posted
Thought I'd offer some tips on posting replies. I started typing this this morning but had to leave before it was finished. I log in this afternoon & now wonder if I should take my own advice (below) & post as a new topic or not. Oh, what the heck. Here goes nothin' & not meant to stir up trouble. Just some helpful advice. I think the Edit function is worth keeping as long as its used for its intended purpose; whatever that is. The rest is the original message.
Any replies which require much thought & probably a few paragraphs, should be composed offline. Here's what to do. 1st click "file", "save as" & save the thread somewhere on your hd. When offline, open the htm or txt file & refer to it while composing your reply. Open Notepad. Compose a message. Proofread it & make sure it says what you want to convey in a most unoffensive way as possible. When you're done & still sure you want to post, choose "select all" from the edit menu. Then select "copy". Now go back online, find the thread & hit the post reply button. Click in the message area & "ctrl+v" (paste) to insert. You'll have to try and adjust the spacing but remember that the bullboard message posting software program has a mind of its own & doesn't always space words as you think they should go. It doesn't change the order but might leave gaping spaces between words. So anytime you see replies like that they were probably composed offline & pasted in. And sometimes trying to edit replies like that only makes them look worse.
But by doing so, you run the risk that someone else posts a message similar to yours 1st. Then you must decide if you still need to post or edit further before hitting the post reply button. Remember this is your last chance to make changes. Once you hit reply its out there for the whole world to see. No going back unless you edit; but that's usually for misspelled words &/or punctuation corrections.
Sometimes replies are simultaneous & not much that can be done about it. Checking the chronological order of replies confirms that.
Oh, & another thing. When posting pictures, could you please keep the size & resolution within the parameters Steve & Barb ask you to? There are probably some good pics which just don't get seen by people with dialup modems. We just can't wait that long. Usually got a schedule & don't have the time. Sometimes those oversized pics can really screw up an otherwise good post. That's about as annoying as that "ezbanner1.gif" that when its turn in the rotation comes, halts everything else until it loads & plays thru once. I wish there was a way to reduce its bandwidth. I tried copying it to every internet subtemp directory I have, but each time it cycles, all stops until the squeegee & hand cross the screen. Hitting the back button & then having to wait is most annoying. Next time it seems like your computer is locked up, check to see if that animated gif is running.
[ August 11, 2004, 5:22 PM: Message not edited by: Bill Cosharek ]
-------------------- Bill Cosharek Bill Cosharek Signs N.Huntingdon,Pa
bcosharek@juno.com Posts: 703 | From: N.Huntingdon, Pa, USA | Registered: Dec 1999
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