Forum Usage & Guide - Read this before asking questions!
For new users, please read the FAQ before you ask any questions because chances are, all your questions will be answered there.
I have extracted the most commonly asked questions here (if you can't find it, click on FAQ on the top navigation).
How can I change the information in my profile?
It is your responsibility to keep the information in your profile up-to-date. You should especially ensure that your email address is kept current. You can alter any of the fields in your profile, except your username. Once you have registered your username, it becomes yours for life. In extreme circumstances, you may request that the administrator change your username, but he or she will require a very good reason to do so.
What is the signature for?
After you have registered, you may set your signature. This is a piece of text that you would like to be inserted at the end of all your posts, a little like having headed note paper.
If the administrator has enabled signatures, then you will have the option to include your signature on any posts you make. If you have specified a signature, then the forum will automatically append your signature to any messages you post. You can disable signatures on a per-post basis by un-ticking the 'Show Signature' checkbox when you compose your message.
You may turn the signature on and off on posts you have already made by editing the post and altering the state of the 'Show Signature' option.
You can set your signature by editing your profile.
I lost my password, what can I do?
If you forget your password, you can click on the 'Forgotten Your Password' link on any page that requires you to fill in your password.
This will bring up a page where you should enter your registered email address, and an email will be sent to that address instantly, with instructions for resetting your password.
How do I add a custom status to my profile?
If the administrator has enabled custom status titles, then you can specify the text you want to display by editing your profile and entering the text you want in the Custom User Text field.
How do I get a picture under my username?
These small images are called Avatars. They are displayed below your username on all posts that you make. There are two kinds of avatars: those provided by the administrator and those that you upload yourself.
If the administrator has provided a set of avatars, and avatars are enabled, you may select an avatar that best describes your personality.
The administrator may also have enabled custom avatars, which allows you to upload an avatar image from your computer.
What are the buddy and ignore lists?
The buddy list is used to keep track of the friends you have made on this forum. By going to your "Open Buddy List" in "Quick Links" menu of the navbar, you'll be able to see which of your friends are currently online and send them a private message. Adding people to your buddy list also allows you to send private messages to multiple forum members at the same time. You may add any member of the forums to your buddy list by viewing their profile or by going to "Buddy / Ignore Lists" in your "User CP".
Ignore lists are used for those people whose messages you wish not to read. By adding someone to your ignore list, those messages posted by these individuals will be hidden when you read a thread.
Can I search the forum?
You can search for posts based on username, word(s) in the post or just in the subject, by date, and only in particular forums.
To access the search feature, click on the "search" link at the top of most pages.
You can search any forum that you have permission to search - you will not be allowed to search through private forums unless the administrator has given you the necessary security rights to do so.
Can I send email to other members?
Yes! To send an email to another member, you can either locate the member you want to contact on the member list, or click the button on any post made by that member.
This will usually open a page that contains a form where you can enter your message. When you have finished typing your message, press the [send email] button and your message will be sent instantly. Note that for privacy reasons, the email address of the recipient is not revealed to you during this process.
Note that if you can not find an email button or link for a member, it either means that the administrator has disabled email functions for this forum, or that the member in question has specified that they do not wish to receive email from other members of the forum.
Another useful email function is the ability to send a friend a link to a thread you think they may find interesting. Whenever you view a thread, you will find a link somewhere on the page which will allow you to send a brief message to anyone you like. Your referrerid is added to the link you send, so if your friend registers on this forum as a result of viewing the link you sent to them, your referrals total will automatically be credited!
Registered members may also be able to send messages to other members of this forum using the private messaging system. For more information about private messaging, click here.
What is Private Messaging?
If the administrator has enabled the Private Messaging system, registered members may send each other private messages.
Sending Private Messages
Private messages work a little like email, but are limited to registered members of this forum. You may be able to include vB Code, smilies and images in private messages that you send.
You may send a private message to a member of this forum by clicking the 'Send A Private Message' link in the private messaging section of your user control panel, or by clicking the button in a member's posts.
When you send a message, you have the option to save a copy of the message in your Sent Items folder.
Private Message Folders
By default, you will have two folders in your private message area. These are the Inbox and the Sent Items folders.
The Inbox folder contains any new messages you receive, and allows you to view all the messages you have received, along with the name of the person who sent the message to you, and the date and time the message was sent.
The Sent Items folder contains a copy of any messages that you have sent, where you have specified that you wish to keep a copy of the message for future reference.
You may create additional folders for your messages by clicking the 'Edit Folders' link.
Each folder has a set of message controls which allow you to select messages, then either move them to one of your custom folders, or delete them completely. You may also have a button which allows you to forward multiple messages from a folder to another member of the forum.
You will need to periodically delete old messages, as the administrator has probably set a limit to the number of private messages you can have in your folders. If you exceed the number of messages specified by the administrator, you will not be able to send or receive new messages until you delete some old messages.
Whenever you read a message, you will have the option to reply to the message, or forward that message to another member of the forum. You may also have the ability to forward that message to multiple members of your buddy list.
Message Tracking
When you send a new private message, you may have the option to request a read-receipt for that message. This will allow you to check whether or not a message has been read by its recipient by viewing the Private Message Tracking page.
This page is divided into two sections: unread messages and read messages.
The unread messages section shows all messages that you have sent with a read-receipt request, that have not yet been read by their recipient.
The read messages section shows all messages you have sent with a receipt request that have been read and acknowledged by their recipient. The time that the message was read is also shown.
You may choose to end the tracking on any message you choose by selecting the message and clicking the [end tracking] button.
When you receive a message with a read-receipt request, you may have the option to read the message while denying the read-receipt request. To do this, simply click the 'deny receipt' link rather than the title of the message, if it appears.
How do I use the Member List?
The member list contains a complete list of all the registered members of this forum. You can view the member list ordered alphabetically by username, by the date that the member joined the forum, or by the number of posts the members have made.
The member list also has a search function, which allows you to quickly locate members according to categories you specify, such as searching for all members who have joined in the past week etc.
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