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FAQs

Expand All FAQs

Most popular FAQs:

• How do I forward email to or from LearnLink?
  
  All Undergraduate (including Oxford), Theology, Medical School, Allied Health (including Physicians Assistant, Anesthesiology Assistant, and  PT program students) and Nursing students' @emory.edu mail is set automatically to forward to your learnlink accounts.

  If your @emory.edu mail is not being forwarded to LearnLink, please follow these  instructions.
  

  ---

  If you wish to forward your LearnLink (@learnlink.emory.edu) mail to another address:

  1. Login to LearnLink
  2. Click Edit and select Preferences.
  3. Select Messaging
  4. Under Automatically forward:
     - Local mail: forwards your email from other Learnlink users to another account.
     - Internet mail: forwards your internet mail to another account.
  5. In the "Forward to" text box, enter the email address you wish to forward your LearnLink and/or Internet email to.
  6. Click Apply
  7. Click OK

  Remember, if you are changing mail systems from LearnLink to @emory.edu mail, you must REMOVE your previous forward file so that mail doesn't loop back and forth.
  
  
  

• How do I request a LearnLink account?
  
  Any Emory University faculty member, currently enrolled student, or employee is eligible for a Network ID which includes access to LearnLink.

  - Students at Emory are automatically given Network IDs which include access to LearnLink and do not need this form. Students in the Rollins School of Public Health, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and the Goizueta Business School are automatically granted email accounts from their school and should not need a LearnLink account.

  - Faculty and staff at Emory are automatically given Network IDs when their Human Resources paperwork has been processed and are automatically granted email accounts from Human Resources and are not automatically given access to LearnLink. Faculty or staff who want a LearnLink account for purposes other than basic email should complete an IT Support Request.
  
  
  

• How can I add background images to my messages?
  
  If you want to make your messages stand out, you can now add background images to your messages and documents. You can either choose an image from your computer, or a background color. Use this feature to catch the reader's attention when you have a special announcement. Or use different background colors to identify different types of messages.

  To set a background image

  Place your cursor in the mesage body and choose Format > Background Image.

  To use an image

  1. Enable the Use image checkbox.   
  2. Click Choose and select the file you want to use as your background.
  3. Set the Image position field to Tile or Top Left.
  4. Click OK.

  To use a color

  1. Enable the Use color checkbox.   
  2. Select the color you want to use as your background.
  3. Click OK.
  You can use an image and colour in a message body, you don't have to choose between the two options.

  Design considerations

  We've all visited websites where the background images overwhelms the organization's message. A little pizzazz goes a long way. Pair dark text and a light background for the best readability online, and when your message is printed. You'll find a couple of wallpaper samples in your Images folder within your FirstClass Client folder. You can also use Edit > Paste Special to use images from your clipboard as a background. By default, background images are tiled, but you also have the option of placing the image in the top left of your message.

  Using a background image will also make the size of your message larger, so pay attention to the size of the image you are using.  You can use PNGs or JPGs.  BMPs will work, but tend to be much larger in size.  Using color doesn't change the size of your message.

  Background images only appear when using the FirstClass client, so if your messages are read with a web browser, use dark text, and be sure that your message doesn't depend on the background image to convey important details.

  Remember, also, that users who aren't on FirstClass 7 will not be able to see the images, so this may function better as a nice "bonus" feature than as an essential part of a message.
  
  
  

• How can I change my LearnLink password?
  
  UTS recommends synchronizing all Emory system passwords. To do so, you need to know your Network ID and password. This MAY be different from your LearnLink password (OPUS, EMORYUNIV, @emory.edu are all different systems from LearnLink, and your passwords may not be in sync if you haven't changed them in a while). Once this has been established, then you may change Your Network password at it.emory.edu/netid/
  
  
  
• How do I make a URL an active link in a LearnLink message?
  
  The link cannot appear blue & underlined while you are still able to edit the message. This means that while you are composing, you will not see the link as being active.

  Here's the catch, as the controller of a conference, you have the ability to edit all messages inside the conference. Because you are controller, you will not see the hypertext links where all other users will.

  There are 3 ways to fix this:  
  1. Change the Permissions for your conferences to remove "Edit Messages" and "Edit Documents" abilities for yourself. As you point to each icon to the right of your name, the function should appear in a pop-up help window.

  2. You can "Protect" an individual message by highlighting it and selecting "Properties" (or Get Info) from the File menu. When a message is protected, you are no longer able to make changes to it, even as controller. After you've protected the message, you should be able to open it and see the blue, underlined text.

  3. Right-click on the link (Windows) or click-and-hold (Macintosh) and you'll be provided with a drop-down menu. Selecting "Open Link" from this menu will take you to the Web page.

  Also, note that with version 6 and later of LearnLink, you can use the Link button on the message toolbar to embed a link, so that instead of clicking on a URL, your readers simply have to click on a word or image.
  
  

• What is an address book/contacts list and how can I create/use one?
  
  (Note: After 5/20/2005, the LearnLink server will use the term "Contacts List" instead of "Address book." Older accounts may still see the term "Address Book" when they log in, and the two terms are interchangable as far as the contents of this document are concerned.)

  Each user has the ability to create an contacts list in which to create mailing lists for groups of people or individuals who are regular correspondents. A contact list item is helpful when:

  - You frequently send messages to internet users, and would rather not enter the full address every time, or
  - You often need to send the same message to a group (two or more users) of people

  For example, you may wish to create a contact list item called  "Tim" which could be used each time you wished to send email to the person at "reallylongaddress@rainbow.cc.uchicago.edu". Or, when addressing a message to a committee from your department, you could address your message to "Committee" instead of listing each member's name in the message.

  Accessing your contacts list
  From your Desktop window, click on the contacts list button at the top of the screen.  

  Warning! Your contacts list MUST remain on your Desktop, and should never be moved. It will not work properly if created in, or moved to any other folder, file, or your mailbox. For more info, see "contacts list not working" in the Frequent Questions area.

  Adding Names to your contacts list

  1. Once inside your contacts list, you may select either "New Personal Mail List" or "New Personal Address." For the name of an individual, select "New Personal Address"; for a list of names, select "New Personal Mail List."
  2. In a Personal Address, first enter the name or nickname you'd like to use to refer to the individual. Then include her/his email address in the box below. Remember to press enter after entering any address or FirstClass name. You can also enter the individual's phone, address, etc if desired, by clicking on the appropriate tabs and filling in the fields.
  3. In a Personal Mail List, first enter the name you'd like to use to refer to this group of people. Then enter each person's address, pressing Return or Enter after each one. Put only as many names in each list as you would like to be assigned to a particular nickname.
  4. Close the Address or Mail List window, and click SAVE when prompted.
  5. Repeat this process each time you want to designate a new shortcut.
  6. Close the contacts list folder. You may create new items or revise existing items in your contacts list at any time.

  Using contacts list Items

  The names or nicknames you've created are added to your directory, accessible at any time when you address a message. To use them, simply begin by creating a message in the usual way, and in the "To" field, you need only enter the short name of the individual ("becca" or "chris") or group ("friends" or "team members").

  The contacts list items you create are not accessible by any other LearnLink users, unless you choose to share them by altering their permissions. Note that only users of the 8.0 client or later can share contact list entries.
  
  

Other FAQs:

• What are the new features in LearnLink 8?
  
  A full list of new features:

  Viewing

  "   summary bar shows how much of your allotted disk space you have left
  "   clicking icons on the summary bar opens a list of the users who have the container open, which you can work with like the Directory list
  "   the names of users who are currently logged in are in bold
  "   limit the users who can see whether you are online
  "   temporarily list only a selected type of mail, such as unread mail
  "   toolbar customization is saved on the server, so that you see the same toolbars from any computer
  "   in List view, select the columns you want displayed
  "   update information directly without opening objects
  "   place an object in the pane you want, on the toolbar, or hide it
  "   reset the toolbar to the default
  "   add customized resources, such as pictures, to containers

  Calendars
  "   Today view includes a mini month pane for easy navigation
  "   can view multiple weeks in week view
  "   create untimed events, which show at the top in day view
  "   multiday events span days, when multiple days are displayed
  "   import and export calendar items in vCalendar format
  "   export calendar items for use with BlackBerry
  "   specify default reminder timing for events and tasks that you create
  "   set a "snooze" time for reminders, to make them reappear
  "   change the category and color of received events, and change their reminder specifications
  "   accept invitations on a tentative basis
  "   invitations from users without permission to add events to your calendar are sent to your Mailbox
  "   participants are automatically asked to respond

  Contact management

  "   address books have been renamed Contacts folders
  "   create contact databases that you can share with other users
  "   contact databases include Rolodex-style buttons for jumping directly to entries
  "   import and export personal addresses in vCard format
  "   export personal addresses for use with Outlook, BlackBerry, or another FirstClass system
  "   import vCard or Excel files that are attached to messages
  "   specify the personal address form to use for a contact database

  Instant messaging
  "   chats are now called instant messages, and public chats are called chat rooms
  "   format text and embed pictures and recordings in instant message transcripts
  "   can moderate instant messages
  "   attach files to instant messages
  "   save instant message transcripts
  "   control what users who enter instant message sessions in progress see in the transcript
  "   let others in the instant message session know you are temporarily unavailable
  "   Users can create chat rooms

  Editing content

  "   tables in messages
  "   photographs copied to the clipboard are pasted as .jpg files
  "   Paste Special options include .jpg instead of .bmp and .jpg quality, and allow you to paste tab- or comma-delimited files as tables
  "   embed recordings in content
  "   provide comments (that show as tooltips using the client) for embedded images
  "   Control-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS, Mac OS X) embedded links in editable content to use them

  Messages
  "   forwarded messages include header information from the originals
  "   replies with quotes include the time the original message was sent
  "   send secure S/MIME messages

  Other
  "   additional print layout options for personal contacts information
  "   downloaded FirstClass objects are converted to .rft format, with header information included
  "   export memos for use with BlackBerry
  "   use a secure connection to log in
  "   Connections List indicates whether a connection is secure
  "   My Shared Documents folder (intended for viewing shared objects using the FirstClass client)
  "   My Documents folder (intended for storing private objects)
  "   specify the FirstClass look and feature set that you will see when you connect using a web browser
  
  

• Can I use another POP mail client to check my LearnLink mail?
  
