Admin_01

Your observation and your experiences are valid, and actually parallel my personal view on this subject. As stated earlier, this is a no-win situation. That is the reason we are looking for a better solution. Feedback such as yours only raises the priority of that research on our part to find that better solution. Thank you for those comments. Duly noted, and appreciated.

This topic was moved from the Charities forum to this forum. It clearly did not belong in charities, but could properly be in one of several other forums. I opted to place it here because the border crossing subject frequently is related to those who choose an extended stay/residence in Panama without benefit of formal residency status, choosing instead to make periodic border crossings to "reset" their passport stamps.

Bonnie's reply hit the nail on the head. The description of each and every forum within the classified ads category has not only a short statement as to what should be posted in that forum, but also the "rules" about how classified ads are configured. The inability to reply to a topic is mentioned. This is not a software fault; it is by design. A little bit of history is relevant here. Originally CL did permit replies to classified ads. But then members complained because they did not want to see transaction details or back-and-forth negotiations or conversations that many felt should be private business transactions being conducted in public. One member stated the consensus very succinctly when he said words to the effect that if someone advertised a used car, for example, in the classified ads of a newspaper that anyone interested should contact the seller directly, in private, rather than taking out another classified ad requesting information (e.g., has the car been involved in a collision), or clarification (e.g., did they mean to say four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive), or negotiating for a better price. In general, members liked being made aware of something being sold or wanted, but not to repeatedly see additional related postings in the activity stream. (The activity stream is highly used on CL.) The decision to disallow replies and make the classified ads on CL function similar to a newspaper was not done quickly or to say that the other viewpoint of replying was invalid. It simply was a case of the majority feedback was to make the classified ads on CL function like a newspaper. We think of the two styles as being "classified ads" (no replies, no edits, no self removals) and "buy/sell" (allow replies, allow edits, allow self removals). [Note on CL that members cannot delete/remove their postings; that won't change.] Further, classified ads typically could include products and services, either offered or desired. Buy/sell typically involves only products (generally not including services), and more typically from an offered perspective. Few people would consider taking out and ad saying they wanti to buy a used car; they would look for used car ads and start there. Can you see some of the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between classified ads and buy/sell? Either style results in complaints. It is a no-win situation. We have opted for classified ads, but only because it results in fewer complaints, and is consistent with the inability of members to delete their postings. The management of CL is expending a good deal of energy on this subject, trying to find a better solution. It is our belief that the ability to handle these kinds of information needs has a large pent up demand in our part if the world. Our current think is not to implement an eBay or Amazon style buy/sell, in which the transaction is actually consummated online. Rather the announcement of a product or service being available or desired, along with the questions and clarifications being posted online. And the clincher is then to allow the originator of the posting to edit and close or remove their posting once the item is no longer available or desired. If something comes of that research, then it will be announced here on CL.

The software is designed to "protect" the body text from unintentional loss by keeping a hidden copy in your account. However, if you really do want to get rid of that text, simply select the quoted text box. That will cause a plus ("+") sign inside a pop up box to appear at the extreme top leftmost of the quoted text box. Then select that + sign and delete the text box. Let me know if you need more help.

JudyS, You have provided information about a very good tool that our members can use for more than just uploading pictures into CL. And it is free, to boot. Thanks. As for the CL gallery issue, it continues, which, as of this posting, effectively means our photo gallery is useless. We have very high levels of attention at the service provider level. I will keep everyone informed at major milestones as we move forward. It will get resolved. Brundageba's patience is to be admired.

Rather than continue with a public discussion about all the details, be advised that this matter has been successfully resolved. The 'mark forum as read' link now displays on the subject computer.

Fantastic photo. I'm jealous. For the information of our members, the problem mentioned above is known and being worked by me and our software vendor. Previously there was no problem with uploading photos of any reasonable size into the gallery, but somewhere along the line a bug crept into the picture (pardon the pun! ). This problem has been escalated to higher levels, but it will likely take a bit more time for resolution.

JoJo, I went through every forum on this website -- as a non-privileged user (the status that you and all other members have) -- and verified that every forum that has at least one topic posted in it does in fact display the "mark this forum as read" link. There were no exceptions. I repeat, every forum, except those that have no content, on this website has the link to mark that specific forum as having been read. What you are telling me can only logically be explained by one of three possibilities: either (1) you are not actively signed into this website, or (2) the forum listing that you are looking at has no topic posted in it, or (3) operator error. In order to resolve this matter, please take a screen capture when you see a forum listing that is missing the "mark this forum as read" link. Then send that screen capture to me by one of three methods: email, private message, or posting as a reply in this forum. My contact information is in the signature block at the bottom of this reply. By working together we will get to the bottom of this matter. We are going to solve this.

