Forum FAQs

Firstly, for the latest forum features click here.

Posting on the forums:

You must be logged on to post in any of the forums.

Pinned or sticky threads are shown in pink at the top of each forum. These are topics which are marked for your attention.

Once in the forums you can start a new thread by clicking on ‘Add New Topic.’ This means you will be starting a new discussion within the chosen category within the forums.

You can read a thread by clicking on the title of the thread.

If you would like to respond to the thread, select ‘Add New Post.’ To quote another user in your response select ‘Reply to this post here.’

Styling your post:

When replying to a post, you can make text bold, italic or underlined by selecting the text and clicking B, I or U.

Adding an Image:

You can insert an image into your post by selecting the icon of a tree and choosing an image from your computer to upload. Please ensure it does not measure more than 600 pixels wide and is RGB jpg or gif in format, otherwise it may not show properly.

Adding a Link:

To add a link to your post, highlight the text which you would like to link from, select the icon of a chain link and paste the url into the appropriate box. Please do not post links to other forums, your own business or any other site which contravenes our Community Standards. These will be removed.

Inserting a Smiley:

You can also insert smiley faces, or change the colour and font of your post by selecting the appropriate icons from the toolbar at the bottom.

Previewing your post:

To preview your message before posting, select the magnifying glass in the bottom right corner.

Asking a Question:

If you would like to mark your post as a question, simply check the box marked ‘Mark this post as a QUESTION.’ Threads which have been marked as a question are differentiated on the boards by a question mark icon.

Adding a Poll:

If you are the original poster and you would like to include a poll in your topic, select ‘Add poll to this discussion’ and create your question and options in the usual way. Threads which include polls are differentiated on the boards by a graph icon.

Editing or deleting your post:

Once you have posted your message, you can edit or delete it by clicking on those icons at the bottom of your post.

Forum Admin:

The ‘Report Abuse’ icon automatically generates a message to the board moderators alerting them to message which you consider to be in breach of the community standards.

To view new posts since your last visit, look for the gold star icon next to thread names. Click on this star and you will be taken to the most recent post in that thread.

Personas:

Our forums give you the opportunity to create a persona to share some more information about yourself, such as a photograph and brief bio. Please be aware of the dangers of posting personal information online. It is not a good idea to include information about your address, phone number, place of work or study or your full name. Any information posted online is accessible to all, so please be alert and careful about the amount of information you share online.

Your Persona also allows you to update your status, add friends, send messages to your friends and view your past activity on the forums.

Creating your Persona:

To create your persona, simply click on ‘Edit My Profile’ and you will be taken to a page where you can upload an image and insert your biography.

You can adjust your personal forum settings by selecting ‘Preferences’ and following the instructions for privacy, notifications and signature. The default privacy setting is public, however you have the option to change this under Preferences > Persona Privacy.

Adding a Friend:

Click on ‘Edit Your Profile’ then select the ‘People tab.’ Here you can view your current friends, as well as any pending requests from other users.

To add a friend, simply locate them in the forum message boards and click on their name. This will take you to their Persona page, where you have the option to ‘add as a friend.’ This icon is located beneath the profile picture.

Interacting with other Personas:

Once you are accepted as a friend of another forum user, you have access to their Persona (if they have selected the ‘friends only’ security setting.)

You can also send them messages in the form of a ‘comment.’ To do this, simply click on ‘Feed’ then ‘Write a Comment’ and ‘Add.’ You can also recommend your friends, remove them from your friend list, or report them as abusive using the controls beneath the main profile picture.

The orange icon at the bottom of the left-hand control panel allows you to create a RSS feed of your friend’s posts so that you never miss one.