  When using a POP compatible mail program (or client), you'll generally need to enter the following information, usually in the Preferences or Settings of the program (this will vary depending on the program you're using):

  * Your personal identity information. This is what is "stamped" on any messages you send from this POP mail program.

  1. Your name (use your real name, eg:   Josephine R. Doe)
  2. Your email (use your LearnLink address, eg: jdoe@learnlink.emory.edu)

  * The FirstClass server info. This is how the POP mail program connects to check & send your mail

  3. POP server:     POP3.learnlink.emory.edu
  4. SMTP server:   SMTP.service.emory.edu
  5. POP id or username  (use your LL userid, eg:  jdoe)

  When you attempt to connect, your POP mail program generally prompts you to enter your LearnLink password. (Note, some POP clients may require you to add your password to the settings, or give you the option of adding your password to the settings. We generally discourage this to ensure that you are employing as much security as possible.)

  IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SECURITY
  Most POP mail programs will download your messages to the computer you're using (on the hard drive). For this reason, its best to use these kinds of mail programs only if the computer you're using is yours (i.e., not a public use computer). Be sure to delete mail from the hard drive that you don't want left behind. Depending on the mail program you're using, you may be able to change this setting.

  Where did my mail go?

  Also, most POP mail programs will REMOVE the messages from your FirstClass mailbox in the process of downloading the message to the computer's hard drive. This means that if you try to read your LearnLink mail using the FirstClass Client software or from another computer, you may find that its no longer there. This is often a setting you can change, so that you leave your mail on the server, which can be accessed later, but varies depending on the POP mail program you're using.

  
  
  

• How do I save messages and documents on my desktop?
  
  The fastest method would probably be to save your messages as one or several text files using the Message Summarize feature.

  Saving related messages: You can view the combined contents of selected messages in a single window. To select all messages from the same person, about the same subject, or with the same date, Control-Shift-click (Windows) or Command-Shift-click (Mac OS) one occurrence of the name, subject, or date. After selecting the messages, choose Conferencing > Summarize Selected Messages. The message contents are displayed one after the other in a temporary document.

  - To print the temporary document, choose File > Print.

  - To save the temporary document as a plain text file, choose File > Save As.

  You can also use another mail client (like netscape or eudora) or a mail account (like hotmail, yahoo, etc.) to pull any messages sent to you to that mail program space. (If you just want to keep a text file as an archive of the messages you can use the directions for Saving related Messages.)

  The Directions for pulling messages over to another mail client are below:

  After you have logged into your new account or pulled up the client that you will be using. (You must use a client or account that accepts the POP protocol) Just put in your LearnLink ID and password and then the address pop3.learnlink.emory.edu ...where it asks for your server's pop settings. This protocol will also work to pull new messages over to that account, so you don't necessarily have to set up mail forwarding.

  A few things to note:
  1.Checked the box to not keep the messages on LearnLink, this will help us conserve disk space.

  2. It will not pull your sent messages over (anything in your mailbox that has a TO: in front of it) so you will need to save those as text (you can do this with the message summarize feature in LL).

  3. Some of these accounts have the ability to pull both Flagged and unflagged messages or *just pull flagged messages (translated as read and unread). But no pop client has the ability to pull messages out of folders (I don't think?), so you will have to do this. You may want to reflag your messages by going to the message--Unread option in the menu and pull the current messages in your mailbox first. Then you can systematically go to each folder and move those messages to the main mailbox and have them pulled over by Hotmail or whatever you are using. (Alternatively, if there are messages you want saved on LL, you can do this by putting them into a folder)

  * NEW EXPORT FEATURE! There is now an easier method for downloading the entire contents of a folder or conference to your harddrive.

  With Version 6.011 or later of the FirstClass (LearnLink) client you can now Choose to Export the contents any Folder or Conference (and all sub- folders/conferences below it) directly to your Windows or Macintosh desktop. (NOTE: this feature does NOT work with attached files or embedded images, which you must download individually)

  Q. How do I export a folder?
  A. Just highlight the folder or conference you wish to export and go to the File menu and choose Export. The system will ask what directory on your hard drive you would like the contents to be copied to. When you name this directory, all messages and subfolders of that folder or conference in LearnLink will be saved as separate .rtf (readable by Microsoft Word) files. Please test this method for your archives by trying a space with fewer messages first to see if this type of archive will meet your needs BEFORE you delete your conference or folder on LearnLink. You may still like the message summarize feature best for archiving old messages due to the different format.
  
  

• How do I request a conference on LearnLink?
  
  In general, anybody who would like to have a conference on LearnLink may have one. Although most conferences are for specific courses, departments or formal student organizations, there are no restrictions on who may maintain a conference so long as you are not in violation of Emory's Information Technology Conditions of Use Policy (Policy 5.1).

  ---

  Academic Class Conference Requests-All Users: Provide the DEPARTMENT, COURSE NUMBER and Instructor name in an email message to class_request@learnlink.emory.edu

  Other Conference Requests:

  Undergrad Students: please go to the LearnLink Demigods located under Public Conferences--Focus Group discussions and read the guidelines about new conferences there. You will get the access to create new conferences after you understand the guidelines. At this time, you may read the FAQ in Demigods under, How to create a new Conference? to find out what the best method to create the conference is (personal or public).

  Oxford Students: Please write to Jim Brown on LearnLink.

  Medical and Allied Health Students: Please write to MedAdmin on LearnLink.

  Business students: Check with your Tech staff about creating a conference on your FirstClass system. You can also gate conferences between systems or have a conference accessible over the web for those divisions.

  Graduate and Other Professional Students: Check with your department about the use of LearnLink there. If you would like a conference, please go to the Demigods site as mentioned above for the frequent questions,etc.

  Customizing your Conference: Once you are the controller of a conference, you may choose to customize it by creating subconferences, restricting access, choosing background images, etc.  These functions are explained within the Controller's Guide, located within System News-->User Guides.
  
  
  

• I have a GBS First Class account. Is that the same as a LearnLink account?
  
  No. They are both based on the First Class application and therefore do look very similar, but they are both independent applications. For assistance with a Goizueta Business School (GBS) First Class account, contact the GBS help desk.
  
  
• How can I change how I view LearnLink messages?
  
  You can view content in a normal mode that wraps text to the window, a page width mode that shows you how the content would print, or a presentation mode that shows you how the content would look as slides in a presentation. If you prefer the page width mode you can set it as your Content view default in your FirstClass Preferences. You'll find the field on the Content > Edit tab.

  The status bar also has a zoom control that allows you to change the size of the message body. So if you receive a message with a small font, you can use the zoom control to magnify the font and images. If you find you are doing this constantly, you can also set your content zoom in your FirstClass Preferences. You'll find the field on the Content > Viewing tab.

  FirstClass 7.0 also gives you more control over images. When you double click on an image, the toolbar gives you the opportunity to save the image to your computer, crop, copy, magnify, use the hand grab tool, size the image to the window, or rotate the image.
  
  

• Who can see my conference?
  
  In most cases, your conference will be placed within some portion of the "Public Conferences" area. "Public Conferences" is available to all LearnLink users, and includes the areas for most course content, departmental access, and student groups.

  In some situations, your conference may be made available only to users within a particular group. The Medical School, for example, has restricted sites which are only available to members of that community.

  Your conference may also be placed directly on the desktops of particular users. Your desktop is the first window you see when you connect to LearnLink, and includes your Mailbox and the "Public Conferences" icon. To place your conference on the desktop of a particular person:
  1. Click once on the icon for your conference (highlighting it, but not opening the area).
  2. Click on the Permissions button at the top of the window.
  3. At the bottom of the Permissions form, add the appropriate name to the List of Subscribers.

  Note that any user may add any conference from "Public Conferences" to their own desktop as well. All people who have copies of your conference will be shown in the List of Subscribers, whether you have added the conference to their desktop or they have.

  **Note**  For most conferences you will see one of the system administrators (Tricia Goddard or Kathy Gardner) listed as a subscriber. DO NOT REMOVE these names from the list of subscribers, or the copy of your conference which is out in public may vanish.
  
  

• Why does LearnLink keep crashing on my Windows machine?
  
  A very common crash on WindowsME or 2000 machines with the latest client is the result of a nasty piece of spyware called WebHancer that gets installed by a lot of programs (including various file-sharing programs, as well as "useful" programs like Gator). Go to control panel->add/remove programs, and remove anything called "WHAGENT" or "webHancer."  
  
  
• Why can't I update my address book or homepage folder?
  
  There was a problem with some address books and homepages when your account was created. To correct the problem, highlight the address book and/or the homepage on your desktop and hit the 'delete' key on your keyboard. After you delete the corrupt copy you may go to the file menu and choose 'Open-->Address Book' and a new one will be created for you. Follow the same directions to create a new homepage. Please contact the LearnLink administrators through LearnLink Problems (under the LearnLink Help and Info icon) if you have problems.
  
  
• What may I do as a conference controller?
  
  As the controller of a conference, you have the ability to divide your area into subconferences, remove old messages, restrict access to particular individuals or groups, and even edit other users messages or documents.  

  The controller of any conference is responsible for setting the standards for use of their conference, and should use their own discretion on restricting access and enforcing these standards. However, all content on electronic systems owned by Emory University and using the university network must adhere to Emory's Information Technology policies.

  All users will see the conference exactly as you set it. This means that as you remove messages, they are removed for all users. Likewise, if you set a particular window size and icon layout for your conference, this is what others will see when they look at your area. Advanced layout options, such as including background images in your conference, are also available.
  
  

• What is the "explore view"?
  
  FirstClass 7.0 includes an Explore view that looks like this:

  The Explore view works exactly like the explore view in Windows (and is provided as an option for users who are used to this view from Windows or Outlook), with your folders and conferences appearing in the pane on the leftmost side of the screen, contents of the selected folder appearing in the upper pane on the right, and the individual message appearing in the lower pane on the right.
  
  

• What do the access levels in the permissions page mean?
  
  Each access level allows a user to perform certain functions.

  * Disallowed - Cannot access the conference.

  * Summary - Can look at the list of conference items, but not open them.

  * Browser - Summary + can open messages.

  * Reader - Summary + can download attachments, view item histories, and search.

  * Contributor - Reader + can send messages to the conference, delete items they sent, and view this Permissions form.  By default, all users, including yourself, are Contributors. In addition, you as the conference creator can edit this permissions form.

  * Approver - Contributor + can read and approve unapproved messages.

