tutorial/introduction #2, from Keyboard_Tutor, 853 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
----------
Subject: Navigation Keys
Before you can learn about Virtual Access in detail you need to know the navigation keys (so that you can read the rest of the tutorial)
1) The ENTER Key marks the current message as read and moves you on to the next unread message.
2) The TAB key moves focus between the upper (thread pane) and lower (message pane) windows, you can then use the UP/DOWN Arrow keys or PAGEUP/PAGEDOWN to move about that pane.
3) If you end up with only the thread or the message panes visible and the other one is no longer visible then press the F5 key until you have both visible again.
Virtual Access has a great many other commands - invoked by Keys, Menus and Tool-buttons. Unless you know what you're doing, don't hit anything else just yet - you may find the results confusing.
Hit the ENTER key to move onto the next message.
==========
tutorial/introduction #3, from Printing_Tutor, 478 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
----------
Subject: Printing out the Tutorial Messages
You can print this Tutorial out for reference so that you can read and refer to it while using Virtual Access.
To print out the tutorial.
(1) Go to the menu bar and select File, Page Setup, verify that the printer settings are OK for your printer
(2) Using the mouse or the keyboard select messages two through twenty-seven in the upper window.
(3) Go to the menu bar and select File then Print.
The Tutorial will now be printed.
==========
tutorial/introduction #4, from General_Tutor, 404 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
----------
Subject: Virtual Access's Windows
There are 2 really important windows you will be using in Virtual Access, and everything else is subordinate to the use of these windows.
These two windows are:
1) The Reading Window (this window)
2) The MessageBase Window
Further messages will explain exactly what these windows are, what they do and how to use them.
Press ENTER to move onto the next message.
==========
tutorial/introduction #5, from General_Tutor, 2163 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 4
----------
Subject: Reading Window
Reading Window
This is the window you are looking at now. It is the window you will probably spend most of your time looking at.
It is split into 2 sections divided by a information bar (which shows information about the current message). The upper section is called the Thread Pane. The lower section is called the Message Pane.
_Thread Pane_
The upper pane shows the OVERALL structure of the messages in this section. It shows the flags attached to the message, the message number, the author of the message, and finally the subject of the message.
The Flags section (leftmost) shows the "properties" of the message, we will explain these later.
The next section Author shows the Author of the message, as well as showing the relationship of the messages to each other. The little lines linking one message to another show that some messages are replies to others. (This message is a reply to message #4).
The last two sections are Author and Summary. These show the name of the author of the message and it's subject (or the first substantial line in the case of replies).
Using the mouse you can change the proportions of the screen assigned to each of these sections by placing it on the header area between two sections and dragging left or right.
_Message Pane_
The lower pane is the Message section. This shows the text of the currently selected message in the Thread pane. (The currently selected message is the highlight one - currently it should be message #5).
You can change the proportions of the screen assigned between the Thread and Message panes by placing the mouse pointer on the information bar (the grey bar between the Message and Thread Panes) and dragging it up or down.
You can Zoom to Threads only (no message text displayed), Message Only (no threads displayed) or Mixed View (the current one) by pressing the F5 key. Try pressing it 3 times now to jump between all the views.
Right mouse clicking on the upper or lower panes (or on the header or information bars) brings up menus with the more common commands relating to that area.
OK time to press ENTER to move on to the next message.
==========
tutorial/introduction #6, from General_Tutor, 1996 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 4
----------
Subject: The MessageBase Window
The MessageBase Window
This is the "master" window used for managing and navigating around your MessageBase as a whole. (What's a MessageBase? I hear you ask. It's a jargon term meaning "database of messages" or "messages database").
This window presents an outline, hierarchical view of the various mail/messages and files areas in your MessageBase. The linking lines in the window show what belongs to what.
To reach this window press the / key (slash key), or from the menus select View, MessageBase.
At the bottom of this window are several tabs, All, Messages, Mail and File Lists. If you have the PlusPack you can create or delete tabs to show custom views of the MessageBase. We should be on the Messages or All tab right now.
The Mail tab shows you all the mail folders available to you, and only those.
The Messages tab shows you the Message folders available to you (this includes the mail groups but does not include files folders).
