Online Services

About Chat

The Chat feature of FirstClass lets you communicate with other users directly in a live forum setting.  The other users are known as the “chat participants”. There are two types of chat: public and private chat. 

Public Chats

A public, topic-based chat forum area appears as an icon in FirstClass, and may be named according to the topic to be discussed within.  If there are currently participants within the chat, a red chat balloon is shown beside the chat icon.  To enter a public chat, double click on the icon.  A chat window is opened and your entry into the chat is announced to the other participants.

Private Chats

Private chats with other online users can be entered into at any time by pulling down the Conference menu and choosing Private Chat.  A chat window appears with yourself as the sole participant.  You must then invite other users into the chat.  You can have as many private chats open as you like.

The Chat Window

Chatting is done in a chat window.  You type your message into a text box, and when you press ENTER, the text appears immediately on the screen of each participant.  The chat window shows the current list of participants, which is kept up to date as users leave or join the chat.  An Invite button is provided to allow you to invite other people into the chat session.  When you press the Invite button, a list of currently logged-in users appears, and you may select one or more names from the list using the mouse.  When you close the list, the selected people are presented with a chat invitation window from which they may accept or decline the invitation.

There are two check boxes in the chat window: Scroll Lock and Sounds.  Scroll Lock locks the text part of the window so that it does not scroll as chat messages arrive.  This is useful if you wish to copy a portion of the text to the clipboard while a chat is active.  The Sounds check box is used to enable the chat sounds feature, which provide sounds as chat events (such as someone joining the chat) occur. 

The Invitation Window

When you are invited to chat, a chat invitation window will appear no matter what you are doing in FirstClass, accompanied by a sound.  The invitation window shows the name of the person inviting you to chat.  There are two buttons: Accept and Decline.  To accept the invitation and join the chat immediately, press the Accept button. To decline the invitation, press the Decline button or simply close the invitation window.  You may also leave the invitation window alone, and accept the invitation later (the chat inviter may have left by this time, however).

Chat Transcripts

To save a transcript of a chat you are in, pull down the File menu and choose Save As...  The transcript can be saved on your drive of choice and will be recorded in text format.

About Résumés

As a user of FirstClass, you have a résumé on this system that other users can view by double clicking on your name whenever they see it in a message or directory listing.  Résumés are used to provide other users information about yourself.  You can type as much information as you wish into your résumé file.

To edit your résumé file, go to the desktop window, pull down the Edit menu and choose Résumé.  If this is the first time you have used the résumé feature, your file will be empty.  Type in any information that you wish other users to know about yourself.  In the upper panel there are two empty fields, one for a picture of yourself, and the other for your title. The left box is for your picture, and you may use copy/paste to insert a picture there. On the right is a large text box into which you may type your title. Click on the close box to save your changes.

To view the résumé of someone who has sent you a message, open the message, and double click on the “From” name.  The person's résumé will be displayed.  You can also display the résumé of anyone in the To: or Copies: list by double-clicking on the name you want.

You can also view résumés from a directory list window by double-clicking on any name.

Many people choose to tell others a bit about themselves and their interests in their résumés.  View what others have written if you're unsure of what to say in your file.