Marc,

I don't want to overload you with stuff...I bet you have millions and millions of questions you are answering with the new board..but I saw something today that I have seen a few times...the last post dates are not always cronilogical (sp - can't do it without the checker LOL). I copied the screen to a bitmap if you want to see....you may already be aware of this one. Lemme know....

CarolX

E-mail me the bitmap if you can and I'll look at it. I haven't noticed any order problems, but I'm sorta in and out and miss a lot.

I was amazed that the import of the old threads went as well as it did. I was expecting total disaster like everything else in this project. A software switch and a Host switch at the same time was not the smartest thing I've ever done. I was living Murphy's Law to the extreme. I'm so happy to be 'almost' back to normal...

There might be some hiccups. Whether I can fix it depends upon what it is.

Ah! The 'Sticky' issue! Another new 'software feature'! Don't 'cha just LUV it? All sorts of new stuff to 'deal with'!

When you see 'Sticky' by the thread title, it means I (or the forum moderators - I think - I'll have to look at what they can do as opposed to what I can do with regard to 'Sticking' threads) 'stuck' the message at the top of the list for a bit so folks will see it right off on entering that forum. It's a 'new' admin option. OK - why would I do it? Well, I'm sorta making it very 'noticeable' for whatever reason. I'll have to read it again - I remember doing it - half to see the function work and half because I wanted everyone to see and read the thread.

I'll un-sticky the thread soon. Thankfully, it's not a screwed up database file. That would have really not made Marc happy. Marc would eat 1 Valium, wait 1 hour and then re-check bank balance. If the database this whole system runs on screws up - we would be talking real problems and real money. I personally can't fix anything at that level. Tears would stream from Marc's eyes... Marc would take very, very long walk to clear clouded mind and reconsider the future and, probably, to contemplate the Meaning of Life... Luckily, that's not the case.

Thanks for the observation. You never know and I do want to know about any 'bugs' or problems.

By the way, when ever you see a thread with an icon 'missing', that's where the 'import' missed a 'spot' (for lack of a better word). I try to fix them when I see them, but there's just too many threads and posts. I don't want to sit here for a week doing nothing but editing individual threads and posts. It's a cosmetic issue to me. We'll all just have to live with a few missing icons.

Marc,

Very cool feature..Thanks.

CarolX

Marc- Do you have a help screen for Moderator actions?

I've looked & looked here and don't seem to be able to find what/where to do anything but edit my own.

(nothing in my forum rules section - shows more than normal change options)

I do have the Admin dropdown - but when I go there I get a screen explaining "not authorized"

Test edit. I'm adding these words just before your 'signature' (Regards and on the next line Jim).

Regards
Jim

I'll have to check. I've never logged in as 'moderator'. I'll look and see just moderators CAN do. I'll get back to you - hopefully today - on exactly what moderators can do. In the meantime, see the following attachment. I think you have to 'right click' and the 'Download Target to Disk' on PeeCees to download it and read it.

OK. Now I get it - you want more POWER!

Here are the other 'standard' moderator 'options'.

This is kinda weird. I changed my user options for Marc Smith and played around for a few minutes. The Admin Options drop down you see - is it in the view where you see all the threads in the forum listed or in an actual thread?

If you are at the listing of threads, in a ( or the) forum you (whether alone or with someone else) are a 'Moderator' the 'Admin Options' available to a forum moderator are (or should be):

Forum Options (this is the 'default' that you first see) - just click Go and it will take you to a little 'control panel' where you can post and edit announcements and 'view' users profile (you have to enter a name and then you will see their profile - but - you can't change anything in it even though it looks like you can).

Next there are: View Posts Queue and View Attachments Queue (both are disabled - this is where the moderator has to 'approve' posts and/or attachments prior to their apprearing - which would drive everyone nuts) -- and there is Mass Move and Mass Prune (disabled - I don't want moderators trying to do some serious stuff). These should also be in the admin 'pull down' menu, but they shouldn't work.

Tell me if you see these 'options. If not - tell me what you see.

NOTE: If you go to the 'Moderator's Control Panel, you get back to the board in a subtle way. If you look up in the far upper right of the window you will see (almost grayed out) "Go To Your Forums Home Page". Waving you mouse over it will turn it yellow. Click it and you will be returned to the forum from the Moderator Control Panel.