On CompuServe these are called Forums and Sections.
On CIX these are called Conferences and Topics.
On the Internet these are called Newsgroup Hierarchies and Newsgroups.
The File Lists tab shows you the Files areas available on remote systems and the files available for download.
On CompuServe these are called Library Lists.
On CIX these are called File Lists (or FLists)
The Internet does not have the concept of files being associated with discussion topics.
The All tab shows the Mail, Messages and Files Areas you have available - note how the icons differ to indicate mail, messages and files groups.
Clicking on a tab switches you to a specific view.
To read the messages in a folder double clicking on the folder name, or single click on the icon (or to the left of the icon).
Right clicking on the MessageBase Window brings up a menu that allows you to do most of the common actions, the next message will detail these options.
Press the ENTER Key to move onto the next message.
==========
tutorial/introduction #7, from General_Tutor, 2507 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 6
----------
Subject: MessageBase Right Click Menu
MessageBase Right Click Menu
*Open Folder*
This takes you into the selected folder and allows you to read the messages in it.
*Delete Resign Folders*
This allows you to do three things, all of which are independent of each other - they all operate on the currently selected folders in the MessageBase Window.
1) Hide the folder in all ViewTabs (Stop Reading Messages).
2) Delete the folders (Delete Messages) - there is no way to reverse this operation.
3) Stop collecting messages from the remote service (Stop Collecting Messages).
*Rejoin Folders*
If you have used the Stop Reading Messages to hide folders this allows you to unhide them.
*Find*
This brings up the find dialog, where you can search some or all of your MessageBase for messages/text.
*Mark As Read*
This marks the messages in the selected folders as read.
*Refresh File lists*
This allows you to mark Library Lists (CIS) or File Lists (CIX) for download.
*Paste*
If you have copied or cut messages to the Clipboard then you can paste them into the selected folder, allowing you to consolidate information from many sources.
*Edit Signature*
This allows you to change the signature appended to every message for the selected folders.
*Modify Participants*
This is a workgroup function that allows you to note who is or is not reading certain folders in your MessageBase.
*Reindex Folders* (Used to be called Build)
If a folder becomes corrupt or you have problems entering it this forces Virtual Access to rebuild and reindex it, verifying that it valid. If you do have problems this is the first port of call for repairs.
*Prune Unwanted Messages* (Used to be called Remove Messages (Used to be called Prune)).
This removes old threads and messages marked for deletion from the selected folders. The default operations are to keep all messages in mail folders except for those specifically marked for deletion and to remove threads older than 30 days in all other folders.
*Buttons*
This changes the window to display buttons that perform the common tasks on the right click menu.
*Properties*
This allows you to change the properties of the selected folder - it only works on one folder at a time.
Currently you are in the LOCAL service (service names are the start of trees), TUTORIAL group (group are shown in bold), welcome folder. The Virtual Access notation for this is local:tutorial/introduction.
Press the ENTER Key to move onto the next message.
==========
tutorial/introduction #8, from Messages_Tutor, 1834 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Virtual Access keeps track of which messages you have read and which are still unread. This is very useful (in fact essential) in sections you read every day.
If you look at the Thread pane (the upper of this window bit), you will see that some messages have an icon next to them which looks like an unopened envelope.
This is Virtual Access's way of saying that you haven't read the message yet.
If this is the first time you have done the tutorial, all the messages below this one should have the Unread message icon next to them. Whereas the 'Virtual Access's Windows' message has no icon next to it. You've already read it.
You can navigate through the messages by clicking on them in the Thread pane or using the UP/DOWN arrows (when focus is in the thread pane), but this does not tell Virtual Access to mark them as read.
To mark a message as read you must use the Enter key. This marks the message as read and moves you onto the next unread message. Once all the messages in the current folder are read this moves you onto the next folder containing unread messages.
To move onto the next message, press the ENTER key.
--Boundary--
==========
tutorial/introduction #9, from Messages_Tutor, 3674 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
There are lots of other ways of marking messages, these flags may overlay each other if the flags section is not wide enough to display them. The other message markers are found on the menus under Edit, Mark Message As, but they are reproduced here along with a brief description of each function.