There is a simple procedure to remove News Boquete activity from the Unread Content display. This procedure takes only about 10 to 15 seconds. Our recommendation is that you execute this procedure immediately after signing into the website, and certainly before you click on the Unread Content button. Here are the steps: be sure that you are signed into the website go to the forums index page (the page you normally land on after signing in) scroll down to the third category of forums (it is labelled Commentary, Personals, News Feeds / Meeting Announcements, Panama in General) locate the dedicated forum labelled News Boquete (currently in the third grouping), and then click on that forum click on "Mark forum as read" (on upper right side of screen) If done prior to clicking on the Unread Content button, then any new News Boquete postings will not display in your Unread Content window. The next time NewsLady posts something in that dedicated forum will reset the toggle for displaying new content. Just repeat the above steps to again clear the display toggle for any new postings in that forum.

I understand that News Boquete uses this website for its online archive repository. I already get News Boquete emails directly from that service. How do I exclude those postings from the Unread Content display when I execute that button every morning?

Good idea, Bonnie. CL is structured in a hierarchical manner. I will try to explain this graphically: Channels (the Forums, Blogs, Gallery, Calendar, etc.) Categories (talking only about within the Forums channel here). Currently there are only four categories: Topical Forums, Classified Ads (Buy/Sell), Commentary/Personal/News Feeds/Panama in General (you cannot post in a category) Forums List (where the names of the forums are shown, typically in alphabetical order). Can also contain sub-categorizes (you cannot post in a forums list) Forum (where the content is at its lowest level of compartmentalization). This is where you create a new topic. Topics/Postings (topics consist of postings, in which the first posting is the topic, and all others are replies) (this is where you can add a reply to an existing topic) If you still have a question, let me know. This is not easy stuff to explain.

The reason for revisiting this question is that members are reading this thread and getting confused because of incorrect information. The screen capture that you provided clearly shows that you were NOT in a forum. Deborah's solution takes you to the last post, not the first unread post. Decide what it is that you want to see, then pick the tool that provides it. You are in control. The key to invoking the tool that you expect to use is understanding the context in which you are working (that means what window display you are using) and then picking the correct navigation tool for the desired outcome. There are many such tools (some might say too many). The phrase "...have to open the topic..." is not correct information. The black dot that I refer to is at the forum level, not while inside a topic. My answer did include the correct instructions. Please re-read the first sentence in the second paragraph of my answer, which is quoted here with highlighting and bolding for emphasis: In closing, note that the first unread post in a topic and the last post in a topic may be the same post, but that is not always the case. Consider a topic that has, for example, ten postings, the first six of which you have already seen, and remaining four are unseen by you. Using the first unread post tool would take you to post number seven, whereas the last post tool would take you to post number ten. If, on the other hand, that topic had only six posts and number six was the only post that you have not yet seen, then both tools would take you to post number six. See the difference? Your question was about going to the first unread post in a topic. Deborah's approach takes you to the last post, not the first unread post. You get to decide what it is that you wish to read, and then use the appropriate tool to achieve that goal. There are many options available to you. If you need more help, please ask. That is our job.

Perhaps you overlooked the very first answer that I wrote in response to your question. In case you missed it, I quote here again: Two amplifying comments: you cannot mark a forum as read from within the activity stream (which is what displays after you click on the "Unread content" button), and you must be looking at the entire forum, not one specific topic/posting. Try this and let me know how it works for you. Also see the annotated screen capture (below).

Due to an error, a duplicate blog entry with identical content inadvertently was created on 7 December 2015. In order to maintain the blog posting integrity, the error blog post was deleted, and the two replies associated with it are being "rescued". Because we have no technical means of merging blog posting or moving blog replies, I have no other option except to copy and paste those two replies here.

I am not trying to add to your frustration level. Was just trying to help. .

