Post by Admin on Jul 5, 2013 10:17:07 GMT -7
Welcome to the Shadow of Hope Forum!
Please read the Rules and Guidelines, and below is a Member Guide helping you to navigate the forums easier. Enjoy your stay!
Member Guide:
Here's a few tips to help you better interface with the community.
The forum is composed of Categories and Boards. Categories are 'dividers' which separate a certain 'theme' of discussion from other, somewhat more diverse 'themes'. Think of these as 'Global Topics' which are common enough and recurring enough of a subject that they get their own Category. Since this is a new forum, the Categories are set up to meet expected Global Topics of conversation which will likely occur given the nature of the board. Other Categories are those commonly found in most any other major forum. As the forum expands, new Categories may be added based on new Global Topics of conversation. Only Staff may add new Categories.
Under the Categories are sections called 'Boards'. These are sub-Categories covering topics common enough to merit their own place of discourse. Only Staff may add new Boards.
In each board, users themselves may create new 'Threads'. While the Category and Board serve for organizational purposes, the topic itself is the main impetus for actual discussion. To create a 'New Thread', that is, a new topic, look for the Category and Board which most closely fits your intended topic. Then click on the Board link to enter the Board itself. You will see a list of already started Threads and Replies in the Board. Look at each one to make sure the topic you intend to post hasn't already been covered. If it has, then do not post a new topic. Instead, reply to the already existing thread which matches yours. Once the board grows, it may be difficult to go through all the posted Threads just to find an existing topic. In the case, enter your topic thread in the 'Search' bar located in the upper right corner of the Board itself. This will show you if your topic is already being discussed.
To create a new topic, click the 'Create Thread' button in the upper right corner of the specific board you want to post in. You will be taken to a text box in which you can post your new thread. The text box has a field for entering text, but it also has some features we will cover briefly here.
First of all, it is important to note your 'Subject' field. Unlike a 'Reply' field, which is almost identical to a 'Create Thread' field, in a Crete Thread field you must enter a Subject Title. Otherwise, you will not be able to post your thread.
In the same bar as the Subject field, you will see three more buttons; 'Add Poll', 'Add Attachment' and a little gear-like wheel with an arrow. These will be explained below:
Add Poll: Allows you to attach a poll to your thread. When you click on it, you will be brought to a menu which allows you to customize your poll in certain ways. First you will write in a poll question. Then you can write in several poll option answers. You can then set the poll options, allowing responders to chose more than one answer, set the poll to lock after a certain time, and set when to show results of the poll.
Add Attachment: You can upload attachments from your computer. The 'Add Attachment' button will give you a few options to do this. It will show you the number of attachments you can upload at one time, the maximum size for each attachment, and then let you click the 'Add Files' button to retrieve those attachments form your computer.
Post Options: The little gear wheel with the arrow. When you click on this in the Create Thread option, your only available action will be the ability to bookmark the thread for easy reference.
Below the Subject bar you will notice another bar full of icons. These are used to enhance your post. These will be discussed below:
Font Face: This will show a drop-down menu with a variety of stylized text fonts you can use.
Font Size: Same as above, only regarding the size of the Font. Note you can select a portion of text with either of these options and apply the changes only to the selected text if you so chose. In all cases with the style bar, clicking a button brings up a specialized BBC code which implements the changes. Any text outside the BBC code will not be affected by the changes made within the BBC code.
Font Color: Clicking on the colored wheel will allow you to change your text color.
Bold Text: Clicking on the 'B' button gives you bold text.
Italic Script: Clicking on the 'I' button gives you italicized script.
Underlined Text: Clicking on the 'U' button with the dash on it allows you to underline your text.
Strike Through: Clicking on the 'S' button with a dash through it allows you tostrike through a word.
Superscript: Clicking on the 'A' button with the small 's' in the top right corner of the button gives you Superscript.
Subscript: Clicking on the 'A' button with the small 's' in the lower right corner gives you Subscript.
