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- Date: 930628
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- File:Real Time Conferencing
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-
- You can type to other RoundTable members in the Conference area. They will be
- able to instantly respond to you and you can see what they are saying or doing
- as it happens. We call this the Real Time Conference. Your messages will be
- transmitted as soon as you press RETURN, and will appear on the screens of
- everyone else in that "room".
-
- Most of the conferences do not require formal protocols, but there are many
- things you can do to make yourself understood a little better. Follow these
- quick tips for your first time on Conference. You'll always get a notice when
- you enter the RoundTable which announces how many people are on the Real Time
- Conference area. Sometimes there are none, other times we have a regular crowd
- for specific nights and many times you can make or find impromptu discussions
- and tutorials with fellow members.
-
- First and foremost, remember that your line is NOT sent until you press RETURN.
- If you have a split screen or chat window, its very helpful to use that-see
- your terminal program manual for instructions about that.
-
- If you cannot use a split screen, and an incoming line splits up the line you
- were typing on, don't worry. GEnie still remembers what you ALREADY typed, you
- can finish your sentence and press RETURN, and everything will be there, what
- you typed before the incoming line and what you typed after it!
-
- Many times you will want to type out a complete sentence or thought and need
- more than one line to do it in. If this happens, just place three periods at
- the end of the line and press RETURN. This indicates to those who are
- attending the conference with you that you have MORE to say.
-
- A single period at the end of a line indicates you have finished your thoughts.
-
- Lines can be up to 250 characters long on GEnie's conference. But, be aware
- that when you type in something very very long that other people might be
- waiting for you to respond with something. It is many times much more helpful
- and courteous to other people to go ahead and break up a very very long line
- like that into two or more lines, adding those three periods and a return
- between each part:
-
- <DEB> Hi Gayle, How are you tonight?! By the way, did you see the...
- <DEB> incredible new terminal program just uploaded to the Library?!
-
-
- Abbreviations on Conference
- ---------------------------
-
- Because people are people, they many times want to say a lot in as small a
- space of time as they can. Common abbreviations and phrases for people on
- conferences follow:
-
-
- Abbreviation Meaning:
- ------------ ----------------------
- BB Bulletin Board
- BBoard Bulletin Board
- BCNU "Be Seein' You"
- BRB Be Right Back - away
- from terminal
- BTW By The Way
- CO COnference
- CU See You
- FYI For Your Information
- GA Go Ahead (you're done)
- OIC Oh, I See
- OTF On The Floor - as in
- hysterics!
- PLZ Please
- RSN "Real Soon Now"
- SL Software Library
- TNX Thanks!
- XMO Xmodem download
-
-
- Private Messages
- ----------------
-
- Everyone has the capability of sending a private message to other people
- attending the conference. The way you can tell that you have received one is
- that instead of just a <NAME> in front of the message, you will also see a Job
- number: like this:
-
- <DEB> This is a real, public message.
- <DEB> (Job 1) This is a private message, and only appears on YOUR screen!
-
- ^^^^^ See the (Job 1) in parenthesis?! That means that it is private,
- and came from the username on the line, who is job 1. The Job number is
- important because that is how you respond privately. To send a reply, all you
- have to type is:
-
- /SEN 1 Got the message, deb!
-
-
- Be sure and check the conference schedules for planned Conferences. You can
- easily do this at the main RoundTable menu choice: RoundTable News
-
-
- PROCEDURES AND ETIQUETTE FOR FORMAL CONFERENCES
- -----------------------------------------------
-
- The RTC CO area (page 625;2) is used for several purposes, including: holding
- formal and informal conferences, or just chatting with other members. When the
- meeting is strictly an informal one, there are no special rules, and
- participants generally talk when they please. However, for more formal
- meetings, some rules must be established to keep the CO running smoothly and
- give all a chance to participate. This help file explains the general
- procedures for running a formal conference in RTC CO area.
-
- First, try to be in the designated room before the announced time of the CO.
- Almost all of our COs begin at the time specified, and it helps a great deal if
- people are there from the start. Punctuality results in fewer interruptions,
- and also fewer repeats of questions already asked.
-
- Second, if someone comes late to the CO, it is impolite for that person to
- break into the proceedings with a "Hi all, sorry I'm late!". This almost
- always results in a temporary halt while members exchange greetings, and wastes
- the time and money of others who are there.
-
- Third, wait for your turn to speak. Typically, COs are held in two parts: the
- guest speaker (or the CO leader, if there is no guest), makes some opening
- remarks or comments. During this time, all CO attendees must remain quiet.
- When the speaker is finished, there is a short break while the CO leader makes
- a list of questioners. Anyone who has a question to ask, or comment to make,
- types in: /RAI and that person's name is added to the list. When the list is
- complete, it is read back, and anyone who was missed the first time will be
- added. Please observe any limits on the number of questions that may be asked
- at one time. If there is a large turnout, members may be limited to 1 question
- and 1 followup per turn, in order to give everyone his or her chance to talk.
- Members who have more questions can always ask to be put on the list again for
- the next round.
-
- Fourth, when making your comments (or asking questions), use "..." at the end
- of each line you type, to indicate there is more to come. When you have
- finished your question, type in GA (for Go Ahead), so the guest or CO leader
- knows, and can respond. When your turn is over, type in "Done" so the next
- person on the list can be called.
-
- Fifth, it is best to stay in CO until your turn, because if you are called and
- you are not there, your name will be crossed off the list, and the next person
- will take your place. If you come back after that, it is up to the CO leader
- to decide whether or not to add your name back to the bottom of the list.
-
- Sixth, remember that the CO leader, be it a SysOp or someone else, is in charge
- of the conference. If you have any problems or complaints with the way the CO
- is being handled, wait until after the conference to straighten things out.
- Rowdy or disruptive users will be gagged or even locked out of the RTC.
-
- We have held many COs using the above rules, and the results have been very
- good. The conferences move smoothly, and everyone gets a chance to talk or ask
- questions. Courtesy and patience on the part of the audience goes a long way
- to making a good CO. If these guidelines are followed, a conference can be an
- enjoyable and rewarding experience for all.
-
- Here are some of the more used CO commands, and their explanations:
-
- !! - entered when you have a comment on the current topic
-
- /ECH - echo to sender on; it is helpful to come into our CO's in full duplex,
- with a SplitScreen or window type terminal program so that your
- sentences are not mixed in with others on your screen.
-
- /EXI - leave the CO; returns you to page 625
-
- /MON 1 - Monitor or listen to what is being typed in room 1
-
- /NAM Mark - add your name in CO
-
- /PRI 3 - go private with JOB 3
-
- /RAI- get attention of leader
-
- /ROO 3 - move to room 3
-
- /SEN 2 Hello! - sends to job 2 a message m of "HELLO"
-
- /STA - see users in room by name and location
-
- /TIM - display time and day
-
- /USE - see number of users
-
- /XEC - exit the echo mode
-
- /XMO - exit the monitor mode
-
- /XPR - exit private mode
-
- Real Time Conferencing is fun and informative! Enjoy!
-
-
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