For all intents and purposes, going to the Moderator's control panel isn't good for anything unless you want to post or edit an 'Announcement' in your forum for some reason (if you think of a reason, by all means go ahead. You're the moderator so if there's something important you have to say and you feel an 'announcement' is warranted, by all means - go ahead.

So - in the view where you see all the threads listed, thats the deal with the 'Admin Functions' drop down.

OK - Now open a thread (topic) in a forum you moderate.

You should again see the 'Admin' dropdown.

The default should read Thread Options. Click Go and an options box should show up. Everything in it should be self explanitory. You can change the thread icon, subject (title), open and close the thread, hide the thread (I'm not sure why one would want to hide a thread, but I'm still learning), and you can add a 'summary' or 'comments'. I haven't done this yet so if you add a summary I'm not sure where they will appear...

Clicking on the Admin Dropdown I see also lists:
Open / Close Thread
Move / Copy Thread
Edit Thread
Delete Thread / Posts
Merge Threads
Split Thread (like where you have a posting within a thread which is off topic, but is 'important' - you 'slice it off', so to speak, into it's own thread.)
Stick / Unstick Thread

As before, if you'll take a minute in a forum you moderate and check this out, let me know what you see. Remember - This stuff only works in forums you are a/the moderator of.

When you have a thread open and are reading all the posts, you can edit posts others have made right at their post. Just click on the 'edit' button for that post at the bottom of the post on the right. As with the old UltimateBB after you edit the post there will be an 'Edited by...' with date and time added to the post.

You can also Delete the post here if you have a good reason to (look at the TOP of the post while in the 'edit' screen). Please think twice before you delete a post for any reason!!

NOTE: Below the text box you will see a gray 'block' titled Options: (the same one you would see if you were starting a new topic or replying to a post) Don't change these unless you have a good reason to. Especially the 'E-mail Notification' one. Remember, you're changing someone else's post. So - if E-Mail Notification is checked and you un-check it, the poster will no longer receive notification of new posts. You're editing their post and their settings for the post.

Ok - think I "got it" at least what I am seeing is darn close to what you have described!! Drop down admin's only work for "identified forums - think what was confusing me was that the admin drop-down list - although showing on each post would default to "not logged in" - unless I happend to be is the correct section..

I'll do some toying around with it this evening (even Moderators need a practice learning exercise or two.;)

Regards
Jim

Jim, Marc,

Don't you know it! Old dogs and new tricks. Thanks for the post and replies.:)

Well test one complete - I can open - close & edit without toooooo much trouble - but I quit there for now --- (don't want to go into thought process overload too quiclky :eek: ):rolleyes:

Regards
Jim

Test two seems to be successful - just one minor hang-up

All Admin option screens accounted for (the view queue - etc on the main pages - and all threads I don't mderate - none of which work - which is exactly what it supposed to do.

All editing/moving etc. pull downs are visable on the forums I do moderate and all but STICKY / UNSTICKEY work approriatley.

I seem to have a Sticky placed on a message that refuses to get "unsticky" --- I pulled down the menu to see if it had a control pannel - apparently it auto-toggled = goyt the screen telling the stickey had been successful... BUT it dosen't seem to "toggle" to unstickey and I don't get an option control panel for that process

I had thought it would toggle back to "unsticky" but so far it hasn't cooperated.

Regards
Jim

Originally posted by Jim Biz

Drop down admin's only work for "identified forums - think what was confusing me was that the admin drop-down list - although showing on each post would default to "not logged in" - unless I happened to be is the correct section...Offer to moderate, or help moderate, more forums and you'll have even More POWER!!! Tee hee hee!

As far as I can tell the Stick/Unstick dealie is like a one button on/off switch. On my browser, if I'm in a thread and go to the 'Admin' pull down menu and bring it down on a 'list item', I don't even have to press 'Go'. When I release my mouse button on the selection it goes there (or in this case runs the script). And, of course, you have to be in a thread for the menu item to appear. So - if I let go of the mouse while it's on the Stick/Unstick 'list item', it changes the thread to Sticky.

This said, if your browser is caching certain information you might have to use your 'Refresh' when you go back to the threads listing for the Sticky label to show. I have seen that happen on my peecee.

To Unstick the thread is the exact same procedure. Since it's already 'stuck', if you open the thread, go to the 'Admin' pull down and then let go of the mouse while it's on the Stick/Unstick 'list item', it changes the thread to Un-Sticky (or unstuck or whatever).

