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Below are some of the other functions related to
navigation and use of the forum
| Editing Posted Messages | ||||
The forum software is extremely reliable and totally redundant and
can be completely and totally regenerated from data files. Once the total number
of messages in the forum reach 1600, the entire message body will be archived
and the primary forum will start over.
Cookies are small informational type files that some web sites use to track
user's preferences and use history. These files are stored on your computer
and accessed or updated every time you visit that specific website.
This BBS software uses cookies to identify every user as a unique individual
and provide some of the automated form filling & such when you move from one
page to another or automatically identify you every time you visit the BBS.
Please note that the RV Web website itself does not implement these cookies or use them for anything else.
If you have your browser set up to notify you every time a cookie is placed
or queried, it may get pretty annoying.
Personally, I turned this feature on back when I first started using the internet
but have since turned it off because I got tired of answering yes to cookies
all of the time. I have never had any problems with cookie notification off.
The BBS has a feature that will force user's to allow cookies but I have it turned off and you may disallow cookies if you want but you will probably have to supply more info manually and it may cripple some other functions also. You can also eliminate some of the insertions by disabeling Java Scripts on you browser. The ultimate solution is to use a Cookie Manager like Cookie Pal.
When you first enter the message board, you will see all of the existing topics with the most recent at the top of the list and replies are staggered beneath each original post.
The following information relates to the fields displayed for each post:
Subject: The message subject
Author: The author of the post (a small ® symbol indicates the author is registered user.)
Date: The date and time of the post.
Number of reads: Number of times the post has been read from a unique IP address (or user). This works identical to a page counter and is handy if you are selling somthing.
Message Size: in bytes (I currently have this disabled to limit line length)
Image: If you added an image link to your message, an "image" label will appear after Message Size.
Rate it: Is a link you can click on and rate the post on a scale of 1 to 5.(see below)
To view the details on a topic, simply click on it, or one of the replies in the "tree" below it. You can post your own reply to any topic by clicking on "reply" on the message viewing page.
You can post a new topic or message by using the Post Message header in the function bar at the top of page.
To modify or delete a message you have posted, click on your user ID in the message header. (You must be logged in.)
The Forum ratings software will provide up to 5 graphics images to popular post's using the following criteria.
1. Anyone will be able to rate any post on a scale of 1 to 5.
2. After any one post receives at least (2) votes the current ratings will be displayed in terms of desirable graphics or undesirable graphics..
Ie...if 2 user's rate a post at a (5), that post will get (5) desirable graphics.
On the other hand,if you get too many negative ratings, it may take some or all your good graphics.
NOTE: The graphics are constantly adjusted by your ratings on a dialy basis and may be changed up to the time your post is archived at which time it will be fixed.
Graphics character's will be representative of the forums user base.
Resolving Forum Login Problems:
Insure that the Caps Lock key on your keyboard is not on!
Your User ID for the forum is not case sensitive but your password is.
If you have changed your password, insure that you are using the EXACT spelling and case of the password you submitted in your user profile page or when you registered.
If you have forgotten your password, please EMail Webmaster with your name which should be your user ID and the password you wish to use. I will change your password and notify you by return email ASAP.
If Auto-mailback of new password is enabled on your forum,
you will be able to have a new password automatically mailed back to your registered
email address. When you login to the forum with an invalid password, you will
see an error message indicating same and a link that allows you to request a
new randomly generated password.
Note: you will only see this link if this feature has
been enabled on this forum.
Submit your user ID and your email address (must match
your registered user ID and email address in the forum) and submit it.
If your user ID and email address matches your registration information, you will receive a new password within 2 or three minutes by email. You should immediately change this password to something more familiare to you so you can remember it. (See the next section below on how to do this).
You may modify your user profile information at any time by clicking
on the link that appears after you first log in to the Forum titled "Modify
your user registration info"
This will bring up another screen that will display your user information. This
information is optional. The Forum software will provide automatic email notification
functions on posting replies if a valid email address is supplied.
Users will be able to view everything but your password by clicking on a link
(Author Profile) associated with any messages that you post.
CAUTION: You will have to enter your password twice,
once in each of the two required fields, to actually implement any changes made
here.
You may modify your user profile information at any time
by clicking on the link that appears after you first log in to the Forum titled
"Modify your user registration info"
This is also where and
how you may change your password at any time by simply entering a new password
in the required fields...Be careful here... as a typo in the two password fields
can lock you out of the Forum and I will have to reset it to get you back in.
If you change it, you should pick a name or something else that is familiar
to you and write it down.
The Forum requires that the user ID entered match a current associated password,
so a typo in either will fail to login.
Passwords are also case sensitive. As an example if you enter "Mypassword" as
a password, "mypassword" or "MYPASSWORD" will fail. I generally try to avoid
mixed case passwords for this very reason.
Return to Index
If this function is enabled, clicking on it will display all registered
user's and profiles. It is disabled in all RV Web forums with one exception
because I cannot limit viewing the list by unregistered user's at this time.
This is an online, real time chat room that registered members
are able to use at any time. When you enter the Chat Room, you will see a screen
that identifies you within 5 seconds. You will be able to place messages on
the chat board by typing them in the white data field below the board and clicking
on "Submit". The Chat Board refreshes
every 5 seconds and it will take anywhere from 1 to 5 seconds for your input
to appear. When your input does appear, it will be identified with your user
ID to the left of text you entered.
When you click on this link, you will be taken to the event viewer
and scheduler. Registered users may add events to the list and indicate their
intrest in scheduled events. Click on "Add new event" link to open
up the submission window. Once an event has been created, it will show up on the entry screen
with all of the information you entered displayed below it.
