MASTER*BOARD™ HELP CENTER (v2.1)

Welcome to the Master*Board™ Help Center. Here you will be able to find answers to your questions about the implementation, operation and usage of this message forum.

The Master*Board™ has been carefully designed to make your online experience a rich one. "Ease-Of-Use" is our primary goal. We understand that no two online users are alike, and will have a different level of Internet experience. It is for this reason we have done our best to reach all levels of expertise, from the online novice to the most advanced user.

We hope you will enjoy the Master*Board™ system. May all of your online journeys be positive ones.

INTRODUCTION

The Master*Board™ Message Board System, developed by CyberWeb, Inc., provides online users with a unique and useful way of sharing information. Using a specialized FREE membership community structure, online viewers who share similar interests can now interact with one another, easily and effortlessly. Master*Board™ has carefully structured its system "Roots" to branch into flowing "Topics," thus offering a useful and easy-to-follow messaging system.

Members can either find their subject matter in one of two ways:

1. By viewing their desired available Topic.
2. Or, by using the Master*Board™ Advanced Search System.

Interactivity

The Master*Board™ system was designed for interactivity. Why? Because we want people to communicate and share information! This is why online viewers use a web board to begin with.

When a member using our system finds whatever they're searching for, the Master*Board™ system gives that user the ability to inform their friends, family and colleagues about it through our 'Tell-A-Friend" service. Our clients have found this to be a priceless tool! Thus, when a member posts a message to the Master*Board™ system, he or she will be notified (if desired) via email of any responses posted.

With full Topic Administration controls, Master*Board™ also strongly encourages you to be the leader of your own Topic(s) - the leader of your group or community by taking the initiative…live a little! Head up your chat environment! You have nothing to lose.

CyberWeb, Inc. has worked hard to offer the complete participation experience, and we are always growing and expanding. Please, feel free to offer us your ideas, suggestions, or comments. It is our desire for you to thoroughly enjoy your Master*Board™ experience - our business depends upon it.

REGISTRATION

Register As A FREE Member:

When you first visit the Master*Board™ system, you will find you are allowed to view "Topic" and "Message" titles. However, if you wish to view the actual message content, or use search system, you will need to register. Membership has its privileges. It is FREE, offers a more secure environment and offers an even more enjoyable experience. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AS A NEW MEMBER.

Once registered, you will be given the opportunity to select a "Forum Alias" (Nickname, First Name, etc.). In addition you will also be allowed to choose an icon (mini icon graphic) that best depicts your mood or personality.

BASIC COMMANDS

This describes the basic links of the Master*Board™ System. These links are located towards the bottom of all pages on the Master*Board™ system.

• All Topics - Allows users to View All Topics on the Master*Board™ system
• Hottest Topics - Displays the most popular Topics on the Master*Board™ system based on 'hits'.
• Search The Forum - An advanced Search Engine to assist members in finding specific subject matter.
• Tell A Friend - This section allows members to send invitation emails to their friends, family, colleagues, etc.
• Forum Home - Returns the user to the front of the Master*Board™ system.
• My Profile - Allows users to change their "Forum Alias" and/or "Forum Icon."
• Help - If you're reading this, then you are here. :)
• Login - Allows New and Current members to login (or register) to the MasterBoard™ system.
• Logout - If a member is currently "logged-in" to the Master*Board™ system, this link will be displayed. If the member clicks on this link, the system will "log-off" the user from the current session. The member will be able to login back in again using the 'login' link.

TOPICS

There are two types of Topics within the Master*Board™ system, "Public Topics" and "Private Topics."

Public topics are available to all users, while private topics are generally reserved for invited guests. The Master*Board™ system allows individuals and companies the option for complete privacy. This is useful for confidential matters of all kinds.

VIEWING TOPICS

Upon entering the Master*Board™ system from the front-end or from the 'All Topics' link, users will enter the 'Topics' section. This section is accessible to all users. However, registration is required when going deeper into the Master*Board™ system. The headings of this section read as follows:

Topics

# of Messages

Type

Moderator

Created

• Topics - Displays all Topic names. If a "Sub-Topic" is available, it will be listed under the Main Topic, separated by a bracket. Simply click on the Topic name to enter the 'Messages" section for that specific Topic. Next to the Topic name, you will see the following:
  
  • (More...)  - Click on "More" to display a small pop-up window, offering a brief description of what that Topic is about. This is very useful for determining what the member is specifically looking for.
    
