Here are answers to some common questions about Communities and newsgroups in Windows Mail.
You can use Communities to share information and ask and answer questions about different topics. For example, you can view messages posted to newsgroups and rate the usefulness of messages to help other people quickly find that information. You can also post questions or share your own tips. Once you subscribe to newsgroups within Communities, your subscription will appear under Microsoft Communities in the folder pane of Windows Mail.
You can join different Communities by subscribing to their newsgroups. If you want to browse topics to find the information that is right for you before deciding on whether or not to subscribe to a newsgroup, follow these steps:
Open Windows Mail by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, and then clicking Windows Mail.
Click the Help menu, and then click Questions & Answers from Communities.
You can browse through the different newsgroups in the folder pane to find discussions that interest you.
For more information on newsgroup subscriptions, see Subscribe to a newsgroup.
Yes, for full support from Communities, you need to sign in. Once you are signed in, you can post messages, rate the usefulness of messages, and sign up for e‑mail notifications about specific message threads. Follow these steps to sign in to Communities from Windows Mail:
In the folder pane, click Microsoft Communities.
Click the Tools menu, and then click Microsoft Communities: Sign in.
If you are subscribed to newsgroups that don't support Communities, this option will not appear.
If you have a specific question that you want answered, you can search for a keyword or browse different discussion topics and newsgroups. Once you find a discussion that might contain the information you need, you can find answers that might be more helpful by sorting messages to only show those that have been rated "Useful." After you find a helpful answer, you can rate it as "Useful" so that others might be more likely to find it.
If you read a message that is posted as an answer to a question and you find it helpful, you can rate it as "Useful" so that others can easily find the same information. If you didn't find the information helpful, you can rate the message as "Not Useful," so that others can avoid the same message. You can also rate a message to indicate whether or not it provides an answer to your question. By using message ratings, you can help others know whether or not your questions have been answered and if they've been answered correctly.
For more information about Communities, you can access Help topics by opening Windows Mail, clicking the Help menu, clicking Questions & Answers from Communities, and then clicking Help above the right pane in the Web browser.
