WMD Forum

[bbentley]

Frank,
I salute you for establishing your forum. However, being a young 66, I am no geek and I find that I get lost trying to negotiate comments in the Forum. My humble suggestion is to eliminate catagories, follow the KISS principle, and simply have everyone post to one place and let members respond at will if they have input. Whoever designed the site obviously put a lot of time and knowledge into it, but for dodos like me it is overly challanging and my excuse for not contributing as often as I would like. I enjoy reading what others contribute and I consider that we all need this Forum as it won't be long before the ship hits the spam.
VR,
Bill Bentley

[fstolz]

Sir: I agree the site appears to be a bit of intimidating when first viewed, as it seems to be filled with many, many buttons and links. However, the most difficult part has been getting folks to remember their password, as all user names are merely first initials and last name, and then the filling in their Profile.

Once they have that down and have also filled out the "PROFILE", it is simply a matter of "REPLYING" if one so chooses to do so, and that is done by clicking on the "reply" button. So that part is easy to do, except you want to make sure the topic title is the same as that being replied to.

Where some get messed up is trying to post both an article and their comments along with it. The simplist way is to "COPY and PASTE" just as one would on any regular email. It is not necessary to copy and paste, but it is recommended because the Form does not have a dictionary to insure correct spelling, or a guide for correcting incomplete sentences, or for correcting errors in text or punctuation.

Once posted on the smaller postingscreen, you hit "PREVIEW," and if you find errors on the large screen, you need only scroll down to the smaller screen, and then make corrections just as you would with an email. Once done or satisfied, then simply hit the "REFRESH" button or the "PREVIEW" button again, and the corrections will appear in the larger screen as placed on the smaller screen. Finally, you simply click "SUBMIT" and you are done.

True, it take more time and effort than a simple email exchange. But remember, the Forum is intended to be on a higher academic plane and not simply an exchange of opinions and unsubstantiated top of the head responses. Further, we are hoping to be able to influence decision-makers, visionaries, and those who have the ability to influence to correct policy or procedure errors, or to revise questionable programs. Hopefully, we will be able to contribute to making our government function a bit better, as well as educating ourselfs and many others along the way.

I think the little more time taken to post these issues and commetary, is well worth it, as it remains there for many to view for an extended period, and I am not seeking just anyone to inject their views and opinions. Rather I am looking for those with the experiences, educations, and the ability to intelligently discuss and comment on complex and very meaningful issues or topics, and without reverting to rancor or the using profane language when they disagree with others. Thanks for your comments, as that helps us understand how others may view this site.
_________________
Major Frank Stolz, USMC (Ret)