• There are two ways to access the SAO newsgroups via the Blackboard site: browser mode and newsreader mode. The standard version of Blackboard only comes with a browser interface, but the good people at ITS have helped produce a news reader interface for our SAO students.
• The advantage of the browser mode is that it is simple to use, can be easily accessed from any web browser, and supports images (either as attachments or embedded in the body of a posting with the help of some HTML code). The disadvantage of the browser mode is that you need to be connected to the internet the entire time.
• The advantage of the news reader mode is that you can synchronise all the newsgroups and work offline, which is great if your internet access is expensive or if you're travelling. You can download all the postings onto your laptop and do your SAO work while travelling! The disadvantage of the news reader mode is that some internet providers (or workplaces!) will not allow you to subscribe to newsgroups.
• You should do some tests with both modes and see which suits you. Some students use both mode, depending on where they are working from.
• To see the Flash animation of how to access the two different newsgroup modes, click here.
• For information about the browser mode, click here. For information about newsreader mode, click here.
• (Note that the commerical software Backpack only runs using Blackboard 7 and 8 and is not yet compatible with Blackboard 9.)

COMPATIBILITY ISSUES:
It is important to note that there are several known compatibility issues between the two newsgroup access mode that you should be aware of:

• Image (and file) Attachments
  With the new version of Bb9.1, images can not be attached or read via the newsreader mode. All images will just look like a stream of garbled text. The ITS team are looking into this and hope to have to proble fixed at some stage during this smester. Images and other files can be attached and read in the browser mode. Thus all images (and other files) must are attached and read in the Blackboard browser mode only.
• Newsreader Posting Formats
  When posting messages from a news reader, you will need to configure your newsreader with some special options. If you do not do this, your messages may appear as garbled text for people using the Blackboard Browser Interface. Instructions for setting up your newsreader are available here
• Blackboard Browser Mode and Internet Explorer
  When using Blackboard Browser mode and Internet Explorer, you will need to turn off the Text Editor feature. This is necessary as all messages composed in the Text Editor will appear with HTML (e.g. <P>) characters when viewed with a Newsreader. Instructions for turning off the Text Editor are available here