Forum and Blog Help
How to Use the Forums
I. Registration
i. Register – To post your questions and opinions you must be registered. On the left side of the forums pages you’ll see, in blue, an underlined tag reading, “Join the Forum.” Click here to sign up for the forum.
ii. Login – On the left side of the forums pages there is a picture of a lock and a heading that reads “Login.” This is where you will login by typing your username and password.
iii. Forgot your password? – Once you are registered, you can click on “Forget your Login Information” (on the left side of the page, in blue). Fill out the short form and we’ll email you a new password.
iv. Reading Discussions – Click on the category you’d like to read. Within the category you’ll see a list of topics, the number of replies a topic has received, and the most recent posting for each topic. Click on the topic and you’ll see all of the postings listed.
II. Posting Comments & Questions
i. Post a comment – You must be registered in order to post in the forum. To post a comment in an existing topic, click on the topic and then click “Reply,” found beneath the topic message, in black, on the right side of the screen. A box will appear where you can type your message. When you are finished typing, click “Reply to Topic” and your message will appear in the forum.
ii. Reply to a comment – If you would like to reply to someone else’s post, click “Reply,” found beneath that person’s message, in black, on the right side of the screen. You can also choose to quote that person’s message in your reply. To do this, click, “Quote.” A box will appear with the quote and you can type your message before or after the original quote. When you are finished typing, click “Reply to Topic” and your message will appear in the forum.
iii. Create a topic – After you’ve clicked on the category in which you’d like to start a discussion, look through the topics that are already posted and make sure the topic you’d like to discuss has not already been posted. To post a topic, you’ll see “New Topic” in the light blue banner at the top of the screen. Click on “New Topic” and a box will pop up where you can post your topic. Don’t forget to click “Post Message” at the bottom of the box when you’ve finished typing your message.
iv. Editing your post – You can edit any message you’ve posted. Simply go to the message and click “edit,” which appears to the bottom right of the message. A box will pop up where you can edit your message and then re-post.
III. Profiles – Yours and Others
i. Profile – Here you can change your password or add a signature that will automatically appear with all of your postings. Don’t forget to click “Update Profile” at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
ii. To see another person’s profile – If you’d like to see someone else’s profile, go to a comment that person posted. At the top of the person’s comment is a row of four icons: a light bulb, a person with an exclamation point, a person with a speaking bubble, and a printer. Click on the person with the exclamation point and a box will pop up where you can view that person’s profile.
iii. Sending private messages – You have the option of sending private messages to people in the forum. You will not be able to see their email addresses, nor will people be able to see your email address. To send a private message, go to a comment the person posted. At the top of the person’s comment is a row of four icons: a light bulb, a person with an exclamation point, a person with a speaking bubble, and a printer. Click on the person with the speaking bubble and a box will pop up where you can type that person a message. When you are ready to send it, click “Send Private Message.” If someone has sent you a private message, it will appear on the left side of the forums screen under the heading “Private Messages.”
iv. More specific help – At the top right of your screen, in the light blue banner, you’ll see a “Help” option. Click here for lots more information to help you navigate the forum.
IV. Interacting with Forum Administrator
i. Announcements from us – If we have an announcement, we’ll post it in the top banner of the forum. If you see an announcement highlighted in blue, make sure to read it so you’re up to date on all housekeeping-type news and notes.
ii. Contacting us – please contact us to report technical trouble or abuse. Email the . You can also report abuse right where you see it. To the left of every posting is the username of the person who posted the message. Under the username you’ll see an option, “Report this to Moderator.” Click here and a box will pop up where you can report the posting. Make sure you click “Send Message.”
iii. Why can’t I access a forum? – Some forums may be limited to certain users.