DUH!!!!!:confused:

Originally posted by Randy
DUH!!!!! :confused: Yes - all this is available to you in the 2 forums you moderate in. Now..... Aren't you glad you're a moderator???

:eek: :eek: :eek:

:rolleyes:

;)

:p

Thank you Marc

Randy - did you really "not know" you could do all that as a moderator ??

OR?? did you have it all figured out before I asked a dumb question :D

Have a good weekend everyone
Regards
Jim

I don't know about him, but in all seriousness I had little idea exactly what moderators could and could not do. I mean, I've set some 'switches', so to speak, however I had never logged in as a moderator to see what you folks actually see, what you can do, what happens if you try to do something you're not supposed to be able to do, etc. I had no idea there was a 'moderator's control panel' for example. Some stuff is the same as in the old forums - like you can edit content of and delete posts users make - which was rarely used (very seldom a need other than to correct html or 'UBB Code' errors). But a lot of little stuff in this new software - like making a message 'Sticky' - I wasn't sure about who can use it. Turns out it's built in - there's no 'switch' to turn that 'feature' on and off. For moderators and administrators it's always on - there's no 'switch' for it anywhere.

One thing I really like is that you can 'Edit Thread' and easily correct spelling errors users make in a thread title and stuff like that. And as you've noticed, I'm sure - a few threads here and there did not import their 'icon'. You can put one in to eliminate that annoying 'lost picture' symbol in thread lists very easily. I generally then open the thread first read the original post and give the post a new icon (if it lost the thread icon, it also lost the icon in the first (and possibly some later) posts. The 'import' program burped a few times...

However, all this said, my main goal is to make sure "...there are no posts with 0 replies..." and to help folks with practical, relevant answers when possible. For those of you who were here back in 1998, you probably remember for quite a while it was only little ol' me as 'moderator' in ALL forums.

I don't expect moderators to get involved in 'maintenance'. Please don't get me wrong - if you want to post an announcement, sticky a thread, correct spelling errors in thread titles and all this other stuff - that's perfectly fine with me. Right on, brother! I say this because I want moderators to know that the help in answering questions is all I ever expected. I don't want any moderator to feel responsible for a bunch of stuff like this. The main goal is to help people with questions. Doing that, I felt (and still feel) if enough in its self. I don't want to scare off moderators by expecting them to spend hours a day 'working' with board maintenance.

Again, if you have the time and don't mind doing little odds and ends (I realize some of you may actually see this stuff as 'fun') - be my guest (maybe I should say 'be my moderator'). :D If a thread title has mis-spelled words in it and you don't mind taking a minute and correcting it (or if you think the thread title should be changed to better 'fit' the thread) - by all means - do it. If you want to get involved deeper than 'just answering questions', great! I just don't want any moderator to feel what they're doing is a chore.

I can't express how much I appreciate moderators and the time you each put in answering questions. That in it's self is not always fun.

One thing no one has said much about, and I see few people use, is the Thread Rating feature.

Marc: "If I may" speak for all of our Moderators "thanks for the vote of appreciation".. We are all here to help & learn..

I too have noticed the Thread rating fuction has not "so-far" been widely used ....

Wondering if "Best/Good/Worst" is what is needed here??

Often our subject matter is so diverse.... and Best/Good /Worst - as rating criteria - will not mean the same to everyone.... given the context of the postings.

Suggestion::-Thought: - "what if"::: - Ratings (and I don't know if this is possible) were developed - changing the defined/criteria along these lines?

Most Valuable / Useful / Interesting / Old hat /Not-valid for this forum/format / Could be removed??

Regards
Jim

Marc,

I just rated a thread (this one), where do I find the results?

And count me in with Jim and the rest of the moderators!

I haven't looked at where/how the 'Rating' system works closely, but I assume it's like a poll. If you rate a thread it tallies ratings and comes up with an average.

Now - where would you use these? Well, this board has a lot of functions UltimateBB did not. One of these is when you go into a forum and view the list of all the 'topics' or threads:

In the first column headers - if you look - you will see the next to last column is labeled Rating. All of these are empty because there was nothing for the software to import from the old software.

If you go to 'near' the bottom of the page you will see you have 3 'options' for 'how you want the listing. Just after the last thread title you will see: Showing threads 1 to 25 of 25, sorted by... and then 3 'drop down' buttons across the page.

