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Getting Started with the Forum PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jon   
Friday, 14 December 2007
If you are new to bulletin board style discussion forums, don't despair.  They're not so difficult to master, once you understand some basic concepts.

First of all, if you haven't registered on the site yet, do so now, and come back to this page when you're done.  Either follow the handy hyperlink in the previous sentence, or you can find the Login section on the left of the screen, and press the "Register Now" link.  Enter your name, the site User Name you'd like to use, your email address and password.  Wait for the activaction email for a few minutes, and when it appears, click the link to get back to this site.

Then Log In now.

The site's front page, in the top left corner, has a Main Menu, starting with the word "Home".  There's another shorter menu in the black bar at the top of every page, if that's easier for you.  In either list, find the word "Forum".  This is the forum's front door.  If you click it now, you'll stop reading this FAQ.  (If you're a savvy browser, you can always open the Forum in one browser window and read this FAQ in another, but that's not necessary).

Since you're logged in already, you're ready to browse and even post items to the forum. 

At the top of the forum page, below the NewsFlash banner, is a Forum Header like this:

Image

Never mind if you don't have a picture there.  It's called an "Avatar" and you can either pick one of the forum's avatars, upload a picture, or leave it blank.  That's up to you.  I'll tell you how to do that later.

Follow me from left to right across the blue bar.

  • The box with the "-" sign lets you collaps or expand the header.
  • The "XRing BB" is the nickname of the forum
  • "Forum" is like a "Home" link, and will bring you back to this page
  • "My Profile" is where you can add an avatar, or pick your view, etc.  More later, I promise
  • "Show Latest Posts" will give you a list of recent posts, by default in the last 4 hours.
  • "Rules" shows the forum rules page, in case you want a reminder

My Profile

I did promise to tell you about this.  It's something you will probably rarely visit, after you're set up.  When you select "My Profile" and choose "Update Your Profile" from the Edit button, you see a page like this:

Image

The "Contact Info" page is where you can change your password, etc.  The site won't let you change your user name here, but you can change your email. Oh, don't worry about the User Editor for now.  That can be called an "advanced" feature.

The "Forum Settings" tab has options for viewing the forum.

Image
 

  • "Preferred Viewtype" is either "Flat" or "Threaded".  Stick with "Flat" for the time being.
  • "Message Ordering" is either "Oldest First" or "Newest First".  Take your pick.
  • "Signature" contains some words you'd like to put at the bottom of all your forum posts.


"Shooter Info" is information you might want to share with the community.

Image
 

Forum Hints

Here's a handy link you can make into a bookmark in your browser if you want to go straight to the DMW Forum instead of the site's front page.

If you select "Remember Me" at Login time, you'll save some time logging in to the site.

Once you're on the Forum's main page, select Show Recent Posts to see what's been added since your last visit. Oh, don't forget the Forum Rules.

Adding an Avatar

If you have a picture you'd like attached to your posts, you can add that in your Profile.

  • Your Avatar should be square, that is the same size left-to-right as it is top-to-bottom.  Else the site will stretch the image and it won't look as you expected.
  • Maximum size is 200 pixels high by 200 pixels wide.  You'll need to use an image editor to scale the picture to the right size if it is too large.

Follow the "My Profile" link after you log in.

Select the "Edit" button.  A drop down menu appears, select "Update Your Image"

Image

The next screen presents you with a "Browse" button.  Click on this, find your file on your computer, close your browse window, and select "Upload". 

That's it!  Your new Avatar will appear on your comments and forum postings. 

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Last Updated ( Thursday, 21 February 2008 )
 
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