FAQ's

Forums, Threads and Posts

What is a discussion forum?

A discussion forum is an online discussion site. It's sometimes also called a 'board'. It contains several categories, consisting of forums, threads and individual posts.

How is all this structured?

The discussion forum as a whole contains various categories (broad subject areas), which themselves contain forums (more specific subject areas) which contain topics (conversations about a specific subject) which are made up of individual posts (where a user writes something).

The forum home page has a list of categories and forums, with basic statistics for each - including the number of topics and posts, and which member posted the most recent message.

How do I find my way around?

When you click on a forum's name, you are taken to the list of topics it contains. It will default to the list of topics with activity within the last month. A 'topic' is a conversation between members. Each topic starts out as a single post and grows as more individual posts are added by different users.

To start a new topic simply click on the 'new topic' button .

The topic with the most recent activity will appear at the top.

How do I read a thread?

To read a thread, click on its title. Each post in a topic is created by a member . You'll see some brief information about the member who created the thread to the left of the main post message.

To post a reply to an existing thread, click on the 'Reply' button. If the 'Reply' button does not appear, it could mean you do not have permission to reply, or that the thread has been closed to new replies.

How do I find out more about members?

To view information about a particular member, click on the 'View Profile' button. This will take you to their public profile page.

What is the 'Forum Statistics' box on the board home page?

On the board home page you'll see a section at the bottom that tells you what's going on at the moment. It tells you things like the number of registered users online, the number of posts, and the date of the last post.

Searching Forums and Topics

How do I search for something?

To quickly find a thread or post of interest anywhere on the discussion forum, click on 'Active Topics' for threads which are most replied on, 'Unanswered Topics' for threads which have not been replied to yet and 'New Updated Topics' for the newest threads.

Announcements

What are announcements?

Announcements are special messages posted by the administrator or moderators. They are a simple one-way communication with the users and you can't reply. If you wish to discuss announcements, you will have to create a new thread in the forum.

Announcement threads are displayed at the top of forum listing pages, above regular and sticky threads.

Viewing New Posts or Today's Posts

How can I see the latest posts?

The 'Latest Forum Posts' section at the bottom of the forum home page will list the six most recently updated posts. To see topics with recent posts, click on the 'Active Topics' button on main navigation bar at the top of the forum home page.

Can I receive email notifications when there is a new post?

When you create a new topic or reply to an existing one, there is an option to have replies emailed to you. Also, you can "subscribe" to any forum by going to the discussion forums home page, then click the checkbox near the forum name and submit the form. Any new posts in that forum will be emailed to you.
 

Members List

What is the Members List?

The members list shows the registered members of the board. You can view the member list ordered alphabetically by username, by the date they joined, or by the number of posts they have made.