GUIDE TO THE FORUM

[elfruler]

This thread provides information on how to find your way around the forum.  It is intended to be a supplement to the general Help pages provided by Simple Machines Forum (Help tab at the top of the page), but is more specific to this RRP Forum.

This thread is locked, it is not a discussion thread but is provided for information.  If you have questions, please send me a Personal Message:  Click on my screenname (elfruler), scroll down, and click on Send this member a Personal Message.

[elfruler]

The RRP Forum is an unmoderated message board whose purpose is to foster discussion of the issues that are of most interest to the Raptor Resource Project and its supporters.  Raptors (falcons, eagles, ospreys, owls, hawks) are the main focus of the RRP, but this forum also includes discussion of other birds and wildlife.  In particular the Forum provides a place for discussion of the many nest cams that are accessible on the internet, many of them operated and maintained by RRP.

The way the Forum is organized is one of its beauties.  It is hierarchical, with different topics found under general categories.  You can always return to the home page (click on the Home tab at the top of every page) to help you find the thread you are looking for.  For more about the organization, see the post “WHERE DO I START?”.

The Forum is unlike an internet chat room in several ways:

• Messages do not have to be written and posted hastily, but can be crafted deliberately and thoughtfully.
• Members can go back and edit their own messages after they are posted or even remove them if they wish.
• Posts can be longer, they can include photos and links to other web sites (including videos), and they can be formatted with type styles, colors, etc.
• Discussions can be in depth.
• Messages will stay in the thread indefinitely, so members who log in after a conversation has taken place can review the last few pages of posts to get caught up.
• Messages can be targeted to the entire membership rather than to whoever might be logged in at a given time; posts thus don’t need to be concerned with “real time,” but rather with the longer view.
• Members can search for posts that they may have missed or that they wish to read again.

[elfruler]

The Main Menu is a series of tabs in a horizontal line that appears at the top of every page:
Home – Help – Search – Profile – My Messages – Calendar – Members – Logout

• Home will take you back to the main boards (topics).

• Help is a series of pages about how to use message boards designed by Simple Machines Forum.
• Search takes you to a page with advanced options for finding messages on the Forum.
• Profile brings up your personal settings (see the post “MANAGING YOUR PROFILE”).
• My Messages contains all private messages that you have received and sent.
• The Calendar includes birthdays of forum members and significant events posted by the forum administrator.
• Members provides a list of all registered members.  You can sort this list by clicking on any column.
• Logout is, well, logout.

The RRP Forum is organized first into 3 "Categories":

• BirdCam Forum
• Get The Lead Out!
• Decorah Eagles

Under each of these Categories are a number of "boards" (sometimes called “topics” on other message boards), each of which has a brief description.

Under each board are many “Subjects,” or threads.  Each thread is focused on a particular nest cam (such as “Decorah Eagles,” which is found under the board “Decorah Eagles Discussion and Hatchery Tour” in the Decorah Eagles category) or a narrow subject (such as “What We Can All Do To Help Wildlife,” under the board “Off Topic” in the BirdCam Forum category).

Take time to explore all of the boards and all of the threads.  This will give you a good idea of the great variety of topics that members are interested in, and it will also point you to the direction you would like to go as you begin to post your own comments.

To get back to the list of all of the boards, click on the Home tab that is visible at the top of every page.

Any member can begin a new thread (“subject”), but before you do be sure that there is no other thread that covers the subject you are interested in, and be sure you put your new thread under the correct board.

[elfruler]

Members post messages as a “Reply” in one of the threads.  (Note:  If you click on the tab “New topic” under one of the main boards like “BirdCam General Information, Announcements & Forum Issues” and type a new message there, you will be creating a new thread that is not part of an on-going conversation.  To participate in a conversation, you should be sure that you are in one of the threads before you post.)

You can go directly to the threads that you are interested in by clicking on the name of the board on the home page and then clicking on the name of the thread.  If you want to return to a thread that you have been following and read posts that have appeared since the last time you logged in, you can:

• click on either “Show unread posts since last visit” or “Show new replies to your posts” at the top of any page;
• click on the large icon (the fulcrum logo of Simple Machines Forum) in the column to the left of the board name, which will show you whatever threads have posts that you have not yet read;
• check the right-hand column on the boards list to see the most recent posts in the board, and click on the thread name.

Once you are in the thread you want to be in, you can read back the last few pages of messages to get caught up on what you might have missed since your last login.  At the top left of each thread are links to the page numbers of the threads.  Page 1 is the first page of the thread, the last number is the most recent page of the thread.  The quickest way to go directly to new posts in the thread is to click on the “New” button next to the name of the thread.

When you are ready to post a message in a thread, you can do it in one of two ways:

• Click on the “Reply” tab at the bottom of the page, which will open a text box in which you type your response; you have many formatting options as you create your post.  You can Preview your post before you send it; click on the “Preview” button and then scroll up above the typing box, where you will see what your post will look like.  Once you are satisfied with your message, click the “Post” button under the text box.
• Or click on “Quote” at the top right corner of any post.  This inserts that entire post into your text box, and you can type a direct response to that post.  You then can Preview and Post your message in the same way as described above.  (See the post on “QUOTES” in this thread for more information about that option.)

When you click Preview or Post, you might receive a message in red: Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review your post.   Scroll down the page to see new posts and then (if you wish) modify your message.  Then click “Post” again.  If a member posts a new message while you are reading through new posts, you will get the warning message again so you may have to click the Post button yet again.

You can go back later and modify or delete a message.  At the top right of your post, click on “Remove” to delete it or “Modify” to change it (in the text box, make your changes and then click “Preview” and/or “Save”).

If you would like to receive an email message (to the email address in your Profile) if a new post is made in a particular thread or board, click on “Notify” at the bottom right of the thread or board.

[elfruler]

When you click on "Quote" at the top right corner of a previous post, that entire post will appear in your Reply box between two codes, beginning with [ quote ] and ending with  [ /quote ].  Do not delete either of these codes or any part of them.  If you delete the first one, you will eliminate the quote shading and make it appear that the quote is actually your own post.  If you delete the second code, your reply will appear as though it is part of the quote.

Begin your own reply after the second code.

Please consider how much of the previous post you want to include.  Your reply might be relevant to only one sentence in the previous post, in which case you can (and should) delete all the rest of the quote (being careful not to delete the [ quote ] or [ /quote ] codes) and include only the part that you are responding to.

In order to keep from clogging the thread with posts that are unnecessarily long, though, you may be able to respond to a previous post by merely referencing it by the screenname of the poster without quoting anything.

[elfruler]

Links to other web sites can be posted directly into a message.  This includes links to videos on Youtube and to photos on sites such as Photobucket and Picasa.  Be sure the link is a complete URL (web address), beginning with http:// etc.

There are two ways to post a still photo:

• Upload an image directly from your computer.  At the bottom of the text box, click on Additional Options, then in the Attach box browse your computer for the image you wish to upload.  There is a limit on the size and number of attachments.  Your image(s) will appear at the bottom of your post.  You won’t be able to Preview the appearance of attached images, but if they don’t come out the way you intend, you can always Modify your message.
• Embed an image directly into your post.  You can do this if you have uploaded the image to an external web site such as Photobucket or Picasa – any site that has a URL for your image.  In the text box, click the Insert Image icon (second from the left in the second row above the text box, above the row of smileys).  Then insert the image URL between the [ img ] and [ /img ] codes.

[elfruler]

The Members tab in the Main Menu at the top of each page takes you to a list of all registered members of the forum, showing the date they joined, the number of posts they have made, and their email address and/or web site if they have made these available to the membership.  You can scroll through the entire list or click on the letter of the alphabet to go directly to that part of the list.  If you click on the “Search for Members” tab you can type in the screenname or other identifying information of the member you are looking for.

If you click on another member’s screenname you will see their Profile with any information that they have made public.  If another member clicks on your Profile, they will see similar information (see the post “MANAGING YOUR PROFILE” below).

If you wish to find a specific message, you can go to the thread where you think it is and scroll back through the pages until you find it.  But there are several quicker ways:

• The Search box at the top right of every page allows a quick search on any combination of characters.  Typing in two words, such as Flying Dot, will find all posts with either or both of those words.  If you wish to find the exact phrase, enclose it in quotations marks, such as “Flying Dot.”
• The Search tab in the Main Menu at the top of every page takes you to advanced options for narrowing your search.
• If you want to search for a message by a particular member, click on their screenname (in a thread or in the Members list accessed by the tab in the Main Menu), which will take you to their Profile.  Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Show the last posts of this person.”  These will be arranged with the most recent post at the top.  You can also see statistics for that member by clicking on “Show general statistics for this member,” or send them a Personal Message (see post below on “PERSONAL MESSAGES”).

