Moderation interface demo

Frequently Asked Questions

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How to approve a message
This messageboard is not pre-moderated. This means that messages are visible to everybody as soon as they have been posted. It is your job as a moderator to check that messages are acceptable according to the rules listed below, and to delete or hide inappropriate messages.

 

How to delete messages

Messages that are unacceptable according to the rules below should be deleted. A deleted message can't be recovered. If you are in doubt whether a message should be deleted or not, then you may hide it instead. To delete messages in the read view or list view, select the messages or threads and click on Delete selected messages or Delete selected threads. To delete a message in the edit view, click on Delete message.

 

How to hide messages
A hidden message is visible only to the moderator. To hide messages in the read view or list view, select the messages or threads and click on Hide selected messages or Hide selected threads. To hide a message in the edit view, use the Approval status list and select rejected. Then click on Save changes. A hidden message can be made visible again by approving it.

 

What is the approval status?

The approval status can have the following values:   Aproval status Meaning Visible Mark approved Message has been approved by moderator visible   approval not required Messageboard is not premoderated. No approval required visible   written by moderator Message has been written by moderator while logged in. No approval required visible   needs consideration Marked by moderator for some later action visible ! lasting value Protect the message or save it for later transfer to archive. The message and any predecessors in the same thread can't be hidden, deleted or expired unless you change its status. visible # expired Expiry date has been passed hidden X approval required Not seen by moderator yet. Messageboard is premoderated, approval required hidden * rejected Hidden by moderator hidden H internal notice Message is intended only for moderators to read. Warning: If the messageboard has an Email facility then the message may be mailed out automatically before you change the status to 'internal notice'. hidden !H hidden, but don't delete Message has been rejected, but for some reason you don't want to delete it. The message can't be approved, deleted or expired unless you change the status. hidden #H   You may change the approval status of any message by using the Edit message function. The marks are shown in the thread list. A thread where all messages are rejected or expired is red and marked with HH or XX.

 

How to edit a message

Click on the message link to get to the read view, if you are not allready there. Click on Edit message. Make the appropriate changes and click on Save changes. Note that the message text is HTML code. A line-break is coded as <BR>. A paragraph break is <P>. A clickable link is <A HREF="URL">text</A>. If you insert a comment in somebody else's message then make sure you mark it as a comment. Use <m> to mark the beginning of your comment and </m> to mark the end, in this way: <m>Moderator's comment: Inappropriate threat deleted</m>. This is not a standard HTML code, but an abbreviation that has been implemented here for your convenience. It will look like this: [Moderator's comment: Inappropriate threat deleted].

 

How does the expiry of messages work?

Old messages have to be removed in order to make space for new ones. This messageboard removes expired messages automatically. You may extend the expiry date for important messages and shorten it for unimportant messages. The expiry date is listed as Year-Month-Day. The maximum expiry date is 9999-12-31. To change the expiry date, use the same procedure as for editing a message. The automatic expiry goes in two steps: First the expired messages are hidden, and later they are deleted. This two-step procedure gives you a chance to recover expired messages in case somebody complains. The exact procedure is as follows: 1. A message is hidden when the expiry date of the message and all its descendants has been passed. 2. A message is deleted when 62 days have passed after all messages in the thread have expired. A hidden message can be recovered, a deleted message can not. The automatic expiry doesn't take effect when no new messages are posted. You have to manually remove old messages where the user has set the expiry date to a date in the far future.

 

Can I move a message to a different thread?
Yes. Click on Edit message and change the 'Message parent'. The 'Message parent' must be older than the message and visible. You may detach a message or branch from a thread by changing the 'Message parent' of the first message in the branch to its own 'Message ID'.

 

Can I move a message to a different messageboard?
You can only move entire threads. Select the threads you want to move on the list page and click on Move selected threads.

 

How to post a message

If your message is not related to any previous message, then click on Begin New Subject. If your message is a comment or follow-up to another message then go to that message and click on Reply To This Message. You will get a form where you can enter your message. Fields marked with a * are required. Click the OK button and you will get a preview. Check if the preview looks as you want it to, then clik the Post Message button.

 

What to post
Just plain nonsense. This is for testing only.

 

Where is my message?
Use the search facility to find your own message. If your message is not there it may have been removed by the moderator because it violates the principles written on this page, or you may have forgotten to press the Post message button on the message preview page. Old messages are removed when the expiry date is exceeded.

 

How do I find the latest messages?
Click on the Date heading to sort the list by the date of the first message in thread. Click on the Latest heading to sort the list by the date of the latest reply.

 

How do I search for a combination of words?

Go to the Search page. Write the words in the search field. If you choose All Words you will find only messages that contain all the words you are searching for. If you choose Any Word you will find all messages that contain at least one of the words. If you choose Exact Phrase you will find only messages that contain the exact phrase you have written, not messages that contain the same words in a different order. The search engine makes no distinction between capital and small letters.

 

Can I use HTML code?
Yes. Just copy and paste the code from an HTML editor or a word processor that can generate HTML code. Active elements like forms and scripts are not allowed. Be sure to check the message preview to see if your message looks as you want it to. If your line breaks get messed up then you have to specify where you want line breaks. Use <p> for new paragraph, or <br> for a simple linefeed.

 

Can I copy text from somewhere else?

Yes, you can copy text from your word processor or from anywhere else if it is not copyright protected. If you are using a Windows system then the procedure for copying text is as follows: Highlight the text you want to copy. Press Ctrl+Ins or Ctrl+C. Go to the place where you want to copy the text to (i.e. the message text field) and press Shift+Ins. The procedure may be slightly different in other systems.

 

I don't know HTML. How do I make a link?
Anything that begins with http:// or www. will automatically be converted to a link. An E-mail link can be written as mailto:xxx@yyy.zzz

 

Mouse problems

You can use the keyboard instead of the mouse if your browser supports access-keys. Most links have an underlined letter indicating a hotkey. Hold down the Alt key and press the hotkey to activate the link. The pushbuttons have their first letter as hotkeys. The first nine items in a list can be accessed as Alt+1, Alt+2, Alt+3, etc. Note that this doesn't work in all browsers. In some systems you need to use another key than Alt with the hotkey. You can also use the Tab key to select a link. Try if it works on your system!