You will have to use the "Exit Chat"
link on lower right side of screen to return to the forum.
Enter the subject for the event and use the arrows on the time and date windows
to set a beginning and end time and date. Then fill in all other fields that
apply. You may allow user's to sign up for the event on line by checking the
box at bottom of screen.
NOTE: be sure to remove the event after it has
passed or if you just created one for test purposes.
There will be "Delete" "Modify"
"Sign Up" and "List"
links associated with each event. Only the event creator will be able to delete
or modify an event but any registered user will be able to "Sign
Up" for an event if this was enabled by the submitter. List will
show a list of user's that have signed up for the event.
Registered user's may use this capability to submit one or more
links that they feel may be useful to the forum members.
When you click on "Add a new link" it will open up a new window
that requires a link description, the full web address of the link, and a
brief discription of the link destination.
This is a link to a poll which is used by the webmaster to gage how well the forum is serving the users.
This is an indicator that indicates the page number that you are currently
viewing and the number of messages on the page.
ie...... 2-20/20 indicates that you are on page 2 and there are 20 message links
on this page.
When the message links on a page reach a predifined number set by the Administrator,
they will be automatically move to a new page and the current page will be cleared.
At that time, a new window and icon will appear in this area allowing user's
to select and jump to all pages.
This is where you post a new message topic on the forum and it will open up a window for this purpose. The items in this window are described in top to bottom order as follows:
Name: If you are a registered user, this will be automatically filled in for you.
Private Message For: If you
wish to post a private message for another registered forum user, enter that
user's ID here. The spelling must match the user's ID exactly and you can look
at a message posted by the user to get this.
WARNING: Leave this field empty to post to the
public forum area.
Email: Is your email address and it must be correct if you want any notification of replies to your message (see below). The forum software may or may not fill this in automatically depending on a number of variables, one of which is lack of an email address in your profile.
Subject: Is the subject of your post which will be displayed on the forum.
Feeling: Allows you to express your feelings, mood or how you wish the message seen by others and the little icon will appear to the left of your message in the forum and at top of your post when someone opens it.
Notify Me on Responses: If you check this box and have supplied a valid email address, the BBS software will send you an email when anyone replies to your post.
Message: This is where you put the message itself. If the label "Html tags are allowed in message body" is visible at bottom of this field, you will be able to use html as part of your text and if you check the box immediately to the right of this label, html will be displayed as plain text.
Images:
If you have image that you wish displayed, you must host it yourself
unless the forum has "file Upload"
enabled. Most Internet Service Provider's will give their users 5 to 10 Megabytes
of free web space. You will need to get your image copied to your personal web
space then provide a link to it in the Image
URL: field in the following format :
http://(myisp.com)/(myarea)/(myimage).
Where (mysisp.com) is your ISP's domain name, (myarea)
is the subdirectory for your personal area, and (myimage) is the jpeg or giff
image you want to display. The Image will appear below your message.
NOTE: Only the jpeg or giff image format is universally
supported on the web at this time.
ie.... http://(myisp.com)/(myarea)/thingamyjig.html
Use the Link Title: field to identify the above Link URL. The actual link will be replaced with Link Title when your message is posted and will appear below your message or below your Image if you posted one.
This will allow user's to search the entire forum for messages that contain specific words or strings. The window that opens will allow search inside of message body or search subject and arthor only. You can limit the date range of your search also by inserting numbers in the fields at bottom of form.
NOTE: This link is available on the Archive page also and archive search is identical to main forum search.
Allows you to collapse the threads in the forum so that only the initial
post's are visible and all replies are hidden.
This link will not appear on a forum until something is actually archived either buy a built in auto archive function or by the Administrator/Moderator to reduce clutter in the main forum. If it is visible, it will open up a new page that will be identical to the main forum but will be "Read Only" in that you will only be able to view messages here.
A "Forum" link on the archive page will return you to the main forum.
Is your "Private Forum" that no other registered or unregistered user will see. Any messages that another user posted with your user ID in the "Private Message For" field will show up here. and you will be able to post replies that will be displayed in said user's "Private Forum". This essentially allows user's to create a separate "Private" forum separate from the public forum by using the "Private Message For" capibility on the message posting page.
Opens up a window allowing new user's to register with an ID (Name) and password. I typically do not require anyone to put any other information here but an email address is nice if you use the notify-on-reply function frequently. The administrator will periodically post inportant forum information and trigger a "notify all user's" event that may be useful.
Allows registered user's to login to the forum. If you have cookies enabled on your browser, you can click on the "Remember my password" block and you should not have to enter anything here when you log in or many time you may not even have to log in if the system recognizes you from a prevoiusly placed cookie. The RV Web Network does not or will not use the cookies for any other purpose other than improving user functionality of the BBS.
Registered user's may edit , or delete,
messages they have posted to eliminate typos or add information. To do this,
simply click on your user ID just to the right of the message subject in the
Forum. If you are not logged in to the forum when you click on this link,
a rating window will open instaed of the Edit window. To delete a post, simply
click on the delete button at top of edit window.
There are some precautions and restrictions that you should be aware of when
editing your post's:
At the bottom of each posted message display, there is a "Recommend" link that will allow registered user's to email a link to this specific message to anyone. When you click on this link, it will open up a new window that allows you to insert an email address and any comments you would like to include with the message. This could be handy if you know of someone who is looking for information related to the subject of a specific post.
Enjoy
Webmaster, RV WEB NETWORK