*B* - adds the messages to the current bookmark set - you need to read in the help file about these, they are a very powerful feature.
*I* - Ignore marks the thread as read, and all future messages added to the thread as read. The thread is coloured Grey to indicate this.
To move onto the next message, press the ENTER key.
--Boundary--
==========
tutorial/introduction #10, from General_Tutor, 655 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
----------
Subject: How To Do Common Actions...
OK we will now cover how to do the most common actions other than reading messages.
These actions are :
Connecting to Online services
Sending and receiving E-Mail Messages
Sending and receiving Files via E-Mail
Sending and receiving Messages
Sending and receiving Files to Files Areas
All of these things are easy to do. There are menu commands, toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts for all of these actions.
Remember however that Virtual Access is an Offline Reader/Navigator, and that until you next connect to your service none of the actions that you do now will happen.
Press Enter to read all about it.
==========
tutorial/introduction #11, from Connection_Tutor, 526 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
----------
Subject: Connecting to Online Services
You really should use the Internet or Comms Wizards to setup the communications parameters for connecting to online services this is the easy way to set things up. Alternatively you can input connection parameters and details using the File|Comms Setup|<service> dialogs.
Double click on the links below to run the wizards if you need to, or Tools, Operate On Message
FILE://comwiz.exe
FILE://netwiz.exe
The follow-up message to this one takes you through the connection process.
==========
tutorial/introduction #12, from Connection_Tutor, 591 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 11
----------
Subject: Doing the Connection
Doing the Connection
Mouse : Click on the telephone handset icon on the toolbar
Menu : File, Connect
Keyboard : Press Ctrl+T
This brings up the connection dialog, choose the service you want to connect to and the connection method and then choose the connect button.
You are now taken into Review Outbasket action, which shows you what is going to happen on the next connect. Hitting OK here begins the Connect.
Virtual Access goes online performs the queued actions the gets offline. You can still use Virtual Access while the connection is going on.
==========
tutorial/introduction #13, from E-Mail_Tutor, 236 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
----------
Subject: E-Mail Messages and Files
These actions falls into one of several categories, Sending a new mail message to someone, or sending a reply to a mail message you have received already. Also sending and receiving files by email.
==========
tutorial/introduction #14, from E-Mail_Tutor, 974 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 13
----------
Subject: Sending an E-Mail Message
Sending an E-Mail Message
Mouse : Click on the letter icon on the toolbar
Menu : Message, Post New Mail
Keyboard : Press M
A dialog comes up where you can type in all the information required:
First the address of the person in the To box where you want to send the mail to. Use the service drop down to make sure that the mail will be sent via the correct service (it will default to the current service in the reading window).
Second in the Subject box type in a subject about the mail.
Third type in the text of the mail message.
When you are happy with what you have typed select the OK button. Next time you connect to the service Virtual Access will send your mail message for you.
Tip : The To button will bring up the Addressbook, making it easy to send mail to people you have in your Addressbook.
Tip : Right clicking on To or CC fields brings up a menu which has the first 20 address in your address book on it.
==========
tutorial/introduction #15, from E-Mail_Tutor, 1064 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 13
----------
Subject: Replying with E-Mail Messages
Replying with E-Mail Messages
When someone sends you E-Mail Virtual Access will put this into a folder called <service>:mail/messages.
To reply to this message is very easy.
While viewing the message in the Reading Window do the following
Mouse : Click on the two speech balloons icon on the toolbar
Menu : Message, Mail Reply To All or Message , Mail Reply to Sender
Keyboard : Press E or Ctrl+E
The normal mail dialog comes up with the to and subject fields filled in for you.
All you have to do is type in the text of the mail message back to that person. When you are happy with what you have typed select the OK button. Next time you connect to the service Virtual Access will send your mail message for you
Tip 1 : If the mail message is to multiple people Virtual Access will ask you if you want to reply to the sender or to all, you can use the "reply to sender" (arrow point to a persons head) or the "reply to all" buttons (arrow point to two peoples heads) to reply to just the sender or to all.
