particular family interest.
Rootschat you will find is a great place for finding help with your family research. There are many wonderful people on here that take the time to help others with their research. Rootschat Administrators try to do the right thing by everyone but they cannot always please everyone.
If you are interested in family research just look about on here and you will be amazed at what help you can get. There are many many satisfied people just take a look.
Happy researching. :)
Johngirl
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Hello Johngirl,
Thanks for your thoughts plus your welcome to the site.
I have no doubt that all of what you say is true (provided we can agree that "others have no problem ..." means "many others" rather than "all others"). But then nothing in my two recent posts said or implied anything different!
I can well believe that any starting irritations fade rapidly from the memories of happy established users (and of course most such users never faced this particular problem anyway). But that doesn't make starting irritations that are unlikely to achieve their stated objectives into such a Good Thing that the minority affected by them ought to remain respectfully silent on the subject: the more new users attracted and retained, the better the site -- for all!
PS More fog: my own PMs first worked after TWO posts ...
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Hi Rol,
I do understand your gripe but can now see it is all sorted ;D
We are all a great bunch on here especially our Mods and Administrators.
Hope you get as much out of rootschat as all the others do.
As for your P.Ms working after two posts. Great news. ;D
Everything in life aint perfect ;D
Johngirl :)
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Hi Rol
You're right that the new arrangements should be made clearer for Newbies: we will have to ask Admin to add that to the list of tasks & thanks for pointing it out.
I hope you enjoy Rootschat - there's a How to Use Rootschat board and a Beginners board which might be of assistance but feel free to ask a Moderator or post a question if there's anything we can help you with.
Kind regards, Arranroots ;)
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I'm replying because I want to send a pm and haven't got 3 posts yet!
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Welcome sazzy and emberry ... just one more post should do, so you can reply here again if need be ;)
:) mare
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Hi Arranroots,
Thanks for your response. On the broader issue of the general fog in which new users have to try and learn the site rules and operating procedures: while a more comprehensive set of Help pages is being written and some FAQ pages are drafted, could there not (easily and quickly) be some more prominent signposts to the How to Use RootsChat pages? Perhaps something on the first Help page; plus a short expansion of the "FAQs coming soon" message, along the lines:
"While we finish this work, both new and experienced users will find that the numerous topics covered on our How to Use RootsChat board cover many of the questions that typically arise, and so form a practical substitute for the FAQ section, pending its completion: follow the link."
On the narrower question of the initial ban on PMs, the canny strategies adopted above by sazzy and emberry do further underscore the futility of the whole idea ...
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Hi Rol,
I appreciate your concerns, and as Arranroots has said, we are working on the problem.
As a general comment to all:
It sounds simple to say "rewrite the help pages" etc, but unfortunately, for various reasons,
it 's taking more time than we thought.
As a temporary measure, I have collected some topic titles here:
Topic: RootsChat Topics: How to use RootsChat / FAQs
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,207046.0.html
so that members can find things a bit faster. Let me know if I should add to it.
This is a sticky topic on the "How to Use RootsChat" board,
but it seems that even that doesn't get read as often as it could be.
And this is not just a problem for Rootschat.
It's a general "feature" of all forums, that we can write instructions as often as we wish:
some members will read them, but the vast majority don't :(
Hoping that we will be able to provide an "all singing, all dancing Eierlegende Wollmilchsau *" soon,
Bob
* egg-laying woolmilk pig ;D
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;D ;D ... and on the cup half-full aspect of it on a foggy day, we have another chance to be welcoming and helpful :D
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Following on from Rol's comments (Thanks Rol :) ) I have included the topic
Topic: RootsChat Topics: How to use RootsChat / FAQs
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,207046.0.html
as a link in the board heading of the "How to use RootsChat" board.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Use RootsChat
If you have questions on how to use RootsChat - then have a look here.
For Frequently Asked Questions, see:
RootsChat Topics: How to use RootsChat / FAQs (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,207046.0.html)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please see also:
Topic: Personal Messages
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,327529.0.html
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Hi Berlin-Bob,
Well done for a rapid and very effective response! The splash of red paint does wonders to make the FAQ signpost catch the eye.
You make a fair point about the difficulty of fighting the inevitability of user Dummheit, whether in website design or any other field of human endeavour -- and I'm sure that I'm at least as guilty of word-blindness as any other new arrival.
I think that in this particular case you were and are fighting website visitors' settled preconceptions about "conventional" page layout -- i.e., that the bulletin boards themselves will only be about the site's speciality subject area, while all the "how-to-make-our-site-work" stuff will be hived off behind Help and FAQ buttons. And if there ARE such buttons, but the material there turns out not to solve their problems, the first reaction is very likely to be a grumpy one. To penetrate the preconceptions-barrier and yell "hey, we really do have most of that info you're hunting -- it's just that for now it's sitting somewhere you're probably not expecting!", site managers are well advised to use neon-lit signs and megaphones ...
I'm really looking forward to meeting that approaching multi-talented Schwein -- and perhaps even milking and shearing it. But be very careful about crossbreeding it with a Hund, let alone with a desert-loving committee-designed Pferd ... [And consider yourself winked at!]