  * Moderator - Approver + can delete any items, move items to subfolders, post messages that exceed the size limit, edit documents and stationery, create and move subfolders, and move subconferences.

  * Creator - Moderator + can move and resize the conference window, change the conference view and sort order, and create subconferences.

  * Controller - Creator + can edit this Permissions form, and edit messages sent by others.

  * Custom - Access is defined by the individual permissions that are selected. If you customize another access level, it automatically becomes the Custom access level.
  
  
  

• How can I select all the similar items in my mailbox, folder or conference?
  
  Select Similar

  This feature enables you select all similar items in your Mailbox, any folder, or any conference.
  
  With one mouse click you can select:
  - all messages from one person
  - all messages in a thread
  - all your outgoing messages

  For example, you want to select every message in your mailbox sent to the conference named Faculty Area:

  1. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) on the sender's name.
  
  example 1

  2. Choose Select Similar items from the shortcut menu.
  
  example 2

  All of the messages sent to this conference are highlighted.
  
  example3
  
  

  With all of these messages highlighted you'll find it easier to scroll through the mailbox to locate a particular message. This also applies to conferences, of course.

  You can also:
  - Print all of the messages sent to the conference by choosing File > Print.
  - View all of these messages online by choosing Message > Summarize Selected.
  - Delete or move all of these messages at once, now that they are all selected.

  The status bar will also show you how many items are currently selected. You may find this useful in determining participation within a conference.
  
  

• Should I use LearnLink or Blackboard to teach my class?
  
  After many careful assessments of how faculty use both the LearnLink (FirstClass) and Blackboard (http://classes.emory.edu) servers to supplement teaching, we have compiled some best practices for using electronic teaching content at Emory.

  1. LearnLink

  Since most students use LearnLink as their primary communication, LearnLink is best used as an electronic bulletin board for class announcements, ideas, and dynamic conversations.

  LearnLink is not a suitable place to have images, sound, video, uploaded documents or attached files stored. We realize that these are widely used features since it is fairly easy to maneuver uploads and downloads. However, the backup method on FirstClass does not give the level of security that we would like for critical academic work.

  If you do not upload and paste files to your class conferences, it is simple for you to back the material up at the end of the semester by selecting all messages in a particular Forum (Class Conference) and choosing to "Summarize the selected" messages into a single text file.

  2. Blackboard

  Blackboard is a powerful web-based tool for storing and delivering media-rich course content at anytime from anywhere. Blackboard offers file upload and retrieval with easy access to images, video and sound files under one course site.

  Blackboard is a very user friendly tool offering students immediate access to online Library reserves through Blackboard. Many textbook publishing companies also offer an e-text version of the textbook that can be uploaded to or linked to from Blackboard, allowing  you to bring lessons and images from the book to life on the computer screen with very little work on your part.

  You can set up online testing and assessments for your class and store these (or just certain parts of the assessments in a 'question bank') for later use.

  You can also set up announcement space and web-based discussion groups similar to LearnLink on Blackboard. Your content can be easily archived by choosing your course utilities and clicking a button that allows you to archive all or part of your course in a format that can be retrieved by Blackboard later (or on a Blackboard system at another institution for those that travel or teach elsewhere).

  UTS staff prefer our customers use Blackboard to offer students the bulk of their online teaching materials. Instructions for using Blackboard can be found on online at http://classes.emory.edu

  3. Webdrive

  Webdrive is a web-accessible space for storing and retrieving up to 100 megabytes of files, pictures and other electronic media. The space that you store these files is password protected and can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

  We prefer our customers use Webdrive for a backup storage space for documents and pictures to retrieve for use in class, personal use or academic publishing.

  Webdrive pages regarding personal and departmental accounts is at http://webdrive.service.emory.edu

  Still have questions?

  Q. I currently have many media files backed up on LearnLink, should I move those class files elsewhere?

  A. We highly recommend that you personally back up any data on LearnLink to Webdrive and to your personal computer. The architecture of FirstClass does not allow us to keep individual backups of files. If the entire server crashes, we do have a back up, but that does not always assure that the corruption that caused the server problem in the first place did not affect your personal or class conference on LearnLink.

  This also means that there is a possibility that all of your data could be irretrievable. We recommend that you treat LearnLink as a dynamic communications space. Periodically summarize your communications and save them elsewhere and do not store files or messages that are older than 15 months. We feel that it is a great tool and has provided Emory with a rich electronic community tool, but it is simply not built for mass storage.

  Q. How do I back up my old LearnLink data?

  A. It depends on the type of files you have on LearnLink.

  * You can summarize a text file of your plain text messages by highlighting all messages and choosing "Summarize Selected" from the "Message" menu item.

  * If you have uploaded attachments to messages, you will have to open each message and download the attachment within individually.

  * If you have directly uploaded files to your conferences and folder you may highlight the folder and choose 'Export' to download the uploaded files to your machine.

  * If you have many inline images in your messages, we will have to work with you on the best method for back ups. Please call the IT HelpDesk at 404-727-7777 and let them know that you would like to speak to a LearnLink administrator about backing up your data.
  
  

• How do I make my conference available from the web?
  
  One of LearnLink's features is the ability to make conferences available on the Web.  Some uses for this feature include:

  * Distance Learning Projects:  You may now collaborate with groups all over the world utilizing a LearnLink conference which can be accessed through a web browser.  You may set up your conference so users accessing your discussion through the web can contribute comments as well as reading existing content.
  * Web-based discussions:  Adding a discussion area to any existing Web page becomes as easy as creating a LearnLink conference, making the conference available on the web, and then creating a link to that conference's web address.
  * Events Calendars:  You may use a LearnLink conference available through the web to post upcoming events.  As you add or remove announcements, these changes are immediately implemented for any users accessing the area via the web, allowing you to keep a website up-to-date with minimal effort.
  * Document Publishing:  Any text file which is available in a LearnLink conference can be viewed through a Web browser. Special formatting, including stylized text, fonts, sizes, and colors is maintained, allowing you to format text within the LearnLink system (or copy text into LearnLink from another application) and make that text immediately available on the web without using HTML.
  * Web Authoring:  You may use your LearnLink conference as a traditional web server including HTML documents with imbedded images, hyperlinks, etc. HTML documents can be modified while they reside on the server, allowing you to update a page instantly without utilizing FTP software.

  Placing your conference on the web
   
  1. send a message to one of the administrators requesting that a specific conference (or subconference) be made available on the web. Once your conference is placed on the web, they will respond with a message including the exact URL for your conference. Be careful not to place copies of other conferences into this space as this may expose areas on LearnLink that are intended to be private.

  2. set permissions for your conference and any subconferences within. Remember that any subconferences will be available through the web unless you specify otherwise.  

  To determine how non-LearnLink users may interact with your conference through the web, specify a line for "Internet" under Who in the Permissions form.  (For example, you may specify that Internet users are readers for some conferences, and contributors for others). If you have a conference (or subconference) which you do not want users to open through the web, be sure to add "Internet" as Disallowed.

  Always add the Internet group higher in the permissions form than "All Users".  

  Finding your conference

  Most conferences which are available on the web are not listed in any index.  To get to your conference you will either need to specify the URL (by selecting Open Location from the File menu) or set up a link from some existing page.

  Content

  By default, any conference on the web will show all messages, files, and subconferences just as it would when using the LearnLink client software.  The most common way to add content is by sending messages to your conference.  Attachments to messages are also accessible through the web interface.

  The second way in which you can add content is to use your conference (or a subconference) as a "container" for documents or files which you want to share.  If you don't upload a file called "index.html" (or one of the other names specified below) anybody looking at your conference will see a list of the files or documents which are inside.  You may use the "New Document" option from the Message menu to simply create a number of pages with information you'd like to share.  You could also upload sound, image, or movie files which could be viewed with a web browser.
  
  

• How do I use "presentations" in LearnLink?
  
  Under the File > New menu, you'll find a new item called New Presentation. This new feature will allow you to create enhanced messages and documents.

  If you just need to present a couple of well written paragraphs or present an agenda, then you may find a FirstClass presentation is the right tool.
  FirstClass presentations have the advantage of being accessible from any FirstClass client, so you don't have to worry about additional software.

  Viewing anything as a presentation

  You'll find the presentation mode useful if you are reading a long message, or when small groups are gathered around computers. If you change the zoom control, before you change to the presentation mode, the zoom control is maintained. So if you include an agenda with a meeting invitation, you can reuse the agenda as a quick presentation, simply by changing the zoom control and adding a page break.

  Sharing a presentation

  Address a message to a person, or to a conference, then attach the presentation just as you would any other document.

  Navigating
  View existing messages, documents, and calendar items in the presentation mode by choosing View > Show Presentation. You can also use the F5 key (Windows) or use the Option Command P keys (Mac OS).
  To move from slide to slide - press Page Down
  To return to the previous slide - press Page Up
  To return to the first slide - press Home
  To go to the last slide - press End
  To end the presentation - press Esc

  You can also navigate and end the presentation using the shortcut menu. A shortcut menu is opened by right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac OS) the object you are working with.
  
  

• What pre-defined user groups can I use when assigning permissions?
  
  All accounts are members of:
  All Users

  Student Groups

  Emory College Student 
  Oxford Student Group
  AH Student  (Allied Health)
  Medical Student
  Law Student
  Grad Nursing Student
  Nursing Student UG  (Undergrad Nursing)
  PH Student  (Public Health)
  Business Student UG (Undergrad Business)
  Grad Business Student
  Theology Student
  GSAS Graduate Student  (Arts & Sciences)

  Faculty Groups

  Emory Faculty  (College and Graduate school of Arts & Sciences)
  Oxford Faculty Group
  Medical Faculty
  Law Faculty
  Nurs Faculty  (Nursing)
  PH Faculty  (Public Health)
  Theology Faculty

  Staff Groups
  Emory Staff
  Oxford Staff Group
  Nurs Staff (Nursing)
  
  
  

• Who may control LearnLink conferences?
  
  The LearnLink system is available for use by people within the Emory community. Conferences may be used by any group, including classes, student organizations (both formal and informal), administrative departments, or any individuals interested in discussing a particular topic.

  In general, to request a conference, you should write to "Conference Requests" within LearnLink (you may also write to "Class Requests" to request a conference for a specific class).

  There are a few exceptions to the above... they are as follows:

  - Oxford College: All courses, student areas, and other conferences for Oxford college are maintained by Jim Brown: (usjcb@learnlink.emory.edu) or 404-784-8454.

  - Medical School: Requests for conferences within the medical school area should be submitted to MedAdmin: (medadmin@learnlink.emory.edu).
  
  
  

• How do I create a subconference?
  
  As the controller for a conference, you may want to divide your conference into areas for discussion of specific topics.  For example, many classes will create conferences for discussion of class material, question and answer areas, bulletin boards for posting announcements, and drop boxes for students to submit papers or opinions.  Each conference shows up as an icon, and you may choose the names of your subconferences and select icons for them.  Creation of subconferences helps to eliminate clutter, allows users to access information in a more efficient manner, and increases your choices for restricting access to particular areas.

  This section addresses the basics of creating a subconference within an area for which you are the controller.  These steps must be followed in order for every subconference you create.

  Step 1:  create a subconference

  Open the conference inside of which you want to create subconferences.  You must be the controller of a conference to create sub-conferences. Click once on the New Conference button.   A folder icon will appear in the upper half of the window, with the name "New Conference."

  By default, students do not have the ability to create conferences.  If you are a student and have been given Controller access to an area, please send a note to one of the LearnLink administrators and request permission to create conferences.

  Step 2:  assign a name and icon

  a. Click once on the New Conference icon which was just created (this will highlight the new icon, but will not open it).  Click once on the Properties button (on Macs, this will be the Get Info button).  A window will appear displaying information for your new conference.

  b. In the Name: field at the top of the window, replace the words "New Conference" with the name you would like to give this sub-conference.  Names cannot exceed 23 characters.  If the name you choose is too long, you will get an error message saying, "Sorry, you are not permitted to perform that function." LearnLink will allow only one conference with any name.  Rather than using names such as "Discussion" or "Questions", try specific names such as "Eng321 Discussion" or "Phil250 Q&A."

  You can also change the name of a conference by clicking once on the existing name.  The name should then appear highlighted, allowing you to make changes.  Clicking on another area of the screen, or hitting the TAB key will save the new name.

  c. On the left side of the information window (just below the Name: field), the icon currently assigned to your conference is shown (usually this is a folder).  To change this, click once on the icon.  A scrolling window will appear, allowing you to choose one of several hundred icons.  Click once on the icon you'd like to select it.  You will return to the information window automatically.

  To see the full selection of available icons, you'll need to update the software on your local computer with our latest icon file.  This may be done by following the instructions within System News Client Files  Client Customization  Icons.

  d. Once you have selected a name and an icon, close the information window.  A prompt will appear asking if you would like to save the changes you just made.  Click on "Save."  The new subconference should show up, with the correct icon and name.

  If the name you have selected is already in use on LearnLink, you will get a prompt telling you the name is taken.  If this happens, you will need to repeat step 2 using a different name.

  Step 3:  assign yourself as controller

  Your new conference should still be highlighted. Click on the Permissions button at the top of the window.   A new window should appear, with the title "Permissions for  " at the top.

  Within the Permissions window, go to the field below the word "Who" and type your name followed by or .  To the right of your name (under the Access heading)  the word "Disallowed" will appear.  Clicking on the word Disallowed will pull up a menu including several options.  Select "Controller" from this list.

  Once you have set yourself as the controller for your new conference you may close the Permissions window.
  
  

• How do I share LearnLink calendars?
  
  Just as you may maintain a personal calendar, you may establish calendars for groups of people, as well as resource and location calendars.

  Group Calendars

  Group Calendars are similar to Conferences, in that they are potentially accessible to large numbers of people, can be placed in public areas, and can have detailed permissions.

  * Creating a Group Calendar:  From within your conference, select NewNew Group Calendar from the File menu.  A calendar window will appear, and a calendar icon will be added to your conference.  As with Conferences, you must set Permissions as described below before you may use your Group Calendar.

  * Calendar formatting:  Calendars will always open to a weekly view of events.  Buttons at the top of the calendar window allow you to change this so you may view by month, by day, or by week.  

  Arrow buttons are provided which allow you to move forward or back one day, week, or month as appropriate.  To the right of these arrows is a tool which lets you jump to any specific date, and to the left is a button which will return you to the current day, week, or month.

  Within the box for any single date, a list of the scheduled events is shown with the event start time. Events with overlapping times are indicated with a vertical red bar along the left side of the listings.

  * Calendar events: A calendar event is an item such as a meeting or class which is associated with a specific date and time.  You may create a calendar event by either double-clicking on the day of the event or using the ?New Calendar Event? button.  A New Calendar Event window will appear, containing four Tabs, allowing you to fill in the details for the event.
  
  * Event: The Event tab provides the most fundamental information for your event.

  * Description and Location:  A brief description and location should be filled in as appropriate.  This information will be shown to identify the event when looking at the calendar by day, week , or month.  More detailed information may be included in the lower half of the New Calendar Event window, which functions just like a regular message body.

  * Start time, End time, Duration:  You may specify the beginning and ending time for your event by clicking on the drop-down menu to the right of each field.  Times will appear in one-hour increments by default, although you may manually specify any time for the start or end of an event.

  You may adjust the time for an event by hovering over the current time.  While hovering, your cursor should change from an arrow to a small clock with two arrows, and dragging up or down with the mouse button held down will allow you to change the time for your event.

  * Color:  Colors may be assigned to any event, to help categorize or highlight important items.

  * Category:  You may assign a category for each event for tracking purposes.  Categories may be selected using the drop-down menu, or new categories may be added by typing in the Category field.

  * Show Time As: Times during which events are scheduled may be designated as Busy, Tentative, Out of Office, or Free.  If a block of time is designated as Free, it will not indicate a conflict with other events scheduled during that time.

  * Sensitivity: Sensitivity on any event may be designated as Normal, Personal, Private, or Company.  When others are given permission to view the calendar, only events designated as Normal can be seen.

  * Repeat: The Repeat tab may be used if your event will occur more than once at a regular interval.  The Repeat Interval field may be set to daily, weekly, monthly, or a variety of other common pre-set intervals.  Your calendar event will appear automatically at these intervals up until the date specified within the Repeat Until field.

  * Participants: The Participants tab may be used to invite other people to your event and to schedule locations or resources which are set up to be scheduled via LearnLink.  If you include the name of a LearnLink user who is maintaining a calendar, your event will be added to their calendar with a red flag. If you enter an email address or the name of a LearnLink user who does not have a calendar, your invitation will be sent to the recipient?s mailbox.

     If you select the "Ask participants to respond" box, the invitation will include buttons allowing participants to accept or decline the event, or to respond with an email message accepting or declining.

     The "Resources to Book" field can be used to add your event to any existing Location or Resource calendar by specifying the name of the Location or Resource calendar. Resource calendars may be set up, for example, for shared equipment which several people may want to reserve. 
   
  * Reminders: The Reminders tab may be used to send a notice to yourself or all participants a fixed time before the event.  The radio buttons may be used to determine whether a reminder is sent to none of the participants, to you alone, or to everybody.  You may select how far in advance of the event the notice is sent using the options in the drop-down menu, or by typing in the interval before the event when you would like notice sent.

     If you are using LearnLink at the time the notice is sent, a pop-up window will appear with your reminder. If you are not using LearnLink when the notice is given, an email message is sent to your mailbox. This message may also be sent to a pager for notification, as described in section 11 of the Advanced Guide.

  * Calendar Permissions:  Calendar Permissions are most important for determining the level of access other LearnLink users may have for your group calendar.  By default, nobody may schedule events on your group calendar, and all users may see times only for events which are scheduled.

  * Who:  The area on the Permissions form with headings of "Who,  Access, Permissions" is used to specify who may view calendar events, schedule calendar events, etc for your personal calendar.  This functions the same way as the Who field for conference permissions.  After entering the names of any individual people or small groups to whom you want to grant privileges, you may type "All Users" at the end of the Who list to assign a default for all other people on the LearnLink system.

  * Access: Each name listed under Who can be assigned an individual access level.  The access levels function as described below:
  -   No Access: Denies access to the calendar
  -   See Times: Users can look at the calendar, but only see the times set aside for events and tasks.
  -   Schedule Only: Users can add events to the group calendar.
  -   Schedule + Times: Users can look at your calendar (times only) and add events.
  -   Schedule + Details: Users can see details on your calendar for all events with Normal sensitivity, and can add events.
  -   Editor: Users have all permissions as above, and can open calendar items, edit and delete items, download attachments, and view item histories.
  -   Custom: Allows you to customize the access level by setting individual permissions, as described in Permissions below.

  * Permissions: The Permissions list to the right of each Access level shows icons for each specific action allowed by the current setting.  Hovering over each icon will bring up help-text describing what the icon does.  Individual permissions may be turned on and off by clicking on these icons, although the default Access levels are suitable for most circumstances.

  * List of Subscribers: Adding the name of a LearnLink user to the List of Subscribers will place a copy of your calendar on that user's desktop.  Note that subscribing another user does not change that user's access level.

  * Item Expiry: By default, all calendar items remain on your calendar unless you specifically delete them.  You may set an expiration time after which calendar items are automatically removed by updating the Item Expiry field.

  * Calendar is a member of these groups: This feature is not currently in use on LearnLink, and should be left blank.

  Resource Calendars

  Resource calendars are generally created for a particular piece of equipment or other item which may be scheduled by various people or groups.   Resource calendars function very much like Group calendars, with the following exceptions:

  * Creating a Resource Calendar:  From within your conference, select New->New Resource Calendar from the File menu.  A calendar window will appear, and a calendar icon will be added to your conference.  Resource calendars are indicated with a small video camera as part of the icon, to distinguish the calendar from a Group or Location calendar.  As with Conferences, you must set Permissions before you may use your Resource Calendar.

  * Scheduling Resources:  Although you may assign permissions so users can directly schedule events on your resource calendar, a more sophisticated approach is to allow the resource to be booked by using the "Resources to Book" portion of the Participants field when scheduling an event on a personal or group calendar.

  Location Calendars

  Location calendars function exactly as Resource calendars.  Location calendars are generally created for a specific room or building which may be scheduled by various individuals or groups.

  * Creating a Location Calendar:  From within your conference, select NewNew Location Calendar from the File menu.  A calendar window will appear, and a calendar icon will be added to your conference.  Location calendars are indicated with a small door as part of the icon, to distinguish the calendar from a Group or Resource calendar.  As with Conferences, you must set Permissions before you may use your Location Calendar.