The first gives you 6 options:
Title
Post Time
Number of Replies
Number of Views
Thread Starter
Rating

The next is simply Ascending / Descending .

The last is how far back do you want to go in time for which there are 12 variables - like 'the last 2 days ' and 'the last 5 days', etc.

> Most Valuable / Useful / Interesting / Old hat /Not-valid
> for this forum/format / Could be removed??

I'll think about that. Right now my gut feeling is that the verbiage is not critical and in fact, the current wording is pretty simple. One either sees no value in it, a little value, etc, up to the max. Of course, I'm a guy - an old guy - and I will now confess a life-long sin. As I walk through the world I still sometimes look at gals and mentally rate them - the old 1 to 10 scale. This is more compressed - only 5 choices.

I agree that how a person interprets (for example) 'Best' is going to differ. But even using the words 'Most Valuable' leaves an interpretive gap amongst each person. As is the case with the definition of 'Quality', so it is with the definition of the word 'Value' - we all have a lot of interpretations of these words and the dictionary doesn't often help clarify things much. Even the word 'Useful' - well, maybe it is useful to me but not useful to you because I'm in a different business or because of some other variable. (Am I making sense here?)

Most of the people coming here probably don't notice the Rating option. Every registered user can 'Rate a Post' - not just moderators. I don't think it's a big deal really, but I will start rating threads when I'm doing some linking and such. We have had some very relevant, interesting discussion threads and that's just one way of assessing what 'the group' thinks of the thread.

This is not to say I'm suggesting we go out and have a ratings binge. One could even argue that the UltimateBB software was simpler and thus more user friendly. Now we're into 'gizmos', too.

I brought it up to begin with because this thread has become sorta the How All The Gizmos Work thread. And this is one I haven't seen used.

I'll rate this thread as well. I'll rate it high because there is a lot of good 'What's This Do?' information in it. We can watch the rating in the threads listing for this forum and see what happens.

BTW - I just tried to vote twice - it will only let you vote once. I also noticed that in the forum threads listing view it inserts stars to represent the thread's average rating. I just saw 5 stars so if only Al and I voted, we each voted it as a 5 - the highest.

Marc,

Outstanding!:) :) :) :) :)

Quick.....a Tylenol and Alka Seltzer please:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Randy
Quick.....a Tylenol and Alka Seltzer please:rolleyes: As I said, if moderators only "...ensure that no post in their forum goes unanswered..." I'm happy. The rest is for those of you who like to play with the gizmos.

> Originally posted by Jim Biz
>
> Drop down admin's only work for "identified forums - think
> what was confusing me was that the admin drop-down list -
> although showing on each post would default to "not logged
> in" - unless I happened to be is the correct section...

Yeah - the menu is apparently visible to all moderators in all forums but only has valid options when you're in a forum you're moderating. That would be confusing at first. No doubt about it.

OK, Al. This one's for YOU! The Avatars function is enabled. Go to the User CP (User Control Panel. Click on the User Options link. The last option on the page (at the very bottom of the page) is Change Avatar. Click it and you will see your options. There are a bunch - you might want to browse the pages. Or - you can upload your picture if you think you can figure out how.

I did change the 'Vote' function so you can change your vote if you want. I did have it set to not allow vote changing - when I reviewed the control planel options and saw that I figured - hey - why not (I think this applies to Rating Posts as well as 'Poll' votes). I'll have to check further. Darn - this is so complicated....

I think each of you knows you can change the 'default' title of Forum Moderator under your name in thread listings. Feel free to do so. I think I have it set for any registered user to do the same (it's in your User CP options).

As an asides, if anyone is confused because they're using the 'default' title of Forum Moderator and are in a forum they do not moderate, your 'title' will still read the same (such as Forum Moderator) even if you're not a moderator in that forum. My.... This is all so confusing...

Is "Apprentice Wizard" acceptable?

With all the new features & additions it's not easy for a simple User to keep up:biglaugh:


**** Sure like the new emocions!!

(Tried to upload a pic or two - but will need to research - how to reduce down to 60X60)

Regards
Jim

Whatever you want. Doesn't matter to me.

'Sticky' posts will now be labeled 'Important!' in Blue text in the forums listing. No big deal but I thought I'd mention it.

