Just a llittle question for everyone.

[Buttons2]

[B]well Chris,ya just got this forum going! so yes we can do it on those empty threads too. when I first came here it was for the Myoclonus thread. years ago.

I used to post in Diabetes. Schizophrenia. heck cannot even recall all of them now. I have a curious mind & almost always have an opinion about something!

Rose,just reading what you are going through with your son & finding out you've already lost a son......well that's what grabs my emotions & makes me grateful for everything I have in life & to count my blessings. wondering if you knew Mama Sue?

OK,now I need to figure out a new person (on PN??) and go back to welcome her.

PS-I actually don't like talking on the phone these days when I'm so down. not to fret,I'll get out of this Pity Pati mode once it warms up enough to get outside longer than to take out the trash!

[houghchrst]

Phyllis I don't use the New Posts button up top because for example it has been over 8 hours since I was here last and these new posts are not showing up. I go down the page and check the date and time of the last post in the forums and if there is something new then I pop in and see if it is just the forum regulars or if it is a new person. If it is a new person I try to give a little time for the regulars to respond which usually happens and if no one responds then I try to.

My depression and pain make this hard for me to do all day long everyday but when I do come on I try my best. If it is a forum that no one uses or is suuuuper slow then I try to get to them as soon as possible.

Another thing is I wonder how each of us view the forum. Not all of us are running on the same settings so how we view the forum may affect how much hassle it is to browse and if are we all seeing the same things. I thought about doing a Print Screen of some of the options in Forum Feedback. It can be pretty confusing for a newbie or for those that just aren't real puter saavy.

Just for example I am going to paste what it looks like when I go into BT. These are how my stuff is set up so it is user friendly for me. Starting with the opening page,

bt home.jpg



Then Forum up top and this is the page where I just scroll down through the forums to see what is happening in each forum.

bt forums.jpg



This is what I see when I have selected my particular forum. The most current thread is up.

bt threads.jpg


When I have picked the thread I want to see I select it and the first post I see is the most current one. I just scroll down the page to see if there are posts that I have missed and this is how I get caught up or check the other forums. I don't pay attention to all the little envelope colors and the codes for the most part. Just more confusing and doesn't really tell me what I want to know. So I just go by dates and times.

BT current thread.jpg




When I want to reply to threads this is what I see with all the little option icons to do all kinds of stuff.

BT post.jpg


This way to me is the easiest most userfriendly.


Okay guys. I hope this helps for those of you who are having difficulty with the settings. I guess maybe I could have put it in Forum Feedback lol.


THank you all for those that have been at least keeping up with what is going on and for those of you posting here thank you for feelin' me.

[tic chick]

i've been following this thread as a "guest" sometimes, cause i don't always have time to post, just to read. so chris, maybe a lot of "guests" inside this forum and from outside of it read the posts, but don't post cause they can't (as a guest) or they have nothing to add.

i think it's interesting that except for rose and burr, all the other posts have been from people from the emotional support forum. i'm not making any assumptions from that, just noting it with interest .

i think everybody has said what i would have said if i had posted. yes, bt is in a rut right now. a lot of people didn't come back after the forum was changed to a newer version and there was dissatisfaction with some aspects of that.

i'm reluctant to post in forums where i'm not usually a poster, but if it's a topic i know something about and can help with, i have no qualms posting.

i'm glad some people have started posting in the bottom part of the forum list...the topics having to do with anxiety, depression, ocd, bipolar and others. i do sometimes suffer from these problems and i am grateful that other's start a thread that i can relate to. emotional support is my spiritual home, but sometimes talking about the other probs is helpful. like y'all now know i have a psychological problem with lack of shoes as a child and that sometimes i wonder if it contributes to me having so many shoes now...lol .

i know you all post in other forums and offer support and ask for support there. i guess cause we can relate to or have other problems we all do post in several forums. i think that's great and welcoming newbies or looking for posts that don't have answers is really admirable!

so, off i go...it might hit 70 here today and the dogs are ready to go !

(((hugs to you all))),
jeannie

[Buttons2]

well I might never have learned about "biggie style" if not for the people on the MS forum. since the new site I cannot read alot of stuff-it's too PALE. for instance no way could I begin to see all those pages you just posted Chris.

I'm not one bit 'puter smart so tend to do what's easy for me.

and speaking of the envelope's? what are they for? some look pink & some blue.

[Beader]

I came back a few months ago and am very grateful that I did. I had lost track of BT thru several moves and the *sniff* death of numerous computers. You all have been extremely welcoming to me, and great at making me feel at home. Thanks bunches!

To be honest, I never considered posting in a forum that I knew nothing about or had no personal interest. It just never occurred to me. Thanks, Chris and all above for bringing that option to my attention.

Most weeks I have plenty of time on my hands for doing things [like posting] other than those critical financial issues which I am so talented at avoiding. But this past week has been hurry-scurry with extra pain to muddy the waters, so I've been reading what I can from the vantage point of my BT updates in email form. That's not my standard approach, but at least I feel connected to the paople and the forums where I've recently posted.

It's so true, connections and not feeling invisible are so key and so vital to each of our well-being. As soon as I can find the link, I promise I'll post about how internet connections make life worth living, especially for all of us with chronic health issues.

And many thanks to our Fearless Leaders, Mods, and Admin. We love ya!

PS There's a Front Page?! Does anything happen there that I should know about?

