Frequently asked questions

Punkybrewster — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:57:53 GMT

FAQ Using the forums

How do I register a new account?

In the top right hand corner click “Join our community”. This will take you to the registration screen. Under “Not a member yet?” fill in your name, password and select your time zone. Then enter the security code and an e-mail will be sent to you allowing you to activate your account. After logging in once you can set your browser to automatically log you in for future sessions.

I’ve registered what can I do with my account?

Having registered allows you to browse the forums and post new threads and replies using your registered screen name. You can upload a profile picture using your gallery and comment on other people’s uploaded pictures, as well as see their profiles. You will be able to add other members as friends and keep track of their posts. Also you will have the ability to delete your own posts if no replies have been made to it within a timeframe of one week. Finally, having registered you will no longer see advertising when logged in.

How do I start a new post?

Click on Forums in the top left hand corner and then click the “new post” button a list of sections will pop up, click one of these sections to enter the post editor. Also you can click on the section you want to post in and click “new post” there. Please try to find the appropriate section for your post since this will help you find the right people to answer it.

How do I reply to a post?

When reading a thread click on the “reply” button on any of the posts to add a new post to the thread, this will take you to the new post window. Also you can click “quick reply” which is a simpler way of replying to posts and it allows you to continue to scroll through the thread if you want to read more than only the post you are replying to.

How do I make a poll?

To create a poll, simply start a new post and click on the “Poll” option, which is the third tab at the top of the editor.

How do I use the galleries?

Clicking on your username will bring you to your profile page. Your gallery is displayed in the right hand column and you can view your pictures by clicking on them which will allow you to see comments or edit the name, tags etc. Also there is an upload button which allows you to upload more pictures to share with others on the forums and change their descriptions and titles.

How do I edit my profile?

Use the “edit profile” link in the top right hand corner. In edit profile there are 4 tabs; Profile options (for your avatar and personal information) Site options (will allow you to choose how you receive information from the forums) Sign-in information (to change your password) and Send Invites (to invite friends to join you on the forums).

How do I set my avatar/profile picture?

You can do this by selecting a picture in your gallery and clicking “Set as profile photo” also you can upload directly by clicking “edit profile” and uploading a picture from there.

How can I find more info about a forum user?

On the right side of the post you can click on the name of the member which will take you to their profile page. You can only view the profile of a member if you are registered.

Why are all anonymous posts moderated?

This is done to prevent spamming and/or inappropriate posting. If we lifted the moderation, it would of course be possible to delete such posts later but it would make for a very ugly atmosphere in the meantime.

Why are some of my posts being deleted?

The post might not have been in the correct forum and a moderator moved it, or the post did not follow our guidelines and it was deleted, or the post was a duplicate. For any of these reasons you should get an email informing you of the reason if you are a registered member.

Can you remove some old posts of mine, I don't want them there anymore?

Generally we do not delete any posts inside a thread where answers have already been made. This would cause confusion and disturb the flow of the thread. Requests for post deletion can always be made and we will gladly check the individual requests.

Why can't I edit and delete my posts at any time?

That would be against a basic principle of discussions: you can't erase what you have already said. Every discussion would turn into a mess and couldn't be called a discussion anymore. There is a time frame in which you can edit your post, but only if there are no replies.

I want to find some posts that I have posted before. How can I find them?

Click on your name on the top right corner of this website and you will see your profile. Underneath your screen number will be the number of posts you have made. Click this and it will show all your posts.

How do member’s status’ change? Why are some users regular members, senior members etc.?

This is based on how many posts a member has posted it is an indication of how active a user has been. Other symbols indicate if a user is a moderator, administrator or other role.

How do I change my username?

Send a PM to an administrator if it is absolutely necessary for you to change your username, and they will look into it.

How do I post pictures?

Attaching images is only possible in the YUI (advanced) editor. Check in your profile (site options) if the editor is enabled. If it is, you will see a button where you can attach files while creating your post. You can upload more than one picture at a time.

How do I send a private message (PM) to another member?