When one puts a URL (internet address) in a post, the URL has to 'stand on it's own', so to speak. That is to say, if you put a period (or other alpha-numeric characters) right after the URL (address) without a space, the software, when it parses the text, assumes that the period (or other characters) is part of the URL (since it is not separated by a space).

That said, if you write something like:You can see the information at www.Elsmar.com. OR You can see the information at http://Elsmar.com.Just print it out.The software sees that period (and other characters if present) at the end of the URL as PART of the URL. Sometimes the server you are trying to reach will accept the period but typically it will not and you will get an error message such as "Server Not Found" or something similar. In the second example above, you can see that not only was a period put right after the URL, the 'writer' (in this case me, of course) didn't separate the sentences with a space so the first word of the next sentence was also included in the URL - which guarantees an 'error'.

If instead you write:You can see the information at www.Elsmar.com . OR You can see the information at http://Elsmar.elsmar.com . Just print it out.Notice the space after the URL but before the period - that will ensure the software interprets the URL correctly as it parses the text.

This evening I completed a software 'upgrade' to the vBulletin software @ 1.15 am. I have to be out some tomorrow and am off to the sack soon, but it appears everything went OK. You may see some minor layout changes but most of it addressed security issues including encryption of passwords.

For the full scoop (for the technicaly minded who give a darn), see http://vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31953

Their promo reads:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
vBulletin 2.2.0 is a major update, which includes numerous
bug fixes, security improvements and feature enhancements,
including:
~ Password encryption in database
~ Server load info available in admin area
~ Multiple choice polls
~ More secure email address verification procedure
~ New usergroup permission to control attachments
~ Much more!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have done a few checks here and everything seems OK. Please - report any BUGS to me in a reply within this thread.

Thanks!

Marc

Well, since no one has any comments / complaints, I guess everything is going OK. The database appears to be sound and working fine - no broken links. I did have one user with a registration problem but I think I have that fixed. The online.php file still has a bug but the software developers said they will take a look at it for me. It does work right now - I put back in the 'old' 2.0.3 online.php file temporarily. The 'new' version had a couple of things - like inclusion of a 'jump to...' dropdown menu. But for the most part it hasn't chaged.

By the way, Who's Online (Doing What) is now an item in the 'jump to...' dropdown menu which almost every page has.

Marc - probably not a biggie at all but I have noticed in the posts that contain "Polls" (on the home page)
- it shows last post say "by Marc Nov 2"

(on the thread itself) - it shows the last written posting of Oct 27th

I'm thinking it shows a "Last Post" under the person placing the poll in the thread - each time a user votes in the poll?

It certainly is not a cause for alarm - or distrupting at all just thought you might want to know.

:bigwave:

I think that's by design, so to speak. When someone votes on a poll, the thread rises to the top. I haven't looked at the specifics, but I will look closer. The idea, I think, is to bring attention to the fact that someone has 'voted' in the poll. As I remember, there's a switch where I can turn that off - but I sorta like it that way.

> I'm thinking it shows a "Last Post" under the person
> placing the poll in the thread - each time a user votes in
> the poll

This appears to be the case.

I know one of the stated 'improvements' is supposed to be multiple choice polls. Haven't posted one lately to see what that's all about.

Isn't this fun?!? :rolleyes:

Isn't this fun?!?

Yep - its fun alright !!

:thedeal: I thought that's what was happening - sad part is I had to decide if it might be a "Bug" or not :p

Wasn't about to go into "energy paranoia" mode over it though :lick: (joke - joke - don't tell him I said that) --- (tee- hee)

Other that that - I've not seen anything that tells me the software isn't working... :bigwave:

To mark 'All forums as read', i sometimes have to click the link twice. It shows the message screen saying " ... markers will be turned off..." etc, but they don't get turned off unless the link is clicked again. Some problem with cookies on my computer?

Originally posted by Atul Khandekar

To mark 'All forums as read', I sometimes have to click the link twice. It shows the message screen saying " ... markers will be turned off..." etc, but they don't get turned off unless the link is clicked again. Some problem with cookies on my computer?I haven't used that function, but I'll check it out soon.

It sounds as if this is a 'refresh' issue. Is your browser set so that it refreshes pages or is it set to cache pages?

