David Bailey
28th-November-2006, 12:16 PM
<h2>How do I...?</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="#howtoreply">How do I post a reply?</a>
<li><a href="#startathread">How do I start a thread?</a>
<li><a href="#startapoll">How do I start a poll?</a>
<li><a href="#howtoquote">How do I use quotes in my posts?</a>
<li><a href="#postalink">How do I post a link to another post?</a>
<li><a href="#whatisrep">What is "rep"?</a>
<li><a href="#whatispower">What is "power"?</a>
<li><a href="#giverep">How do I give rep?</a>
</ul>
<a name="howtoreply"></a>
<b>How do I post a reply?</b>
To post a standard reply, click the "ADD NEW REPLY" button at the bottom of the page, to make a blank editor box appear. Enter your reply, then click the <b>Submit Reply</b> button – you can click the <b>Preview Post</b> button beforehand to see what your reply will look like.
<p>Alternatively, to post a Quick Reply, click the “QUICK REPLY” button at the bottom right of any post, then a blank text box appears. To put <i>emoticons</i>, <i>quotes</i> or other special features in your text, you can either use <i>tags</i>, or click the "go advanced" button to take you to the normal editor as described above.
<p><b>Note:</b> We strongly recommend you make use of the Preview button, especially if you are new to forum posting - it's very useful for checking that your post looks the way you want it to.
<a name="howtoquote"></a>
<b>How do I use quotes in my posts?</b>
<p>If you click the "QUOTE" button to the bottom right of a post, the standard reply editor will open, with the whole post quoted for you. For more advanced use of quotes within your post, you can:
<ul>
<li><i>Only quote a bit of text </i>
<br>Just delete the text you don't want. Try not to take stuff out of context and when doing this, you may want to use ~snip~ or ... to indicate that text has been removed. Please, do <b>not</b> quote all of a long post again in your reply: trim it down to a few relevant lines - assume people have already read it.
<li><i>Create manual quotes</i>
<br>The forum "recognizes" quotes as any body of text between a <b>
</b> tag and a <b></b> tag - so all you need to do is put relevant text between tags like that and you are quoting.
<li><i>Split a quote</i>
<br>To reply to a bit of a post, then another bit; just add an end <b>[/quote]</b> tag, type in your reply, and start the quote again with a <b>[quote]</b> tag.
<li><i>Quote from multiple posts</i>
<br>The <b>"</b> symbol between the <b>QUOTE</b> and the <b>QUICK REPLY</b> buttons allows you to quote multiple posts in a single reply - simply click on that symbol for each relevant post you want to quote, then click on the <b>ADD NEW REPLY</b> button as normal - the selected posts will then be placed in your reply automatically as quotes.
</ul>
<a name="startathread"></a>
<b>How do I start a thread?</b>
It's simple to start a thread: go to the area of the forum you think the post is relevant to (for example, “Let’s Talk About Dance > Beginner’s Corner”) then click the "CREATE NEW THREAD" button.
<p>Remember that the "Title" appears when people are browsing, so give good summaries.
<p>You can also attach an icon to the post to give a quick visual clue as to the nature of it.
<a name="startapoll"></a>
<b>How do I start a poll?</b>
To start a poll, you will find an option at the bottom of a new thread post alongside a numerical field for how many choices you want. Type in the main body of your text, tick this box and click "submit new thread" - you will be taken to a page with the multiple choice options and other tic boxes to control the poll’s behaviour.
<p><b>Note 1</b>: once the post has been submitted, you cannot change the text of your options, add/remove any other options, or change it from a ‘public poll’ to a ‘private poll’: so be careful!
<p><b>Note 2</b>: You should always set an expiry date for polls, especially for those relating to specific events. Otherwise, people voting on those polls years later can resurrect the thread without adding useful content to it.
<a name="postalink"></a>
<b>How do I post a link to another post?</b>
You can link to any post or web site, by copying the site address (CTRL+C), then simply copying that address into your post – it will be automatically converted into a link when you submit that post.
<p>To link to a specific post within a thread, add “&p={number}” to the end of the address – for example, <u>&p=8888</u>. The easiest way to find this number is to hover over a link or button at the bottom of the post that refers to it:
<p>The rate link (scales), the report link (warning triangle), the QUOTE button and the QUICK REPLY button all link to this number.
<a name="whatisrep"></a>
<b>What is “rep”? </b>
When you look under everyone's name/avatar there are green 'pips' - hover over them and it will say something like "forum member has a magnificent glow about them".
<p>These pips are based on an accumulation of <i>reputation</i> (“rep”) points, as is the pop-up description. Everyone starts at one pip; you get more pip when you accumulate more reputation. Everyone starts with 10 points of rep.
<a name="whatispower"></a>
<b>What is “power”? </b>
Power defines how many “rep” points you can give (see “How do I give rep”).
<p>Power values are based on an arcane and frequently-changed formula ("forumula") determined by Franck (don't try to figure it out, as he'll change it if you do), but values depend on your current reputation, the number of posts you have posted and the length of time you have been a member of the forum. Everyone starts with power 0, and gains 1 point after the first 10 posts.
<a name="giverep"></a>
<b>How do I give rep?</b>
To gain / lose reputation, anyone can click on the little scales (or cabbage) icon to the left of the post (beside the on-line green light) and post a comment with an "I approve" or "I disapprove" tag.
<p>To see your current rep, click the "User Control Panel" link at the top of the page and it appears: Thread/post title (linked to specific post), Good (green), bad (red) rep, Date, and Comment. A grey rep button means there is no rep gain associated with that comment.
<p>Most people add a comment like <i>"good post - I know where you're coming from. {Gadget}"</i> or <i>"What are you talking about; sheer nonsense - {Gadget}"</i>
Note the names on the end. You don't have to put your name, and if you <i>subscribe</i> you can tell who the rep is from, but otherwise you may not know who has complimented / dissed you.
<p><b>Note:</b> For some forum areas (such as "forum suggestions" or "Let's talk about dance"), your rep given will increase - this reflects the additional value that these areas are seen to have over areas such as "chit chat". Think "double clubcard points".
<ul>
<li><a href="#howtoreply">How do I post a reply?</a>
<li><a href="#startathread">How do I start a thread?</a>
<li><a href="#startapoll">How do I start a poll?</a>
<li><a href="#howtoquote">How do I use quotes in my posts?</a>
<li><a href="#postalink">How do I post a link to another post?</a>
<li><a href="#whatisrep">What is "rep"?</a>
<li><a href="#whatispower">What is "power"?</a>
<li><a href="#giverep">How do I give rep?</a>
</ul>
<a name="howtoreply"></a>
<b>How do I post a reply?</b>
To post a standard reply, click the "ADD NEW REPLY" button at the bottom of the page, to make a blank editor box appear. Enter your reply, then click the <b>Submit Reply</b> button – you can click the <b>Preview Post</b> button beforehand to see what your reply will look like.
<p>Alternatively, to post a Quick Reply, click the “QUICK REPLY” button at the bottom right of any post, then a blank text box appears. To put <i>emoticons</i>, <i>quotes</i> or other special features in your text, you can either use <i>tags</i>, or click the "go advanced" button to take you to the normal editor as described above.
<p><b>Note:</b> We strongly recommend you make use of the Preview button, especially if you are new to forum posting - it's very useful for checking that your post looks the way you want it to.
<a name="howtoquote"></a>
<b>How do I use quotes in my posts?</b>
<p>If you click the "QUOTE" button to the bottom right of a post, the standard reply editor will open, with the whole post quoted for you. For more advanced use of quotes within your post, you can:
<ul>
<li><i>Only quote a bit of text </i>
<br>Just delete the text you don't want. Try not to take stuff out of context and when doing this, you may want to use ~snip~ or ... to indicate that text has been removed. Please, do <b>not</b> quote all of a long post again in your reply: trim it down to a few relevant lines - assume people have already read it.
<li><i>Create manual quotes</i>
<br>The forum "recognizes" quotes as any body of text between a <b>
</b> tag and a <b></b> tag - so all you need to do is put relevant text between tags like that and you are quoting.
