Getting Started III (Private Messages & Conversations)

[Clyde]

• Private Messages & Conversations
  
  Your inbox contains private conversations (also commonly called private messages or PMs) between you and other people.
  
  Private conversations are laid out just like threads, with the oldest message on top and the newest messages on bottom. This makes it easier than sending messages back and forth and needing to quote the entire message to be able to remember the context. After a few of those back and forth, you start getting a quote-inside-a-quote box that's bigger than the state of Texas and it just looks kind of ugly. So, now, it works just like a thread but only you and the other participants of the conversation can view it.
• Starting a conversation
  
  To start a conversation with someone, click on their avatar to bring up their profile card. Look for the "Start a Conversation" link right above the "Member Since" date. You can also add more people to the conversation at this time by typing their names into the Participants box (add commas after each name).
  
  You can also lock the conversation so that you are the only one who can add a message to it. If you check this checkbox upon starting the conversation, it makes it like an old style inbox message where your reader has to send you a completely new message in order to reply to it. For best results, don't lock your conversations like that.
• Inviting more participants
  
  Although you can always invite participants to conversations you've started, you can also choose whether to allow participants to invite others. If you do, the other person or people in the conversation can invite others to join, and they will be able to view all of the messages in the conversation.
  
  While reading a conversation, if you have started it or the conversation starter has chosen to allow anyone to invite others, you will see an "Invite More" link in the sidebar below the list of participants.
  
  Once invited, a participant cannot be forcibly removed, even by a moderator. The person must specifically click "Leave Conversation" in order to no longer be a part of the conversation.
• Changing the subject
  
  For conversations that you have started, you may at a later time choose to change the title or the options. Click the "Edit Conversation" link at the top, just above the first post. With this popup, you can lock or unlock the conversation, or allow or not allow anyone to invite others.
• Crowd control
  
  To report a private conversation that contains abuse or spam or anything that you feel is inappropriate, click the "Report" link next to the date of the message. A moderator will be alerted to the message and will handle it presently.
  
  Please note that moderators who are invited to the conversation may invite others, even if you have not specifically chosen to allow participants to invite others. To handle an inappropriate message without allowing a moderator to see the rest of the conversation, use the Report link instead of inviting them to the conversation.