Either go to the profile of the member and you will see the option on the bottom left, or click on the mail icon next to a member's name in a post.

All the notification messages are sent to my bulk box even though after many times I've tried to put them back to my inbox. Does anyone know why?

If this happens you need to check your junk filter settings. Usually you will find an option to add a "safe sender".

I marked all read by mistake, how do I undo it?

Since there is no record of your previous unread/read status it cannot be undone.

Why are anonymous posts allowed?

It is everyone's right to remain anonymous, and some visitors are prevented from registering by their company or institution Internet policy. Of course we would prefer everyone to register because it is more motivating and personal to answer a question a member has made rather than a post by an anonymous user.

What do I do if I lose my password?

On the login screen there is an option for us to send you a replacement password through e-mail.

What are Tags and how do I use them?

By adding tags to your post you give information to the forums concerning what the post is about. That way other users can find your post if they search for the tags that are relevant.

How do I include a video in a post?

Simply include the full youtube link as part of the post and the software will do the rest. Remember to leave spaces before and after the link.

When I click videos I see a box full of differently sized words what are these?

That is called a tag cloud, the larger the word, the more times someone has posted a video we relevance to that word. By clicking that word you will pull up all videos with that tag. Clicking a word again will pull up all videos with both the first and the second word.

I just posted to the forums and received a message that it was a moderated forum, and I should wait. What does this mean?

It means that it will not be posted directly, but will go to a "moderator's" section where a moderator reviews the post and will either approve it (post it), edit it (make changes to it), or delete it. This is to avoid misuse of certain sections on the forums.

It seems that the ranking of a member is based solely on the number of postings made by that user, however, does it apply to his/her English language & grammar knowledge?

Ranking is based on number of posts. Administration also awards symbols on an individual basis to members who have demonstrated positive qualities in the course of their participation here:

Checkmark = Proficient Speaker
Hammer = Administrator
'Yin-Yang' Taoist symbol = Moderator
Angel - Trusted User

These are placed under the avatar to the right of each post. These do not mean that other members, junior or otherwise, are not excellent advisors. The site administration can only do with and monitor so many valued assistants. In the end, this is the internet, and you can only see what you read on your screen: you must consider the advice given and decide for yourself whether it is of value to you.

I have posted a question, but no one is replying, why?

There are a lot of posts and only so many people around to answer them. Anyone can post up an answer but many of the learners feel a bit shy about this, so most answers are coming from a fairly small group of people. Everyone is here voluntarily so sometimes, unfortunately, no one has time to deal with a particular post.

Tips for getting answers!

Register and log-in before posting - messages from people we feel we have come to know and regular visitors will naturally be more attractive to us than the hundreds of anonymous posts, where we don't even know that the poster will bother to come back and read our reply.

Become an active member of the forum, answering other posts as well, and you will become part of our community and be more likely to get answers in return. Make the subject line interesting and descriptive of the contents of the post. Just 'hello' or 'help' do not really catch the eye when you are scanning a long list of unanswered posts. Don't take it personally, we all have busy lives, and sometimes posts just stack up and get missed due to lack of time.

Enjoy the forums!

Uploading an Avatar

DioNice — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:10:29 GMT

How do I upload an Avatar pic?

I browse, upload but still nothing shows up.

Guides tag at top

inzaghi — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:07:31 GMT

What does the 'guides' tag at the top of the page do?

Cheers

Events calender

helen31 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:08:20 GMT

Hi guys, how do I add an event to the events calender?

Thanks,

Helen x

F1 chat

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:12:36 GMT

Hi, I'm a F1 fan. Where can I discuss F1 topics on this forum?

How do you add a video to a post?

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:58:07 GMT

Hi, any help would be appreciated.

Posting a quote

shelly23 — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:01:57 GMT

Hi all.

I really love your forums!

How do you post a quote from a previous thread?

Thanks

If you need any help..

hitchhiker — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:59:15 GMT

Hi all,

Just putting a post in this forum, so far nobody needs any help :)

Help