English Seminar

Features	SMF	phpBB	YaBB

Discussion boards
unlimited number of boards	*	*	*
can create polls for any discussion topic	*	*
sticky topic (ensures that post will stay on top) option	*	*	*
locked topic (only approved members can view it) option	*	*	*
members can reply to posts	*	*	*
Information available to administrator
list of members	*	*	*
provides total number of posts by individual members	*	*	*
provides the date that the member registered	*	*	*
provides the member’s email address	*	*	*
forum history (all past posts and activity)	*
shows which users are online	*	*	*
"help" option	*		*
FAQ option		*
Security options
administrator can manage permission options for the various parts of the forum	*	*	*
administrator has complete member registration control	*	*	*
administrator can ban members	*	*	*
administrator can censor words	*	*	*
administrator can set failed log-in limit	*
administrator can register their members and automatically email them a password	*
has "back-up database" option	*	*
has "restore database" option		*
Other features	SMF	phpBB	YaBB
allows attachments to posts	*
search feature	*	*	*
spell check	*
smileys (emoticons)	*	*	*
has a section in which to post forum news	*		*
user profiles	*	*	*
calendar with event posting option	*
mass email capabilities	*	*	*
private messaging option	*	*	*
group messaging	*
easy to install	*	*
requires SQL database (which is, most likely, available through computing services)	*	*
RECOMMENDED BY CONSULTING GROUP STUDENT MEMBERS	*

The following is a set of links to various articles and resources regarding the use of web forums for discussion:

Developing the Writing Skills of University Students in Cyberspace
http://osf1.gmu.edu/~montecin/gwconf.htm

Conferencing on the Web
http://www.thinkofit.com/webconf/wcunleash.htm

Computer Tools for Teaching Writing
http://computing.wlu.edu/faculty/instruct/write.html

Cooperation vs. Deliberation: Computer Mediated Conferencing and the Problem of Argument in International Distance Education
http://www.irrodl.org/content/v3.1/davis.html

Supporting Asynchronous Discussions Among Online Learners
http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/ch13.html

The Dialogic Blackboard
http://www.bgsu.edu/cconline/DavisHardy/bakhtin.html

Creating Online Learning for Where it’s Going to Be, Not Where it’s Been: An Online Pedagogy for 2006
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_...

Using Web-Based Conferencing in Post-Secondary Instruction
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_...

Using Online Forums as a Replacement for Face-to-Face Discussion Groups
http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg/brief/V7n4/default.htm

SMF Discussion Board User Guide

Making Comments

To make a comment, click “New Topic” in the lower right-hand corner. Type in your comment and change the formatting using the different buttons on the screen. Click post.

To preview your comment, click “Preview.”

To reply to an existing post, click “Reply” underneath the post. Type in your reply and change the formatting using the different buttons on the screen. Click post.

To preview your reply, click “Preview.”

To quote from a previous comment, scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Find the comment from which you would like to quote and click “Insert Quote.”
To attach a document to your post, click “Additional Options” and browse in your computer for the document. Once found, select it. It will be attached to your comment when you click “Post.”

Polls

To make a poll in a discussion section, click on “Add Poll” at the bottom of the screen. Type in your question and the various responses. Change options, if need be. Click “Save” and your poll will be posted at the top of the discussion page.

Profiles

To edit your profile, click on “Profile” at the top of the screen. Click on any of the options under “Modify Profile” on the left-hand side to edit them.

To change your password, go to “Account Related Settings.”
To add a picture, text, your birthday (which will be posted on the calendar), give your location and gender, list your instant messenger nicknames, customize your signature or add your website URL to your profile, click on “Forum Profile Information.”
To personalize the layout, go to “Look and Layout Preferences.”
To change the notifications that you receive, go to “Notifications and Email.”
To change your personal message options (Ignore list, notification by email if you receive a message, save a copy of personal messages in your outbox, show a popup when you receive a new message), go to “Personal Message Options.”

