How to "Subscribe" to a Message Board or a Particular Topic

[Dave Baker]

SUBSCRIBING TO A PARTICULAR MESSAGE BOARD

Problem: You are especially interested to read questions and answers posted in a particular message board. You only have time to visit that message board once a day or every couple of days, or you sometimes forget to check it.

Solution: "Subscribe" to that message board so that you get an email each time a new topic is posted.

For example, say you'd like to monitor the Church Plans message board; your legal practice includes many such plans.

1. Go to the home page of the message boards ( http://benefitslink.com/boards ).

2. Click on Church Plans.

3. Look for "Forum Options" at the top right corner of the box that lists the currently posted topics. Click on it. You'll get a drop-down menu of options... one is "Subscribe to this Forum." Select it by highlighting that option.

(If you don't get a drop-down menu, you probably have Javascript disabled on your web browser. Javascript must be enabled to make this work.)

4. Now you get a screen showing various settings for your subscription. You can specify that you want an email every time a topic is posted (the "Immediate Email Notification" option). Or, you can specify that you want an email that contains a cumulative list of the new topics (called a "digest"), to be sent to you once a day or once a week.

-- Note: An alternative to immediate notifications that is useful if you come online often to view the particular message board is to select "Delayed Email Notification." In that case the message boards software will not send you immediate email notice of each new topic. Instead it will wait to see if you visit the particular message board within a certain period of time after the new topic was posted (it's smart enough to know this). If you don't, then an email notice about the new topic is sent to you (hence the use of the word "delayed"). But if you do visit that message board within a certain period of time, you won't get an email about any new topics that are listed when you visit the message board (you don't need an email because you'll have found out about those new topics by seeing them listed on the message board).

-- Another note: After you go online and read the new topic, the software is smart enough to reset itself so that it automatically emails you when someone later posts a new message (a "reply") in that topic.

See also: HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM A MESSAGE BOARD TO WHICH YOU'VE SUBSCRIBED, below.

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SUBSCRIBING TO A PARTICULAR TOPIC

Problem: You find a particularly interesting topic on one of the message boards. You want to monitor the topic to see when someone posts a reply message (e.g., an answer to the question that the topic starter asked). You don't want to have to bookmark the topic and then remember to check that bookmark.

Solution: "Subscribe" to that topic so that you get an email when a reply is posted.

1. To subscribe to a particular topic, open that topic by clicking on its title.

2. Click on the button that says "Options" (at the top right corner of the resulting screen showing the original post in the topic and any replies). You'll get a drop-down options list that says "Track This Topic." Select it by highlighting it.

-- Note: Unfortunately, the terminology is not consistent here; it ought to say "subscribe" instead of "track" -- it's the same thing.

-- Another note: You'll get a poorly-worded "error" message if you do this for a topic that's in a message board to which you've already subscribed as described earlier, because you already would be getting an email notice when a reply is posted in such a topic, as described earlier.

Now you can go away from the message boards and go about your business. If you check your email frequently during the day you'll find an email notice whenever someone posts a reply message in the topic to which you've subscribed. (This presumes you have selected the "immediate" notification option.)

If you wish, you can jump online (using the link you'll see in in the email notification) to read the new reply message. For example, someone might have just posted an answer to your question, if you started the topic with a question.

If the person who posted the reply also has subscribed to this topic, then the two of you in effect can have an online dialog during the day.

Sometimes it's remarkable how fast a question is answered, especially if several people already have subscribed to the message board in which the topic appears and have specified immediate email notices. The topic can become an accelerated three-way (or four-way, etc.) online discussion that blooms like a flower in time-lapse photography! (OK, perhaps I'm getting too enthusiastic here. )

See also: HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM A TOPIC TO WHICH YOU'VE SUBSCRIBED, below.

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HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM A MESSAGE BOARD TO WHICH YOU'VE SUBSCRIBED; HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM A TOPIC TO WHICH YOU'VE SUBSCRIBED

If you decide you've had a bellyfull of email notices about new topics in a message board or new replies in a particular topic, you're able to stop those emails by "unsubscribing."

1. Click on "My Controls," which appears towards the top right side of any page while you're visiting the message boards. It's on the same line that starts with "Logged in as [your username here]."

2. Scroll down the "Menu" at the left side of the resulting page.

3. Click on "View Topics" to see the particular topics to which you're subscribed, or click on "View Forums" to see the particular message boards to which you're subscribed.

4. Check the box next to any item to which you'd like to unsubscribe.

5. Click on the "With Selected" button you'll see at the bottom of the list of items. (It will have the word "Unsubscribe" in front of it, by default).

[Guest taxesquire]

Dave, I usually get 2 emails. 1 tells me theres a new post to a particular board, and another actually gives me the entire post. I'd prefer to just get the latter. What should I do?