The prior "tips" thread is cluttered with extranea. Let's try to keep this one clean and direct. To do so, if you have comments on this please put them in a thread separate from this one.

POSTING GENERALLY:

How do I reply to a post? Click on "Reply" at the top or at the bottom-right of the thread. A separate "reply window" will open.

How do I edit my posts? Just click on the icon of a pencil-and-sheet-of-paper, at the bottom-right of the post you want to edit. That icon appears only on your own posts, because those are the only ones you may edit.

How do I quote the post to which I'm replying? At the bottom right of the post you're replying to, hit the icon with the quote marks. You'll get a reply window beginning with the entire prior post, surrounded by {QUOTE} and {/QUOTE} (but with regular brackets).
NOTE: This reproduces the entire quoted post. If it's a long one, please try to delete all but the part needed for your reply.

Rather than all that deleting, is there a quicker way to quote only a short part of the prior post? Yes. Before hitting the Reply button, paint the part you want to quote, right-click, and hit "copy".

How do I do boldfacing, italicizing, colors, links, lists? Atop the Reply window are icons for the purpose. To find the use of each, hover your cursor over it.
Or just type in the code for "bold", etc. To find these codes, hit the "Tools" button atop the thread, and go to "Help" and hit "UBB codes".

How do I underline in a post? You can't. Underlining is reserved for links.

How do I make smileys? There's an icon for smileys atop the reply window. Or you can type in the code for each. To get those codes go to Tools/Help/Gremlins.

How do I indent? Text entered as a "list" is indented. Use the list buttons atop the reply screen to start and end the list.

How do I start a new thread? Click on "New". Don't forget to give your thread a title.
If you're in a forum, your thread will go in that forum. If it belongs elsewhere, please go there before hitting "New".

This message has been edited. Last edited by: shufitz,

NAVIGATING THE SITE

The basic structure is in three levels, in a tree arrangement:
– a list of forums, which are general subject areas;
– under that, for each forum, a list of threads, which are specific topics;
– under that, the individual threads.

To move down from one level to the next, just click the item you wish to go to.
To move upward, use the links atop the list or the thread that is on your screen.
Further upward links are available to take you outside the bulletin board to our home page or to our community page.

The GO button can be used to jump from one spot to another.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: shufitz,

PRIVATE MESSAGES

What is a private message? A private message (PM) is a thread visible only to those people that were designated by the person who began the PM. Otherwise, it's just like any other thread. You reply or edit in the same way.

How do I know if I have a new PM? An alert saying "new PM" will appear on the bar that tops every thread, thread-list or forum-list.

How do I read my PM's, old and new? Hit the "Go" button and then select "Personal Zone / Private Messages".

How do I know who is part of the PM thread and can read what I and others say there? Atop the PM it will say how many participants there are. Click on it to get their names.

How do I start a new PM? Just like you start a new thread: hit New, but then hit "Private Message" rather than "Discussion". You will get a screen on which to have to specify the members you're asking to participate. The screen has a link to add "buddies"; each participant must be someone you've put on your buddy list.

After a PM is started, how do I add further participants or delete participants?
You can't add. Sorry. You're stuck with whoever was invited at the beginning.
In general, you can't delete. But you can delete yourself, and the person who started the PM can delete it entirely. To do either, see the bottom of your list of PMs.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arnie,

MISCELLANEOUS; "PERSONAL ZONE"

How many posts does it take for a "junior member" to become a "member"?
25

How do i get to the "Personal Zone"? Hit the "Go" button and select the "Personal Zone" option.

What can I do in the Personal Zone? The most important items are
-- Edit your profile. Any "signature" avatar or location you specify there will appear on every post you make.
-- Opt to receive e-mail notifications of PM's and/or of other posts.
-- Get your PMs.
-- Set certain display options: you can control certain aspects of how your screen will appear, whether PMs can be sent to you, etc.

Miscellaneous: See what options you get when you click on a person's name, to the left of his or her post.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arnie,

We use the Groupee forum software here. The producers of the software have produced a couple of documents that may be of use to newcomers. Note that different forums can be set up in differing ways, so you may find things mentioned in the documentation that don't apply to this site.
User's Guide
User's Glossary

These are .PDF files. You can download a free viewer from the Adobe site.

Generally we are a friendly bunch, and we enjoy discussing words and language. While we do go off-subject from time to time, we try our best to remain focused. We love new posters and hope you will stay with us. So that we will all be on the same page, we expect the following of each other:

1) We try to get to know newbies and surely will forgive beginning mistakes. I send a welcoming PM to all newbies, and we encourage our members to be welcoming. Please take your time to get to get to know everyone. It never works when newbies come bounding in, like a bull in a china shop.

2) We try to stay away from political or religious discussions. As you know, discussing politics/religion is a lose/lose situation when you have people with so many different beliefs.

3) We try to post with sensitivity to all groups and cultures.

4) If you have a problem with a post, and even after taking a deep breath you think it needs action, consider whether it might be better to notify wordcrafter and handle the matter privately rather than on the board. If there is a serious and urgent problem with a post, we do have a "report a post" feature that you can use.

5) While we have the ignore a poster function, we hope you will be able to work things out with each other instead. We are smallish forum, and we'd like to keep this a friendly place. If you enjoy fighting with others, this isn't the forum for you.

6) And, most of all: HAVE FUN!