  * Scheduling Locations:  Although you may assign permissions so users can directly schedule events on your location calendar, a more sophisticated approach is to allow the location to be booked by using the "Resources to Book" portion of the Participants field when scheduling an event on a personal or group calendar.
  
  
  

• How do I create a subconference?
  
  As the controller for a conference, you may want to divide your conference into areas for discussion of specific topics.  For example, many classes will create conferences for discussion of class material, question and answer areas, bulletin boards for posting announcements, and drop boxes for students to submit papers or opinions.  Each conference shows up as an icon, and you may choose the names of your subconferences and select icons for them.  Creation of subconferences helps to eliminate clutter, allows users to access information in a more efficient manner, and increases your choices for restricting access to particular areas.

  This section addresses the basics of creating a subconference within an area for which you are the controller.  These steps must be followed in order for every subconference you create.

  Step 1:  create a subconference

  Open the conference inside of which you want to create subconferences.  You must be the controller of a conference to create sub-conferences. Click once on the New Conference button.   A folder icon will appear in the upper half of the window, with the name "New Conference."

  By default, students do not have the ability to create conferences.  If you are a student and have been given Controller access to an area, please send a note to one of the LearnLink administrators and request permission to create conferences.

  Step 2:  assign a name and icon

  a. Click once on the New Conference icon which was just created (this will highlight the new icon, but will not open it).  Click once on the Properties button (on Macs, this will be the Get Info button).  A window will appear displaying information for your new conference.

  b. In the Name: field at the top of the window, replace the words "New Conference" with the name you would like to give this sub-conference.  Names cannot exceed 23 characters.  If the name you choose is too long, you will get an error message saying, "Sorry, you are not permitted to perform that function." LearnLink will allow only one conference with any name.  Rather than using names such as "Discussion" or "Questions", try specific names such as "Eng321 Discussion" or "Phil250 Q&A."

  You can also change the name of a conference by clicking once on the existing name.  The name should then appear highlighted, allowing you to make changes.  Clicking on another area of the screen, or hitting the TAB key will save the new name.

  c. On the left side of the information window (just below the Name: field), the icon currently assigned to your conference is shown (usually this is a folder).  To change this, click once on the icon.  A scrolling window will appear, allowing you to choose one of several hundred icons.  Click once on the icon you'd like to select it.  You will return to the information window automatically.

  To see the full selection of available icons, you'll need to update the software on your local computer with our latest icon file.  This may be done by following the instructions within System News Client Files  Client Customization  Icons.

  d. Once you have selected a name and an icon, close the information window.  A prompt will appear asking if you would like to save the changes you just made.  Click on "Save."  The new subconference should show up, with the correct icon and name.

  If the name you have selected is already in use on LearnLink, you will get a prompt telling you the name is taken.  If this happens, you will need to repeat step 2 using a different name.

  Step 3:  assign yourself as controller

  Your new conference should still be highlighted. Click on the Permissions button at the top of the window.   A new window should appear, with the title "Permissions for  " at the top.

  Within the Permissions window, go to the field below the word "Who" and type your name followed by or .  To the right of your name (under the Access heading)  the word "Disallowed" will appear.  Clicking on the word Disallowed will pull up a menu including several options.  Select "Controller" from this list.

  Once you have set yourself as the controller for your new conference you may close the Permissions window.
  
  

• How can I move attachments without downloading them first?
  
  FirstClass 7.0 allows you drag an attachment from a message, and add it another message without the need to download the file first. You can also move the attachment to your FirstClass Desktop or to a FirstClass folder. The history of the message will indicate an Attachment Copied action.
  
  
• I can't send a file to a friend of mine from LearnLink. Is there a system problem?
  
  Probably not. Since it is possible to send email within LearnLink that never leaves the LearnLink system, some file types are not allowed to be emailed or sent to prevent viruses or Trojans from replicating in the system or being sent out. Email that is sent out of LearnLink is scanned for viruses by the security team, but email that doesn't leave LearnLink may have no virus detection/protection at all. Since the email stays within LearnLink, your own virus protection (Symantec) may not detect the virus. Also, file attachments have to be encoded to be sent out. This increases the size of the file and it may take your account over your disk space limit (if you are over limit, you cannot send emails out).
  
  
• What are enhancements to the new Address Book/Contacts in LearnLink?
  
  First, the Address Book has been renamed to Contacts Folder. Note that anyone with an existing Address Book will not notice any name change (other than in the File menu when creating new group contact lists), but new users will not see any term called "Address Book."

  The new Contacts Folder has some new features:

  Category

  If you have a very large number of personal address books, you can use the Category field to organize your Contacts folder.
  There are no preset categories, just choose your own. If you are going to use this new field, you'll need to change the list view of the Contacts folder.

  Attachments tab

  This new tab enables you to upload attachments. For example, you could attach a presentation or a jpg. You can also attach FirstClass objects, such a message or document.

  Sharing a personal Contacts List

  With the latest version of FirstClass, you can share a Contacts list as you would a conference, allowing others to edit and add members to the list, or merely to access the list of entries. Note that any changes made to a shared Contacts list will affect everyone's view of the list, as with any other shared conference item.

  If you'd like more information about the personal address book form, open a form and choose Help > About this Window.
  
  
  

• How do I use LearnLink conference?
  
  Essentially, conferences can be thought of as containers. Within this container, you may have a number of different objects, including:

  Messages: The most common use for a conference is as a bulletin board, where a group of users may post messages for one another.

  Files: Files of any type (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, images, sounds, etc) may be placed in a conference as a means of allowing access by a group of people. Files may be attached to specific messages as well.

  Web Links: Within LearnLink, clicking on a URL (a WWW address) in a message will take you to the specified Web page. In this way, conferences can be used as central resources for shared hot lists of websites.

  Subconferences: For organizational purposes, you may want to divide your conference into smaller, more specific discussion areas. Each subconference you create can have unique restrictions. Often this is useful for providing separate areas for discussion, handouts, and assignments, for example.

  Other Conferences: You may place copies of any other LearnLink area within your conference. This includes providing convenient access to the current news resources and internet-based discussion groups which are already available online.

  Chat Rooms: Your conference may contain a space where users who are connected at the same time may have a conversation by typing back and forth in real time.
  
  
  

• How do I set permissions for a conference?
  
  Permissions determine who has access to a conference (or subconference), and what they are allowed to do within that area.  For example, some conferences may allow all users to read messages, but restrict who may post.  Other conferences may only allow students enrolled in a given class to open that conference.

  The most often used portions of the Permissions form are the portions labeled Who/Access/Permissions, Expiry, Approval, and List of Subscribers. 

  To look at the Permissions form for any conference, click once on that conference (selecting it, but not opening it) and then click on the "Permissions" button.  

  Who/Access/Permissions

  If you are the controller (which you should be if you followed the instructions in the previous section), your name will appear under "Who" and you will be set as Controller (under the "Access" heading).

  If you should be the controller and are not currently set as such, either contact the person who is listed as the controller of the conference, or post a message to LearnLink Problems.

  Setting Access Levels

  You may specify individual users to have a particular access level (see below for a detailed description of the access level options).  To do this, go to the space below your name under Who, enter the name of the user, and press or .  To the right of the user?s name, change Disallowed to the desired access level.

  Pre-Defined Groups

  In many cases you may want to set an access level for a group of users. Examples of groups that are always available to you are: Emory Student, Emory Faculty and All Users.

  Class Groups

  By default, we create class groups for all current courses. This allows you, for example, to specify that Biol142-005 students have Contributor access without entering each student's name.

  All Users

  All Users will act as a default for any students or groups not specifically assigned an access level. For example, a conference might specify Emory Faculty as contributors, followed by All Users as readers. This would allow anybody to read messages, but only people registered in our system as Emory faculty members could post messages.

  If you wish to restrict access to a limited group of LearnLink users, You must specify All Users as Disallowed. If you do not specify an access level for All Users, you conference may be open users on LearnLink other than those who you have specified.

  In general, the access levels are used as follows:

  Controller is usually reserved for the one or two people who are in charge of the conference. Only controllers can make changes to the Permissions form.

  Moderator is usually used for TAs, or other people who will be involved on a regular basis with maintaining the conference. Moderators may delete messages, but cannot create new conferences or change permissions.

  Contributor is a good setting for All Users in situations where you want anybody to be able to post and read messages.

  Reader restricts access so users can read messages, but cannot contribute new items. This is often used for All Users in situations where only one or two people will be posting messages (such as an Announcement bulletin board).

  Disallowed can be used for All Users in cases where privacy is important. When using this feature, be sure to specify All Users as Disallowed at the bottom of your list of permissions.

  Permissions are determined from the top of the list down. If a person is listed twice (or is a member of more than one group), he/she will have privileges as per the highest listing in the Permissions form which includes that person.

  Because of this:
  * Individual names should always be included higher in the list than group names.
  * The All Users group should always be placed at the bottom of the list

  Expiry:

  Message expiration options are found under the Expiry tab. You may set message expiration based on the number of messages within a conference, the age of messages, or both.

  By default, messages are removed automatically after 180 days (about 6 months).

  To limit a conference to a given number of messages, go to the line reading "Expire old messages when number of messages reaches:" and insert a number where it says "No Limit". Once the limit is reached, the system will erase the oldest messages as new messages are posted.

  To keep messages for more (or less) than 180 days, go to the line reading "Message expire after ___ days" and change "Default" to the number of your choice. You may also use the drop-down tool to set expiry to "Infinite."

  Approval:
  In some circumstances, you may want to create a conference in which users can post messages, but cannot read messages from other users without your approval. This setup is often used in classes where students are submitting papers or private opinions, or to maintain a moderated discussion.

  Approval options may be found within the Approval tab on the Permissions form. When "Messages Require Approval" is selected, only people with access levels at or above Approver can open messages within your conference. Messages which have not been approved will display the sender's name in italics. (The subject and time that the message was sent will also be visible.)

  As the Controller, you could choose to approve messages on an individual basis by clicking once on a message and clicking on the "Approve" button. Once approved, the message will be available to anybody with Reader access or higher. Unless you specifically approve a message, however, it will only be available to those listed with Approver access or higher.

  Selecting the "Attachments Require Approval" option would require someone to approve any files which are attached to messages before they could be downloaded. If you wanted users to be able to read messages within an area but not download the attached files, you could select just this option.
  
