In
2001, I started a discussion group on the internet
- Parents of Hearing Impaired and Deaf Children
in Australia (PHIDCOZ)
- as a way of connecting parents who have a child
with a hearing loss across Australia. However, many
parents are still reluctant computer users and even
some regular computer buffs have not investigated
the wonderful world of Internet discussion groups.
This is an easy guide for those of us who have not
ventured into this area. It takes a few minutes
to register with Yahoo! before you can access the
group. You might like to print this out this page
as a guide.There are a few easy steps:
-
Register with Yahoo! Groups.
-
Ask to join PHIDCOZ.
-
Send a brief message about yourself when asked
to do so.
-
Once you are a member, you can read and post
messages as you wish.
Now for a bit more detail.
What is a Web-based discussion group?
A Web-based discussion group is a free service
where you can interact with other group members
via your computer. You can swap information, discuss
ideas and celebrate triumphs.
What is on offer?
Members of the group "post" or send
messages to the group bulletin board. All members
can read the messages and reply. You can choose
whether you want to be an active member and send
lots of messages or you can "lurk" and
just check out what others are discussing without
actively participating. Whatever suits you is
fine.
How do I join PHIDCOZ?
PHIDCOZ is a Yahoo! Group. (They have over 700
000 separate discussion groups !) Click on your
Internet navigator and type in the address
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phidcoz Click
on "Go" or "Search". The home
page will come up on your screen and it is now
time to register with Yahoo! Groups in order for
you to access their groups. You need to register
a Yahoo! ID and link it to your e-mail address.
This can be a bit frustrating as even the most
obscure ID can be already taken. Be creative -
you don't need to use your name.
Registration
- Click on "Register" or "Click
here to register" on the home page
- Complete the registration form.
Hint: Your Yahoo! ID can be any name you want
as long as another Yahoo! user doesn't already
use it. You may need to try a few names before
you are have original ID. eg aussierus5 already
exists so you might alter it to aussierus_5
or change it altogether.
Important: If you don't want a Yahoo! mail account,
but would rather have this group listed under
your own email address, you must unclick the
box "Activate Yahoo! mail". Be sure
to fill in your own email address under "alternate
email account" if you want this group listed
under your own email, not the Yahoo! mail account.
- At the bottom, click on "Submit This
Form"
- Yahoo! will continue to cue you if you haven't
filled out all the information. When they have
all the information they need, a screen will
come up that says Registration Complete
- You should receive an e-mail confirming your
registration. Be sure to record your Yahoo!
ID and password. You will need these to sign
into Yahoo! Groups.
Congratulations - you have registered with Yahoo!
Groups. You can now join any of their groups but
that is not why I am writing this. I want you
to join PHIDCOZ and meet other parents in Australia
online.
Join PHIDCOZ
Return to the PHIDCOZ home page and click on
"Join This Group".
You may need to type in your user ID and password.
You will be asked to set your membership options.
Message delivery options
Individual e-mails
Messages are delivered one at a time to your
e-mail box.Daily digest
Messages are delivered in batches of 25 or
daily, whichever comes sooner. On PHIDCOZ it would
mean daily.
Only Special Announcements
This feature is not used on PHIDCOZ
No Mail/Web Only
This option permits you to read messages on the
web site only. You do need to be a member to read
them.
Click on whichever option suits your needs. PHIDCOZ
is a restricted group which means that only parents
of deaf and hearing impaired children may join.
You will receive an e-mail message asking for
confirmation that you are eligible to join the
group. You need to type a short message e.g. "I
have a 6 year old son with moderate to severe
hearing loss. He wears hearing aids and attends
our local school" - or whatever. Send this
message back to the moderator. Once approved,
you will be able to post messages to the group.
How can I post a message to a group?
Via e-mail
To send a message to other group members,
create an e-mail and address it to phidcoz@yahoogroups.com
Via the PHIDCOZ Web Site
After you have signed in to the group home
page, click on "Post" on the left hand
side of the screen. Write your message in the
box that pops up and then click :Send Message".
Your message will be sent to the moderator who
will approve it and it will then appear in the
messages where other members can read it and comment,
if they choose.This is a basic explanation to
encourage you all to sit down at your computer
and give it a try. The Yahoo! Groups Help line
is most helpful so click on "Help" if
you need further assistance (I got most of the
information for this article from there). Of course,
the best people to ask for help are usually your
kids. Once you have joined the group, it is fast
and simple and can be interesting, encouraging
and informative. I hope to meet you soon on
PHIDCOZ.
Thanks to Pam Lilley - our Honourary Australian
for her assistance in compiling this "Easy
explanation"Ann Porter
List Owner |
