Glossary

Select the first letter of the word to jump to the appropriate section of the glossary.

- A -

Add to my list: The conference you are visiting is not on your Conference List. Click this link to add the conference to your Conference List.

Archived Topic: A topic that has been archived by the conference host. To see a list of such topics, select Retired in the Toolbar.

- B -

Browse Bar: The graphic bar above a topic list that determines which topics are displayed.

- C -

Conference: A virtual discussion area organized around a general subject or theme.

Conference banner: The graphic title of a conference. Clicking the conference banner displays a conference information page.

Conferencing window: The main browser window in Well Engaged.

Create topic: Start a new topic in a conference.

- E -

Edit My List: A utility for creating or editing your personal conference list.

- F -

Filter: A utility for removing the responses of specific participants from your view. Also known as a "killfile" or "bozofilter."

Forget: The command to remove a specific topic from your view of a topic list.

Forget elsewhere: Click this link to remove a topic from view in each conference to which it is linked, but not in the conference you are in.

Forget everywhere: Click this link to remove a topic from all conferences to which it is linked.

Forget here: Click this link if you only want to remove a topic from the conference you are reading.

Forgotten: A selection in the Browse Bar that lists topics you have removed from the default topic list.

Frozen topic: A topic designated "read-only" by a conference host. Frozen topics are preceded by an ice-cube icon.

- H -

Hide: To suppress a response from view. Only the author of a response or the conference host may hide it. Unhide reverses the hide command.

Hidden response: A response which cannot be read in the conferencing window. To see a hidden response, click its hypertext link.

History: A listing of items you have recently read.

Host: The online "innkeeper" of a conference. Hosts help support conference participants and keep conversations lively.

Hypertext transfer protocol: A format for displaying pages on the Web.

- K -

Keep new: A command to reset a topic so that responses that have been seen in a session will be flagged New as if they had not been read when you return to the conference.

Keyboard shortcut: A single letter keyboard command that moves you through your conference list.

Kill: To permanently remove a topic from a conference. Only a conference host may kill a topic.

- L -

Log off: To exit Well Engaged.  Unless you have checked "Remember me on this computer", logging off erases the browser cookie with your username and password, requiring that you log in before returning to a conference.

- M -

Mark all as if seen: Remove the "New" tags on a topic list in a conference as if you have already read all the posts in in the conference.

My conference list: A participant's list of frequently visited conferences.

My list: A button on the Toolbar that returns you to your personal conference list.

- N -

"New" flag: A clickable graphic that appears next to the names of conferences or topics which contain responses that you have not yet read.

- P -

Participant: An individual who has registered a username for access to The WELL.

Personal conference list: A participant's list of frequently visited conferences.

Placemark: A marker indicating that an item can be retrieved at any time. To placemark an item, check the placemark box. Also, a button on the Toolbar used to access your list of placemarked topics and responses.

Post: To publish a response to a topic.

Post and Go: To post a response and move on without seeing the posted response. See Settings.

Profile: An information screen maintained by each Well Engaged participant. To modify your profile, click Settings in the Toolbar. Some profiles also show UNIX Information, from a file called .plan that is kept in their UNIX home directory. If you want assistance changing your UNIX Plan Information, please contact Helpdesk.

Pseudonym: A participant's chosen nickname, listed before the username in each response header.

- R -

Recent: A selection on the Browse Bar that places topics with new responses at the top of the Topic List.

Remember: To reinstate a forgotten topic to the default topic list.

Remember everywhere: Reinstates a forgotten topic to the topic list of each conference to which it is linked.

Remove from My List: Remove this conference from My Conference List.

Response: A comment added to a discussion topic.

Response header: The information preceding each posted response, including response number, pseudonym, username, date and time.

Retired topic: A topic that has been archived by the conference host. To see a list of such topics, select Retired in the Toolbar.

- S -

Scribble: To remove the text of a response from a topic. Only the author of a response or the conference host may scribble a response.

See New: A command to display discussion items posted since your last visit.

Settings: Participant configurable features including display options, password, profile, filters and the Personal Conference List.

Shortcut: A typed command issued in the shortcut box. Also see Keyboard shortcut.

Slipping in: To post a response while another participant is composing a response. Also referred to as "slippage."

Spellcheck: Highlights misspelled words and shows a draft response as it will appear when posted.

- T -

Thaw: Opens a frozen (read-only) topic for participant response. Only a host may thaw a frozen topic.

This topic is linked: A click on this link just below the title of a topic will show the conferences and topic numbers to which a topic is linked.

Toolbar: A graphic bar at the bottom of your conferencing window which provides access to conferencing features.

Topic: A specific discussion inside a conference. A topic is comprised of individual participant responses.

Topic list: A list of discussions in a conference. To read a topic, click on its name. To create one, click Create Topic at the top of the topic page.

- U -

Unhide: Reinstates a hidden response.

Back to Top

INTRODUCTION
Getting started

THE BASICS
Your personal conference list
The Toolbar
Settings
Inside a conference
Reading and responding
Learning more about your fellow WELL members

ADVANCED TOOLS
Hypertext linking
Placemarks
Shortcuts

REFERENCE
Frequently asked questions
Glossary