The next series of buttons in the bar allows you to completely justify your text to the right margin, center your text, justify your text to the left margin, fully justify your text on both margins, enter a table, and enter a bulleted list. There is a feature called the 'Horizontal Ruler'. When you click on the button which looks like a dash (-), it will insert a line across the width of your text.
Like so.
The next series of buttons allows you to do some interesting things, which will be explained in detail below:
Hyperlink or 'Link' Button: The button which looks like a globe and a piece of paper is the 'Link' or hyperlink function. This allows you to add a text link to your post. When you click the link button, a pop up window will display asking for 'Text' as well as a 'URL'. The text you type will be the text that will display as a link in your message. The URL is the web address you would like the word to link to. Once you have these two options filled out, click the "Create Link" button and the link will be added to your message area. You can also add a link to text you have already written in the message area. This is possible by highlighting the text you want to link to, and then click the link button. Once this is done, a pop up window will display only asking for a URL. This is the web address that you want the selected word to link to once it is clicked.
Email Button: The button which looks like an envelope with an arrow is the 'Email' function. An email link is a word that links to an email address; once the email is linked, your default email application will load allowing you to quickly send an email to the linked email address. Once you click the Email button, a pop up will display asking you for text as well as an email address. In the text field, type in the text you want to display as an email link in the message area and then type in the email address you want the word to link to. Once you have these fields are filled out, click the 'Insert Email' button and your email link will be added to the message area. If you want to add an email link to text you already have typed, select the text you want to appear as an email link and then click the Email button. In the window that pops up, type in the email address you would like the selected text to link to, and then click the Insert Email button. The selected text will then appear as an email link.
Insert Image Button: The next button which shows an image of a picture, is the 'Insert Image' button. This option will allow you to embed an image into your post using the Insert Image button. Once clicked, a popup will display asking you for an 'Image URL' as well as some 'Alt Text'. The image URL is the direct link to the image you want to have display in your post. The image will need to be hosted with a file host in order for it to successfully appear within your post. If you do not have a file host, you can consider using the 'Add Attachment' feature on the posting page instead. Once you have the image URL in place, type in some text for the image; this alt text is what will display in place of your image in the event that your image is unable to load, or will display to those who have images disabled in their browser settings. Once you have the correct info in place, click the "Insert Image" button and you should see your image in the message area.
Insert Video Button: The next button is the 'Insert Video' button. It looks like the old style cutboards used by directors in Hollywood. Once you click this button, a pop up will display asking for the Video URL, as well as be able to view a list of supported video websites. You also have the ability to link directly to a hosted video file as well. Simply paste in the URL of the video you would like to embed in your post; you can find the URL of the video either by copying directly from the web address in your web browsers address bar, or through a direct link provided by the share options of the video service you're linking from. Once you have the URL pasted in, click the "Insert Video" button at the bottom of the pop up window. Now in the posting area, you should see an image placeholder for where the video player will be positioned in your post. After you create the post, the video will display in that spot.
Insert User Link: Next is a button with the'@' symbol and the picture of a person. This allows you to tag another member of the forum into your post. When another user is tagged, they will receive a notification making them aware that they have been mentioned in your post. To insert a user link, click the Insert User Link button and you'll be asked to enter a username. Type in either the username or display name of the member you would like to tag in your post, and you should see search results as you type. Once you see the member you would like to tag in your post, click on their micro-profile and you will see their tag automatically inputted into the message area, represented in an @username format. After you create your post, the @username will convert into a link, displaying the linked members display name.
Insert Code Button: If you have some coding to share, you can use the code box to isolate the code from the rest of your message. This code box will prevent any styling or smiley images from appearing within the code you provide, allowing your code to display as intended. To add a code box to your message, click the Insert Code button and in the message area you should see an outline of a table, with default text that reads 'Insert Code Here'. Replace this default text with the code you would like to share in your post.
Quote Function Button: The 'Insert Quote' button allows you to insert a quote box into your message area. Once this button is clicked, you will see an outline of a table in the message area with the default text of 'Insert Quote Here'. Replace this text with the words you want to appear inside the quote box.
