How to use the forum

This FAQ explains how to use the various functions of the forum.

These guidelines are still under development and we will update them with further information as soon as we can.

It’s important to also read the Terms and Conditions and the forum rules before posting.

Privacy – please note that all messages are seen by everyone and not private. The privacy refers to the forum being for members only and not for public viewing.

The forum is divided into several sections e.g. Message board, Talk to staff and directors

To view a particular section click on the title. You will then be taken through to that section where you can view the various Topics.

Click on Topic to read all the posts related to that topic. The most recent post will be displayed at the top of the topic.

To create a new topic – do the following:

Scroll down to the bottom of the main forum page until you see the following box:

Topic title is what appears at the top of a topic page and also in the main page for a particular forum page.

The next box is where you enter the text for the text that will appear as the first post in the topic thread. There are options for formatting as you would expect from any word processor like bold, italic and underlined text.

Topic tags are where you can add keywords to the particular topic that can link multiple topics together. It is not a required field.

Before you click on submit, make sure to click the box next to Notify me… as this will send an email to you when someone replies to the topic you have made.

When you have filled all this in click on Submit to create the topic.

To reply to a topic that has already been created – you do the following.

Scroll down the topic page until you see this box:

Type in the text box what you want to say.

Like when creating a topic you can add tags to make the search easier. Before submitting make sure to click the box next to Notify me… to make sure you get notified when someone replies to your reply.

When you are done, click on Submit.

You can add a maximum of 4 attachments to a topic or reply. There is a file size limit of 2mb.

To tag or “mention” another user when replying to a topic type @username. Username is the person’s name in the forum. This is typically their first name and last name e.g. @ janesmith (no spaces/all lower case/). You can see the usernames of people under their full name alongside their posts or replies.

If you add a mention, the person in question will receive a notification by email that they have been mentioned.

Your profile information can be accessed by clicking your portrait on the left hand side.

 

Within your profiles you can see the following:

The topics you have created, the replies you have made, favourite forum topics, subscribed forum topics and you can also edit your profile.

In the edit your profile section you change your contact details as well as display and account information. If you already have a Gravatar account you will be able to add your photo. Your image appears on any WordPress site where you already have a profile. Please note this is not available via the Society website. It is a separate arrangement.

 

 

Edit: Allows you to edit the text of your reply.

Reply: Sends you to the bottom of the page so you can use reply text box.

Favourite: Marks it as a favourite, which you can access from within your profile page.

Subscribe: Subscribes you to the topic so that you will receive notifications when the topic is replied to.