Yes, the mist has thinned a bit, wouldn't you agree, mare? (In your case I shall be cautious about any further extension of the animal metaphors ...)
Rol
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Well done Bob ...... very eye catching :D
KHP :D
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I second that motion. ;D
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Yay FAQ in red ... neigh animal metaphors ... and you can have a wink yourself Rol ...
:) mare
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Ach so, puns are OK then. If that's the mare nostrum, the Romans would allow me to supplement the zoo with a whole acquarium . But best not go there -- in any deeper water one could all too easily drown ...
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Well done Bob,
We all have to try and stop these spammers. >:(
Regards,
Brit
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Just adding another vote in the spent-quite-a-while-looking-for-the-green-scroll-before-spotting-the-minimum-post-requirement category ;)
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Bob
The PM facility for me seems a bit erratic. I've had a reply to one I sent so I know it got through but another is either being ignored after 2 attempts.........and the recipient has logged in since they were sent.........or was not received.
David
I have been reading this old topic with interest,its where we all started ;D I think by now David will have realized that when you send the P.M. that you have to log in to view it.They do read your P.m but are to idle to reply,sorry but thats the sad truth you know they still around because you can check,. The same thing happens on the public board all the time A question is asked and they get lots of info do they reply NO. some members go to a lot of trouble to find things and get very annoyed with a no responce. If they continually don't reply on public boards various topics.They get known as Pass ;D
So please do reply to information sent on the Public board or P.M. don't become a Pass ;D ;D ;D
Celia
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Hiya
I've been registered on here for about a year and never knew until i read it somewhere on here yesterday that PM's aren't active until you have made 3 posts. ???
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Not really
I forgot all about being registered on here until the other week. ::)
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I've been registered on here for about a year and never knew until i read it somewhere on here yesterday that PM's aren't active until you have made 3 posts. ???
'Tis a myth ... 2 posts is enough ;)
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I forgot all about being registered on here until the other week.
Well you didn't get very far on rootschat with your family research did you ;D ;D
Celia
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'Tis a myth ... 2 posts is enough ;)
Yes i noticed that ;)
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Well you didn't get very far on rootschat with your family research did you ;D ;D
Celia
I've only just returned to researching my family tree after a few years break. ;)
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How do I PM someone?
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Nevermind, figured it out :)
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:)
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There are several PM options under your Profile settings.
Click on 'Profile' button, then 'Personal Message Options.'
You can add people to Ignore List or select/unselect the following:
-Notify by email every time you receive a personal message.
-Save a copy of each Personal Message in my outbox by default.
-Show a popup when you receive new messages?
Does this help?
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You can put someone on your Ignore list as I mentioned in the Profile options. If more than one persons is sending you PMs constantly could it be something about the way your posts are worded that makes them thing a PM would be better? (for example, might contain details of living people)
P.S. if you want to discuss it further send me a PM (sorry but it is a useful system for things that shouldn't be posted online)
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I'm another new person sending a post so that I can send a personal message. Apologies to anyone trying to read through the help section having to wade through my posts which are made for this purpose.
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I echo the message sent above. Having been used to using forums, it wasn't that clear that I had to reply to posts to write a PM. But this post is for that purpose.
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Hello,
I'm new here, well actually brand new I registered today. I see that I have to post two (I think) replies before I can PM someone.
I'm not sure how often people read this thread, probably not at all really except maybe for newbies and the moderators. Anyway I'll try, is there any way I can contact an inactive member? The person I'm thinking of hasn't logged on since November 2010. If I sent a pm I'm sure he/she would never see it.
For some background, I'm working on the Darracott family history and this member had been working on this for 30 years. I'm trying to get my father's family tree together for a surprise christmas present. The Darracott family seem to be completely different from every other branch of my family tree in that they seem to be well off and quite distinguished.
Please pm me if you can help with contacting inactive members and the Darracotts. thanks for any help.
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Hi Brich
Welcome! :)
Post again to use the PM system, and post on the thread where you found the person - they should get an email notification that there is a new reply on that thread. As long as they haven't changed their email or disabled notification!
Kind regards, Arranroots ;)
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I do have a question - will replies to anything I post automatically go to me or do I have to change something to say I want a notification when I receive an answer? For example, how will I know that someone has answered this post?? Obviously new here....
Thanks!!
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Hi sccond,
Welcome to RootsChat :)
In general you can set whether you wish to receive an e-mail notification of replies to posts or PMs
see: http://www.rootschat.com/help/profile04.php
see also:
http://www.rootschat.com/help/navi_board.php#notify
http://www.rootschat.com/help/navi_topic.php#notify
Good luck with your researches,
Bob
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Thanks Bob. Will explore those links.
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Apologies for jumping in on this thread. I have received a pm and know I need 3 posts before I can respond to it.
I would have started my own thread but do not appear to have that facility available. :)
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It shows how long it's been since I registered, I didn't even realise I had not posted before! So hello to all!
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Number 3 and hopefully I can respond to my pm. :)
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Go for it!
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someone has sent me a message and I can't reply as I don't have enough posts to my name. So here is me trying to get more posts so I can reply.
I agree this should be made more clear as it is a big time waster trying to find out what to do. But I guess once it is done you are right from then on.
Cheers
KErri