Forum Frequently Asked Questions
Login and Registration Issues
- Why can't I login?
- Make sure your username and
password are correct. If they are, contact the forum administrator to make sure
your account hasn't been banned or removed. It is also possible the website owner
has a configuration error on their end, and they would need to fix it.
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- Why do I need to register at all?
- You may not
have to, it is up to the administrator of the forum as to whether you need to register
in order to post messages. However; registration will give you access to additional
features not available to guest users such as avatar images, private messaging
etc. It only takes a few moments to register.
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- Why do I get logged off automatically?
- If you
do not check the Remember me box when you log in, the forum will only keep
you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone
else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if
you access the forum from a public computer, e.g. internet cafe etc.
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- I've lost my password!
- Click the lost password
link and follow the instructions.
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- I registered but I cannot login!
- Make sure your
username and password are correct. If they are, then the forum requires new registrations
to be activated, either by yourself or by an administrator before you can logon.
You were sent an e-mail, please follow the instructions in the email to activate
your account. If you did not receive an e-mail, you may have provided an incorrect
e-mail address or the e-mail may have been picked up by a spam filer. If you are
sure the e-mail address you provided is correct, try contacting the forum administrator.
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- I registered in the past but cannot login any more?!
- Attempt
to locate the e-mail sent to you when you first registered, check your username
and password and try again. It is possible an administrator has deactivated or deleted
your account for some reason. Also, many forums periodically remove users who have
not posted for a long time to reduce the size of the database. If this has happened,
try registering again and being more involved in discussions.
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User Preferences and settings
- How do I change my settings?
- If you are a registered
user, all your settings are stored in the forum database. To alter them, click your
username in the upper right corner while logged in.
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- How do I show an image next to my username?
- It is
up to the forum administrator to enable avatars and to choose the way in which avatars
can be made available. If you are unable to use avatars, contact a forum administrator
and ask him for his reasons.
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Posting Issues
- How do I post a topic in a forum?
- To post a new
topic in a forum, click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens.
You may need to register before you can post a message.
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- How do I edit or delete a post?
- Unless you are
a forum administrator or moderator, you can only edit or delete your own posts.
You can edit a post by clicking the "edit" button for the relevant post.
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- Why can't I access a forum?
- Some forums may be
limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post or perform another action
you may need special permissions. Contact a moderator or the forum administrator to
grant you access.
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- Why can't I add attachments?
- The forum administrator
may not have allowed attachments. Contact the forum administrator if you are unsure
about why you are unable to add attachments.
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- Why does my post need to be approved?
- The forum
administrator may have decided that posts in the forum you are posting to require
review before submission.
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Formatting and Topic Types
- Can I use HTML?
- No. It is not possible to post
HTML on this forum and have it rendered as HTML. Most formatting which can be carried
out using HTML can be applied using the formatting toolbar when posting a message.
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- What are Smilies?
- Smilies, or Emoticons, are small
images which can be used to express a feeling using a short code, e.g. :) denotes
happy, while :( denotes sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen in the posting
form. Try not to overuse smilies, however, as they can quickly render a post unreadable
and a moderator may edit them out or remove the post altogether. The forum administrator
may also have set a limit to the number of smilies you may use within a post.
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- Can I post images?
- Yes, images can be shown in
your posts. If the administrator has allowed attachments, you may be able to upload
the image to the forum. Otherwise, you must link to an image stored on a publicly
accessible web server, e.g. http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif. You cannot link
to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible webserver)
nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes,
password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the appropriate button on
the formatting toolbar which adds an [img] tag.
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- What are sticky topics?
- Sticky topics within the
forum appear on top of other topics in a forum. They are often quite important so
you should read them whenever possible. Topics are made sticky by Administrators
and Moderators.
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- What are closed topics?
- Closed topics are topics
where users can no longer reply. Topics may be locked for many reasons and were
set this way by either the forum moderator or forum administrator.
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User Levels and Groups
- What are Administrators?
- Administrators are members
assigned with the highest level of control over the entire forum. These members
can control all facets of forum operation, including setting permissions, banning
users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc., dependent upon the forum founder
and what permissions he or she has given the other administrators. They may also
have full moderator capabilities in all forums.
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- What are Moderators?
- Moderators are individuals
(or groups of individuals) who look after the forums from day to day. They have
the authority to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete topics in the
forum they moderate. Generally, moderators are present to prevent users from going
off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.
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- What are usergroups?
- Usergroups are created and
handled by Administrators. Usergroups are groups of users that divide the community
into manageable sections forum administrators can work with. Each user can belong
to several groups and each group can be assigned individual permissions. This provides
an easy way for administrators to change permissions for many users at once, such
as changing moderator permissions or granting users access to a private forum.
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Private Messaging
- I cannot send private messages!
- You are not registered
and/or not logged on. Please register and log in to be able to send PMs.
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- I have received a spamming or abusive message from someone on this
forum!
- Please e-mail the forum administrator with a full copy of the
message you received. The forum administrator can then take action.
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Searching the Forums
- How can I search a forum or forums?
- Click the
"Search" link, enter a search term in the search box. Click the "search" button.
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- How can I find my own or someone else's posts and topics?
- Click
a username in the topic you have answered to, and view your profile as other's see
it.
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Topic Subscriptions and Bookmarks
- How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics?
- To
subscribe to a specific forum, click the "watch this forum for new topics" link
upon entering the forum. To subscribe to a topic, reply to the topic with the subscribe
checkbox checked or click the "watch this topic for replies" link within the topic
itself.
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- How do I remove my subscriptions?
- To remove your
subscriptions, go to your profile (by clicking your username on the top) and click
"My subscriptions".
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Attachments
- What is maximum attachment size allowed on this forum?
- Each
forum administrator can set up a maximum attachment size. If you are unsure what
is it, contact the forum administrator for assistance.
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Ratings and reputations
- What are ratings?
- User can rate messages up and down.
This gives users "reputation" and makes finding valuable information easier. Administrator can disable rating feature.
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- How do I rate posts?
- To rate a post
simply click the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon next to it. the icon is displayed to registered users only.
You can vote only once.
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- How do I filter unrated posts?
- Each topic has a
"hide unrate posts" link on top. You can hide unrated "noise" and read the valuable information only.
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