New Posts Since Last Visit

Now, if I understand this right, there's no way to mark posts read, correct? So every time you visit you have to scroll down until you figure out where you left off?

And how do I figure out which threads have new posts? The light bulbs go on by the "forums" to tell me, but when I go to the threads, there's nothing that indicates that a particular thread has a new post, unless I am missing something (quite possible, since I am finding it difficult to read this board -- the type is WAY too small!).

PLEASE tell me I've overlooked something here!!!

-Melin


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I DO have the figure of a Goddess...
But in my case, it's the
Venus of Willendorf

Okay, I've discovered the folders. So that tells me what threads have new posts. Is there any marking on the last post that you read, so that you know where to start?

-Melin

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I DO have the figure of a Goddess...
But in my case, it's the
Venus of Willendorf

Unfortunately, there's no way to mark the last post you read. What I do is scroll quickly to the bottom of the thread and look at the time/date stamps on each post. Assuming I can remember more or less when I logged on last, it's fairly easy to pick up where I left off. Yeah, I know it sounds a little half-arsed. But reading threads is so much faster with this new technology that, even if you have hunt around a bit for your starting point, overall you save a ton of time. Give it a chance, I had the same frustration you did at first but wound up liking this board a lot and I think you will too.

As for the type being small, this is a function of what Windows screen fonts you have. The MB's default choice is Verdana, a large, easy-to-read font available on Windows 98. (Well, it's on my computer, anyway.) The backup font is Arial, which is smaller. The Windows 95 computer I have here only has Arial, and I agree it's too small. Maybe it's time for an OS upgrade.

Ed, if you want Verdana, you can install it in the computer that's running win 95, ya know?



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Ranger Jeff
The Idol of American Youth

Yeah, I know, but I wasn't up for a primer on where to get screen fonts and how to install them ... want to tackle it, Jeff?

[[What I do is scroll quickly to the bottom of the thread and look at the time/date stamps on each post. Assuming I can remember more or less when I logged on last, it's fairly easy to pick up where I left off. ]] Ed

When you first sign on, the intro screen even gives you the line, "You last visited: 03-11-99 12:31 PM", so you don't even have to remember when it was.

Ed, I'll EMail you the font. Download it to your Download folder. Then use Windows Explorer to go to c:/windows/fonts. Open your font folder, then click on file>install new font. Direct it to your aol/download folder and you'll be in business.

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Ranger Jeff
The Idol of American Youth

Suggestion: Add the font and an explanation of how to install it (and why) to the FAQ. Also find out if this is an issue for the Mac users -- I don't think Verdana is a cros-platform font and I know Arial isn't (they can be loaded, but they don't come with it), so they're probably viewing with something else entirely.

To know when you last visited a site, open
the bookmark properties for the site, and there is the notation. At least it does that on Netscape 4.5. It'll say you were there within the last hour, if you were.

Hmm, this visit there are NO lightbulbs, eith er on or off. Is this a glitch on the board, or on my 'puter, or what?

-Melin

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I DO have the figure of a Goddess...
But in my case, it's the
Venus of Willendorf

Ian, the intro screen is not accurate on the time/date of my last visit. Not only that, on some of the threads which have multiple posts, I only see the original post. What's the deal? Anyone?

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There is no must in art because art is free. -Kandinsky

... and, although my preferences are set for last 2 days, I'm still seeing the whole dang "thread" (or whatever it's called), stuff back several days.

Karen: try holding SHIFT while you reload the page.

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>^,,^<
"Cluemobile? You've got a pickup..."
The Teeming Millions Homepage: http://fathom.org/teemingmillions

[[... and, although my preferences are set for last 2 days, I'm still seeing the whole dang "thread" (or whatever it's called), stuff back several days.]]

Right, but only the threads with some activity within the time period specified by your preference.

Seems the replies to a topic are counted. The number is shown on the topic choice page.
Would it be possible to number each reply? Then it would be simple to remember where you left off.