<li><i>Split a quote</i>
<br>To reply to a bit of a post, then another bit; just add an end <b>[/quote]</b> tag, type in your reply, and start the quote again with a <b>[quote]</b> tag.
<li><i>Quote from multiple posts</i>
<br>The <b>"</b> symbol between the <b>QUOTE</b> and the <b>QUICK REPLY</b> buttons allows you to quote multiple posts in a single reply - simply click on that symbol for each relevant post you want to quote, then click on the <b>ADD NEW REPLY</b> button as normal - the selected posts will then be placed in your reply automatically as quotes.
</ul>
<a name="startathread"></a>
<b>How do I start a thread?</b>
It's simple to start a thread: go to the area of the forum you think the post is relevant to (for example, “Let’s Talk About Dance > Beginner’s Corner”) then click the "CREATE NEW THREAD" button.
<p>Remember that the "Title" appears when people are browsing, so give good summaries.
<p>You can also attach an icon to the post to give a quick visual clue as to the nature of it.
<a name="startapoll"></a>
<b>How do I start a poll?</b>
To start a poll, you will find an option at the bottom of a new thread post alongside a numerical field for how many choices you want. Type in the main body of your text, tick this box and click "submit new thread" - you will be taken to a page with the multiple choice options and other tic boxes to control the poll’s behaviour.
<p><b>Note 1</b>: once the post has been submitted, you cannot change the text of your options, add/remove any other options, or change it from a ‘public poll’ to a ‘private poll’: so be careful!
<p><b>Note 2</b>: You should always set an expiry date for polls, especially for those relating to specific events. Otherwise, people voting on those polls years later can resurrect the thread without adding useful content to it.
<a name="postalink"></a>
<b>How do I post a link to another post?</b>
You can link to any post or web site, by copying the site address (CTRL+C), then simply copying that address into your post – it will be automatically converted into a link when you submit that post.
<p>To link to a specific post within a thread, add “&p={number}” to the end of the address – for example, <u>&p=8888</u>. The easiest way to find this number is to hover over a link or button at the bottom of the post that refers to it:
<p>The rate link (scales), the report link (warning triangle), the QUOTE button and the QUICK REPLY button all link to this number.
<a name="whatisrep"></a>
<b>What is “rep”? </b>
When you look under everyone's name/avatar there are green 'pips' - hover over them and it will say something like "forum member has a magnificent glow about them".
<p>These pips are based on an accumulation of <i>reputation</i> (“rep”) points, as is the pop-up description. Everyone starts at one pip; you get more pip when you accumulate more reputation. Everyone starts with 10 points of rep.
<a name="whatispower"></a>
<b>What is “power”? </b>
Power defines how many “rep” points you can give (see “How do I give rep”).
<p>Power values are based on an arcane and frequently-changed formula ("forumula") determined by Franck (don't try to figure it out, as he'll change it if you do), but values depend on your current reputation, the number of posts you have posted and the length of time you have been a member of the forum. Everyone starts with power 0, and gains 1 point after the first 10 posts.
<a name="giverep"></a>
<b>How do I give rep?</b>
To gain / lose reputation, anyone can click on the little scales (or cabbage) icon to the left of the post (beside the on-line green light) and post a comment with an "I approve" or "I disapprove" tag.
<p>To see your current rep, click the "User Control Panel" link at the top of the page and it appears: Thread/post title (linked to specific post), Good (green), bad (red) rep, Date, and Comment. A grey rep button means there is no rep gain associated with that comment.
<p>Most people add a comment like <i>"good post - I know where you're coming from. {Gadget}"</i> or <i>"What are you talking about; sheer nonsense - {Gadget}"</i>
Note the names on the end. You don't have to put your name, and if you <i>subscribe</i> you can tell who the rep is from, but otherwise you may not know who has complimented / dissed you.
<p><b>Note:</b> For some forum areas (such as "forum suggestions" or "Let's talk about dance"), your rep given will increase - this reflects the additional value that these areas are seen to have over areas such as "chit chat". Think "double clubcard points".