  
  

• How can I "find" a keyword in LearnLink?
  
  Find it fast with Type to Search

  This feature will help you find the first instance of a person's name or the subject within any window. For example, if you start typing "Paul", you'll be taken to the first message in the list that's from someone with the name Paul (note that this feature uses the "from" field, so if you're looking for an internet address, you would want to type the beginning of that address, not the user's name).

  If you start to type "professional", you'll be taken to the first item that contains the word professional as the subject.

  You can also use this feature in the Who's Online and Directory windows.

  Combine this feature with Select Similar and you'll be able to locate a message or a group of messages in just a couple of keystrokes.
  
  

• How do I set permissions for a conference?
  
  Permissions determine who has access to a conference (or subconference), and what they are allowed to do within that area.  For example, some conferences may allow all users to read messages, but restrict who may post.  Other conferences may only allow students enrolled in a given class to open that conference.

  The most often used portions of the Permissions form are the portions labeled Who/Access/Permissions, Expiry, Approval, and List of Subscribers. 

  To look at the Permissions form for any conference, click once on that conference (selecting it, but not opening it) and then click on the "Permissions" button.  

  Who/Access/Permissions

  If you are the controller (which you should be if you followed the instructions in the previous section), your name will appear under "Who" and you will be set as Controller (under the "Access" heading).

  If you should be the controller and are not currently set as such, either contact the person who is listed as the controller of the conference, or post a message to LearnLink Problems.

  Setting Access Levels

  You may specify individual users to have a particular access level (see below for a detailed description of the access level options).  To do this, go to the space below your name under Who, enter the name of the user, and press or .  To the right of the user?s name, change Disallowed to the desired access level.

  Pre-Defined Groups

  In many cases you may want to set an access level for a group of users. Examples of groups that are always available to you are: Emory Student, Emory Faculty and All Users.

  Class Groups

  By default, we create class groups for all current courses. This allows you, for example, to specify that Biol142-005 students have Contributor access without entering each student's name.

  All Users

  All Users will act as a default for any students or groups not specifically assigned an access level. For example, a conference might specify Emory Faculty as contributors, followed by All Users as readers. This would allow anybody to read messages, but only people registered in our system as Emory faculty members could post messages.

  If you wish to restrict access to a limited group of LearnLink users, You must specify All Users as Disallowed. If you do not specify an access level for All Users, you conference may be open users on LearnLink other than those who you have specified.

  In general, the access levels are used as follows:

  Controller is usually reserved for the one or two people who are in charge of the conference. Only controllers can make changes to the Permissions form.

  Moderator is usually used for TAs, or other people who will be involved on a regular basis with maintaining the conference. Moderators may delete messages, but cannot create new conferences or change permissions.

  Contributor is a good setting for All Users in situations where you want anybody to be able to post and read messages.

  Reader restricts access so users can read messages, but cannot contribute new items. This is often used for All Users in situations where only one or two people will be posting messages (such as an Announcement bulletin board).

  Disallowed can be used for All Users in cases where privacy is important. When using this feature, be sure to specify All Users as Disallowed at the bottom of your list of permissions.

  Permissions are determined from the top of the list down. If a person is listed twice (or is a member of more than one group), he/she will have privileges as per the highest listing in the Permissions form which includes that person.

  Because of this:
  * Individual names should always be included higher in the list than group names.
  * The All Users group should always be placed at the bottom of the list

  Expiry:

  Message expiration options are found under the Expiry tab. You may set message expiration based on the number of messages within a conference, the age of messages, or both.

  By default, messages are removed automatically after 180 days (about 6 months).

  To limit a conference to a given number of messages, go to the line reading "Expire old messages when number of messages reaches:" and insert a number where it says "No Limit". Once the limit is reached, the system will erase the oldest messages as new messages are posted.

  To keep messages for more (or less) than 180 days, go to the line reading "Message expire after ___ days" and change "Default" to the number of your choice. You may also use the drop-down tool to set expiry to "Infinite."

  Approval:
  In some circumstances, you may want to create a conference in which users can post messages, but cannot read messages from other users without your approval. This setup is often used in classes where students are submitting papers or private opinions, or to maintain a moderated discussion.

  Approval options may be found within the Approval tab on the Permissions form. When "Messages Require Approval" is selected, only people with access levels at or above Approver can open messages within your conference. Messages which have not been approved will display the sender's name in italics. (The subject and time that the message was sent will also be visible.)

  As the Controller, you could choose to approve messages on an individual basis by clicking once on a message and clicking on the "Approve" button. Once approved, the message will be available to anybody with Reader access or higher. Unless you specifically approve a message, however, it will only be available to those listed with Approver access or higher.

  Selecting the "Attachments Require Approval" option would require someone to approve any files which are attached to messages before they could be downloaded. If you wanted users to be able to read messages within an area but not download the attached files, you could select just this option.
  
  
  

• How can I "find" a keyword in LearnLink?
  
  Find it fast with Type to Search

  This feature will help you find the first instance of a person's name or the subject within any window. For example, if you start typing "Paul", you'll be taken to the first message in the list that's from someone with the name Paul (note that this feature uses the "from" field, so if you're looking for an internet address, you would want to type the beginning of that address, not the user's name).

  If you start to type "professional", you'll be taken to the first item that contains the word professional as the subject.

  You can also use this feature in the Who's Online and Directory windows.

  Combine this feature with Select Similar and you'll be able to locate a message or a group of messages in just a couple of keystrokes.
  
  

• How can I keep from being interrupted by invitations to chat?
  
  In the case when you are busy working on something at your computer, and wish not to be invited to chat by another user, you may "turn off" your ability to accept invitations.

  To do this, use the EDIT menu, select "Preferences...." Click the tab for "Mailbox", then check the box next to "Don't accept invitations."   Click on the "OK" button to save the changes.

  The result is that your name appears in italics in the "Who's Online" directory list.  When another user attempts to invite you to a public or private chat, s/he gets a message which says "Sorry, that person would prefer not to chat at this time" (on older versions of LearnLink), or simply doesn't see your name on the chat invite screen (on newer versions).  Instead, the user can send you a message which you can read at your convenience.

  This setting will remain in effect until you open Preferences and uncheck the box, even after you disconnect and reconnect to LearnLink.  If the setting is in effect, you can still invite others to chat, unless, of course, they wish not to be disturbed.
  
  

• I'm still getting my email in LearnLink, but I can't send any email or save any files. Is there a system problem?
  
  Probably not. LearnLink is a highly managed system that does have disk space limits on accounts. How much space in Learnlink you are allowed is determined by your position and/or school you attend. Once you have gone over that limit, you will be unable to send email until you have removed by deletion of, or uploading of files out of Learnlink to increase the available space you have. We allow incoming email to continue so you do not miss that important email you are waiting on.
  
  
• How can I get a password reset for Learnlink?
  
  You must contact the IT HelpDesk at 404-727-7777, or get a Learnlink administrator to reset it for you.
  
  
• How do I use Spam filtering in LearnLink?
  
  If you are getting spam in your mailbox, you should adjust settings (everyone's initial setting is lenient by default) and change accept or block lists by going to your personal message center on Postini at:
  [ https://www.app.emory.edu/av-spamfilter ]https://www.app.emory.edu/av-spamfilter (log in with your Emory Network ID and password).

  Screen shots with directions follow:
  1. [Image:111808_121310_0.png]

  2. [Image:111808_121857_1.png]

  If your daily spam message quarantine comes through LearnLink we have had to make a change to the processing of that file to the LearnLink server.
  In the past, you would see a list of quarantined messages in the text body. You will no longer see the text of messages quarantined in the body of the message,
  you will only see an Attach0.html ATTACHMENT.
  If you need to see a list of your quarantined messages, click on the attach0.html file and view in a web browser.
  The handling of the Postini message has caused problems on the LearnLink server with mail delivery causing this necessary change. Please respond to this message with any questions.
  [Image:10808_43635_0.png]
  
  

• Why can't I move some conferences off my desktop?
  
  Since there are more than 20,000 users on LearnLink, we have to scale the utility of the system to meet everyone's needs. Although some perceive conferences like "LearnLink Help and Info" and "Public Conferences" as clutter, those items remaining on your desktop are an integral part of the function of LearnLink at large (it is a community system, not just a personal messaging system).

  These conferences are the only places where you can find all items contained on LearnLink should you inadvertently delete any other icons you didn't intend to delete. LearnLink Help and Info is the Administrators' only means of contacting all users with critical system news and we can only do this if it is in a direct path from your desktop. Public Conferences serves a similar function; it provides a known path from your desktop to each LearnLink link on the system. Even putting these items in folders will change their functionality. So these items must remain directly on your desktop along with your mailbox in a protected state.
  
  

• What about size limits and options inside the permissions form?
  
  Size Limit:

  The size limit options are found at the top of the Permissions form, to the right of the Approval options. 
   
  - Limit Messages Above: By default, there is no limit to the size of messages (or attached files) within a conference.  If you want to restrict the size of messages, you may replace ?No Limit? with the maximum number of kilobytes (k) for a single message.

  - Handling: If a message is too large for a conference, the server will respond based on this setting. The options are:
     - Reject With NDN: This is the default setting, and the system will send a message back to the sender informing him/her that the message is too large.

     - Reject Quietly: No notice is provided that the sent message was not accepted by the conference.

  - Requires Approval: The message is delivered, but must be approved by the controller of the conference before it can be accessed by other participants in the conference.

  - Reject And Notify: The message is not accepted, and a note is made in the server log.  Notification is not sent to the sender of the message.

  Options

  The Options tab groups together three unrelated parameters.  These are:

  ?   Form to use:  By default, when you open a conference and create a new message the standard message form is used.  You may change the default so within a given conference an alternate form (such as the Announcement form or the Picture Message form) is used instead.

  ?   Reply Preference:  The reply preference determines how messages are addressed when they are created as replies to messages within your conference.  The options are:
  Automatic:  This is the default setting.  When a user clicks on the Reply button and this preference is set, the reply is addressed back to the conference.
  Reply All:  When a reply is created, the message is addressed to the conference, in addition to any names listed in the To: From: or Cc: lines.
  Reply Sender:  Replies to any messages within the conference are addressed only to the person who sent in that message.
  Default:  Within LearnLink, Default works the same way as Automatic.

