This document is no longer current.
Please refer to this updated document to learn how to find and read message board posts.
There's more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one way to search and browse the VIN Message Boards. Some like to browse new postings in all the boards and folders and some prefer to see only the newest discussions in their favorite folders. Still others just want to go straight to only the discussions they've participated in.
No matter your preference, there is an easy, quick way to get what you want from your search.
Select Board/Folder
First things first: Use the boards/folders list on the left side of the Main Message Boards page to choose which board/folder you want to search. If you want to see all the new posts on all of the boards, you don't need to select anything. The default choice is 'All # Boards' so you can skip right to selecting your time frame.
If you want to see only the new postings in the Vet-to-Vet board, check the radio button next to Vet-to-Vet.
If you just want to see the new postings in a specific folder on the Vet-to-Vet board, use the arrow to the left of Vet-to-Vet to open the drop-down menu and then click once on that folder name.
Now that you've let search know 'where' you want to look, it's time to tell it 'when.' Use the Find Since menu on the right side of the page to select a time frame for your search.
FIND SINCE:
The Find Since button allows you to narrow the search of your selected board/folder to a time frame ranging from 5 minutes and 500 days. Click the arrow display the drop down list of time frame choices. You may also choose to view all posts ever made in that board/folder by selecting All.
FIND NEW:
The FIND NEW button will pull up all messages that have been posted in the selected board/folder since you last used the FIND NEW button to search. The date and time are shown in the parentheses to the right of the FIND NEW button.
REDO FIND NEW:
If you get interrupted while viewing the results of your 'FIND NEW' search, use the REDO FIND NEW button to reset the FIND NEW time frame and perform the same search again.
FIND ALL Msgs.:
Use this button if you don't have anything else to do today and want to view all of the posts made to your selected board/folder without a specific time frame, click on FIND ALL Msgs. Be warned... it's easy to lose track of time when you're browsing the boards!
Update Find New Date:
This box is checked by default. Every time you click on the FIND NEW button, the date the last time you clicked FIND NEW will reset to the current time. If you know you won't have time to read all the post during this session, you may choose NOT to update the date you last used FIND NEW. If so, simply uncheck this box before you click the FIND NEW button.
Only show MyDiscussions:
Sometimes, it's all about you, and that's ok! If you'd like to only see discussions in your MyDiscussions list, check the Only Show MyDiscussions box before searching. Threads are added to your MyDiscussions when you start a new discussion, reply to a discussion, or manually add a discussion to your MyDiscussions list. This is a convenient way to view ONLY the discussions you have participated in.
Note: You can also track and manage all of your message board and search activities in one place with the MyActivities feature on VIN. Learn more.
Only show discussions with pictures:
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so if you only want to see discussions that include images, check the Only show discussions with pictures box before you search.
Search:
No time to browse? If you already know what you're looking for, you can search the message boards topic/keyword, Thread ID or Document ID. To search by topic or keywords check the radio button next to Text Search. Type in words that define what youlooking for, separating each word with a space, and using no more than 14 words, and hit Enter on your keyboard. If you know the Thread ID or Document ID, select respective radio buttons and then enter the number in the textbox and hit Enter on your keyboard.
