Virtual Post-It-Boards; Expanded PinDax

Just a little over a year ago I posted about a web 2.0 application, a virtual post-it-board, called PinDax.
PinDax is truly like having a personal or professional message board but online; hosted at the PinDax site.  Creation of a new board, three can be created for free, is simple.  Each board is given a unique address.  Boards can be embedded in a blog or web site as well as choosing one of four widgets.

Signing up is a snap; member name, password, and email.  According to the terms of service users must be 13 years of age although with parental permission I can see this being used in a classroom setting with a private board.  Prior to signing up viewers can browse through new posts on public boards, new boards or popular boards, or search for specific boards.  Help is always at the ready.

Once a user has signed in, multiple tasks can be accomplished; viewing and editing of previously created boards, working on groups, uploading files, creating a multiple choice poll or following another board or member as well as seeing who follows you or your boards.  Update or complete your profile.

A group has invited members.  You can use groups to limit access to a board or to your profile.  Additionally, you can view all posts by group members to public boards on the group's page.

Files can be uploaded to attach to notes.  You can choose how a note will display a file.  Files can be shown as an image, upload or audio attachment. 

If you want to know what your viewers are thinking about a particular post create a poll.  A multiple choice poll can be linked to any post by selecting the Poll tab on the board's working space.

When you first create a new board you are asked to enter in a title for that board (128 characters) and a Description for that board (256 characters).

Then by selecting the Look and Feel tab on the left users are directed to a working space that allows you to:  choose whether posts will by placed in x and y positions or sorted by order, the post can look as though written by hand or typed with or without the pin showing, colors of the board, panel and contrast can be chosen from a huge palette, and features to be shown in the post popup.

By selecting the Tools tab users can check or uncheck a variety of user tools that will be seen by viewers of a particular board, tools that you will see, what tabs the user will see on the post dialog, what you will see in the post dialog and when posts will expire.

Your board can be as private or public as you desire.  By clicking on the Privacy tab a password can be assigned to limit access, the board can be tied to one of your groups limiting it to members of the group only and you can decide if your board will be searchable at the site.

The Users tab has a series of five questions with yes or no answers:  allow users to post, allow users to reply to posts, allow anonymous users to post and reply, use profanity filtering and require posts to be approved before displayed.

When a user clicks on the My Boards box on the right they are taken to a page that lists their previously created boards.  At this point boards can be viewed, edited, categories or feeds can be added or adjusted, widgets will be provided, send an invitation via email to view your board, see who is following your board, post to that board or delete the board.

When you post to the board you have the option of a subject, body to the post and link under the message tab.  The style tab allows the color of the paper, push-pin and font to be changed.  Fonts can also be sized and aligned.  Select the file tab to upload files.  Poll and preview are additional options.

Pindax can be as simple or sophisticated as the user wishes.  The feature of receiving email notification when there are new posts and replies as well as being able to approve notes prior to posting make this advantageous for educators.  I am considering using this as a forum for the Mock Caldecott Election that I host for our third and fourth grade classes each year in our library media center. 

Here's my latest board.