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Here is a brief explanation of some of the questions you may have about the Discussion Area.

• Why are there colons in the message section when I try to post a followup?
• When I'm typing a message, the line continues to scroll across beyond the right end of the message box -- what does this mean?
• Why didn't my message show up?
• For what purpose are the sections, Optional Link URL, Link Title, and Optional Image URL?
• Can I use HTML tags in my messages?
• Where can I get the scripts for this program?

Why are there colons in the message when I try to post a followup?

Colons appear in the message dialog box when you try to followup up on a message to indicate that those lines are quoting the previously posted message.

When I'm typing a message, the line continues to scroll across beyond the right end of the message box -- what does this mean?

The message box allows you to type beyond the right end of the box if you want, but it's better to press "Enter" at the end of each line before you reach the right edge of the box. This will make your message easier to read when someone responds to it.

Why didn't my message show up?

Your message most likely did not show up because your browser did not reload the page and simply pulled it out of cache. In most cases you can just reload the page and your message should appear.

Special Note for AOL Users: Depending on how you have your preferences set, reloading the page may not show your new message. If you have AOL 3.0 for Windows 95, check the setting at: Prefs >> Advanced >> Temporary Internet Files. "Check for newer versions of stored pages" should be set to "Every visit to the page." If you have AOL 3.0 for Windows 3.1, check the setting at: Prefs >> Advanced. Disable the setting, "Cache web pages and graphics locally." In either case, AOL users may have to wait until they re-run AOL before their messages show up.

For what purpose are the sections, Optional Link URL, Link Title, and Optional Image URL?

Optional Link URL and Link Title let you enter your own "Hotlink" so readers can click on it and jump to another web page. Enter the "Web Address" or URL of the page to which you want to link in the Optional Link URL section. Enter the "Hotlink" name you want to appear with your message in the Link Title section. For example, if you wanted a link to Yahoo to appear with your message, you would enter "http://www.yahoo.com" in the Optional Link URL section, and you could enter "Yahoo" in the Link Title section. Then anyone viewing your message could click on the word "Yahoo" and be taken to that web site.

Optional Image URL allows you to insert an image with your message. If you know the URL of any image on the WWW, you can insert it here and that image will appear with your message. (Note: This is not the URL of the page that contains the image -- it's the URL of the image itself. Normally, the URL will end with a file name ending with .GIF or .JPG.)

Can I use HTML tags in my messages?

Yes, but you can not use HTML tags in any section except the body of the message. For example, HTML tags in the Name or Subject sections will not work. If you use HTML in the body of the message, however, your HTML markup will appear when your message is displayed.

Where can I get the scripts for this program?

The scripts are written in Perl and were originally created by Matt Wright. They were modified by Ron Smith for use at this site. The original scripts are free to anyone who wishes to use them. You can get these as well as other scripts at: http://worldwidemart.com/scripts/. Enjoy!