Book features

Here are some hints for getting the most from this book. Page contents:

• Book features
  • Register
  • Content features
    • Bookmarks
    • Searching
    • Watches
  • Communication features
    • Chat
    • Messages
    • Forums
    • Forum RSS feeds
    • Newsletter
    • Feedback
  • Other features
    • Printing
    • Multiple tabs
  • More help

Register

Create an account for yourself by registering. You can't make bookmarks, send messages, etc., unless you register.

To register, click register in the Login box to the right:



You'll see this:



Enter a username, password (twice), and email address. The password must be at least six characters long. The email address is so that you can get the registration confirmation, and set page watches.

You'll get an email at the address you specified. Click on the confirmation link. You can then log in with your username and password.

Content features

Bookmarks

You can bookmark any page, and come back to it later. For example, you can mark where you're up to in your reading.

After you log in, the bookmark box will be on the right, underneath the login box:



To bookmark the current page, type in a name for the bookmark and click the mark button. The new button makes a new bookmark folder.

Click on the name of a bookmark to jump to that page. Click the x to delete the bookmark.

To manage your bookmarks, click on the title of the bookmark box.

Searching

Use the Search box, to the right below the Login box. Case is not significant (e.g., "Computer" and "computer" are the same). If you enter "unstructured data" then pages with "unstructured" or "data" or both will be listed.

Watches

You can watch for changes to pages, and to forum posts. Click the watch icon (it looks like an eye) in the menu at the top of many pages:



When the content of the page changes, or there is a response to the forum post, you will receive an email at the address you gave when you registered. (You can change this address by clicking Preferences in the MyTiki menu.)

Communication features

Chat

Click the Chat link in the user menu on the right. Choose a room, and off you go.

One thing that people do is start out in the Main chat room. Then, if you want to talk to just a few people (e.g., about a project), invite them to move to one of the other chat rooms.

Messages

You can send messages to other registered users. Click Messages in the MyTiki menu to the right:



You will see an interface that will be familiar to any email user. There is help available.

If someone sends you a message, you will see a notice in the Messages box in the right-hand column:



Click on the You have got... text to see your message(s).

Forums

The forums are for giving feedback about the book, advice on getting a job, good software to use, and lots of other things. Click List forums in the menu on the right:



Select a forum from the list:



Everyone can read posts. Registered users can write posts, and add watches.

Forum RSS feeds

You can subscribe to RSS feeds showing recent forum posts. There's a fun video tutorial on RSS feeds.

Look for the orange RSS icons. The icon on each individual forum's page will show a feed just for that forum.



Here are RSS links you can cut-and-paste into your reader.

Forum	Feed URL
Book feedback	http://mis-book.com/tiki-forum_rss.php?forumId=2
General MISy stuff	http://mis-book.com/tiki-forum_rss.php?forumId=3
Student introductions	http://mis-book.com/tiki-forum_rss.php?forumId=4
Student job stuff	http://mis-book.com/tiki-forum_rss.php?forumId=7
Studying MIS	http://mis-book.com/tiki-forum_rss.php?forumId=8
Useful stuff for students	http://mis-book.com/tiki-forum_rss.php?forumId=6

There are more RSS feeds for instructor forums.

Newsletter

You can sign up for an occasional newsletter. It will have news about the book.

Click Newsletters in the menu on the right. Click the MIS-Book.Com Updates newsletter. Type in your email address and click the Subscribe button. You will receive a confirmation email at the address you entered.

Feedback

Your feedback can help improve this book. See the feedback page for options.

Other features

Printing

Your standard browser print command will include all the menus:



This wastes paper.

There's a better way. Most pages have a print button:



Click it, and you'll see a version of the page without any of the menus:

Multiple tabs

Sometimes it helps to be able to easily switch back and forth between two pages. For example, if you're working on the exercises at the end of a chapter, you might want to switch to the chapter content, then go back to the exercises.

Most browsers support multiple tabs. You can open more than one tab on this site. Your browser will look something like this (your browser may vary):



In Firefox, click on a link with the middle mouse button to open a page in a new tab. Or right-click on a link and select Open Link in New Tab.

Procedures may be different for other browsers. But they can all do it.



Larry's right. It will make your life easier.

More help

Ask on the forums for help. Someone might already know the answer to your question.

This site uses Tikiwiki, a content management system (CMS). The online book TikiWiki for Smarties is helpful. The official documentation is at http://doc.tikiwiki.org/.