Messaging

To check your messages, go to your Inbox by clicking on your messages in the upper left-hand corner.
To send a message to another member, go to your Inbox by clicking on your messages in the upper left-hand corner. Click on “New MSG”. To find the name of the member, click on “Find Members” next to the “TO:” box. Click on “Multiple Recipients” to add more members. Type in your message and click “Send Message.”

SMF Discussion Board Statistics

SMF logs: general statistics, top 10 posters, top 10 boards, top 10 topics (by replies and by views), top topic starters, top 10 online time, and personal statistics about each user.

To access general statistics, scroll down to the bottom of the main page and click on “Forum Stats” in the lower left-hand corner. To view all of the general statistics, click on “[More Stats]”
To view personal statistics, click on “Profile” at the top of the page and then click on “Show Stats” on the left-hand side.
To view all past posts, click on “Show Posts” on the left-hand side.
To view your permissions, click on “Show Permissions” on the left-hand side.

Forum history is saved in the “ Statistics Center” ([More Stats]).

*Please go to the “HELP” menu with other questions regarding the use of SMF Discussion Boards

SMF Discussion Board Administrative Guide

To access the administrative center, click on the “Admin” button at the top of the page.

Editing Forum News

To edit the forum news, click on “Edit Forum News” in the left-hand column under the “Forum Control” heading. This will bring up a box for you to enter text. You can either save and post or preview.

Managing the Boards

Click on “Manage Boards” in the left hand column under “Forum Controls.” You will now see a page that lists all categories and boards with the options of “Permissions” and “Modify”.

“Permissions” brings up a list of participants. You can check/uncheck certain groups, or set individual permissions for each group by clicking modify. This will bring up a list of options and options whether to Allow (A), Disallow (X), or Deny (D) each option. Disallow restricts the user unless they are part of another group that is allowed whereas Deny restricts all users of the group, no matter what their status in other groups.
“Modify” allows you to change the category, order, name of the board, description, groups allowed, set moderators, count posts, change or set the theme, or delete the board

In this section, you can also add boards by clicking “Add Board” or add categories by clicking “Add New Category.” To delete a category, click on the name of the category and then click “Delete Category.”

Features and Options

Clicking on “Features and Options” on the left-hand column will give you a large list of features and options that you can check or uncheck or enter number specifications (enable/disable polls, attachment options, calendar, etc.).

Changing the Layout and Theme

Click on “Current Theme’s Settings” in the options column on the left and you will get the current theme settings and setting options.
Under “Theme and Layout Settings” (also in the menu on the left of the screen), you are given options of how to apply the theme to the entire site and to users. There is also an area where you can install new themes, giving you the options to find in on a server, or to upload a file. Also all themes are listed and you are able to click on them to edit the options of each of them.

Changing Smileys

Click on “Smileys and Smiley Sets” under “Forum Configuration” in the column on the left of the page.

The first thing that will come up is the “Smiley Settings” tab. Here you can choose which set of smiley you want to use as the default, the path to where they are saved and whether or not to allow customized smileys.
The next tab is “Smiley Sets”. This shows you all of the smiley sets you have allowing you to change the name, which one is the default, as well as allowing you to import other smiley sets (New Smiley Set) and delete current sets.
The “Add Smiley” tab allows you to add individual smileys. The first part allows you to use an existing image or upload a new image. Once you have an image, you can set the code and tooltip/description and then save it.
The “Edit Smileys” tab lets you change existing smileys. You can also check the box behind a smiley and delete it by clicking delete at the bottom of the page. To edit a smiley, find it on the list and click the modify link behind that smiley. Here you can change the set the smiley is in, its code, the image that is used, the tooltip/description, and the location.
The last tab allows you to change the smiley order that appear above the text area, when posting a new forum message or Personal Message.

Censoring Words

Click on the “Edit Censored Words” link in the column on the left of the screen. You will be given a couple options and the “click here to add another word” button. When you click this button you get two empty boxes. You type the word that you want censored in the first box, and the word that you want to replace it with in the second box. An empty box simply deletes the word. There is also a test box where you can try out your newly censored words.

