But others make full use of every bit of help they can find, from their neighbour's cousin to the friends they meet on message boards.

Read on to find out more about how you can make the most of message boards, too—how to be a better message giver and receiver. Plus, a reference guide to the most popular emoticons (those little symbols made out of type characters) and chat lingo.

Why Board?
"Message boards are a great way to stimulate an ongoing conversation with a group of friends or like-minded people," says Amy Jo Kim, author of Community Building on The Web (Peachpit Press, 2000) and creative director of Naima, a community strategy consulting firm in Berkeley, CA. "You can post and read anytime you want. You can have 20, maybe 100 people who are having an ongoing conversation—it's not just limited to the people who happen to be logged in when you are. It's very much a global experience."

So no matter when you have time to post a message, you can come back to your computer look forward to seeing direct, motivational responses from your board friends. You can also read through others' messages and the responses they got to them, and respond to people who've posted questions themselves.

"With chat you can connect with people in real time who share things that you're going through," says Kim. But sometimes, you just don't have the time, and who knows whether any of the people you really want to chat with will be online? Message boards make it easy to get the responses you're looking for.

"Boards are great if you want to develop the closest relationships," says Kim. "It's like creating a trellis that a vine can grow on."

E-Board Etiquette
Most veterans know the do's and don'ts of posting messages on boards. If you're new, here's Kim's advice on being a good message writer and receiver:

• Share—but only as much as you want to. Because you don't have to deal with face-to-face reactions, it's sometimes easy to share more information than you would otherwise. In some ways, this can be great when you're trying to get support, because you're being open and honest. But it's also something to watch out for.
  
  
• Remember where you are. Even though communicating on the internet feels very personal, and sometimes lasting, real relationships can happen there, it's important to always remember you're in a cyber room, not a real room. Not everything is as it seems.
  
  
• Take a deep breath. Don't be distracted by negative comments. You probably will encounter people that are troublemakers - just like in a real community. And before you jump to a conclusion, always keep in mind that this person might just be having a tough moment or a bad day.
  
  
• You're here to get as much as you can out of it. You need help? Ask for it. You might learn something from others' success stories. Check them out. The boards are here to improve your success.

Message Board Glossary
Whether you've been using boards for years or you're just starting out, knowing the lingo used will make your messages feel more comfortable and conversational. We scoured our boards for the most common speak and symbols particular to Weight Watchers, and also gathered a few universally good ones from other sites across the Web.

Abbreviate, If You Please...
Sure, using the message boards is an easy way to make friends from all over who have the same interests as you, but let's face it, typing takes longer than talking … sometimes. Use some of the acronyms listed below, though, and you'll be quick to message.

Show Us How You Feel
Ever heard of emoticons? Message board masters know how to get the point across when they're feeling a certain way or want to indicate a certain emotion or action, and it's with the help of little pictures made with type characters. Try these: