The BASICS-

If you have used any of the forum boards before then you should have no problem finding your way around as this is all pretty standard. IF you are new to the forums you will need a couple of tips. After a few days this will all seem like you have always known how to use the forums. Look and feel of the forum- When you are looking at the different forms on the net, at first glance they may all seem different and this can be confusing. However they are really more alike than different. Do not get caught up in the different colors and shapes and placement of the different buttons and icons. Instead READ what it says. The forums are meant to have different look and feel settings, called "Styles". Many styles can be loaded on the board and many forums allow you to choose your personal style for your login. Just read what it says, they may move it to the top or the bottom or someplace in between but it will still say what it does.

Reading through the forums-

As a guest you will be able to read through the forums, to have access to your advanced features you will need to login as a member. If you are not logged in then you are using the guest "Style". The link to always return back to the beginning of the forums is the "BOARD INDEX" link. You can find it SOMEWHERE on whatever screen you are on. If you get lost, you can quickly get back to the "BOARD INDEX" by clicking the link. Our forum is called "I AM FULL OF CONTENT". Within that Forum are Categories, for example, we currently have the following categories.

There will be a graphic next to these "Categories" to alert you if there are new postings or no new postings. These graphics can change depending on the style. Our default style actually says "NO NEW" or "NEW". For other styles, you may have to view a key that is usually located near the bottom of the page to see what the graphic symbol means. Click on the "Category", for example "Funny Stores" and you will see all of the topics that are located in the "Funny stories" category. The title of the topics you see are the LINKS to the topic. Simply click the topic "TITLE" and you will now be looking at a single "TOPIC" While in the "Topic" you can view the different responses from other users. You can always get back to the "BOARD INDEX" by clicking the "BOARD INDEX" link located on the page, usually the top. Makes a lot of sense right?

Responding to a topic-

While viewing the "Topic", simply click on the "POST REPLY" button. The screen will change and you will be able to type your reply. There are simple features located at the top of the text box that you can use to change the look and feel of your reply. There is a "Preview" button at the bottom of the text box that will allow you to preview your reply. Click on this to make sure it looks the way you want it to look. When you are ready, click on the "Submit" button and your reply will now show up under the topic.

Starting a new topic-

Go to the "Category" you wish to post in, for example "Work". From the "Board Index" click on the category "Work" and you see all the topics that are located in the "Work" topic. Find the button that says "NEW TOPIC" and click on it. The text box will appear. You will need to give your "TOPIC" a title in the "Subject:" text box. Then you can Type your message in the text box. There are simple features located at the top of the text box that you can use to change the look and feel of your message. There is a "Preview" button at the bottom of the text box that will allow you to preview your reply. Click on this to make sure it looks the way you want it to look. When you are ready, click on the "Submit" button and your new "TOPIC" will now show up under the category. This is the majority of the features you will need to know to navigate the forums. There are many other features available than what we have talked about but these are the basics. The main thing is to READ what the links say. They mean what they say. We get used to clicking on this button or that button and actually forget what it says. Take a few moments when new to "READ" the links and remember what they say and what they do. This will save you a lot of time and frustration.

Personal Settings-

Your personal settings can by viewed and changed by the "USER CONTROL PANEL" link Clicking this link will allow you to change the look and feel of the forums and other information that pertains to YOUR ACCOUNT. The "USER" is YOU and the control panel allows selections of features for your viewing. Read the titles and understand what they are saying. It is all pretty easy and anything you change you can change back. There is also a generic "FAQ" button on the page. This is a large FAQ that has been written for the forums. You can read through the topics or an easier method is to use the CTRL+F keys and type in a word that you are looking for and it will be highlighted. For example you have a question about personal messaging. Click on the "FAQ" button and read through till you find Messaging. OR press the "CTRL" and the "F" keys at the same type and at the top of the browser you can type in messaging. Hit enter and messaging will be highlighted. Just go through until you find what you need.