[elfruler]

Access your Profile by clicking on the Profile tab in the Main Menu at the top of every page or by clicking on your screenname.  This takes you to a Summary page with a menu of options on the left.  If you have created an avatar (Picture/Text) and/or a Signature to appear on all of your posts, you will see them here (see post below on “AVATARS AND SIGNATURES”).

At the bottom of the summary box you can click on “Show the last posts of this person” to review your posts, and “Show general statistics for this member” to see some metrics on your participation in the Forum.  You can also get to these pages by clicking on “Show Stats” or “Show Posts” in the menu box on the left.

Under “Modify Profile” in the menu:

• In Account Related Settings you can
  • change the name that others see in your posts and the member list, your password and Secret Question for retrieving your password if you forget it, and your email address (which must be valid).
  • If you wish your email to be unavailable to other members in your Profile or the Member list, checkmark the box “Hide email address from public?” (if you leave this box unchecked, logged-in members can see your email address).
  • If you wish for your presence to be visible while you are logged in, checkmark the box “Show others your online status?” (if you leave this box unchecked your screenname will not be visible in the users list and you will be shown as Offline in the Members list).
  • If you make any changes to the settings on this page, you must enter your password at the bottom and then click “Change profile.”

• In Forum Profile Information you can enter certain personal information and your web site if you have one.  You can also create a Personalized Picture and/or Personal Text and a Signature that will appear on all of your posts (see post “AVATARS AND SIGNATURES” below).  All of the information you enter on this page will be visible to other Forum members in your Profile Summary.  Click “Change profile” after making changes.
• Look and Layout Preferences offers many options for controlling how your Forum pages appear to you.
  • The Time Offset allows you to set the time zone that you will see in the Forum.  The default Forum time zone is U.S. Mountain time; you can set your own time zone by entering an offset number equivalent to the number of hours your time zone is earlier (-) or later (+) than Mountain time.  If your computer clock is accurate, you can click “auto detect” beside the box and the program will enter the correct number for you.
  • You can checkmark other useful options such as Don’t show users’ avatars or signatures (to compress forum threads), Return to topics after posting by default (otherwise you will be taken to the home page after posting), and Don’t warn on new replies made while posting (to prevent a warning from appearing when you try to send a post).
  • Click “Change profile” after making changes.

• Notifications and Email shows boards and threads for which you have chosen to receive email when new posts are made in them.  You choose to be notified by clicking the “Notify” tab at the top or bottom of any page of a board or thread.  You can disable notification by clicking “Notify” again on the board or thread, or by checking the box in this Notifications and Email box in your Profile and then clicking Unsubscribe.  Click “Save Settings” to record any changes you make on this page.
• In the Personal Message Options page you can choose to ignore messages from certain members, to Save a copy of each Personal Message that you send, to Show a popup when you receive a message, and to be notified by email when you receive a message.  If you make changes, click "Change profile" at the bottom.
  

[elfruler]

An “avatar” is a picture or text or a combination of the two that appears with your screenname in all of your posts and in your profile.  To create a picture avatar:

• Upload the image you want to an external web site such as Photobucket or Picasa – any site that has a URL for your image.  (You cannot simply upload an image from your computer directly into the Forum.)
• Copy the full URL of the image onto your clipboard.  (On Photobucket you can do this by hovering your cursor over a photo to see the Share menu, and copy the URL in the box "Direct link.")
• Go to your Profile and click on “Forum Profile Information” in the menu to the left.
• Click the button “I have my own pic” and paste the image URL into the box, then hit “Enter” on your keyboard.

If you wish to include text in your avatar, enter it in the box next to “Personal Text.”

To make a signature that will appear at the bottom of all your posts, enter the text in the “Signature” box at the bottom of the page.  You can format (style, size, colors, etc.) your text using BBC tags, which are listed in the Help tab on the Main Menu under the topic “Posting.”

After making any changes, click on “Change profile” at the bottom of the page.

Forum member raptors4ever has offered to help anyone who needs it to find a way to upload an image to a web host.  Send a PM.

