11 Working with Feedback and the Message Board
Post, view, and manage feedback and messages to and from your connections using the Feedback viewers and Message Board.
Permissions:
To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the application-level permission People Connections: Update People Connections Data.
Topics:
11.1 About Feedback
You can use Feedback to view, post, and manage feedback between you and other users. To view your feedback, you must add a Feedback viewer to one of your personal pages (a page you created) in the Home portal. To receive feedback from other users, you must give other users access to that personal page and set your feedback preferences to allow those users to view and/or post feedback for you. To view or post feedback for another user, you must be granted access to that user's personal page and access to view and/or post feedback for the user through that user's preferences.
For information about adding a Feedback viewer to a personal page and providing access to other users, see Enabling Other Users to Post Feedback and Messages for You.
Note:
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Before you access your view of Feedback or your Feedback preferences, your system administrator can set global application defaults that affect what all users may see and do with their own and other users' feedback. For more information, see Configuring Feedback in Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.
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In addition to being available in Feedback viewers, Feedback posts are streamed to the Activity Stream (unless your system administrator has configured the Activity Stream not to show feedback activity).
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You can elect to hide Feedback activity in your view of the Activity Stream through your personal Activity Stream preferences. For more information, see Setting Activity Stream Preferences.
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If feedback posts are streamed to the Activity Stream, be aware that even those feedback posts you mark private (so that it is shown only to you and the poster in your Feedback viewer) will still show up in the Activity Stream of your connections and the poster's connections.
WebCenter Portal provides the following Feedback views:
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Feedback for viewing, posting, and managing Feedback (Figure 11-1)
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Feedback - Quick View for viewing and posting Feedback (Figure 11-2)
11.2 Setting Feedback Preferences
Use Feedback preferences to specify who can view the Feedback you have given and received and who can post Feedback in your Feedback views.
To set Feedback Preferences:
- On the People page, click the Feedback tab.
Figure 11-3 Preferences - People Page: Feedback Tab
Description of "Figure 11-3 Preferences - People Page: Feedback Tab"
11.3 Viewing Feedback
This section provides information about accessing the Feedback you have posted or received and hiding and unhiding posted Feedback. It includes the following sections:
11.3.1 Viewing Feedback You Have Posted or Received
A View menu on Feedback viewers provides a means of accessing the Feedback you have posted for others and the Feedback you have received from others.
To view Feedback you have posted or received:
- Select an option from the View menu (Figure 11-4):
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Given—To view the Feedback you have posted for others
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Received—To view the Feedback others have left for you
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11.3.2 Sorting and Filtering Feedback Posts
The Feedback viewer includes sorting and filtering features for controlling what is shown in your view. Use the sorting feature to sort your Feedback by date or by person—that is, the user name of the person who left the Feedback. Use the filtering feature to display Feedback posted on a particular date or within a given date range.
To sort and filter your Feedback:
- Select an option from the Sort By menu (Figure 11-5):
Figure 11-5 Sort By Menu on Feedback Viewer
Description of "Figure 11-5 Sort By Menu on Feedback Viewer"-
Date—To sort Feedback posts from the most recent to the oldest.
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Person Name—To sort Feedback posts by the name of the user who left it for you (View is set to Received) or by the name of the user you left it for (View is set to Given).
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- To specify a date range, enter a start date in the field that follows From and enter an end date in the field that follows To (Figure 11-6).
Figure 11-6 Sort By Date Range Fields on Feedback Viewer
Description of "Figure 11-6 Sort By Date Range Fields on Feedback Viewer"Tip:
You must enter both a start and end date, even when you want to view Feedback posts from a given day. In such a case, enter the same date in both fields.
Instead of entering dates, you can click the Select Date icon next to a field to select a date from a calendar.
Caution:
In WebCenter Portal, you cannot use the keyboard to select a date from the calendar that pops up when you click the Select Date icon. Instead, manually enter the date into the field.
Tip:
To remove the date filtering criteria from your Feedback view, click the Clear Date icon.
