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Registering
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Do I have to register to use the forums?
Registration is not required for reading the forums, but is required for the following:
- Posting
- Private Messages
- Buddy List
- Subscriptions
- Customizing your forum experience
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Does it cost anything to be a member?
No.
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How do I register?
Click on "Register Today!" in the top right corner. The Terms and Conditions for using the forum will be presented.
Once you read and accept them, you will be asked to fill out a form with some basic information and preferences.
Once you submit the form, you will be sent an activation email. You must click the link in the email
to activate your account. Until this is done you will not be able to login. Please note the following:
- Username must be unique (not used by another member)
- Email address must be unique (not used by another member)
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I registered but have not received my activation email. What should I do?
Send an email containing your username from the email account you registered with to [email protected].
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Browsing Forums
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Can I adjust the post times to reflect my time zone?
Yes. Click on My Forums > My Preferences and change "Time Zone" to your time zone.
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Can I prevent signatures from appearing in posts?
Yes. Click on My Forums > My Preferences and uncheck the "Show members signatures..." option.
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Can I prevent images from appearing in posts?
Yes. Click on My Forums > My Preferences and uncheck the "Show images that are.." option.
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Can I change the order of the posts in a topic?
If you are a registered member, yes. There are 2 choices:
- Oldest posts first - this will show posts in order of post time from oldest to newest
- Newest posts first - this will show posts in order of post time from newest to oldest
Click on My Forums > My Preferences and change the "Default topic view.." option so the site will
remember which option you prefer.
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Can I tell if another member is on the forums?
It depends. If the member has allowed their online status to be viewed, you will see a status indicator under
their username that will either say "online" or "offline". It will be accurate to 10
minutes of user activity on the forums. If they member has chosen not allow other members to see if they are
on the forums, you will either see the word "unknown" or nothing at all.
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Posting Messages
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Is HTML allowed in messages?
No. HTML is not allowed due to it's ability to break a page when used incorrectly. You can use 4UMS code instead.
It offers basic HTML functionality such as bolding words, linking to other sites, linking to an image.
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How do I edit my own posts?
Once you find the post you would actually like to edit, click on the edit link for that post.
You must be the author of the message to edit it. Once this is verified, you can make changes to the post
including changing the message or adding/removing your signature.
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Can I attach a file to my message?
No. We encourage you to place a link to a remote file if needed.
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How do I add a signature to my posts?
When you are editing your preferences, there is an option to enter in your "Signature". HTML is not allowed
in signatures for the same reason it's now allowed in messages. You can use the 4UMS code instead. When posting
a message, check the option labeled "Append Signature" to have your signature appear at the bottom of your post.
There is a setting in your profile that will allow you to default your signature to automatically append or not.
This can be changed on each individual post you make.
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My Forums
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How do I login?
Click the "login here" link at the top right of the page. You will be asked to enter your username and your
password. Once validated, you will be taken to your My Forums page. Once you have logged in successfully,
a cookie will be saved with your browser so you will not have to login each visit to the forums. You will be
prompted to confirm your password on subsequent visits when trying to access your personal information or
your private messages.
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How do I logout?
Click the "logout" link at the top right of the page. This will remove your cookies so the site will not
identify you.
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Can I change my username and/or password?
You may change your password but not your username. Only an administrator can change your username. You can
request to have your username changed by sending an email to [email protected].
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What if I have lost my username and/or password?
If you have lost your password or username, there is an option on the "Login" page for you to
retrieve them. You must provide the email address that you registered with and we will we send your
username and password to you.
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Can I prevent my email address from being viewed?
You can hide your email address from other users if you wish.
Click on My Forums > My Preferences and select the option to 'Hide your Email address from other users'.
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Subscriptions
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Can I be notified when a reply is posted to a specific topic?
Yes. When viewing the topic you wish to be notified of, click the "Subscribe to Topic" link. You can have
notifications sent to your email address or the topic will just appear on your My Forums page under "Topic
Subscriptions".
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Can I be notified when a topic is posted in a specific forum?
Yes. When viewing the forum you wish to be notified of, click the "Subscribe to Forum" link. You can have
notifications sent to your email address or the forum will just appear on your My Forums page under "Forum
Subscriptions".
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Can I be notified when a post is made by a specific member?
Yes. Under their username, click the "Notify me of new posts" link. You can have
notifications sent to your email address or the forum will just appear on your My Forums page under "Member
Subscriptions".
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How can I stop receiving notifications?
Click on My Forums. Find the subscription you wish to stop receiving notifications for and click "Off" next to email notifications.
You can also unsubscribe from it entirely.
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Private Messages
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What are private messages?
Private messages are a cross between email and instant messages. They allow you to communicate one-on-one
with other members of the forums. They are only seen by the sender and the recipient.
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How do I send a private message?
Click on "Private Messages" at the top right of a forum page. Click the "New Message" link. Enter the recipient name or
select one from your Buddy List. If you want to save a copy of the message in your "Sent" folder, check
the "Save copy in Sent folder" option. This will allow you to know when the recipient has read the message.
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Can I prevent other members from sending me private messages?
Yes. You have 3 options. You can prevent all members from sending you messages, prevent individual members or only
allow members on your Buddy List to send you private messages.
To change this setting, click My Forums > My Preferences and select the appropriate option for "Private Messages".
To block individual members click My Forums > Member Blocking. Enter the username of the member you wish to block.
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Can I send a private message to more than one member?
No. You can only send a private message to one member at a time.
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Can I forward a private message to another member?
No. You can however copy the message and paste it into a new message.
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Can I move Sent items to another folder?
No. You can export them to a text file that you can save on your computer.
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Blocking Members
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Can I prevent another members posts from appearing?
Kind of. You can add a member to your blocked list and check the option "Block members posts from appearing...".
When viewing a list of topics, their topics will still show. When viewing the topic, the post(s) will not
show. Instead, a placeholder will indicate the post has been blocked.
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Can I block administrators or moderators?
No.
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Will a member know if I have them blocked?
They will know if you have them blocked from sending you private messages if they attempt to send you a private message.
They will not know you have blocked their posts from showing.
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My Buddy List
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What is a Buddy List?
Your Buddy List is simply a way to keep up with your forum friends. You can quickly see the online status of members
in your Buddy List and also send them a Private Message easily.
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Miscellaneous
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When loading a page I get an error message. What does it mean?
Usually this is caused by a heavy load on our servers. If the page does not load within
a certain amount of time it will "timeout" and you will receive the error message. Try loading the page again. Most of the
time it will load successfully on the second try. Sometimes there is another cause for the error. In either case, when you
receive the error page an email containing the details of the error is sent to our tech people to investigate.
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If a forum rule has been broken, what should I do?
If you feel that any of the forum rules have been broken, please contact one of the Administrators or Moderators of these forums.
We will gladly take action to resolve any open issues.
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