Welcome to Shop Talk! This document gives you the low down on how to use this conferencing system effectively. If you experience any difficulties, feel free to email us.
Some common newbie questions and answers:
Q: I keep getting asked for my username and password each time I want to post! Are you guys trying to drive me crazy?
A: No, we're not (at least not here). You can change this annoyance by logging into the Profile Editor ("Create/Edit Profile" in the main Shop Talk menu on your left) and checking the "Remember my username and password in a cookie" option.
Q: Do I have to use this goofy new formatting system? Why can't I just use honest-to-gopod HTML?
A: You can use HTML in your posts. However, if you want to attach files or insert photos, you'll need to use Discus' built-in system (hey, don't blame us, we didn't create this program). The basic functions aren't too difficult, give it a try! Click on the Formatting link in the Shop Talk menu to your left to see how this system works.
Reading Conferences
Anyone with Web access can read conferences on Shop Talk. To read discussions, navigate to the conference of interest by single clicking on the links from the list of Conferences and discussion topics. You can navigate backwards through the conference using the hyperlinked text navigation bars at the top of each conference page.
Contributing to Discussions
To post a message to an existing conference discussion, fill in the "Add a Message" box at the bottom of the page. You may use formatting codes or basic HTML tags to improve the appearance of your post. Posting to Shop Talk requires a user account (username and password). Once registered, follow the instructions on the form to supply the necessary inforamtion for posting.
Where available, you may click on a "Create New Conversation" button to start a new discussion. This will add a subtopic with the subject you specify and start a conversation with the initial message that you specify. After filling in the subject line, post a message as described above.
Searching Shop Talk
Shop Talk can be searched by time of post (New Messages search) or by matching text (Keyword Search). Each of these searching mechanisms provide convenient methods to locate discussions of interest.
To search for new messages, click the New Messages link from the main Shop Talk menu. If you have an account with a valid username and password, fill in your username and password in the appropriate boxes to search for messages since your last check. (Note: If you have the username/password cookie option checked in your profile, you don't need to do this every time). If you do not have an account, you can still search for new messages posted since a given date. The Last Day and Last Week options on the Main Menu are equivalent to searching for messages posted within the last day and messages posted within the last seven days, respectively.
To search Shop Talk by keywords, click the Keyword Search link from the main menu. You can then specify the words that will be used in the search. Additional instructions for using the Keyword Search option are displayed on the search screen itself.
When you have performed the search, click on any of the links to the pages to view the page, or click on a link in the result to go to the post where that text occurs.
Getting an Account
Having a user account on Shop Talk has a number of benefits:
To get a user account, first click the Create/Edit Profile link from the main menu and then select "Instant Registration." And don't be stingy when filling out your user profile! Tells us about yourself. Post a picture. No, we're not collecting demographic information to sell to AOL/Time-Warner. This is a community, we like to know who we're hangin' out with.
Where to get further information
For additional information on using this system, read the Formatting document and the Troubleshooting document. If you have additional questions or concerns, post them to an appropriate area on the discussion forum, or contact us.