  ?   Use Layout from Server:  This checkbox may be used if you plan to supply a backdrop for your conference.  The following section from the Advanced guide reviews how to assign an image for a particular window:

  For each window you encounter on LearnLink, you may specify how you would like the items to appear.  To change the look of a given window, open that window and select "Change View Properties" from the View menu.  A window containing 4 tabs will appear; click once on the Background tab.

  ?   Background Pictures:  You may specify any image or texture as a background for a particular conference or window within LearnLink.  Your image choices include pictures which are included in the client software by default, pictures which have been uploaded to the server as backdrops, along with any BMP, JPG, PCT, or GIF images which you place in the Images directory of your computer.  For Windows users, this directory is usually C:\NET\FCICWIN\IMAGES.  Mac users can find the folder within the FirstClass folder (which may be inside Emory Eagle Services on the hard drive).  A list of images that have been uploaded to the server may be found within Public ConferencesLL Questions-CommentsFrequent Questions.

  You may select a background picture for an area by selecting the "Use Background Picture" option, and then utilizing the pull-down tool for the Name field at the top of the form.  Note that the Name field will be inactive until the Use Background Picture option is on.  If you are selecting an image from the uploaded files, you may need to type the name of the image into the Name field the first time you select a given image.

  ?   Tile Background Picture:  Selecting this option will cause the selected image to repeat, covering the entire window.  When this option is off, the selected picture will be displayed only in the upper-left corner.

  ?   Saving Changes:  Clicking on the Apply button at the bottom of the View Properties window will show you the options you have selected.  Likewise, clicking OK will show you the changes and close the View Properties window.  In both cases, however, changes are not saved until the newly formatted window is closed.

  If you have assigned a background image for your conference and would like others to see the same image, check the ?Use Layout from Server? box.  If you send a copy of your image to a LearnLink administrator, we can store this on the server so it is automatically sent to all people who look at your conference.

  Conference groups:
  A number of pre-configured conference types may be used.  By including a conference group type, you can quickly establish the permissions for a new conference.  Only one conference group should be specified for any given conference or subconference. You must still assign yourself as a controller, even when using conference groups.

  Any parameter which you specify overrides any conflicting group setting (for example, if a group specifies that messages expire after 365 days, but you manually set message expiration to 1000 days, the real expiration time will be 1000 days).

  The available conference groups include:

  ?   Drop Box - Used as a secure location for submission of papers, private comments, assignments, or any other materials which should not be available to everybody.  You must specify the controller and any individuals who should have Approver access.  This sets:
  All Users:  Contributors, without ability to view message histories (custom)
  Reply Preference:  Reply Sender
  Approval:  Messages and attachments require approval

  ?   Announcement - Used in areas where you would like a limited number of people to be able to post messages.  You must specify the controller and any individuals who should be contributors.  This sets:
  All Users:  Readers
  Reply Preference:  Reply Sender

  ?   No History - Used for conversation areas where you would prefer that users cannot view message histories.  You must specify the controller (who maintains the ability to view histories).  This sets:
  All Users:  Contributors, without ability to view message histories (custom)

  ?   Private - Used for conferences with restricted access.  You must specify the controller and individuals or groups who should have access (as readers or contributors).  Settings include:
  All Users:  Disallowed
  
  

• Why can't I move some conferences off my desktop?
  
  Since there are more than 20,000 users on LearnLink, we have to scale the utility of the system to meet everyone's needs. Although some perceive conferences like "LearnLink Help and Info" and "Public Conferences" as clutter, those items remaining on your desktop are an integral part of the function of LearnLink at large (it is a community system, not just a personal messaging system).

  These conferences are the only places where you can find all items contained on LearnLink should you inadvertently delete any other icons you didn't intend to delete. LearnLink Help and Info is the Administrators' only means of contacting all users with critical system news and we can only do this if it is in a direct path from your desktop. Public Conferences serves a similar function; it provides a known path from your desktop to each LearnLink link on the system. Even putting these items in folders will change their functionality. So these items must remain directly on your desktop along with your mailbox in a protected state.
  
  

• What about size limits and options inside the permissions form?
  
  Size Limit:

  The size limit options are found at the top of the Permissions form, to the right of the Approval options. 
   
  - Limit Messages Above: By default, there is no limit to the size of messages (or attached files) within a conference.  If you want to restrict the size of messages, you may replace ?No Limit? with the maximum number of kilobytes (k) for a single message.

  - Handling: If a message is too large for a conference, the server will respond based on this setting. The options are:
     - Reject With NDN: This is the default setting, and the system will send a message back to the sender informing him/her that the message is too large.

     - Reject Quietly: No notice is provided that the sent message was not accepted by the conference.

  - Requires Approval: The message is delivered, but must be approved by the controller of the conference before it can be accessed by other participants in the conference.

  - Reject And Notify: The message is not accepted, and a note is made in the server log.  Notification is not sent to the sender of the message.

  Options

  The Options tab groups together three unrelated parameters.  These are:

  ?   Form to use:  By default, when you open a conference and create a new message the standard message form is used.  You may change the default so within a given conference an alternate form (such as the Announcement form or the Picture Message form) is used instead.

  ?   Reply Preference:  The reply preference determines how messages are addressed when they are created as replies to messages within your conference.  The options are:
  Automatic:  This is the default setting.  When a user clicks on the Reply button and this preference is set, the reply is addressed back to the conference.
  Reply All:  When a reply is created, the message is addressed to the conference, in addition to any names listed in the To: From: or Cc: lines.
  Reply Sender:  Replies to any messages within the conference are addressed only to the person who sent in that message.
  Default:  Within LearnLink, Default works the same way as Automatic.

  ?   Use Layout from Server:  This checkbox may be used if you plan to supply a backdrop for your conference.  The following section from the Advanced guide reviews how to assign an image for a particular window:

  For each window you encounter on LearnLink, you may specify how you would like the items to appear.  To change the look of a given window, open that window and select "Change View Properties" from the View menu.  A window containing 4 tabs will appear; click once on the Background tab.

  ?   Background Pictures:  You may specify any image or texture as a background for a particular conference or window within LearnLink.  Your image choices include pictures which are included in the client software by default, pictures which have been uploaded to the server as backdrops, along with any BMP, JPG, PCT, or GIF images which you place in the Images directory of your computer.  For Windows users, this directory is usually C:\NET\FCICWIN\IMAGES.  Mac users can find the folder within the FirstClass folder (which may be inside Emory Eagle Services on the hard drive).  A list of images that have been uploaded to the server may be found within Public ConferencesLL Questions-CommentsFrequent Questions.

  You may select a background picture for an area by selecting the "Use Background Picture" option, and then utilizing the pull-down tool for the Name field at the top of the form.  Note that the Name field will be inactive until the Use Background Picture option is on.  If you are selecting an image from the uploaded files, you may need to type the name of the image into the Name field the first time you select a given image.

  ?   Tile Background Picture:  Selecting this option will cause the selected image to repeat, covering the entire window.  When this option is off, the selected picture will be displayed only in the upper-left corner.

  ?   Saving Changes:  Clicking on the Apply button at the bottom of the View Properties window will show you the options you have selected.  Likewise, clicking OK will show you the changes and close the View Properties window.  In both cases, however, changes are not saved until the newly formatted window is closed.

  If you have assigned a background image for your conference and would like others to see the same image, check the ?Use Layout from Server? box.  If you send a copy of your image to a LearnLink administrator, we can store this on the server so it is automatically sent to all people who look at your conference.

  Conference groups:
  A number of pre-configured conference types may be used.  By including a conference group type, you can quickly establish the permissions for a new conference.  Only one conference group should be specified for any given conference or subconference. You must still assign yourself as a controller, even when using conference groups.

  Any parameter which you specify overrides any conflicting group setting (for example, if a group specifies that messages expire after 365 days, but you manually set message expiration to 1000 days, the real expiration time will be 1000 days).

  The available conference groups include:

  ?   Drop Box - Used as a secure location for submission of papers, private comments, assignments, or any other materials which should not be available to everybody.  You must specify the controller and any individuals who should have Approver access.  This sets:
  All Users:  Contributors, without ability to view message histories (custom)
  Reply Preference:  Reply Sender
  Approval:  Messages and attachments require approval

  ?   Announcement - Used in areas where you would like a limited number of people to be able to post messages.  You must specify the controller and any individuals who should be contributors.  This sets:
  All Users:  Readers
  Reply Preference:  Reply Sender

  ?   No History - Used for conversation areas where you would prefer that users cannot view message histories.  You must specify the controller (who maintains the ability to view histories).  This sets:
  All Users:  Contributors, without ability to view message histories (custom)

  ?   Private - Used for conferences with restricted access.  You must specify the controller and individuals or groups who should have access (as readers or contributors).  Settings include:
  All Users:  Disallowed
  
  

• What other items can I have inside my conference?
  
  You may choose to have items within your conference other than subconferences which you have created.  Three items which are used frequently include:  existing internet conferences, subscription lists (listservs), auto-open messages, and chat areas.

  Existing conferences

  Often there are relevant conferences, such as existing class conferences shared among sections, Internet discussions or news areas which may relate to your conference (many of these conferences can be found by topic within the Public Conferences icon on your desktop).  You may include some of these areas within your conference as an information source or to provide topics of conversation.  

  To place an existing conference within your area:
  1.   Create your own copy of the conference you want by clicking once on the conference (to highlight it) and clicking on the "Add to Desktop" button.  A copy of the conference will appear on your desktop.  (You may also position the windows so you can see the conference icon and your desktop simultaneously.  Dragging the icon to your desktop will create a copy).
  2.   Open the conference for which you are controller.  Position the window for your conference so you can drag the icon from your desktop into your open conference.

  Subscription Lists

  There are countless discussion groups on the Internet which are subscription-only.  Typically, these groups (often called listservs) are subscribed by an individual, and any mail from the list is sent to the private mailbox of the subscriber.  

  With LearnLink, it is often possible to create a conference and subscribe that conference to a listserv.  This may be useful if you would like a group of users to have access to a list without requiring that they each subscribe to the list individually.  The one restriction is that these lists can only be made available on a read-only basis; users cannot send messages back to the other list subscribers.

  If you would like a conference set up for any listserv, please send a message to an administrator including the subscription address and the list name.

  Auto-Open Messages

  At times, you may want to require that users who enter your conference to read a particular item.  This can be done by designating that item to open automatically if there is a red flag on it.  Red flags are tracked for every user, and are automatically removed once a user has read a particular item.

