Guide to posting & forum features
Guide to posting
The main forum page (Forums) shows a list of forum categories. When you click on the category you then see a list of topics (aka threads) within each category. Within each thread are individual posts from members. You have the option to start a new thread or reply/add to an existing one. (see below)
Forum icons:
- A light coloured forum icon means a thread you have already read.
- A dark coloured forum icon indicates a thread with unread posts.
Your profile info, signature etc.
At the top of the page in the main navigation bar (on the right), you will see your name. This links to your account settings and profile area. Click on your Name to see what your profile looks like to others.
You can create a signature that will appear under your posts. For new members the signature is limited, but once you have more posts you can increase its contents and add links etc. These restrictions help to deter spammers and freeloaders.
In account details you can set some email options, upload an Avatar image that will display by your posts, add a profile banner that shows as an image at the top of your profile and supply details about yourself which will appear in your profile.
Under Privacy and Preferencesyou have access to more forum settings
To start a thread
- From within a forum, click on the Post Thread button (top right). You can also start a thread the forum listor new post list and will then be prompted to choose which forum to post in
- Type in a title and your post contents, then click the Post Thread button under the post.
- If approriate, you can add one or more tags in the box below the text field. Tags are keywords that will help people find your post when someone searches.
To reply in a thread
- For a general reply to the threadstrong> (without quoting a specific post in the thread) - just type in the box at the bottom of the thread or each page and click on the Post reply button
- Reply to one particular post and quote it: click on the reply link at the bottom right of the specific post. This will quote the post you are replying to
- Quote several posts in a thread:(multiquote) click on the +Quote link at the bottom right of each post. This adds them to a "pool" of quotes that you can then insert by clicking on "Insert quotes" under your reply box.
Quoting parts of posts
- Quote just a part of the post: This is a good idea so that you only quote what is relevant. Highlight some of the text in the post. When you release the mouse pointer you will then see the option (+Quote | Reply) by your mouse pointer arrow. If you click Reply it will add that quote to the reply box. If you click +Quote it adds this quote to the pool of quotes mentioned above that you can then insert in ther same way by using the insert quotes below the reply box
NB: Replying to or Editing Quotes
In post editing mode (ie what you see in the message field before submitting) you will see the text surrounded by two quote tags: an open quote and a closed quote:
Open quote = 
Close quote = 
Alawys add your reply after the close quote or else your reply appears inside the quote - confusion!
Due to the ability to now just quote part of a post, it should no longer be necessary to edit quotes but if you do please be careful to edit the text between the quote tags and not remove the quote tags themselves.
Everyone tends to be friendly and helpful here so if in doubt about how to use the forum, please don’t hesitate to ask a question.
Watching a thread
Click on the Watch Thread link at the top of each thread.
By default, you are automatically subscribed to any thread you start or post in. This means you will get email notifications of any new posts in that thread. This option can be disabled in your profile area preferences.
Watching a Forum
Click on the Watch Forum link at the top of each forum.
In addition to email notifications, you will always see a prominent red alert notice if there are new posts or threads you have subscribed to.
Post Ratings
You can rate posts e.g. like, funny, agree, agree via the rating icon at the bottom right of each post
On desktop computers you can tap to give a like, or hover over the icon to see the full menu of different ratings. On touchscreen devices likewise you tap to give a like, or hold your finger on the icon for longer to reveal the menu.
Saving Drafts
When you type into the reply box at the bottom of each page of a thread, the text is automatically saved every 60 seconds. Alternatively you can save manually using the save icon at the top of the text box:
If you do not post, you can come back to that thread and your text will be in the box ready to continue. Drafts are deleted when posted or after 24 hours. They are not deleted if you log out.
You may have more than one saved draft. A draft of a new thread is similarly saved.
Drafts are only available in the thread/forum originally composed in.
There may be issues with some browser so for absolute safety (especially for long posts) you are advised to keep a backup of your own using a word processor or text editor.