There is another possibility. If I go to look at Who's Online' it shows me at the page I was last on until the display automagically refreshes. It then shows me where I am and not where I just was. I believe this is because when I ask for the Who's Online display, the php file is parsed and forces a look at (takes an inventory of sorts) who actually is online and where they are. Since I just made the request for the Who's Online page it has not completed and registered and will not until the whole php file is parsed. During it's 'inventory' of who is where, it sees me at the page I was at because technically the page I am now on has not yet completely loaded (and thus has not 'registered' as a completed request). Thus, I see myself as being at the last page I was at - just prior to calling up the Who's Online php file.

Note: For technically minded, the timeout on the boards is set to about 20 minutes. This means that if you do nothing at all for 20 minutes the software assumes you have left. During those 20 minutes the database records you as being online and at the last location you requested. This is typically not an issue for anyone. It is also the 'lightbulb' timeout period. As long as you do something causing an input at least every 19 minutes your 'light bulbs' will stay lit. It is also a factor (I think) in how it determines the number for total number of users online at the same time (that blurb at the bottom of the main forums index page).

Also, check your User Control Panel Options

Next time, try clicking it (mark all forums as read) once and then clicking the 'Refresh' button on your browser (or go to another page - like another forum) and see what happens.

If this is confusing, I apologise.

Is anyone else noticing this? If this is happening to you, let me know and I'll look at it more closely.

Originally posted by Jim Biz

Yep - its fun alright !!

:thedeal: I thought that's what was happening - sad part is I had to decide if it might be a "Bug" or not :pWell, I can't tell you how much these comments help me (and others, I'm sure) understand how everything works in this software.

Originally posted by admin
There appears to be a registration 'bug'. I'm working on it.Fixed.

> I'm thinking it shows a "Last Post" under the person
> placing the poll in the thread - each time a user votes in
> the poll

I'm now thinking that when someone votes on a poll, even though they didn't post a reply, get's their name in the 'last poster' slot rather than the person who actually placed the poll in the original post (all polls are started by starting a new 'Topic' {thread}). The last post date in the thread is also updated.

Just a reminder for Moderators. Please consider this your yearly re-training... :thedeal:

The dictionary definition of a forum is a meeting or medium for the open discussion of subjects of public interest, and this is exactly what Internet-based forum software offers. You will also see such forums described as '(electronic) bulletin boards', or 'message boards'. They all mean and do pretty much the same thing.

This forum software, called 'vBulletin', is a sophisticated forum software package with lots of 'bells and whistles' and advanced features, but at it's core, there are just two simple concepts to learn: 'threads' and 'posts'.

A 'post' is any message that anyone sends to the forum for public viewing.

A 'thread' is a group of posts that (should) all relate to the same topic of discussion.

In order to participate in a discussion, a visitor to a forum has two choices:

1. Reply to an existing post.
2. Start a new thread with a new topic of discussion (in the expectation that others will read it and might post a reply).

Looking at it from another perspective - online forum software is just like having a shared or public e-mail 'in-box'. Whenever you post a message to the forum, it's like sending it to a public 'in-box' where it can be publically read. Readers of your post can choose to ignore your message (ie. do nothing), reply to it, or refer back to it at a later date (ie. who said what and when). The more people use the forum, the more the forum starts to evolve into a really useful resource of information and opinions for both new and existing 'members' of the forum.

A forum can be 'public' or 'private'. If it's public, then absolutely anyone on the planet can view the posts to that forum from any Internet-connected computer. If the forum is private, then all the functionality is the same, except only designated persons (as determined and controlled by the forum administrator) are able to view and use the forum. Access to private forums is restricted by usernames and passwords.

So forum software is particularly useful when 3 or more people have a common interest to discuss and debate. Private forums are particularly useful in facilitating communication between committees, project groups, clubs and societies, etc. Public forums are particularly useful for expressing views and opinions, finding answers to questions, or just having a good chat with others with similar interests on a global scale.

That's it! If you've read and understood all the above, then you are one step away from being able to participate in a forum discussion. All that's left now is for you to have a go yourself.

To enter a forum: click on it's name
To read the postings of a thread: click on the thread name
To start a new thread (topic of discussion): click the 'new thread' button
To reply to a post (ie. to participate in a thread/discussion): click the 'post reply' button.

If you're comfortable with the basics, and want to learn a little more about some of the intermediate-advanced features, click on the 'faq' button towards the top right hand corner of every page.

This is a bump - the last post was after the changes back in 2001 - but we can address some of the new stuff in this thread, I suppose. Some of the things are the same so it sorta makes sense. It's not a terribly long thread.