  To mark an item as Auto-open:
  1.   Click once on the item to highlight it.
  2.   Click on the Get Info button (the Properties button in Windows).
  3.   Check the Auto-Open box at the bottom of the Information window.
  4.   Close the Information window and save changes when prompted.

  Conferences may be set to auto-open as well.  A conference will display a red flag (and can therefore open automatically) any time a new message is posted within.  This can be useful for displaying auto-open messages that reside inside the conference, but can be problematic if users do not read the messages inside the conference (if the messages do not also auto-open).

  Chat Areas

  With LearnLink, it is possible to hold real-time discussions with several users at the same time.  

  To facilitate group chats, you may request a chat icon within your conference.  Any user who double-clicks on the chat icon will be brought into the discussion area.  These chat areas may be used to augment office hours on a scheduled basis, or simply as a place for people to drop in.

  When there are people utilizing a public chat area, a red "speech balloon" will appear outside chat icon for all other users.   The speech balloon serves as notification that a public chat is in progress.

  Text from any chat can be saved by any (or all) participants of a chat by selecting "Save as Text" from the File menu.  This can often serve as a simple way to "take minutes" of a conversation.

  If you are interested in having a chat icon within your conference, send a request to any of the LearnLink administrators.

  Conference Resumes

  Just as individual users may create a "resume" which other LearnLink users may view, conferences also have a "resume" which may be filled out by the conference controller.  Conference resumes may be viewed by highlighting any conference and selecting "About Conference" from the Conferencing menu.  

  Common uses for a conference resume are to provide general information about the function of your conference, and to provide the public location so users can easily find your conference.

  To create a resume for your conference:
  1.   Click once on your conference icon (to highlight it) and then click on the Permissions button.
  2.   Within the Permissions form, click on the "About Conference" button.  The current conference resume should appear.
  3.   Fill in text for your conference resume, and close the resume window when finished.  Changes are saved automatically.
  
  
  

• How can I add hypertext links (URLs) inside my LearnLink message?
  
  As more quality resources become available on the World Wide Web, it is increasingly important to have simple methods for collecting and distributing addresses of good websites.  

  By default, all web addresses (called a Universal Resource Locator, or URL) will show up as blue, underlined text within LearnLink.  Users can click on a URL in LearnLink and their computer will automatically open up a web browser (such as Netscape) and display the requested page.

  To include a link in a message, therefore, you can simply type the URL as part of the message body.  Be sure to include the whole address, including the "http://" part.

  Alternatively, you may embed a link (hide the url, allowing a user to instead click on an image or on certain words), by selecting the text or image, then choosing "link" from the Insert menu at the top of the message, and inserting the URL in the field that pops up.

  You may copy and paste a URL from your web browser into the body of a message.  This is useful, particularly with long or complicated addresses, to insure that you avoid mistakes with capitalization and/or spelling.

  Links cannot appear blue & underlined while you are still able to edit the message.  This means that while you are composing, you will not see the link as being active.

  As the controller of a conference, you have the ability to edit all messages inside the conference.  So, within areas you control, you will not see the hypertext links where all other users will.

  There are 3 ways to fix this:  
  1.   Change the Permissions for your conferences to give yourself  "Custom" privileges rather than "controller".  Specifically, turn off the icons to the right of your name which allow you to Edit Message and Edit Documents.
  2.   You can "Protect" an individual message by highlighting it and clicking the "Properties" (or Get Info) button.  when a message is protected, you are no longer able to make changes to it, even as controller.  After you've protected the message, you should be able to open it and see the blue, underlined text.
  3.   When you move the cursor over a link, the usual arrow will change to a hand symbol.  You may then right-click on the link (or click and hold on a Macintosh) to access a pop-up menu which includes "Open Link" as an option.  Selecting "Open Link" will take you to the requested URL.
  
  

• LearnLink Mail Rules and Filtering
  
  About mail rules
  Basic mail rules tell FirstClass how to handle the following mail:
  --messages that you send-Rules only affect the copies of the sent mail that are left in your Mailbox (local copies)
  --messages that you receive in your Mailbox
  --messages that are received by conferences

  Each set of mail rules is associated with a particular container(Mailbox or Conference). You can set up rules for your Mailbox and for any conferences for which you have this permission.

  For each container, separate rules control mail received by the container and mail sent from the container. Received mail rules apply to all containers, and run whenever that container receives mail from anyone. Sent mail rules apply to your Mailbox, and run whenever you send mail.
  You can set up multiple rules for both received and sent mail. Each rule specifies a particular type of mail, and how FirstClass is to handle that mail. For example, your Mailbox may have rules to:
  --delete all mail received from a specific address (such as joespammer@bugthem.com)
  --file all mail with a certain subject in a specified subfolder

  You can open rules to update them, just as you would update other FirstClass objects.

  ---------------
  Creating rules for received mail
  To create a rule for mail received in a specific container:
  1   Select or open the container.
  2   Choose Collaborate > Rules.
  The container's Rules & Resources folder opens. This folder stores all existing rules for this container.
  3   Choose File > New > New Receive Rule.
  4   Update the Receive Rule form.

  ---------------
  Creating rules for sent mail
  To create a rule for local copies of mail that you send:
  1   Select or open your Mailbox.
  2   Choose Collaborate > Rules.
  Your Mailbox's Rules & Resources folder opens. This folder stores all existing rules for your Mailbox.
  3   Choose File > New > New Send Rule.
  4   Update the Send Rule form.

  ---------------
  Creating advanced rules
  If the Receive Rule and Send Rule forms do not cover the conditions or actions you want to specify, you can create an advanced mail rule. An advanced rule can apply to:
  --received mail
  --sent mail
  --mail that you run rules on manually
  --mail that users delete.

  *Note
  Setting up a properly functioning advanced mail rule can be more complex than setting up basic receive and send rules. For that reason, we recommend that you do not create these rules unless you feel you have a good knowledge of mail rules.
  To create an advanced mail rule, follow the same procedure you would for a basic receive or send rule, but choose New Advanced Rule, then update the Advanced Rule form.

  ---------------
  Sorting rules
  FirstClass runs rules in the order they appear in the Rules & Resources folder. To change this order:
  1   Choose View > Change View Properties with the Rules & Resources folder open.
  2   Choose None at "Sort on" on the Sorting tab.
  3   Drag rules to their new locations in the list.

  ---------------
  Running rules on demand
  You can select mail, then run rules on that mail. This allows you to apply rules to mail that was created before the rules were in place, or to mail that would not otherwise trigger rules.
  To run this container's receive rules on selected mail, choose Message > Run Receive Rules.
  To run this container's advanced rules (any created with the Run Manually trigger) on selected mail, choose Message > Run Manual Rules.

  ---------------
  Sharing rules
  You can move or copy rules among containers' Rules & Resources folders, and send rules as message attachments to other users.

  ---------------
  Rules logs
  Every time you create or update a mail rule, or change the order of mail rules, FirstClass compiles the rules for that container. This is done to locate any errors in the rules, such as a missing folder name. The results of the compile are recorded in a rules log that FirstClass places in the container's Rules & Resources folder.
  The cost is a general indicator of how much impact your rules processing will have on the server. The higher the number, the more server resources you are using. A cost up to 25 has little impact on the server. Above 50 has a high impact, and may result in slower response times.
  Each compile adds to this log. If you want FirstClass to start a new log, delete the old one.
  **Caution
  Be sure to correct any errors reported by the log before your new or updated rule runs.
  
  
  

• How can I add hypertext links (URLs) inside my LearnLink message?
  
  As more quality resources become available on the World Wide Web, it is increasingly important to have simple methods for collecting and distributing addresses of good websites.  

  By default, all web addresses (called a Universal Resource Locator, or URL) will show up as blue, underlined text within LearnLink.  Users can click on a URL in LearnLink and their computer will automatically open up a web browser (such as Netscape) and display the requested page.

  To include a link in a message, therefore, you can simply type the URL as part of the message body.  Be sure to include the whole address, including the "http://" part.

  Alternatively, you may embed a link (hide the url, allowing a user to instead click on an image or on certain words), by selecting the text or image, then choosing "link" from the Insert menu at the top of the message, and inserting the URL in the field that pops up.

  You may copy and paste a URL from your web browser into the body of a message.  This is useful, particularly with long or complicated addresses, to insure that you avoid mistakes with capitalization and/or spelling.

  Links cannot appear blue & underlined while you are still able to edit the message.  This means that while you are composing, you will not see the link as being active.

  As the controller of a conference, you have the ability to edit all messages inside the conference.  So, within areas you control, you will not see the hypertext links where all other users will.

  There are 3 ways to fix this:  
  1.   Change the Permissions for your conferences to give yourself  "Custom" privileges rather than "controller".  Specifically, turn off the icons to the right of your name which allow you to Edit Message and Edit Documents.
  2.   You can "Protect" an individual message by highlighting it and clicking the "Properties" (or Get Info) button.  when a message is protected, you are no longer able to make changes to it, even as controller.  After you've protected the message, you should be able to open it and see the blue, underlined text.
  3.   When you move the cursor over a link, the usual arrow will change to a hand symbol.  You may then right-click on the link (or click and hold on a Macintosh) to access a pop-up menu which includes "Open Link" as an option.  Selecting "Open Link" will take you to the requested URL.
  
  

• I accidentally deleted email I had in Learnlink, how do I recover it?
  
  Unfortunately, it is not recoverable. Learnlink is an intranet system that is internet capable. The way it is designed is primarily for working within itself, so you do not have an independent, individual inbox folder the same as you do in internet email (like the Eagle email system). Only the entire Learnlink system is backed up as a single unit, so only the entire Learnlink system (as a whole) can be recovered.

  FYI: If you have deleted an item in Learnlink and want to get it back on the SAME DAY it was deleted, you MAY be able to recover it. In the Learnlink client, go to "View" and then "Show Deleted Items". If you can see the deleted item then, you can "undelete" it. This will NOT work once trash collection has taken place overnight (every night).
  
  

• What is my LearnLink Quota?
  
  The following disk space limits are in place on the LearnLink system:

  Students = 250 MB
  Faculty = 500 MB
  Staff = 100 MB

  Sponsored, Special Guest and Other accounts = 50 MB

  See this FAQ on maintaining and increasing your available space on LearnLink.