JACK

What happened to the folders to show new posts added to a thread since one's last visit? Now all I see are the OPEN or CLOSED icons.

You should see one of three icons: (1) a folder to indicate new posts since last visit; (2) a swirly thing to indicate no new posts; and (3) a lock to indicate a closed thread.

Would it be possible to number each reply? Then it would be simple to remember where you left off.

It's possible, but I don't see the advantage. Remembering the number of posts you had read in each thread, particularly when there get to be hundreds of threads, seems impossible. I still think the easiest way to find where you left off is to scan the time stamps on the posts.

[[posted 03-16-99 07:50 PM

You should see one of three icons: (1) a folder to indicate new posts
since last visit; (2) a swirly thing to indicate no new posts; and (3) a
lock to indicate a closed thread. ]]

I am not seeing folders anymore. Anywhere. I am seeing a blue and red swirly thing, and I am seeing a lock. That's it.

Michelle emitted:
[I am not seeing folders anymore. Anywhere. I am seeing a blue and red swirly thing, and I am seeing a lock. That's it.]

Sounds to me like you're faster than everyone else.. I know the temptation is constant, but you have to give everyone else time to respond. Check back in an hour.. even a day, if you can stand it (*twitch* Sorry, addiction talking).. and you'll see folders again. I've had the same thing happen, and the folders always eventually reappear.

lovelee

The MB's default choice is Verdana, a large, easy-to-read
font available on Windows 98. (Well, it's on my computer, anyway.) The backup font is Arial, which is smaller.

If there is a wish or a need for it, I can create a Mac version of Verdana. My default font is Times 10 pt, but I've got this gorgeous Sony 15 inch Trin :-) so I have no problems reading it myself.



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Designated Optional Signature at Bottom of Post

Ok, what am I doing wrong? When I enter some topics all the latest posts are there, but in others the latest posts don't show up until I hit Shift & the Refresh button. Even if the posts are several hours old.
Grrrrr. . .

Be sure Javascript is turned ON.

Also people, it would be beneficial if you said what browser you were using...and what operating system.

[[Sounds to me like you're faster than everyone else.. I know the
temptation is constant, but you have to give everyone else time to
respond. Check back in an hour.. even a day, if you can stand it
(*twitch* Sorry, addiction talking).. and you'll see folders again. I've
had the same thing happen, and the folders always eventually reappear.]]

I come here only once, maybe twice a day. And I never see those darn folders anymore. I USED to see them, so Idon't think it has anything to do with how I access the board.

Ok, what am I doing wrong? When I enter some topics all the latest posts are there, but in others the latest posts don't show up until I hit Shift & the Refresh button. Even if the posts are several hours old.

Shift/refresh is just part of the drill if you want to override caching. The real problem is if you do shift/refresh and the posts STILL don't show up. The AOL browser seems particularly uncooperative in this respect. MSIE and NNav work better, in my experience.

I come here only once, maybe twice a day. And I never see those darn folders anymore. I USED to see them, so Idon't think it has anything to do with how I access the board.

Michelle, I agree with you, operation of the folder/swirl/lock symbols is erratic. I just posted a new topic now and it showed up with a swirl, indicating a post I'd already read. Then again, I've got cookies turned off on this computer. Let me switch to the other computer, which has cookies turned on, and see what happens.

OK, now I'm on my other computer and folders/swirls/locks all work fine. So do light bulbs, for that matter. The difference with this computer is that:

1. Cookies are turned on.
2. 56k modem (28.8 on other one)
3. 400 MHz processor (90 on other one)
4. Win98 (Win95 on other one)
5. I'm facing north, not south. Probably irrelevant, but with computers one never knows.

Somewhere in the above is the reason you're not seeing the folders, Michelle.

Man oh man, I need to get my mind out of the gutter . . . I kept reading Ed's post as telling people to "Shit/Refresh." And while that probably isn't a bad idea, it isn't going to help with MB problems.

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** Phil D. **
"There isn't time to tell you all that you need to know." -- Jon Auer

[SILENT-BOB NOT]

:wally