JoJo, I see three different issues in this question: (a) marking a posting or a forum as read, (b) configuration of the activity stream, and finally (c) navigating to the first unread reply within a topic. We will tackle those one at a time. First, regarding marking a single topic or an entire forum as read. These actually are two different actions, and depends on what it is that you wish to mark as read. If you are talking about marking an entire forum as read, then you must be in the forum (as opposed to in the topic). Your question makes reference to the activity stream. You cannot mark a forum as read from the activity stream. You have to be in the forum. If you are in the forum (meaning you see a listing of the topics that have been posted, but you are not looking at a specific posting), then just to the left of the "Start a new topic" button is a button that will mark all topics in that forum as having been read. (You might want to use that capability in the online repository for News Boquete postings, as an example.) If you are talking about marking one particular topic within a forum as having been read, then you must be in the appropriate forum, but not within that topic. You will then notice a bolded icon just to the left of the name of the topic. That bolded icon normally will appear as a double "talk cloud" (similar to what is used in newspaper cartoons for the words that are being spoken). If you click on that icon, it will flag that topic as having been read, and then gray itself out. Second, regarding configuring the activity stream. When at the forums index page, you will see both an "unread content' button (on the upper right side next to the "mark site read" button. That is a shortcut that displays the unread content following your configuration parameters of the activity stream. If instead, you click on the Activity tab (next to the word browse) at the top left of the forums index page, you will see all of the options within the activity stream: (a) all activity, (b) my activity streams (note the use of the plural form of that word), (c) unread content, etc. By clicking on my activity streams, you will find several pre-configured options, and toward the bottom the ability to create your own custom criteria. Going further, if you look at all activity, or my activity streams, etc., you will see an icon just to the right that sets that option as your default option. And then you will see under the my activity streams that you also have the ability to set the default parameters to be used. JoJo, I fear that I will loose you and many others who read this answer. That fear comes from the fact that this is very sophisticated software and with many options. I can't say with certainty, but it is highly likely that an inadvertent mouse-over or a undesired mouse click has changed your default options for the unread content button. Third, regarding going into the first unread reply within a topic. That question has already been asked and answered in a different Q&A topic. Rather than repeat it, here is a link to it: http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/148-how-do-i-find-the-first-unread-post-within-a-forum/. If you will allow me to go philosophical for a moment, we have an observation that seems to be repeated many times among our members in getting comfortable with some really sophisticated software. People want options, and they want them done their way. But with hundreds of members, the software is trying to please many masters. The most painless way to satisfy the majority of the members is to provide configuration options, and then let each member make things work the way THEY want it to work. That leads to a fairly high learning curve. The solution is to "poke around" and see what works best for your needs. There is little damage that you can do to the website or its database, with the possible exception of your profile (but even that is not catastrophic because if you break something there you can always fix it back). I hope this helps clarify the issues that you have raised. If not, please give me another try. We are always here to help. That is my job.

The description of the News Boquete forum includes the rationale behind having an online repository of the News Boquete emails. Click here for that description: http://www.chiriqui.life/forum/87-news-boquete/. We appreciate your input.

Can you also identify the operating system that you use, as well as the browser?

I checked on their website, and it is "undergoing maintenance". Don't know if it is temporary or still under construction.

Working on this. I likely will be opening a trouble ticket with the software company. Would it be possible for you to send me a copy of the photo that you are trying to upload as an attachment to an email? Click on the email address next to my name at the bottom of my post (that is my signature block with my Display Name, real name, and email address).

Seeing the same problem in testing things. One quick question: Are you indicating that the software should display a map showing where the images were taken? If so, try uploading one image but with that option turned off. Please let me know the results.

Apologies, but I forgot to provide you with a critical piece of information in the above posting. You need a URL to plug into your RSS reader. You get that by right-clicking on the RSS icon on this website. Depending on the browser that you use, the operative choice will be worded slightly differently. For Firefox, it will be the option "Copy link location". I have never been able to right-click using a tablet or mobile device, so I guess I am also saying that you will have to use a desktop device in order to get all of the necessary information to load into your RSS reader.

I am not a Yahoo user, so I have no first hand experience with it. However, I did a Google search using "rss reader for yahoo mail" as the search argument and came up with lots of information. Some of it suggests that Yahoo Mail has a beta version which does support RSS feeds, and other responses to the search suggest that Yahoo Mail does now have a built-in RSS reader capability. And then there is reference to using "feedly" as a kind of universal RSS reader because it is cross-platform capable. If I were to provide more detailed guidance then it is likely I would mess up your system. Given that there are so many options, I suggest that you conduct a similar search and pick a solution that best fits your needs and equipment suite.

Thanks for your inquiry. Glad to see some members getting to this level of technical sophistication. I have delayed answering your question because I was waiting for a response from the software gurus at our service provider. I now have that response, and it is not good news for Thunderbird users. For those who may not know, RSS (one version of the name is that this is an acronym for "Really Simple Syndication") is a protocol that allows information sources (such as this website) to send links to an RSS "reader" so that the end user gets all of their new "news" in a single place. This is commonly used for things like newspaper websites sending out breaking news, etc. CL has the ability to send out RSS feeds to readers for things such as the activity stream. We presume that is why you wish to use RSS. Like you, we also use Thunderbird as our email client (along with iPads, but that is a different story). I had not tested RSS feeds from CL being received by Thunderbird, and so when I first saw your question, I did a trial run. It did NOT work. I tried everything I could to make it work. No joy. And so I submitted a trouble ticket to our application service provider. Their response came in mid-morning today. Their response is that they too tested the RSS feeds, not only with Thunderbird but also other RSS readers. The RSS feeds from their software work well with all of the RSS readers they tested, except Thunderbird. They did a bit of diagnosis, and concluded that the issue is a fault with Thunderbird's implementation of the RSS (and ATOM) specifications. Sorry to report Pantah, that you will not be able to use the RSS feeds from CL with Thunderbird as your client, unless and until Thunderbird fixes its software application. You might use some other RSS reader if this is really important. Wish I had better news, but we are in the habit of telling the truth rather than otherwise. If I learn of a fix or workaround I will post it here for all to see. Thanks again for your use of CL, and if you have more questions, just ask.