Page 2 General Board Usage

Can I search the board? Can I send email to other members of this board? What is Private Messaging? How do I use the Member List? How do I use the calendar? How do I rate a thread?

Can I search the board? You can search for posts based on username, word(s) in the post or just in the subject, by date, and only in particular forums. To access the search feature, click on the "search" link at the top of most pages. You can search any forum.

Can I send email to other members of this board? Yes! To send an email to another member, you can either locate the member you want to contact on the member list, or click the button on any post made by that member. This will usually open a page that contains a form where you can enter your message. When you have finished typing your message, press the [send email] button and your message will be sent instantly. Note that for privacy reasons, the email address of the recipient is not revealed to you during this process. Note that if you can not find an email button or link for a member, it means that the member in question has specified that they do not wish to receive email from other members of the board. Another useful email function is the ability to send a friend a link to a thread you think they may find interesting. Whenever you view a thread, you will find a link somewhere on the page which will allow you to send a brief message to anyone you like.  Members may also send messages to other members of this board using the private messaging system.

What is Private Messaging? Registered members may send each other private messages. Sending Private Messages Private messages work a little like email, but are limited to registered members of this board. You will be able to include vB Code, smilies and images in private messages that you send. You may send a private message to a member of this board by clicking the 'Send A Private Message' link in the private messaging section of your user control panel, or by clicking the button in a member's posts. Private messages are just that. Not even the administrator has access to private message folders. When you send a message, you have the option to save a copy of the message in your Sent Items folder. Private Message Folders By default, you will have two folders in your private message area. These are the Inbox and the Sent Items folders. The Inbox folder contains any new messages you receive, and allows you to view all the messages you have received, along with the name of the person who sent the message to you, and the date and time the message was sent. The Sent Items folder contains a copy of any messages that you have sent, where you have specified that you wish to keep a copy of the message for future reference. You may create additional folders for your messages by clicking the 'Edit Folders' link. Each folder has a set of message controls which allow you to select messages, then either move them to one of your custom folders, or delete them completely. You may also have a button which allows you to forward multiple messages from a folder to another member of the board. You will need to periodically delete old messages, as there is a limit to the number of private messages you can have in your folders. If you exceed the number of messages specified, you will not be able to send or receive new messages until you delete some old messages. Whenever you read a message, you will have the option to reply to the message, or forward that message to another member of the board. You may also have the ability to forward that message to multiple members of your buddy list. Message Tracking When you send a new private message, you may have the option to request a read-receipt for that message. This will allow you to check whether or not a message has been read by its recipient by viewing the Private Message Tracking page. This page is divided into two sections: unread messages and read messages. The unread messages section shows all messages that you have sent with a read-receipt request, that have not yet been read by their recipient. The time of the last activity of the message recipient is also shown. Messages in this section can be cancelled if you decide that their contents are no longer relevant, or for any other reason. Cancelled messages can also be restored to active status if the administrator has enabled this feature. The read messages section shows all messages you have sent with a receipt request that have been read and acknowledged by their recipient. The time that the message was read is also shown. You may choose to end the tracking on any message you choose by selecting the message and clicking the [end tracking] button. When you receive a message with a read-receipt request, you may have the option to read the message while denying the read-receipt request. To do this, simply click the 'deny receipt' link rather than the title of the message, if it appears.

How do I use the Member List? The member list contains a complete list of all the registered members of this board. You can view the member list ordered alphabetically by username, by the date that the member joined the board, or by the number of posts the members have made. The member list also has a search function, which allows you to quickly locate members according to categories you specify, such as searching for all members who have joined in the past week etc.

How do I use the calendar? There are three types of events on the calendar: public events, private events and birthdays. Public events are entered by members and are viewable by anybody. Private events can be entered and edited by any registered member, and are viewable only to the user who entered the event on the calendar. Private events enable you to use the calendar as your own personal online diary, entering engagements and events for any date you like. If you are a registered member, you can enter a new private event on the calendar here. Birthdays will be shown on the calendar. Your birthday will automatically be shown on the calendar if you have entered the date of your birthday in your profile. Note: if you do not enter the year of your birth when you edit your profile, your age will not be shown on the calendar. If you enter your birthday, your name will also appear on the main forum page when it is your birthday.

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