Editing Groups

This shows all groups registered in the forum. You can get to this by clicking “Edit Membergroups” in the column at the left of the screen. This will bring up all groups and their star ratings. Here you can add new groups, delete groups or modify an existing group. To add a new group, click add group and here you can give it a name, permissions, and boards that members of that group are allowed to see. Modifying a group lets you change the name, color in online list, number of stars, star image used, and the maximum number of personal messages. In member groups you can also make groups based on how many post are made. For example, you could make five groups based on number of posts and have one more star for each higher group (ie 0-25 =1 star, 26-50 =2 stars, 51-75 =3stars, 76-100 =4 stars, 101+ =5 stars).

Editing Permissions

To Edit Permissions, click on the “Edit Permissions” link on the left side of the screen. You will get two lists that allow you to edit group permissions as well as setting permissions for individual boards. By clicking “Modify” behind each group you get the list of options and whether you want to Allow, Disallow, or Deny. As mentioned earlier, Disallow restricts the user unless they are part of another group that is allowed whereas Deny restricts all users of the group, no matter what their status in other groups. Under the permission by board, you can choose global where it will use the general settings by membergroup, or local, where you can click on the name of the board and change membergroup permissions for just that board.

Registering New Members

To register new members yourself, click on “Register New Member” on the left side of the screen. Here you can choose their username, email address, password, a primary membergroup (if applicable), and two check boxes, the first to email them their information, and the second requires them to activate their new account.

View Members

By clicking on the “View/Delete Members” link in the left column, you get a list of all the members that is searchable. By clicking on the username or display name, you can view their profile. Click on their email address to send an email to that person. By clicking on the IP address you get a summary of activity from that IP address. It also lists the last time they logged on and how many posts they have made. You can also remove members here by checking the box behind their name and then click the “Delete Selected Members” button.

Sending Emails To Your Members

To email groups, click on “Email Your Members” in the left column and you will get a screen that shows all groups. You can check or uncheck the groups depending on which ones you want to receive the email.
The other two options you have are to send using personal messages and to send even if they have chosen not to receive announcements. After clicking on “next”, you get an area to write your email and an option to send in HTML format.

Ban List

To ban members, click on the link in the column at the left of the screen that says “Ban Members”. The first page that shows up is the list of currently banned members. The second tab is where you add someone to the ban list. First, you can choose to either ban by IP address, host name, email address, or username. Next, you can choose to make the ban permanent or to set the number of days that the ban will b effective. There is also a box to enter the reason the member was banned and another box for notes. Last, you can choose the type of ban. You can choose a full ban, a ban that doesn’t allow them to post, or one that doesn’t allow them to register. The last tab is the log of previous bans.

Forum Maintenance

Click on “Forum Maintenance” in the column at the left of the screen. You will have five options to choose from in the top box. Clicking on these will automatically start the process it describes. The middle section allows you to back up your forum. Options are whether or not to save the table formatting, to save the table data, which you will want to check or nothing will show up, and the last option is to compress it with gzip. If you do compress it with gzip, you may not be able to read the file as you need gzip to unzip it again. The last part allows you to set a certain amount of time before an unused topic it deleted.

Other

To delete a topic, click on the topic as if you were going to read it. Click on “Remove Topic” in the lower left-hand corner.
To lock a topic, click on the topic as if you were going to read it. Click on “LockUnlock.” Repeat if you want to unlock it.
To make a topic sticky (stay at the top of the page), click on the topic as if you were going to read it. Click on “UnSticky.” Repeat if you want to make it unsticky.
To link a topic to the calendar, click on the topic as if you were going to read it. Click on “Link to Calendar.” The topic will then come up. At the top of the comment box, select the date and give the event a title.
To send a topic to somebody, click on the topic as if you were going to read it. Click on “Send Topic.” Enter in the appropriate information and click “Send.”
To view the statistics on a certain member, go to the administrative page by clicking on “Admin.” Click on “View/Delete Members” and then click on the name of the member on whom you would like to view statistics. This will bring you to their profile. Click on “Show General Statistics for this Member.”