==========
tutorial/introduction #16, from E-Mail_Tutor, 848 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 13
----------
Subject: Receiving E-mail Messages
Receiving E-mail Messages
When someone sends you E-Mail Virtual Access will by default collect this E-mail next time that you connect to the service and put this into a folder called <servicename>:mail/messages.
You need to have setup your mail details with Virtual Access for it to do this, running the Internet Wizard (or Comms Wizard) is the easiest way of doing this. You can also put your details in under File|Comms Setup|<servicename>. Virtual Access will collect mail using IMAP4, POP3, SMTP or via CompuServe/CIX.
Tip : You can setup the mail rules (Tools, Message Filters, Mail Rules...) to have your email redirected into different folders according to the header items if you wish take a look at the detailed instructions for this in the Help File - here is a link to that HELP://Mail_Rules
==========
tutorial/introduction #17, from E-Mail_Tutor, 1405 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 13
----------
Subject: Sending a File By E-mail
Sending a File By E-mail
To send a file to someone else by E-mail is as easy as sending them a mail message.
Begin a E-mail message to the person as described in the previous, but don't type in a subject, instead press the Attach File button. This will bring up a file selector dialog, use it to select the file you want to send.
For Internet users you should select MIME in preference to UUENCODE on the file selector dialog.
For CompuServe users, if you are sending the file to someone also on CompuServe then Virtual Access will use the native internal CompuServe facilities. If you are sending a mail to someone external to CompuServe, then it will be automatically MIME encoded by CompuServe Mail.
For CIX users if you are sending a file to someone also on CIX then Virtual Access will use the native internal CIX facilities. If you are sending a mail to someone external to CIX then it will be UUENCODED by Virtual Access - CIX does not support the sending of MIME encoded mail.
After selecting file and the send type Virtual Access will then automatically give the message a subject.
Finally type in the text of the mail message to accompany the file you are sending.
When you are happy with what you have typed select the OK button. Next time you connect to the service Virtual Access will send your mail message and the attached file for you.
==========
tutorial/introduction #18, from E-Mail_Tutor, 1080 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 13
----------
Subject: Receiving Files by E-mail
Receiving Files by E-mail
This is so simple to do it's absurd. All you have to do is connect to the service and Virtual Access will collect the files sent to you.
Providing that you have got Virtual Access setup so that it can receive E-mail correctly then you don't have to do anything else, Virtual Access will automatically collect files that others have sent to you by E-mail.
On Internet services assuming that the file has been UUENCODED or MIME encoded then Virtual Access will automatically decode it and put the decoded file in the download directory (which is ~\VAPath\download by default) when you access that message.
On CompuServe the file will be downloaded in the same connect that Virtual Access is aware of it and placed in your download directory (which is ~\VAPath\download by default).
On CIX the file will be collected NEXT time you connect. This connect Virtual Access collects the message telling you about the file, it then puts an action into the review queue to collect the file next time you connect.
==========
tutorial/introduction #19, from Messages_Tutor, 529 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
----------
Subject: Newsgroup/Forum/Conference Messages and Files
To receive public messages via Internet Newsgroups, CompuServe Forum or CIX Conferences requires that you first subscribe or join the area you want to receive messages from. Then afterwards you can collect messages, there are some differences in how you do it to each service, because the services differ from each other markedly.
Sending or replying messages though is very similar.
Sending Files again differs due to the system, but Virtual Access makes it easy.
==========
tutorial/introduction #20, from Messages_Tutor, 1412 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 19
----------
Subject: Receiving Internet Newsgroup Messages
Receiving Internet Newsgroup Messages
To do this you must first collect the list of Newsgroups available from the system, so that you and Virtual Access know what Newsgroups are available. Running the Internet Wizard puts in a command to collect this list on your first connect to the service, but if you have not done this you can do it by selecting from the menus Message, Subscribe/Unsubscribe.
You should now do a connect to the service to collect the newsgroup list - this will take a little while to complete as the Newsgroups list is going to be something in the region of 800K.
After the connect is over Virtual Access will now have the list of newsgroups available. So we should look at this list using the menu commands Message, Subscribe/Unsubscribe and select the service from the dropdown at the top of the window.
The Subscribe/Unsubscribe Window shows you all the newsgroups that you can subscribe to. To subscribe to one, select the group(s) you are interested in and click on the Subscribe button. You will be asked what you want to collect from the newsgroups selected.
