For those users new to The Lee Forum, the way in which it works can best be compared to a radio broadcast.
Posting a message
If you are listening to the radio, both you and anyone else listening will hear what is said. The forum is similar, in that anything posted to the forum can be seen by all logged in members, many of whom will also have set their subscriptions to receive an emailed copy of the post.
Replying to a post
Consider The Lee Forum to be a bit like Radio 4’s Any Questions. You hear the initial discussion and have a comment. However, do you want to phone Any Answers to give your opinion publicly to the whole nation, or do you want to engage in a private follow up dialogue with one of the panellists or the organisation they represent?
If you want to contribute to a public debate, then please log in to the forum and post a reply to the topic. If however you are trying to communicate privately with the originator of the topic, then you need to contact them directly using the details supplied in their original post.
Posting a reply to the forum intended for one person is like phoning Any Answers to respond to a single panellist – you may be addressing one person but your comments will be broadcast to everyone.
The Lee Forum has no facilities whatsoever for private conversation – if you post a reply to the forum it would be like calling a radio station, being put on air and expecting your comments to be heard only by the presenter.
Replying to an email notification
Whilst many users only log in to the forum from time to see what’s happening locally, approximately 70% of active users receive email notifications of all or some new posts to the forum.
As explained previously, these posts are akin to a radio broadcast: you can see (rather than hear) what is being broadcast, but you can’t reply by shouting at the radio! If you want your comments to be heard by the broadcaster, you have to telephone, email or message the programme.
The forum email notifications are similar, in that you can’t simply reply to the broadcast email in the expectation that either the forum or the original poster will receive your email:
- an email reply won’t be posted to the forum
- an email reply won’t be sent to the person who has initiated the original post
Instead, anyone replying to the email broadcast notification will receive an automated response, reiterating this message.
You therefore have two options:
1. Post a public reply to the forum as described above: this is the radio equivalent of your call, mail or message to the programme being read out on air – the forum has no private messaging and therefore everyone who receives broadcast notifications will receive an email of your response
OR
2. Reply privately to the poster of the message, using the supplied contact details
How to use Forum Radio
We therefore ask that:
- If you are trying to buy, sell or borrow an item, or have lost or found an item, please make sure to include your contact details in the post
- If you are interested in selling, buying or lending the item in question, or can help with a lost or found item, please reply directly to the original poster – in particular, please do not ignore the supplied contact details and post a response with your contact details
Remember…
* if you post a reply on the forum it’s like phoning Any Answers – if you say something, everyone will hear
* if you reply to an email broadcast notification it’s like shouting at the radio, no one will hear you