Emoticons (Insert Smiley):By default, every ProBoards hosted forum comes with 30 standard Emoticon images that you can use in your posts. You can call these smiley images by adding their tags into the message area (ie. : ) would turn into once your post is made), or you can click the 'Insert Smiley' button and you'll be presented with a list of all the smileys that are available to use. Simply click on the preview of the image that you want to use in your post and you should see the image appear in your message text. Also in this menu is the ability to disable smiles, which will prevent the smiley images from appearing in your post and will show their calling tags instead.
When you have your post as you think you want it, you can enter a 'Preview' mode which will allow you edit the text while still seeing how it will look in the final post. To do this, click on the 'Preview' button in the lower-left corner. Once you enter Preview Mode, or are in the 'Reply' message box, you will have an additional icon, an italicized 'F', underlined, with a red circle with a diagonal slash through it. This button will remove all styling from your post if you click on it.
When viewing a thread, you have four actions available to you in the drop-down menu box titled 'Actions'. The actions you may chose are 'Select Post, 'Link to Post', 'Report Post', 'Member' and 'Bookmark'.
We will be discussing the 'Report Post' and 'Member' functions, as the others are self-explanatory.
Report Post: If there is a posting on the forum that requires a forum staff member's attention, such as a post that is breaking the forum rules, you can report the post using the Report Post tool. To use this, locate the post that requires a staff members attention, then click the Post Options button located in the top-right hand corner of the post. Then click the Report Post option provided.
Once the Report Post option is clicked, a pop up window will display asking you to provide a reason. In a maximum of 256 characters, describe why you are reporting the selected post to forum staff and then click the Report Post button located in the bottom of the Report Post pop up window. Once the Report Post button has been clicked, you will receive a confirmation notice that the post has been reported.
After you have reported a post, it is up to the forum staff to review your report and to come to a decision on what to do with the report. You will not be notified of any action taken unless a forum staff member has messaged you to make you aware of those details.
Member: When you select the 'Member' function, you can use the menu that pops-up to send either a message or a gift to the posting member.
Hopefully these tips, when combined with the Rules and Guidelines, will allow you to enjoy your stay at our forums with minimal hassle and reduce the learning curve for new forum users. Enjoy your time with us!
Please read the Rules and Guidelines, and below is a Member Guide helping you to navigate the forums easier. Enjoy your stay!
Member Guide:
Here's a few tips to help you better interface with the community.
The forum is composed of Categories and Boards. Categories are 'dividers' which separate a certain 'theme' of discussion from other, somewhat more diverse 'themes'. Think of these as 'Global Topics' which are common enough and recurring enough of a subject that they get their own Category. Since this is a new forum, the Categories are set up to meet expected Global Topics of conversation which will likely occur given the nature of the board. Other Categories are those commonly found in most any other major forum. As the forum expands, new Categories may be added based on new Global Topics of conversation. Only Staff may add new Categories.
Under the Categories are sections called 'Boards'. These are sub-Categories covering topics common enough to merit their own place of discourse. Only Staff may add new Boards.
In each board, users themselves may create new 'Threads'. While the Category and Board serve for organizational purposes, the topic itself is the main impetus for actual discussion. To create a 'New Thread', that is, a new topic, look for the Category and Board which most closely fits your intended topic. Then click on the Board link to enter the Board itself. You will see a list of already started Threads and Replies in the Board. Look at each one to make sure the topic you intend to post hasn't already been covered. If it has, then do not post a new topic. Instead, reply to the already existing thread which matches yours. Once the board grows, it may be difficult to go through all the posted Threads just to find an existing topic. In the case, enter your topic thread in the 'Search' bar located in the upper right corner of the Board itself. This will show you if your topic is already being discussed.
To create a new topic, click the 'Create Thread' button in the upper right corner of the specific board you want to post in. You will be taken to a text box in which you can post your new thread. The text box has a field for entering text, but it also has some features we will cover briefly here.
First of all, it is important to note your 'Subject' field. Unlike a 'Reply' field, which is almost identical to a 'Create Thread' field, in a Crete Thread field you must enter a Subject Title. Otherwise, you will not be able to post your thread.
