Jump to content

Help Topic: Personal Messenger


The personal messenger can be used to have private conversations with other members. To access it, select your username while logged in from the top corner of any page, and then press "Messenger".


Managing conversations

Change which conversations you are viewing
By default, all conversations are shown, but you can change the view to only display conversations you started, or conversations that others have started. To change this, select the appropriate option from the dropdown underneath the conversation list and then press Update.

Deleting conversations
To delete a whole conversation, select the checkbox beside the conversation, then select "Delete" from the dropdown at the bottom and then press Go.

If you started the conversation, this will remove the conversation from your list, and lock it for everyone else - nobody else will be able to make replies to the conversation, but they will still be able to read it until they also delete it.

If you did not start the conversation, this will remove the conversation from your list and remove you from the conversation - you will not be able to make any more replies, but others will still be able to continue the conversation without you, and see your previous replies.

Managing notifications
You will see a icon for conversations that you will be notified of updates to, and for conversations that you will not receive notifications for.

To turn on or off notifications for any conversation, select the checkbox beside the conversation, then select the appropriate option from the dropdown at the bottom and then press Go.


Managing messages
To edit or delete one of your messages in a conversation, press the " Edit" or " Delete" button underneath the post. The changes will be reflected to all participants in the conversation.


Starting a new conversation
To start a new conversation, start by pressing the " Compose New" button. Enter the user's name into the "Recipient's Name" field. As you type, suggestions will appear below the box. When you see the member you are looking for, click on their name.

You may also be able to add other recipients into the "Other Recipients" box. If so, the next option allows you to specify how the messages will be sent to alternate recipients: "Invitation" allows all invited members to participate in a single conversation, while "Copy" will send a separate conversation to each member.

You should then type a message subject and the message body, just like you would for a new topic in the forums.

When you are done, you can press Send Message or Save (Send Later) to save the message for later.


Replying to a conversation
To reply to any conversation, press the " Add Reply" button when viewing it or press the " Reply" button underneath any existing message to quote it. Then type your message just like you would a post and press Send Message. You can also use the Fast Reply box at the bottom of each conversation to quickly reply to the conversation.


Adding participants to a conversation
You may be able to add more participants to a conversation. If so, you will see an " Add" button on the left-side when viewing a conversation.
Click this button and a box will appear for you to enter member names into. To add more than one member, separate their names with commas. When you are done, press Add.


Reporting a message
If you wish to report to a moderator a message that someone has sent to you, you can press the " Report" button underneath the message.

Type in your report and then press Submit Report. This will send a copy of the message to the moderators - only the specific message you report will be displayed to the moderating team, however some moderators may be able to add themselves to the conversation you have reported.


Managing your messenger folders
By default there are three folders for messages:
  • New, which stores all unread conversations.
  • My Conversations, which contains all conversations you are participating in.
  • Drafts, which stores unsent messages saved for later.


You can also add your own folders to make it easier to manage your messages.

Adding a new folder
To add a new folder, press the " Add" button beneath the list of folders.
Type the name of the folder you want to add, then press the "+" button.

Moving messages
To move a message from one folder to another, select the checkbox beside the conversation, then select the name of the folder you want to move the conversation to from the dropdown at the bottom and then press Go.

Renaming, Deleting or Emptying a folder
To rename, empty or delete a folder, press the " Edit" button beneath the list of folders.

To rename a folder, type the new name in the textbox currently containing the folder name, and then press the ">" button. You cannot rename default folders.

To empty a folder, press the icon beside the folder name.

To delete a folder, press the icon beside the folder name. Be careful as this will also empty the folder. You cannot delete default folders.
Your personal messenger acts much like an email account in that you can send and receive messages and store messages in folders.

Send a new PM
This will allow you to send a message to another member. If you have names in your friends list, you can choose a name from it - or you may choose to enter a name in the relevant form field. This will be automatically filled in if you clicked a 'PM' button on the board (from the member list or a post).
There is also a 'type-ahead' feature which automatically pulls users from the database as you start typing their name.

If allowed, you may also be able to enter in multiple names in the box provided, will need to add one username per line. You may also make this a BCC by clicking the box 'Hide CC recipients from others?'.

If the administrator allows, you may use BBCode and HTML in your personal message. If you choose to check the 'Add a copy of this message to you sent items folder' box, a copy of the message will be saved for you for later reference. If you tick the 'Track this message?' box, then the details of the message will be available in your 'Message Tracker' where you will be able to see if/when it has been read.

Finally, if enabled, you can also include attachments to your PMs, such as images or other files.

Inbox
Your inbox is where all new messages are sent to. Clicking on the message title will show you the message in a similar format to the board topic view. You can also delete or move messages from your inbox.

Sent Items
This folder is where any sent PMs go to, if selected when sending the message.

Saved (Unsent) PMs
This area will allow you to go back to any PM's that you have chosen to save to be sent later.

Empty PM Folders
This option provides you with a quick and easy way to clear out all of your PM folders.

Edit Storage Folders
You may rename, add or remove folders to store messages is, allowing you to organise your messages to your preference. You cannot remove 'Sent Items' or 'Inbox'.

PM Block List
You may add in users names in this section, or edit any saved entries. This section is used as a ban list, denying the named member the ability to message you.

Archive Messages
If your messenger folders are full and you are unable to receive new messages, you can archive them off. This compiles the messages into a single HTML page or Microsoft Excel format. This page is then emailed to your registered email address for your convenience.

Message Tracker
This is the page that any messages that you have chosen to track will appear. Details of if and when they have been read by the recipient will appear here. This also gives you the chance to delete any messages that you have sent and not yet been read by the intended recipient.