11.3.3 Hiding Feedback in Your Own View
You can hide any Feedback in your own Feedback view. Hiding provides a means of removing Feedback posts from your own view without actually deleting them. Users to whom you have given access to your Feedback can still see the posts you have hidden.
Notes:
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For information about undoing this action, see Showing Hidden Feedback.
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To hide a feedback post from everyone except you and the poster, mark the post as private. See Marking Feedback Received as Private.
To hide Feedback in your own view:
- Click the Hide link next to the Feedback message you want to hide (Figure 11-7).
Figure 11-7 Hide Link on a Feedback Message
Description of "Figure 11-7 Hide Link on a Feedback Message"
11.3.4 Showing Hidden Feedback
Use the Hidden check box on the Feedback viewer to show all the Feedback you have hidden. The Hidden check box provides a means of showing all hidden Feedback in one operation, making it available to be unhidden or deleted.
To show hidden Feedback posts:
- Select the Hidden check box (Figure 11-8).
Figure 11-8 Hidden Check Box on a Feedback Viewer
Description of "Figure 11-8 Hidden Check Box on a Feedback Viewer" - Click the Unhide link to the right of the Feedback you want to show (Figure 11-9).
Figure 11-9 Unhide Link on a Feedback Viewer
Description of "Figure 11-9 Unhide Link on a Feedback Viewer"
11.3.5 Marking Feedback Received as Private
You can mark Feedback you have received as private so that it shows only to you and the poster. To mark a post as private, click the Private link next to the post (Figure 11-10).
Note:
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If you do not see portal the Private link, your portal manager might have hidden the link.
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Unless Activity Stream is configured at the application level or the personal level (through Preferences) to omit Feedback activity, your connections and the poster's connections can still see private Feedback in their Activity Streams.
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For more information, see Setting Activity Stream Preferences.
Figure 11-10 Private Link on a Feedback Message
Description of "Figure 11-10 Private Link on a Feedback Message"
11.4 Posting Feedback
Use Feedback to pass along remarks to your connections about their efforts and results. Keep in mind that a wider audience than just your connections may see your Feedback message.
To post a Feedback message:
- Click Add Feedback (Figure 11-11).
Figure 11-11 Add Feedback Button on a Feedback Viewer
Description of "Figure 11-11 Add Feedback Button on a Feedback Viewer" - In the resulting Add Feedback dialog, enter your Feedback in the text area (Figure 11-12).
Tip:
The Add Feedback dialog provides an integrated rich text editor that enables you to add styles, links, and other HTML encoding to your Feedback.
Figure 11-12 Add Feedback Dialog with Rich Text Editor
Description of "Figure 11-12 Add Feedback Dialog with Rich Text Editor"
11.5 Deleting Feedback
You can delete Feedback you have posted to other users, provided your system administrator has enabled you to do so.
If Activity Stream is configured to show Feedback activity, deleted Feedback posts nonetheless continue to show in the Activity Stream of the recipient and all of your connections.
See Also:
For information about configuring your personal Activity Stream Preferences, see Setting Activity Stream Preferences.
To delete Feedback you have posted:
- Click the Delete icon next to the post you want to delete (Figure 11-13).
Figure 11-13 Delete Icon on a Feedback Message
Description of "Figure 11-13 Delete Icon on a Feedback Message"
11.6 About Messages
On personal pages in the Home portal, Message Board provides a means of viewing and posting messages to and from you and other users. To view your messages, you must add a Message viewer to one of your personal pages (a page you created) in the Home portal. To receive messages from other users, you must provide other users access to that personal page and set your message preferences to allow those users to view and/or post messages for you. To view or post messsages for another user, you must be granted access to that user's personal page and access to view and/or post messages for the user through that user's preferences.
For information about adding a Message Board viewer to a personal page and providing access to other users, see Enabling Other Users to Post Feedback and Messages for You.
In portals other than the Home portal, a Message Board viewer provides a means of viewing and posting messages within the scope of the portal. In a portal, every instance of a Message Board shows the same content: messages left by authorized users who are members of the portal. If you cannot perform actions in a portal Message Board, contact the portal manager.