[elfruler]

Keep an eye on the My Messages tab on the Main Menu at the top of every page.  If it has a number in parentheses – like My Messages (1) – it means a Forum member has sent you a personal message.  Click on that tab, and on that page you will see a list of all the messages you have received; the latest will be at the bottom of the list.  Click on Subject to read the message.  You can see all the messages you have received by clicking “Inbox” on the menu at the left.  If you have more than 15 archived messages, you will have more than one page; you can scroll through the pages at the bottom of the list; the messages themselves begin after the list.

To respond to a Personal Message:

• Click “Reply” or “Quote” at the top right of the message, or on the Member’s screenname in the list.  This will take you to the same type of text box that you have when you post a message in one of the Forum threads (see “POSTING AND KEEPING TRACK OF ON-GOING DISCUSSIONS” above).
• If you wish to save a copy of your reply, check the box “Save a copy in my outbox” below the text box.  (You can make this the default setting in your Profile: Click on the Profile tab on the Main Menu at the top of every page, choose “Personal Message Options” in the menu on the left, checkmark the box “Save a copy of each Personal Message in my outbox by default,” then click “Change profile” to save the setting.)
• When you are finished typing your reply, click “Preview” to make sure it is the way you want it, then click “Send message.”

You can initiate a new message to another member in two ways:

• Click the member’s screenname in a thread or in the Members list (in the Members tab in the Main Menu).  In their Profile, scroll down and click “Send this member a personal message.”
• Under the My Messages tab in the Main Menu, click “New Message” in the menu at the left.

In the send message page:

• Type the member’s screenname in the To: box (auto-complete is active, so the program will attempt to find the user you want).  You can send a message to more than one member by entering more screennames separated by commas.
• As with posts in threads in the Forum, you can format your text the way you want.
• When you are finished typing your message, click “Preview” to make sure it is the way you want it, then click “Send message.”

When you send a message, it will be sent to the member’s Inbox even if they are not logged in; they will see it the next time the log in.  (Likewise, messages that other members send you will be there when you log in.)  If you have enabled “Save a copy in my outbox” (see above), a copy will remain in your Outbox.

All of your messages will remain in your Inbox and Outbox unless you delete them individually by clicking the “Remove” link at the top right corner of each Message.  You can also clean out your Inbox and Outbox by clicking on “Prune Messages” in the menu at the left in the My Messages page.

You can receive email notification (sent to the email address in your Profile) that you have received a Personal Message.  In the Profile tab on the Main Menu at the top of each page, go to the “Modify Profile” menu on the left and click on “Personal Message Options.”  To the right of “Notify by email every time you receive a personal message” choose “Always” (or “Never” if you do not wish to receive notification).

[elfruler]

If after looking carefully through all of the boards you do not find a thread that covers the topic you are interested in, you can create a new one.  Be sure that you are putting the thread in the correct board.  Carefully read the descriptions of the boards on the home page.  For instance, the first board, “BirdCam General Information, Announcements & Forum Issues, is not a place to put threads about nest cams but is devoted to technical Forum matters, announcements from the Forum administrator, etc.  The third board, “Other Raptor Cams and Information” is devoted to threads about raptors such as eagles, hawks, ospreys, and owls.

To begin a new thread, click on the board where you wish it to appear, then click on the tab “New topic” at the top or bottom of the page.  In the Subject line, enter the title of the thread.  Choose this text carefully: it should be a succinct and clear description of the topic of the board so that members will be able to tell at a glance if it is a thread that they wish to read or participate in.  Peruse other thread titles to get an idea of a successful title.  This title will appear in the list of threads in the board.

In the text box, type your message, which will appear as the first post in the new thread.  This is a good place to explain the purpose of the thread.  When you are finished, click the “Preview” button and then scroll up above the typing box where you will see what your post will look like.  Once you are satisfied with your message, click the “Post” button under the text box.

As the creator of the thread, you can go back and change its title if it needs clarification.  To do this, go to your first post in the thread and click on “Modify” at the right of the post, then change the text in the Subject line.  When you are finished with your changes, click “Save” below the text box.

You can lock a thread that you have created, which means that no more posts will be allowed.  You do this by clicking the “Lock topic” at the bottom of the page; if you wish to reopen it to allow posts, click “Unlock topic.”  You can also delete a thread that you have created by clicking on “Remove topic” at the bottom of the page.  You may wish to do this if there are few or no participants in the thread, or if you discover that a similar thread has been created and you wish to help keep the Forum manageable by consolidating all posts on that topic into one thread.