CHECK OUT THE NEW USS TUSCALOOSA AND USS WICHITA DISCUSSION FORUM (MESSAGE BOARD AND REAL-TIME CHAT SITE). See below for more information including how it works and how to join. Click here to go directly to the Message Board.4. Once you have a registered as a Yahoo! user, you can click on "continue" or otherwise get back to the message board site.
I have set up a message board for those interested in USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) and USS Wichita (CA-45). This message board will provide a convenient place for people to post and exchange messages, share historical comments and "war stories" and/or just chew the fat with each other. It's possible to upload pictures, post good links, and even engage in real-time chats with each other!Until I hear other suggestions, I'm suggesting that anyone interested should try to chat on any Saturday or Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Central; noon Mountain; and 11 a.m. Pacific). I hope that suggesting these times may help. Of course, set up your own times or send me suggestions.
Of course, such benefits do not come without some bureaucracy, but I'll try to help you with the process. First, I'll present a quick guide. Then, later in the page, I present a full step-by-step guide to getting started if you want that much detail.
Quick Guide to the USS Tuscaloosa and USS Wichita Discussion Forum
When you are ready, go to: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/usstuscaloosaandusswichita
If you do not have a Yahoo! ID, then you must get one by registering: just choose "Log In" and then "Sign Me Up"; fill in the form and the choose "Continue" If you have a Yahoo! ID, then log in to Yahoo! and go to the Discussion Forum site.
Join the group and choose your options. When joining, you may provide a comment (I think of up to 40 characters). That comment will appear in the list of members, so you can provide info on your connection to the ships or whatever.
NOW, you can view messages (actually you can do that even if you don't join), leave messages and join in real-time chats.
Excruciatingly Thorough and Long Guide to the USS Tuscaloosa and USS Wichita Discussion ForumYou start the process by clicking on the link for: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/usstuscaloosaandusswichita
BUT, before you do that, see below for what information you may want to know and what to do and look for when you get there. You may want to print out this information. Although it is a bit long, I tried to cover most issues that I thought might come up. It's not as bad as it looks; in fact it is fairly easy.
1. Do you have a Yahoo! ID? If you do, you can go to the board site, log in and skip to step 5 below. If you don't have a Yahoo! ID, you need one. When you get to the message board, you will choose the link to log in located in the upper right hand corner.2. Choose the link for "Sign me up!"
3. Fill out the form.
A. Choose a Yahoo! ID name (a screen name). That name does not have to have any relation to your name, rank or serial number or your email address. It is just your public identifier. Go anonymous and pick some words and/or numbers that do not identify you, or you can pick a name that somehow identifies you to the group (SmithS1c or JonesMM3c). Note that common words are likely to be taken and Yahoo! will ask you to pick another one and will suggest alternatives like adding numbers to the name you just provided. If you get stumped, try adding CA37 or CA45 at the beginning or end of what you really wanted as it is unlikely such a name would have been taken.Pick a password - it is your preference as to whether it has or doesn't have any relation to other passwords you use.
B. The next section is designed to help you if you forget your password. You provide an authenticating question and its answer. If you forget the password, you can ask Yahoo! To send the password to the email address you specify if you answer the authenticating question(s). Your age could be shown on the list of members, so answer however you want or choose 1983 as your birth year to feel like a kid again).
C. Customization information.
i. Language: choose "English - United States"ii. Zip Code: I think this shows up for you in the listing of members. If you like privacy, I suggest you use 20500 (that is the zip code for the White House).
iii. Gender: I think this shows up for you in the listing of members.
iv. Occupation and Industry: This shows up in a profile for your screen name (which you can elect to make non-public). You can choose "other" for each question to be non-identifying.
v. Contact me occasionally about special offers and Yahoo! Features: UNcheck this box if you get enough commercial email already and don't want any more. If you elect to get more email, you can try to target it by indicating your interests.
5. You should now have a link in the upper right hand corner for "Join this club". Click on it.
6. Double check your email and click to join. Yahoo! will send you a confirming email with a link. Open that email and click on the link to activate you membership (this prevents anyone from joining if they give a phony email address).
7. When you join, you will have a choice to have all of the messages that members post emailed to you or not to get those emails and then you can just look at the site from time to time. You can always change your mind on this later. FINALLY, you may provide a comment (I think of up to 40 characters). That comment will appear in the list of members, so you can provide info on your connection to the ships or whatever. Again, you can change that later on.
YOU'RE DONE!
PROBLEMS? Contact me and I'll try to help.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW THAT YOU HAVE JOINED:
View messages that have been left by looking at the recent messages or clicking on "Messages" in the upper left corner (actually you can view as a guest even without joining). You can now also leave messages.
You can chat - move down on the right hand frame and you will see a notation under "Chat ROOM" as to how many, if any, people are there. You can select "enter" there or click on "chat" in the upper left corner of the left frame. If you want a voice option, you will see it being loaded. You can let it load and either use it or turn it off or you may want to choose "cancel" when it is downloading, and then choose "continue without voice".
Note: for chatting, I think you need to have JavaScript enabled on your browser. You already have JavaScript enabled if on the home page or the LINKS page on the site you see a nice box with pictures for links to the Web Rings: NavRing, World War II Web Ring and NavShips History Ring. To enable JavaScript on Netscape, click as follows: Edit, Preferences, Advanced (make sure there is a check mark on Enable JavaScript). To enable JavaScript in later versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, click on Tools and highlight Internet Options. Click the Security tab and highlight the Internet icon (globe). Click the custom level button and scroll down until you see Scripting with a script icon. Make sure Active scripting is enabled.
Please note that JavaScript is not the same as Java. However, if Java is enabled then you get the better-looking chat site with more bells and whistles, and if you don't then you can use a simpler HTML version. To enable Java on Netscape, click as follows: Edit, Preferences, Advanced (make sure there is a check mark on Enable Java). To enable Java on earlier versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, click as follows: View Options (or Tools, Internet Options), Advanced (make sure there is a check mark on Enable Java JIT compiler). You may need to use the HTML version to go through a firewall (and, thus may have to disable Java).
Just click on the link below -- and sign up when you get there -- I'll hope to be seeing you there!
Go to the USS Tuscaloosa and USS Wichita Discussion Forum: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/usstuscaloosaandusswichita
Please note that the discussion forum is new so it might be fairly calm there. Please try it out and let me know what you think.