In the same bar as the Subject field, you will see three more buttons; 'Add Poll', 'Add Attachment' and a little gear-like wheel with an arrow. These will be explained below:
Add Poll: Allows you to attach a poll to your thread. When you click on it, you will be brought to a menu which allows you to customize your poll in certain ways. First you will write in a poll question. Then you can write in several poll option answers. You can then set the poll options, allowing responders to chose more than one answer, set the poll to lock after a certain time, and set when to show results of the poll.
Add Attachment: You can upload attachments from your computer. The 'Add Attachment' button will give you a few options to do this. It will show you the number of attachments you can upload at one time, the maximum size for each attachment, and then let you click the 'Add Files' button to retrieve those attachments form your computer.
Post Options: The little gear wheel with the arrow. When you click on this in the Create Thread option, your only available action will be the ability to bookmark the thread for easy reference.
Below the Subject bar you will notice another bar full of icons. These are used to enhance your post. These will be discussed below:
Font Face: This will show a drop-down menu with a variety of stylized text fonts you can use.
Font Size: Same as above, only regarding the size of the Font. Note you can select a portion of text with either of these options and apply the changes only to the selected text if you so chose. In all cases with the style bar, clicking a button brings up a specialized BBC code which implements the changes. Any text outside the BBC code will not be affected by the changes made within the BBC code.
Font Color: Clicking on the colored wheel will allow you to change your text color.
Bold Text: Clicking on the 'B' button gives you bold text.
Italic Script: Clicking on the 'I' button gives you italicized script.
Underlined Text: Clicking on the 'U' button with the dash on it allows you to underline your text.
Strike Through: Clicking on the 'S' button with a dash through it allows you to
Superscript: Clicking on the 'A' button with the small 's' in the top right corner of the button gives you Superscript.
Subscript: Clicking on the 'A' button with the small 's' in the lower right corner gives you Subscript.
The next series of buttons in the bar allows you to completely justify your text to the right margin, center your text, justify your text to the left margin, fully justify your text on both margins, enter a table, and enter a bulleted list. There is a feature called the 'Horizontal Ruler'. When you click on the button which looks like a dash (-), it will insert a line across the width of your text.
Like so.
The next series of buttons allows you to do some interesting things, which will be explained in detail below:
Hyperlink or 'Link' Button: The button which looks like a globe and a piece of paper is the 'Link' or hyperlink function. This allows you to add a text link to your post. When you click the link button, a pop up window will display asking for 'Text' as well as a 'URL'. The text you type will be the text that will display as a link in your message. The URL is the web address you would like the word to link to. Once you have these two options filled out, click the "Create Link" button and the link will be added to your message area. You can also add a link to text you have already written in the message area. This is possible by highlighting the text you want to link to, and then click the link button. Once this is done, a pop up window will display only asking for a URL. This is the web address that you want the selected word to link to once it is clicked.
Email Button: The button which looks like an envelope with an arrow is the 'Email' function. An email link is a word that links to an email address; once the email is linked, your default email application will load allowing you to quickly send an email to the linked email address. Once you click the Email button, a pop up will display asking you for text as well as an email address. In the text field, type in the text you want to display as an email link in the message area and then type in the email address you want the word to link to. Once you have these fields are filled out, click the 'Insert Email' button and your email link will be added to the message area. If you want to add an email link to text you already have typed, select the text you want to appear as an email link and then click the Email button. In the window that pops up, type in the email address you would like the selected text to link to, and then click the Insert Email button. The selected text will then appear as an email link.
Insert Image Button: The next button which shows an image of a picture, is the 'Insert Image' button. This option will allow you to embed an image into your post using the Insert Image button. Once clicked, a popup will display asking you for an 'Image URL' as well as some 'Alt Text'. The image URL is the direct link to the image you want to have display in your post. The image will need to be hosted with a file host in order for it to successfully appear within your post. If you do not have a file host, you can consider using the 'Add Attachment' feature on the posting page instead. Once you have the image URL in place, type in some text for the image; this alt text is what will display in place of your image in the event that your image is unable to load, or will display to those who have images disabled in their browser settings. Once you have the correct info in place, click the "Insert Image" button and you should see your image in the message area.
