citadel-server 9.01-1 / usr / share / citadel-server / help / intro

                     Welcome to ^humannode!
                  New User's Introduction to the site
  
 This is an introduction to ^humannode and to the Citadel BBS concept.
It is intended for new users so that they can more easily become
aquainted with the bbs system.  Of course, old users might learn
something new each time they read through it.
 
 Full help for the BBS commands can be obtained by typing <.H>elp SUMMARY
  
 The CITADEL BBS room concept
 ----------------------------
   The term BBS stands for "Bulletin-Board System".  The analogy is
appropriate: one posts messages so that others may read them.  In
order to organize the posts, people can post in different areas of the
BBS, called rooms.
   In order to post in a certain room, you need to be "in" that room.
Your current prompt is usually the room that you are in, followed the
greater-than-sign, such as:
 
 Lobby>
 
 The easiest way to traverse the room structure is with the "Goto"
command, on the "G" key.  Pressing "G" will take you to the next room
in the "scanlist" (see below) that has new messages in it.  You can
read these new messages with the "N" key.
 Once you've "Gotoed" every room in the system (or all of the ones
you choose to read) you return to the "Lobby," the first and last room
in the system.  If new messages get posted to rooms you've already
read during your session you will be brought BACK to those rooms so
you can read them.
 
 Scanlist
 --------
   All the room names are stored in a scanlist, which is just a
string containing all the room names.  When you <G>oto or <S>kip a
room, you are placed in the next room in your scanlist THAT HAS NEW
MESSAGES.  If you have no new messages in any of the rooms on your
scanlist, you will keep going to the Lobby>.  You can choose not to
read certain rooms (that don't interest you) by "Z"apping them.  When
you <Z>ap a room, you are merely deleting it from your scanlist (but
not from anybody else's).
 
   You can use the <.G>oto (note the period before the G.  You can also use
<J>ump on some systems) to go to any room in the
system.  You don't have to type in the complete name of a room to
"jump" to it; you merely need to type in enough to distinguish it from
the other rooms.  Left-aligned matches carry a heavier weight, so if you
typed (for example) ".Goto TECH", you might be taken to a room called
"Tech Area>" even if it found a room called "Biotech/Ethics>" first.
 
  To return to a room you have previously <Z>apped, use the <.G>oto command
to enter it, and it will be re-inserted into your scanlist.  In the case
of returning to Zapped rooms, you must type the room name in its entirety.
REMEMBER, rooms with no new messages will not show on your
scanlist!  You must <.G>oto to a room with no new messages.
Incidentally, you cannot change the order of the rooms on your scanlist.
It's the same for everybody.
 
 Special rooms
 -------------
   There are two special rooms on ^humannode that you should
know about.
  
   The first is the Lobby>.  It's used for system announcements and other
such administrativia.  You cannot <Z>ap the Lobby>.  Each time you first
login, you will be placed in the Lobby>.
 
   The second is Mail>.  In Mail>, when you post a messages, you are
prompted to enter the person (handle) who you want to send the message
to.  Only the person who you send the message to can read the message.
NO ONE else can read it, not even the admins.  Mail> is the first room
on the scanlist, and is un-<Z>appable, so you can be sure that the
person will get the message.
   
 System admins
 -------------
   These people, along with the room admins, keep the site running smoothly.

   Among the many things that admins do are: create rooms, delete
rooms, set access levels, invite users, check registration, grant
room admin status, and countless other things.  They have access to the
Aide> room, a special room only for admins.
 
   If you enter a mail message to "Sysop" it will be placed in the
Aide> room so that the next admin online will read it and deal with it.
Admins cannot <Z>ap rooms.  All the rooms are always on each admin's
scanlist.  Admins can read *any* and *every* room, but they *CAN* *NOT*
read other user's Mail!
 
 Room admins
 -----------
   Room admins are granted special privileges in specific rooms.
They are *NOT* true system admins; their power extends only over the
rooms that they control, and they answer to the system admins.
 
   A room admin's job is to keep the topic of the their room on track,
with nudges in the right direction now and then.  A room admin can also
move an off topic post to another room, or delete a post, if he/she
feels it is necessary. 
 
   Currently, very few rooms have room admins.  Most rooms do not need
their own specific room admin.  Being a room admin requires a certain
amount of trust, due to the additional privileges granted.
 
 Citadel messages
 ----------------
   Most of the time, the bbs code does not print a lot of messages
to your screen.  This is a great benefit once you become familiar
with the system, because you do not have endless menus and screens
to navigate through.  nevertheless, there are some messages which you
might see from time to time.
 
  "There were messages posted while you were entering."
 
   This is also known as "simulposting."  When you start entering a 
message, the system knows where you last left off.  When you save
your message, the system checks to see if any messages were entered
while you were typing.  This is so that you know whether you need
to go back and re-read the last few messages.  This message may appear
in any room.
   
 "*** You have new mail"
 
   This message is essentially the same as the above message, but can
appear at any time.  It simply means that new mail has arrived for you while
you are logged in.  Simply go to the Mail> room to read it.
 
 Who list
 --------
   The <W>ho command shows you the names of all users who are currently
online.  It also shows you the name of the room they are currently in.  If
they are in any type of private room, however, the room name will simply
display as "<private room>".  Along with this information is displayed the
name of the host computer the user is logged in from.
 
 (This file was shamelessly swiped from QuartzBBS.  Thanks to its original
author for putting it together.)