Headers will collect just the headers and no body text - you should mark the headers for body retrieval using the period (or full stop) key.
Full will collect the Headers and body texts of messages.
Now you are ready to connect and collect some messages.
==========
tutorial/introduction #21, from Messages_Tutor, 1680 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 19
----------
Subject: Receiving CompuServe Forum Messages
Receiving CompuServe Forum Messages
To do this you must first join a Forum. Do this from the list of CompuServe Forums: Message, Subscribe/Unsubscribe (the Comms Wizard should have collected an up to date listing when you ran it) or by using it's GO word if you know that by the menu commands Message, Join Unlisted.
In both cases you will be presented with a dialog which asks you to confirm what you want to collect from the forum on your initial visit.
You should now do a connect to CompuServe so that Virtual Access can join you to the forum. Virtual Access will then retrieve information about the forum, the sections and libraries available, and the forum notices.
Now that you are joined to a forum, Virtual Access will have a list of its sections, you can switch to this by going to the member tab on the Subscribe/Unsubscribe window. This shows you the forums you have joined. You can "fold" a forum out to see it's section and then mark the various section for the collection mode that is most suitable using the buttons Full, Header and None.
Full will collect the Headers and body texts of all messages posted in the relevant sections, this is generally the best way for things that interest you.
Headers will collect just the headers and no body text - you should mark the headers for body retrieval using the period (or full stop) key, this is generally best for things, which you have a passing interest in.
After doing this you can connect again and Virtual Access will retrieve some messages. From now on Virtual Access will retrieve all new postings (in full/header/root mode) in that area.
==========
tutorial/introduction #22, from Messages_Tutor, 623 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 19
----------
Subject: Receiving CIX Conference Messages
Receiving CIX Conference Messages
To do this you must first join a Conference, which you can do from the list of CIX Conferences, Message Subscribe/Unsubscribe(the Comms Wizard should have collected an up to date listing) or by using the name if you know that, by the menu commands Message, Join Unlisted.
In both cases you will be presented with a dialog, which asks how many messages you want to collect from each topic.
After doing this a connect to CIX you will collect the stated number of messages in the topics of that conference and all new postings thereafter.
==========
tutorial/introduction #23, from Messages_Tutor, 846 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 19
----------
Subject: Posting A New Message (Post, Compose or Say)
Posting A New Message (Post, Compose or Say)
To send a new message off to an area it's very easy.
Start off by reading a message in the section where you want to post your message.
Mouse : Click on the single balloon icon on the toolbar
Menu : Message, Post New Message
Keyboard : Press S
A dialog comes up where you can type in the title of the message and the text of the message. Messages posted to CompuServe have a To field in addition to this you should put the name (user id) of the person you want the message to go to (for the name you can use all if you are unsure or sysop if you want it to be sent to the forums sysop).
When you are happy with what you have typed select the OK button. Next time you connect to the service Virtual Access will send your message for you
==========
tutorial/introduction #24, from Messages_Tutor, 664 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 19
----------
Subject: Posting a Reply Message (Follow-up, Reply or Comment)
Posting a Reply Message (Follow-up, Reply or Comment)
To send a reply to a message that interests you is easy.
While viewing the message you want to reply to in the Reading Window
Mouse : Click on the two speech balloons icon on the toolbar
Menu : Message, Reply To Message
Keyboard : Press R
A dialog comes up where you can type in the text of your message. There is no Subject or To field as these are effectively part of the parent message.
When you are happy with what you have typed select the OK button. Next time you connect to the service Virtual Access will send your Reply for you
==========
tutorial/introduction #25, from Messages_Tutor, 1406 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 19
----------
Subject: Downloading Files from Files Areas
Downloading Files from Files Areas
For CompuServe and CIX
Read a message in the section where you want to download a file from (Library Lists are associated with sections). Ideally you should be reading at the message that announces the files availability or looking at the library/file list entry.
Then from the menus select Special, Download File. You will then be presented with a dialog that allows you to type in the filename to download Virtual Access will try to figure out the filename from the contents of the message you are looking at and will fill this in, but you can overtype it if you wish.