Note:
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Before you access your view of Message Board or your Message Board preferences, your system administrator can set global application defaults that affect what all users may see and do with their own and other users' messages. For more information, see Configuring Message Board in Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.
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In addition to being available in Message Board viewers, messages are streamed to the Activity Stream (unless your system administrator has configured the Activity Stream not to show Message Board activity).
-
You can elect to hide Message Board activity in your view of the Activity Stream through your personal Activity Stream preferences. For more information, see Setting Activity Stream Preferences.
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If messages are streamed to the Activity Stream, be aware that even those messages you mark private (so that it is shown only to you and the poster in your Message Board viewer) will still show up in the Activity Streams of your connections and the poster's connections.
WebCenter Portal provides the following Message Board views:
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Message Board for adding, viewing, updating, hiding, deleting, and managing your view of messages, and for marking messages as private and sharing private messages (Figure 11-14)
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Message Board - Quick View for adding, viewing, updating, hiding, and deleting messages, and for marking messages as private and sharing private messages (Figure 11-15)
11.7 Setting Message Board Preferences
Use Message Board preferences to specify who can view and post to your Message Board.
To set Message Board Preferences:
- On the People page, click the Message Board tab.
11.8 Viewing Messages
Once you and your connections have set up your own Message Boards, you can see your own and, potentially, each other's messages. This section provides information about how to view each other's messages post-set-up. It includes the following topics:
Tip:
For information about setting up your view of Message Board, see Enabling Other Users to Post Feedback and Messages for You.
11.8.1 Viewing Messages Others Have Left for You
To view Message Board messages other users have left for you, go to the personal page in the Home portal that you have set up to receive Message Board messages (Figure 11-14).
11.8.2 Viewing Messages Others Have Received
To view Message Board messages other users have received (including those you have left for them), go to the page the user has made available to you in your view of the Home portal. You can access this page through the Personalize Pages page. For more information, see Opening a Page in the Home Portal.
11.8.3 Viewing Messages Sent to a Selected Portal
Message Boards placed in a portal provide a means of viewing and posting messages within the portal context. All default Message Board views within a given portal display the same content: messages left by authorized users who are members of the portal. All users with access to the portal can see the posted messages.
To see the messages sent to a selected portal, navigate to the Message Board task flow dedicated to the portal.
11.8.4 Sorting and Filtering Message Board Messages
Your full view of the Message Board includes sorting and filtering features for managing your view of your messages. Use the sorting feature to sort your messages by date or by the person who left the message. Use the filtering feature to show messages posted on a particular date or within a given date range.
To sort and filter your Message Board messages:
- From the Sort By menu, select a sorting option (Figure 11-17):
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Date—Sort your messages by the date they were posted, from most recent to oldest.
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Person Name—Sort your messages by the user name of the person who posted them, from A to Z.
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- To show messages between a particular range of dates, enter the beginning and end of the range respectively in the fields after From and To (Figure 11-18).
Tip:
Instead of entering dates, you can click the Select Date icon next to a field to select a date from a calendar.
Caution:
In WebCenter Portal, you cannot use the keyboard to select a date from the calendar that pops up when you click the Select Date icon. Instead, manually enter the date into the field.
Tip:
To remove the date filtering criteria from your Message Board view, click the Clear Date icon that appears to the right of the date range fields after you filter by date.
11.8.5 Hiding Messages in Your View of Message Board
You can hide messages in your Message Board in one of two ways: you can hide a specific message or hide public or private messages. Hiding provides a means of removing messages from your own view without actually deleting them. It is a non-permanent way to reduce the visual clutter of your Message Board view.
Note:
Users granted access to your messages can still see the messages that you have hidden.
To hide a specific message in your view of the Message Board:
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Go to the message you want to hide in your view of the Message Board.
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Click the Hide link next to the message you want to hide (Figure 11-20).
The message is hidden in your view of the Message Board. Other users you have permitted to view your Message Board can see this message when they visit your view.
To hide messages of a particular type (private or public) in your view of the Message Board:
Messages of the selected type appear in your view of the Message Board; all other messages are hidden in your view of the Message Board. Note that other users you have permitted to view your Message Board can still see all messages when they visit your view.