    
• # of Messages - Displays the exact number of messages within a specified Topic.
• Type - Displays whether the specified Topic is a Public or a Private topic. Most Topics will be listed as "Public".
• Moderator - Displays the name of the entity who administrates a specific Topic, otherwise known as "The Topic Administrator:" The Main Administrator of the Master*Board™ system determines who will be allowed in as a "Topic Administrator." Members may apply to become a "Topic Administrator." If approved, that member's name will be displayed under the Moderator heading.
• Created - Displays the date a specified topic was created on.

Underneath the displayed Topics, navigation links will appear if there are more than 5 Topics in the Master*Board™ system. In addition, two more links will be present. They are:

Add Your Own Topic To This Forum

Login/Logout

• Add Your Own Topic To This Forum - Allows a member to create their own Topic to be included on the Master*Board™ system. This generally needs to be approved by the Main Administrator before it becomes visible to the public.
• Login - This link will appear if a member is not logged in.
• Logout - This link will appear if a member is logged in. 

CREATING A TOPIC TO FOR THE FORUM

To add a Topic to the forum, select and click the "Add Your Own Topic To This Forum" link. This will display the Master*Board™ "Create A Topic" page.

Next, complete the form on this page to create a Topic. The form contains the following fields:

Topic Name - This is where member enters the Topic name.

Topic Content - Users can complete a brief description of what the specified Topic is about. This description will be displayed when a Master*Board™ visitor clicks on the "(More...)" link of the "View All Topics" page. This is very helpful because it allows viewers to see what a specific Topic is about without actually entering into it. Please make sure to create your Topic descriptions with as much detail as possible, but within just a few sentences.

The next part of this page allows the member to select the kind of Topic to create. The following message is displayed:

A selectable Pull-Down Menu of item is displayed. If the member leaves the Pull-Down as is, the new Topic will be a Main Topic. However, Master*Board™ has created a unique alternative. The Topic being created DOES NOT have to be a "Main Topic". Instead, it can be a "Sub-Topic" of a previously created "Main Topic."

For example…if there was a previously created topic called "Baseball" on the Master*Board™ forum, and a member wanted to create a Topic called "Pitchers", it would make the most sense to create the Topic known as "Pitchers" as a "Sub-Topic" under the Main Topic of "Baseball." Master*Board™ offers this flexible tree-branching type of listing system.

AGREEMENT MESSAGE

When creating a topic, the member is given the opportunity to include an "Agreement Message" before anyone may access the newly created Topic. This is useful for posting disclaimers related to sensitive issues such as age disclosures, legal issues, confidential information, etc. Keep in mind the Agreement Message is optional, not mandatory.

Three options are available:

1. "Don't Use Agreement" - Default setting. No agreement is used.
2. "First Entry Into This Topic" - Appears the first time a forum member enters the topic.
3. "Every Time They Enter This Topic" - Appears with each topic entry.

TOPIC APPROVAL

Once all the information is entered into the "Create A Topic" form, simply click the "Preview Your Topic" button to preview, or click the "Submit Your Topic" button to complete creation of the new topic. Master*Board™ allows Main Administrators to determine what level of Topic Approval they wish to employ. The default setting for the Master*Board™ system is set for Administrative Topic Approval. This means that a Main Administrator must approve a topic before it is displayed on the forum.

Topic Approval is important for maintaining a specific content focus on various Master*Board™ systems. In addition, it offers the ability for forum members to become Topic Administrators. Not only is important for the Main Administrator to be able to approve Topics, but to approve those who will become Topic Administrators. Again, Master*Board™ allows for the flexibility of the Main Administrator to set this with either lenient or strict settings.