[houghchrst]

Pati when you say it is too pale does that mean the even with the biggie style the letters are not bulky enough for you to tell what they are?

Let me see what kind of options there maybe for that. Maybe even within your own computer. Most computers have options to make it easier to use for those with disabilities. Through Accessories or the Control Panel. What version of Windows are you using? I have windows Vista and in the Control Panel is an Ease of Access program for those with particular disabilities. If you go into your Control Panes you might find something similar that can help you. In mine there is a magnifier and a text to speech option plus some other things. See what you have in there and if anything sounds. There is also the option for changing the background to black and all the type to white. You might want to see it that helps you any.

[Beader]

I also have a toggle switch on the left of my keyboard which increases the size of everything on the screen. If I push the top it all gets bigger, but if I push the bottom of the switch I can see more of the entire page.

I made this larger by choosing SIZE 3 in the options on the REPLY screen and also made it B for BOLD.

[houghchrst]

Sher I have one in the middle of my keyboard. I am seeing them more often.

I just wanted to say that I am seeing many posting in other areas from other people. Thank you. I spent most of the day yesterday blabbing my mouth all over the place as you can see lol and it does take a lot of time. I know that many don't have that kind of time. So I don't expect anyone no matter how much time they have to spend a large chunk of their day trying to keep caught up. It can be confusing for us.

I did learn about a TN complication that I never knew about just by answering a post to someone who is tentatively returning. That just warms the cockles of my heart .

[Buttons2]

the biggie style works well for me. and I tried finding it on another site & got a choice of some colors to use,I chose teal/black & it also works well.

my laptop is small,if I adjust my 'puter it's way to big & have to keep going back forth to read anything.

I do have Windows but not sure what type.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

(((((Christina))))))

Thank you for explaining your reference to Child Neurology. And there is no need for your apology to me, but thank you for offering it.

I became defensive, because I was and still am an active participant on Child Neurology, and I felt protective of the past and present regular posters there, as well as the forum itself. I do apologize for being overly sensitive. That comes from the same passion you have about BT and retaining its important and vital place in cyberspace.

Your ideas are excellent and so good-hearted. It would be wonderful if we could encourage more of our members to post on empty forums, just to start it off. Some people don't want to be the first person to post on a forum, especially if that forum gets no traffic.

That's another reason why I posted on Coping with the Loss of a Child. I thought, "I'll be first." No one has followed, but that's okay, as the posts are being read, and I hope are benefiting the readers. And should someone stop by and want to post, that person won't have to feel awkward about being the first poster.

And I also don't like to see posts go unanswered, which is why I endeavor to answer all of the posts on Child Neurology. That consumes the time that I have usually to devote to BT. But, if I'm caught up there, I visit our home page and read the new posts on the right hand side. If I see a topic, where I think I can help, I go to that post.

Many of my responses are composed in Word or a blank email, which I then copy and paste into the Quick Reply box. That allows me time to write my response, between interruptions, and to save my posts, so that I don't lose them on line to a glitch of some kind.

If we all expended some effort to post in empty forums, welcome newcomers, and respond to posts without replies, we could make a difference. Getting that movement going at a grassroots level seems to be a bit of a challenge.

Perhaps if you wrote one message asking for this participation, and posted that message on BT's most active forums, you would reach a wider audience than posting here in Chit Chat or even Forum Feedback.

For example, I periodically visit Forum Feedback to keep up with our progress and concerns. But your post about this topic brought me to Chit Chat for the first time. Other members may not venture off their favorite forum(s) to see your topic. So, if you post on each active forum, you will be seen and more widely read.

Again, thank you for your understanding, and thank you so much for all of your efforts to return BT to its thriving yesteryears. As I said, whether we have 500 or 500,000 members, what we give to each other as a community is all that matters. Others, who visit here, will see a unity and a civility, which will encourage them to join and participate.

((((((Buttons/Pati))))))

Mama Sue convinced me to join BT and Child Neurology in 2000. I had been lurking for a year, and I sent her an email, and she responded, pleading with me to join, so I did.

I requested the dedication of the Norrie Disease forum to Sue's boys, Bobby and Matthew, before the last BT crash. And last year, I posted in the Norrie Disease forum to Sue. And so did you:

http://braintalkcommunities.org/show...5-For-Mama-Sue

As with so many of the wonderful friends I made through Child Neurology, I have lost contact with her. But she has a cherished place in my heart always.

I believe that my children, like Mama Sue's boys, and all of our special needs children, are teachers. One of the most meaningful lessons they teach us is to be grateful for all that we have, and I thank you for sharing with me that their lesson has been well received by you.

Like Sue, I knew from the beginning, when God placed my sons in my arms, that I would be asked to return them to His Arms. That is why I am in the process of preparing now.

Everything about Jon is a mystery, so we don't know what to expect next. But Jon is a fighter, like his little brother, and he's defied the odds against him many times.

We are grateful for the gift of every day we have with him. But, as much as I try to prepare, I will not be prepared at all for his leaving. That's just impossible. I know that already. Yet, I attempt to incorporate the coping skills I've learned to strengthen me. For the most part, that is helping me.

Well, it's safe to say that I didn't conclude my participation in this topic! :)

I appreciate the opportunity to communicate with all of you. To me, this is what makes Braintalk different and still viable.

Love & Light,

Rose