11.8.6 Showing Hidden Messages
Use the Hidden check box on the Message Board to show all of the messages you have hidden. The Hidden check box provides a means of showing all hidden messages in one operation, making it available to be unhidden or deleted.
To show hidden Message Board messages:
- In your view of the Message Board, select the Hidden check box to show the messages you have hidden (Figure 11-21).
Figure 11-21 Hidden Check Box on a Message Board Viewer
Description of "Figure 11-21 Hidden Check Box on a Message Board Viewer" - Click the Unhide link next to the message you want to show (Figure 11-22).
Figure 11-22 Unhide Link on a Message Board Viewer
Description of "Figure 11-22 Unhide Link on a Message Board Viewer"
11.9 Posting Messages
This section describes the various ways you can post messages and attachments. It includes the following topics:
11.9.1 Posting a Message Through Message Board
This section describes how to post a message to all of your connections through Message Board.
See Also:
For information about Connections, see Managing Your Contacts.
To post a Message Board message:
- Click Publish (Figure 11-23).
Figure 11-23 Publish Button on a Message Board View
Description of "Figure 11-23 Publish Button on a Message Board View"The message appears in all of your connections' views of Message Board and Activity Stream.
11.9.2 Posting a Private Message
Provided you are authorized to do so, you can post a private message to any of your connections. When you mark a message as private, only you and the recipient can see the message in your views of Message Board; however, all of your connections and all of the recipient's connections can see private messages in Activity Stream, unless the application is configured to omit Message Board activity from the Activity Stream or you have configured your Activity Stream preferences to do so.
See Also:
For more information, see Setting Activity Stream Preferences.
To post a private message:
- Click the name of the user to whom you want to send a private message. In the Profile popup, click Add Message (Figure 11-24).
Figure 11-24 Add Message Link in Profile Popup
Description of "Figure 11-24 Add Message Link in Profile Popup" - Enter your message in the Add Message dialog (Figure 11-25).
11.9.3 Sharing a Private Message
When you receive a private message, you can opt to share that message with all users who have access to your Message Board by marking it as shared. When someone sends you a message marked private, only you and the sender can see it in the Message Board (though all of your connections and the sender's connections can see the message in their Activity Streams, unless the Activity Stream in configured to omit Message Board activity).
See Also:
For information about omitting certain types of activities from Activity Stream at the application and personal levels, see Setting Activity Stream Preferences.
When you mark a private message as shared, you open it up to those permitted to see your view of the Message Board.
To mark a message as shared:
- Click the Share link next to the relevant message (Figure 11-26).
Figure 11-26 Share Link on a Private Message
Description of "Figure 11-26 Share Link on a Private Message"The message can be viewed by everyone who can access your Message Board.
11.10 Editing Messages
Your system administrator can configure the Message Board feature to enable users to revise the messages they leave. Provided this permission is in place, you can edit any message you post.
To edit a Message Board message:
- Click the Edit link associated with the message (Figure 11-27).
The Edit Message dialog opens with a rich text editor pre-populated with your message text (Figure 11-28).
11.11 Deleting Messages
Your system administrator can configure the Message Board to allow users to delete the messages they send. Provided this permission is in place, you can delete any message you send.
To delete a message you sent:
- Go to your view of the Message Board, and click the Delete icon next to the message you want to delete (Figure 11-29).
11.12 Enabling Other Users to Post Feedback and Messages for You
To set up your Feedback and Message Board viewers so that users can post feedback and messages specifically for you, you must add a Feedback or Message Board viewer to a personal page in your view of the Home portal and share that page with your connections. Additionally, you must set a parameter on the Feedback or Message Board viewer to identify yourself as the viewer owner. After this is set up, your connections can access this page and post messages and feedback for you. This section steps you through this process.
To enable other users to post feedback and messages for you:
You might want to send a link to this page to the users to whom you granted access, inviting them to leave you feedback or messages. For more information, see Sending Mail with a Link to a Personal Page.