Tips for Using NCDD?s Discussion Lists
NCDD?s Discussion Lists (formerly called our ?Online Community?) are provided by EdGateway. Subscribers to the lists may receive and send messages to the groups they are subscribed to via email (like a listserv) or via the web interface (like a bulletin board).
Basic, Quick Instructions
Additional Options & Tips
- Update your profile
- Choose how to view/receive messages (email, daily digests or online only)
- View messages via the web interface
- Start a new discussion
- Send messages from a second email address
- What to do if you forget your password
- What to do if you are receiving messages from a discussion but cannot seem to send messages to the list
- Get additional help
Basic, Quick Instructions
1. Go to the home of NCDD?s Discussion Lists
You can get to the discussion lists through www.thataway.org?s ?Discussions? section ? or just use this link: www.edgateway.net/ncdd.
2. Register (or log in if you're already registered for the Discussion Lists)
Click on "Register" and complete the very short form. Please select a login and password that you can remember.
3. Subscribe to a Discussion
After you register (or log in), click on the linked word "Discussions" (not the menu item ?Discussions? that?s on the top of every page on the NCDD site). Click on the name of the discussion that interests you, then click on "subscribe." We encourage everyone who registers to join our main "NCDD Discussion" list in addition to any other lists that interest them.
4. Send a Message
After subscribing to a discussion, you can send a message to all other subscribers via email or via the online interface. To send a message to the main NCDD Discussion list via email, simply send an email message to [email protected]. The email addresses for other lists can easily be found by clicking on those lists. You can also reply to a message you have already received from the list in your inbox (replies are sent to the entire list, not just to the sender).
To send a message using the online interface, click on the name of the discussion and then click "Start a New Message." You must be logged in and subscribed to the discussion to send a message this way. If you'd like to reply to a specific message that has already been sent/posted, click on that message and then click "Reply to the Group" at the top of the page.
Additional Options & Tips
1. Update your profile
People who are registered to use NCDD?s Discussion Lists can access your profile by clicking on your name. Your name will appear on the list of members for whichever lists you subscribe to, and on the web interface by the subject line of any email message you send. If you do nothing to your profile, people will only see your name and email address when they click on your name. If you'd like people to know more about you, once you have registered or logged in, click on ?My Profile? to add/change your contact information and bio.
2. Choose how to view/receive messages (email, daily digests or online only)
After you subscribe to a discussion, you can choose how you will receive or view your messages. Click on ?My Profile,? then click ?Email Discussion Preferences.? For each discussion group you join, you can (1) receive each messages via email, (2) receive a daily digest (all postings included in one email message) in your inbox, or (3) just view the postings on the website at your convenience and receive no emails.
We encourage you to subscribe to all of the discussions, but select ?no emails? for those that you don?t plan to be actively involved in. That way, you can check out via the website what?s going on in the groups you aren?t actively participating in without having to receive all of that group?s correspondence in your inbox. And you can still send them a message if you have a suggestion or idea for that group.
3. View messages via the web interface
Viewing messages online is easy. Click on the name of a discussion that you?re subscribed to. The messages will appear in a list, organized by threads (series of messages with the same subject line). If you would like to see the messages that came through in a particular time period while you were away or since you last checked the messages online, click on ?Message List? and all messages will be listed by date and time.
You can also click on ?full text? to view the subject line and text of every message on one page, ?Main Topics? to just see a list of the topics (threads with the same subject line), or ?Ascending? to reverse the order of messages from earliest to latest.
4. Start a new discussion
Only "list managers" can start new discussions. We encourage you to initiate new discussions related to dialogue and deliberation. Email Sandy Heierbacher, NCDD's Convenor, at to let her know that you'd like to start a new discussion. She will then give you list manager status so that you can create and manage the new discussion or, if you prefer, she'll create the new discussion for you.
5. Send messages from a second email address
You may send messages to your discussion lists from an additional email address, although you will only receive the list's messages at your primary email address. If you have a secondary email address that you would like to send messages from, such as a web-based email address that you use while traveling, you can add this second email address on this profile page as well (click on "My Profile" after logging in).
6. What to do if you forget your password.
If you forget your password, click on ?login? and then click on ?Forgot your password?? You will be asked to enter the email address that is in your profile. If you have changed email addresses since registering for NCDD?s Discussion Lists (and didn?t update the email address in your profile), you need to enter your old email address. If you no longer receive messages at the old email address, email for assistance.
If you were registered automatically after attending the October 2002 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation and never changed your password, try ?ncdd? for your password and your email address at the time of the conference for your login (all lower case).
7. What to do if you seem to be able to RECEIVE messages from a discussion but not to SEND them.
Say you are receiving messages from the main NCDD Discussion list, but after trying to send a message to the list, you receive a message back that says ?invalid email address? in the subject line. The problem may be that the email address you are using to send messages from is not registered at EdGateway. You are probably receiving the list messages because you have forwarded messages sent to your old (registered) email address to a newer address.
There are two ways to correct this problem. (1) Log in at www.edgateway.net/ncdd and change your email address by clicking on ?My Profile? and then ?Update Profile.? This will ensure that the list messages are sent directly to the correct email address AND that you can send messages to the list from your newer email address. Or (2) Add your newer email address as an ?Alternate Email,? also after clicking on ?My Profile? and then ?Update Profile.? Your alternative email address will NOT receive emails (unless they?re automatically forwarded from another account) but will enable you to send messages to your subscribed discussions FROM this address.
8. Who can I email for help?
When all else fails, feel free to email for assistance. Sandy may have to connect with her contact at EdGateway before getting back to you with a solution for whatever problem you?re facing, but she will get back to you.
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