Forum Help

To login into the Forum you must use the Username and Password that you entered when registering for the Forum. If you have not yet registered then you must first do so in order to login. If you have registered and still are unable to login then first check that you have all cookies enabled on your web browser, you may need to add this web site to your browsers list of trusted web sites. If you are banned from the Forums then this may prevent you form logging in, in which case check with the Forums administrator.

Do I need to register?

You may not need to register to post in the Forums, it is up to the Forums Administrator as to whether they allow you to post in the Forums as an unregistered user. However, by registering you will be able to use additional features. It only takes a few minutes to register, so it is recommended that you do so.

Lost Passwords

If you have lost your password then don't panic. Although passwords can not be retrieved they can be reset. To reset your password click on the Login button and at the bottom of the login page you will have a link to the lost password page to request that a new password be emailed to you. If this option is not available or you do not have a valid email address in your profile then you need to contact the Forum Administrator or a Moderator and ask them to change your password for you.

I Registered in the past but can't login

It could be that you haven't posted anything for a while, or never posted anything. It is common for the Forum Administrator to periodically delete users from the database to free up usernames and reduce the size of the database.

User Preferences and Forum Settings

How do I change my forum settings?

You can change your forum settings, profile information, registration details, etc. from your Member Control Panel Menu, once you have logged into the Forum. You will be able to control many aspects and access member features from this central menu.

Forum Times and Dates are not set to my local time

The time used in the Forums is that of the server time and date, if the server is located in another country then the times and dates will be the local times of that country. To change the Times and Dates to your own local settings then simply edit your 'Forum Preferences' through your Member Control Panel Menu, and set by how many hours the time is offset from your own local time. The Forums are not designed to adjust between standard and daylight saving times, so you may need to adjust the time in your Forum Preferences by another hour during these months.

What does my rank indicate?

Ranks in the forums indicate which user group you are a member of and to identify users, for example, moderators and administrators may have a special rank. Depending on the setup of the forum you may be able to use different features of the forum depending on which rank you belong to.

Can I change my rank?

Normally you can not, but if the forum administrator has setup ranks using the ladder system you may be able to move up groups in the forum by the number of posts you have made.

Posting Issues

How do I post a message in the forum?

To post a message in the Forums click on the relevant button on the forum or topic screens. Depending on how the forum administrator has setup the forum depends if you need to login first before you can post a message. The facilities available to you in each of the forums are listed at the bottom of the topic screen.

How do I delete posts?

Unless you are a Forum Moderator or an Administrator you can only delete your own posts and only if the forum has been setup with the relevant rights for you to be able to delete your post. If someone has replied to your post then you will no-longer be able to delete it.

How do I edit posts?

Unless you are a Forum Moderator or an Administrator you can only edit your own posts and only if the forum administrator has created the relevant rights for you to do so. When you edit your posts depending on the forum setup, it will display the username, time, and date of when the post was edited at the bottom of the post.

How do I add a signature to my post?

If the forum administrator has allowed the use of signatures in the forums you can add a signature to the bottom of your posts. To do so you need to first create a signature in your 'Profile Information' through your Member Control Panel Menu, once you have done this you can add your signature to the bottom of your posts by checking the 'Show Signature' checkbox at the bottom of the posting form.

How do I create a poll?

If you have sufficient rights to create a poll in a forum you will see a 'New Poll' button at the top of the screen on the forum and topic screens. When creating a poll you need to enter a poll question and at least two options for the poll. You may also select whether people can vote multiple times or just once in the poll.

Why can I not view a forum?

Some forums are setup to allow only certain users or groups f users to access them. To view, read, post, etc. in a forum you may first need permission which only a forum moderator or a forum administrator can grant you.

Rich Text Editor (WYSIWYG) posting issues

If you are using Internet Explorer 5+ (windows only), Netscape 7.1, Mozilla 1.3+, Mozilla Firebird 0.6.1+, and if the forum administrator has enabled it you should have a Rich Text (WYSIWYG) Editor to type your messages with. If you find that you are having problems posting using the WYSIWYG editor then you can disable this WYSIWYG Editor by simply editing your profile and selecting to turn off the WYSIWYG Posting Editor.

Message Formatting

What are Forum Codes?

Forum Codes allow you to format the messages you post in the forums. Forum Codes are very similar to HTML except tags are enclosed in square brackets, [ and ], rather than, < and >. You can also disable Forum Codes when posting a message. Click here to view Forum Codes that are available in the forums.

Can I use HTML?

HTML cannot be used in your posts, this is done for security reasons as malicious HTML code can be used to destroy the layout of the forum or even crash a web browser when a user tries to view a post.

What are Emoticons (Smileys)

Emoticons or Smileys are small graphical images that can be used to express feelings or show emotions. If the forum administrators have allowed Emoticons in the forums then you can see them next to the posting form when posting a message. To add an emoticon to your post then simply click on the emoticon you would like to add to your post.

Can I post images?

Images can be added to your posts, if the forum administrators have allowed uploading of images you can use this to upload an image from your own computer into your message. However, if image uploading is not available then you will need to link to the image that needs to be stored on a publicly accessible web server, eg. http://www.mysite.com/my-picture.jpg.

What are closed topics?

Closed Topics are set this way by forum administrators or moderators. Once a Topic is closed you will no-longer be able to post a reply in that topic or vote in a poll.

Usergroups

What are Forum Administrators?

Forums Administrators are people who have the highest level of control over the forums, they have the ability to turn on and off features on the forums, ban users, remove users, edit and delete posts, create users groups, etc.

What are Forum Moderators?

Moderators are individuals or groups of users who look after the day to day running of the forums. They have the power to edit, delete, move, close, unclose, topics and posts, in the forum they moderate. Moderators generally are there to prevent people from posting offensive or abusive material.

What are Usergroups?

Usergroups are a way to group users. Each user is a member of a usergroup and each group can be assigned individual rights in forums, to read, view, post, create polls, etc.

Private Messaging

I cannot send Private Messages

There maybe several reasons for this, you are not logged in, you are not registered, or the forum administrators have disabled the Private Messaging system.

I cannot send Private Messages to some users

This maybe because the person you are trying to send a Private Message to has blocked you from being able to send them Private Messages, if this is the case you should receive a message informing you of this if you try to send them a Private Message.

How can I prevent someone from sending me Private Messages

If you do find that you are getting unwanted Private Messages from a user you can block them from sending you Private Messages. To do this go into the Private Messaging system and go to your buddy list. Go to add the user as a buddy, but instead choose the option from the drop down list 'Not to message you', this will prevent this user from sending you anymore Private Messages.

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