When you are happy with what you have typed select the OK button. Next time you connect to the service Virtual Access will download the file to your download directory (by default this is ~\VAPath\download\), it will also update the relevant File List indicating this fact as well.
For Internet services
File areas are simply newsgroups with mimed or uuencoded postings in them (Virtual Access does not yet support FTP). Virtual Access can handle such postings decoding them, even if split over multiple messages (providing that you have all the parts). Virtual Access will display bitmaps and JPEG's, and give you clickable links indicating where the file is allowing you to run it by loading it into it's relevant associated application.
==========
tutorial/introduction #26, from Messages_Tutor, 968 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 19
----------
Subject: Uploading Files To Files Areas
Uploading Files To Files Areas
This is easy to do, but the method differs markedly between CompuServe/CIX and Internet services as CompuServe/CIX support files areas and Internet services do not.
Read a message in the folder where you want to upload a file to.
For CompuServe and CIX from the menus select Special, Upload File. Virtual Access will present you with dialogs that allow you to select the file and then type in some details about the file you are uploading (where you can explain what the file is about and similar information). These details vary depending on which service you are connecting to.
For Internet services begin a message and hit the attach file button, select the file you want to send. You can type in some explanatory text, and then Virtual Access will attach the file to the end of the message.
Next time you connect to the service Virtual Access will upload the file you selected.
==========
tutorial/introduction #27, from Messages_Tutor, 1108 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
Comment to 19
----------
Subject: Collecting lists of files available in Files Areas
Collecting lists of files available in Files Areas
This is easy to do on CompuServe or CIX, but there is no equivalent function for Internet services.
In the MessageBase window select the messages area (or files areas if you want to collect new information) where you want to collect the associated list from .
Mouse : Right Click in the MessageBase window.
Menu : Special, Refresh File List.
Keyboard : None
For CompuServe Libraries Virtual Access will bring up a dialog, where you can specify the search criteria. If you press the Browse button you can choose which libraries of the current forum you are looking for. For more information on the search criteria see the help file - here's a link for more information HELP://Refresh_Library_List_for_CompuServe
For CIX FileLists Virtual Access will ask you to confirm that this is OK - there are no advanced searching capabilities available for CIX FileLists.
Next time you connect to the service Virtual Access will download the file to your download directory (~\VAPath\download\)
==========
tutorial/introduction #28, from Purchase_Tutor, 1455 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
----------
Subject: Registering Virtual Access
After you have used Virtual Access for a few days you will be eager to register it, in order that it will not time out and lock your out from accessing the mail and newsgroup messages you have gathered.
It's very easy to register Virtual Access.
The best way is to connect to our Secure Web Server at the following address
http://www.atlantic-coast.com/va/register.htm
Alternatively you can use the Purchase Wizard that Virtual Access comes with in order to send an Email to order Virtual Access. All you have to do is select Help, Purchase This Copy (or press the Purchase button on the initial opening screen, or run the Purchase Wizard from the Virtual Access group).
This will run a Purchase Wizard that will ask you for all the information needed to purchase copies of Virtual Access (or our complementary product the PlusPack).
After you have provided all the information in this a mail message will be formulated containing the information and sent out when you connect to the Internet. The Purchase Wizard can encrypt your credit card details if you are concerned about sending your Credit Card details out over the Internet.
We aim to deal with all orders within 48 hours once we receive them, and you should receive an email reply from us in that time period containing registration details, however sometime it does take a little longer.
Press the ENTER key to go on the next message.
==========
tutorial/introduction #29, from Welcome_Tutor, 754 chars, Mar 30 22:25 1999
----------
Welcome To Virtual Access!
Hopefully you've made it here OK and understand most of this stuff.
Virtual Access comes with a lot more information to help you, first there are many more informational messages included that will tell you about the other facilities, keep pressing Enter to read them one after another. These messages are in the various informational and introduction topic for the services.
There is also the Help file which you can call up by pressing the help buttons or F1, it does contain a lot of information and should be your first port of call for any "how do I do...." questions.
There is a special Help file devoted to new users called Help|Roadmap Guide. Take a look at it, it's good.