Insert Video Button: The next button is the 'Insert Video' button. It looks like the old style cutboards used by directors in Hollywood. Once you click this button, a pop up will display asking for the Video URL, as well as be able to view a list of supported video websites. You also have the ability to link directly to a hosted video file as well. Simply paste in the URL of the video you would like to embed in your post; you can find the URL of the video either by copying directly from the web address in your web browsers address bar, or through a direct link provided by the share options of the video service you're linking from. Once you have the URL pasted in, click the "Insert Video" button at the bottom of the pop up window. Now in the posting area, you should see an image placeholder for where the video player will be positioned in your post. After you create the post, the video will display in that spot.
Insert User Link: Next is a button with the'@' symbol and the picture of a person. This allows you to tag another member of the forum into your post. When another user is tagged, they will receive a notification making them aware that they have been mentioned in your post. To insert a user link, click the Insert User Link button and you'll be asked to enter a username. Type in either the username or display name of the member you would like to tag in your post, and you should see search results as you type. Once you see the member you would like to tag in your post, click on their micro-profile and you will see their tag automatically inputted into the message area, represented in an @username format. After you create your post, the @username will convert into a link, displaying the linked members display name.
Insert Code Button: If you have some coding to share, you can use the code box to isolate the code from the rest of your message. This code box will prevent any styling or smiley images from appearing within the code you provide, allowing your code to display as intended. To add a code box to your message, click the Insert Code button and in the message area you should see an outline of a table, with default text that reads 'Insert Code Here'. Replace this default text with the code you would like to share in your post.
Quote Function Button: The 'Insert Quote' button allows you to insert a quote box into your message area. Once this button is clicked, you will see an outline of a table in the message area with the default text of 'Insert Quote Here'. Replace this text with the words you want to appear inside the quote box.
Emoticons (Insert Smiley):By default, every ProBoards hosted forum comes with 30 standard Emoticon images that you can use in your posts. You can call these smiley images by adding their tags into the message area (ie. : ) would turn into once your post is made), or you can click the 'Insert Smiley' button and you'll be presented with a list of all the smileys that are available to use. Simply click on the preview of the image that you want to use in your post and you should see the image appear in your message text. Also in this menu is the ability to disable smiles, which will prevent the smiley images from appearing in your post and will show their calling tags instead.
When you have your post as you think you want it, you can enter a 'Preview' mode which will allow you edit the text while still seeing how it will look in the final post. To do this, click on the 'Preview' button in the lower-left corner. Once you enter Preview Mode, or are in the 'Reply' message box, you will have an additional icon, an italicized 'F', underlined, with a red circle with a diagonal slash through it. This button will remove all styling from your post if you click on it.
When viewing a thread, you have four actions available to you in the drop-down menu box titled 'Actions'. The actions you may chose are 'Select Post, 'Link to Post', 'Report Post', 'Member' and 'Bookmark'.
We will be discussing the 'Report Post' and 'Member' functions, as the others are self-explanatory.
Report Post: If there is a posting on the forum that requires a forum staff member's attention, such as a post that is breaking the forum rules, you can report the post using the Report Post tool. To use this, locate the post that requires a staff members attention, then click the Post Options button located in the top-right hand corner of the post. Then click the Report Post option provided.
Once the Report Post option is clicked, a pop up window will display asking you to provide a reason. In a maximum of 256 characters, describe why you are reporting the selected post to forum staff and then click the Report Post button located in the bottom of the Report Post pop up window. Once the Report Post button has been clicked, you will receive a confirmation notice that the post has been reported.
After you have reported a post, it is up to the forum staff to review your report and to come to a decision on what to do with the report. You will not be notified of any action taken unless a forum staff member has messaged you to make you aware of those details.
Member: When you select the 'Member' function, you can use the menu that pops-up to send either a message or a gift to the posting member.
Hopefully these tips, when combined with the Rules and Guidelines, will allow you to enjoy your stay at our forums with minimal hassle and reduce the learning curve for new forum users. Enjoy your time with us!