MESSAGES

Master*Board™ offers the ability to view and post messages. Messages are listed under the various Topics created in the Master*Board™ forum. From the "View All Topics" page, simply select the Topic of your choice. You will then be taken to that specified choice page. This is where the messages for a specific Topic are listed. Three headings are displayed on this page. They are:

Subject

Posted By

Posted On

• Subject - Displays the subject of a specific message. Message subjects starting with "re:" are responses to other messages posted.
• Posted By - Displays the Alias of the individual who has posted a specific message
• Posted On - Displays the date a specific message was posted

(If there are no messages in the specified Topic, the page will state "There are no messages currently in this topic." You will then be prompted to return to the View All Topics section of the Master*Board™ forum.)

VIEWING MESSAGES

To view a message, simply select the message of your choice and click on the Message Subject.

A new page will be displayed allowing you to view the message you selected.

The first part of the page contains the actual message starting with Topic Name, Subject, Author, and Contents of the message.

Below the Message is a section called "Messages In This Thread." This area displays all related Message titles to the Current Message that is being displayed. Arrows to the left and right sides of the Current Message subject appear highlighted.

To view another related Message, simply select the Message subject and that Message will be displayed. This is a very handy feature Master*Board™ uses, which allows the member to stay within the related subject area.

RESPONDING TO MESSAGES

If the member wants to respond to the Current Displayed Message, the final part of the "View Messages" page is a form to "Post A Reply" to the message. Simply complete the subject of your message. Next, complete the body of your message. HTML may be used in the message body allowing for advanced enhancement capabilities to appear.

A check box option allowing you to receive an email when other related messages are posted is made available. Simply check this box if you wish to receive emails from the Master*Board™ system whenever a new message is posted. When you are completed with your response message, simply click on the "Post Reply" button..

MESSAGE PREVIEW PAGE

Once the "Post Reply" link is selected, the Master*Board™ Preview Message Page will be displayed. You will be able to view how your reply message will look. If you need to make any corrections or changes to your message, simply click on the "Make Changes" link. You will be able to make any corrections you wish.

Once you are satisfied with your message, simply click on the "Post Message" button. Your message will be posted and viewable within the specified topic.

Please Note: If the Main Administrator of the Master*Board™ system has Message Approval set in "Manual" mode, then you will have to wait until your message has been approved for it to be viewable.

POSTING NEW MESSAGES

Posting a new message to a specific topic is very similar to responding to a message. From the page that displays message subjects for the specified topic, click on the link, "Post a Message to this Topic." A form to "Post A Message" is displayed. Simply complete the subject of your message.

Next, complete the body of your message. HTML can be used in the message body allowing for advanced enhancement capabilities.

A check box option allowing you to receive an email when other related messages are posted is made available. Simply check this box if you wish to receive emails from the Master*Board™ system whenever a new message is posted. When you are completed with your message, simply click on the "Post Message" button.

MESSAGE PREVIEW PAGE

Once the "Post Message" link is selected, the Master*Board™ Preview Message Page will be displayed. You will be able to view how your reply message will look. If you need to make any corrections to your message, simply click on the "Make Changes" link. You will be able to make any corrections you have.

Once you are satisfied with your message, simply click on the "Post Message" button. Your message will be posted and viewable within the specified topic.

Please Note: If the Main Administrator of the Master*Board™ system has Message Approval set in "Manual" mode, then you will have to wait until your message has been approved for it to be viewable.

HOTTEST TOPICS

This section of the Master*Board™ forum displays the Most Popular Topics on the entire system. These topics are displayed in order from the most to the least popular, based on hits (viewings). This is very useful for finding the most interactive topics on the entire Master*Board™ forum.

SEARCH THE FORUM

The Master*Board™ Forum comes with an advanced Search Engine to assist members in finding specific subject matter. This is extremely useful for forums that have many messages and/or topic listings.

On the Master*Board™ search page, a search form is displayed. Members can search by keyword(s). In addition, advanced features allow searching to be more specific including searching within a specified amount of days and more.

TELL A FRIEND

Master*Board™ can inform your friends, family, colleagues, and others about content on the forum. The "Tell-A-Friend" section allows you to specify names and email address to receive a personal email from you, inviting them to view the subject matter of your choice.

This is an extremely useful tool for initiating contact and participation. It is the very crux of what invites the people you know to join the party. Interaction is what its all about.