On-line Forums for Youth at www.redwaybc.ca
• What is a Forum?
Have you ever had an idea, or a question and thought, "I'm sure others have these same questions, and maybe someone knows the answer, but how do I find them?" With the Internet, you can not only search websites for information, but also communicate with people you may have met from across the province or the world. Or maybe, you have never met, but you want to connect, discuss and share ideas to find (or develop) answers to questions or problems.
On-line forums are also called newsgroups. Forums have been around almost since the dawn of the Internet, as they actually started back in the 70's! The first forums use rs were scientists who asked questions (and then posted the answers) to each other. Today, newsgroups are like virtual coffee houses, where people get together to discuss subjects of mutual interest. But in a newsgroups, your ideas, concerns and thoughts are typed in and "posted", which is like sticking a note up on a message board for everyone to see. You can read what others have written, and go back and review previous postings - the forum creates a mini-library about those topics so you can easily search out previous postings and find them again.
There are literally millions of forums or newsgroups covering every topic imaginable--from cars to computers, social issues to social studies, renovations to recreation, and hobbies to current affairs. In forums you can find job postings, conference information, business and health care advice, announcements about events, referrals, political and religious discussions--even photos you can download.
• What do I need to get started?
How does this all work? First you need a newsreader or forum program in your Internet browser ( a program that lets you surf the 'Net). Most of us use either Navigator or Internet Explorer, and both of those browsers have built-in newsreader software already. Now you pick a forum that interest you, and subscribe to it. That means you sign up to be allowed to join in the discussion group to post your ideas or to comment on other people's ideas. Each forum group usually has their own set of rules - like maybe no swearing or sexual language - so read the guidelines to make sure that's really a place you want to be.
• What do I need to be aware of?
Always remember, NEVER give your phone number, school or home address, or really personal info out - even though you may "meet" someone in a discussion group, you really have no idea who or where they are. So don't send public messages with personal info - once it's posted, everyone can see it! But often you can create confidential forums where people need passwords to get in - so check out what type of forum you're joining.
And follow the rules of Internet etiquette - netiquette - as they apply here, too. Check out the pages on Arlene H. Rinaldi's site called The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette on the Florida Atlantic University site - there's lots of info and tips here:
• Why use a Forum?
Forums at RedWAY BC provide Urban Aboriginal Youth from across the province (well, actually, from around the world!) with their own, cool on-line space to quickly meet and talk about upcoming events, share your interests, or find solutions to common problems together - without ever having to leave your computer. You can communicate with them anytime you like.
We hope you'll use this new network that always available for people to turn to when they need info, or if there is something that they are unable to take on alone.
• Stay in touch with your new contacts, old friends and out of town youth everywhere
• Discuss issues, topics and share resources anywhere
• Catch up and follow with, speakers, counselors or event organizers anytime
• See what others are posting without responding back.
• Participate in shaping your future, and start new projects!
• Try RedWAY BC Project Forums
We're excited to have created an on-line forum section for youth at www.redwaybc.ca. Our first forums started in November 2004 for internal talk, but now we've created a forum page for youth who atttended the BOLT:Building our Legacy Together Leadership Forum in Port Hardy in January 2005.
By clicking into the BOLT website and going to the "discuss" page, you'll be connected to the RedWAY BC discussion forum page so no matter where you're from or where you go - as long as you can get to a computer, you're still connected! Just scroll down the RedWAY BC Forum page to find the Forum section called BOLT Discussions.
• Want more Forum info?
Check out these sites that have info about message boards:
Learn the Net
Wide variety of cool Message Boards from ivillage.com
• Joining a Forum:
Each forum will be different - we wanted to start simple, so RedWAY BC's forums are plain and easy to use.
1. Link to our forum page
Once you link to our forum page, you'll be at the home page. You can always see the title bar at the top of the page, so you know which forum you're in. You'll notice many of the buttons are the same when you surf - can use your "back" and "forward" buttons to go from page to page. The actual address of the webpage for the board will be in the address bar.
2. Get your FAQ's straight
We suggest reading through the FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions like,"Why can't I log in?" and, "Why do I need to register at all?" and, "How do I post topics?".
3. Click on Register
Starts with a "rules" page that you should read through - it only takes a few minutes. Scroll down and agree to the terms, if you want to continue.
4. Create your profile
This is the real registration page. You must fill in any lines that have a * beside them:
Username will be the name seen by anyone visiting.
Enter your email, make up a password you can remember, confirm (re-enter it)
Then type the wacky confirmation code - it's usually numbers, letters etc. and has to be typed exactly to be OK.
Now fill in your profile info that is PUBLIC INFO that you want others to be able to see if they check you out.
Again, please don't give out personal info that you wouldn't want a stranger to know - like your home address!
Then you pick your preferences by clicking on the yes or no buttons - just read each one carefully.
For now, we only have the subsilver Board style, but we're looking at adding different color schemes soon so you can choose! You can always come back to change and edit things, but when you're done, click on SUBMIT at the bottom.
5. Activate your profile
You'll then need to activate your account - it takes a few seconds to open your email and confirm that yep, you want to use a forum.
Open your email and click on the link that it gives you in the message. Then type in the temporary password EXACTLY as they've sent it to you - you can always change your own login password.
6. Go back to www.redwaybc.ca forums and get talking!
7. Talking tips
If you have any tips for talking on message boards or forums, send them to sienna@redwaybc.ca . Maybe your tips will be published in our ezine!
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