User Guide

[VladTepes]

Dear Forum Members,

please find hereby a little "User Guide" we made to help you how to use the utilities of the forum. This User Guide will be developed according to the needs of Users and according to the future forum function developments.

Please use the link here below:

• How To Introduce Yourself
• How To Start A Topic
• How To Reply To A Topic
• How To Use The Quote Function
• How To Edit Your Post
• How To Insert A Link
• How To Insert A YouTube Video
• How To Insert A Google Video
• How To Post Photos
• How To Send A Private Message
• How To Get Help From A Moderator, How To Report A Post
• How To Make A Signature
• How To Make An Avatar
  

[VladTepes]

Please proceed to the Introductions forum and click 'NEW TOPIC' (at the top)

Pop your Username in the Subject and tell us a little about yourself, what you keep/ breed, maybe post some photos and then feel free to head off and check out the other sections.
This is an International forum, don't forget to state your location in your profile to help other users. Click Submit.

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[VladTepes]

You are only permitted to start a topic in the Chat sections. You will see you are unable to start a new topic in the Information sections. The purpose of this is so that 'Information' subforums are kept concise and easy to search through.
To start a Chat topic, proceed to the relevant subforum and click NEW TOPIC (at the top)
Write a suitable title in 'subject', write your message in the main box then click Submit.

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[VladTepes]

Simply hit the POST REPLY button under the last post, write your message and click Submit.

In a post you can use the built in bbCodes with the buttons above the edit box, to make bold, italic, underlined, coloured text, and so on. Also you can place in web links, upload pictures (details you can find in the relevant "How to.."-s). You can use smilies, but please note, that maximum smilies per post is 20.

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[VladTepes]

Before you reply to a message, go to the post you would like to quote and click QUOTE at the top right of that post. The text will automatically open in a new 'reply' message. You can delete any irrelevant bits or leave the whole quote in place BUT do not delete any part of the [quote= ] code at the begining and the ending of the quoted text.

Please note, the maximum nested quotes (quote of a quote) per post is 3.


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[VladTepes]

You are only permitted to edit your post for 60 minutes after the post was submitted. After this time you must ask a moderator/admin to help. If you are still able to edit your post you will see a red EDIT button at the top of the post. Click this, make your amendments and click Submit.

Please note, the use of the "preview" button is a very useful utility to avoid the need for editing later .


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[VladTepes]

If you would like to place a link to another web address in your message, simply type or preferably copy & paste the address into the message, the forum engine will convert it automatically to live web link.

If you would like to be clever and name the link, write the name for it, highlight it and click the URL button (in the menu across the top of your post). Than the first URL tag needs to be edited, you need to put an = sign after the "url" text but before the "]". After this you should copy&paste the web address just after the "=" sign and you have done it

Example:
It should look like this:

Code: Select all

[url=http://www.broadwaterspetland.com]Pouchie's Website[/url]

And work like this:
Pouchie's Website


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[VladTepes]

If you simply add the link to a YouTube video, users will have to click on this link and go to YouTube site to see the video.

If you use the YouTube function, the video will show directly within your post and users will simply have to click play.

To use the YouTube function, first you will need the the full link (for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7XmqH9Ahuk). From it you need to Copy & Paste the 11 characters after the "=" sign (in our example: l7XmqH9Ahuk) from the link to your post. (Pls note, that sometimes there are more than 11 characters after the "=" sign, please use only the first 11, the remaining - if any - are not needed). Than highlight the 11 characters and click the youtube button in the menu across the top of your post. Your video will now be embedded in your message.

Example:
It should look like this:

Code: Select all

[youtube]l7XmqH9Ahuk[/youtube]

And work like this:



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[VladTepes]

There are two ways to put pictures to your post:

1. Using the IMG bbcode you can link pictures from an outside source, like photobucket. Simply Copy&Paste the web address of the picture into your post, highlight it and press the "Img" button.
   (note: if you use "Img link" to get the url of your picture from photobucket, it will put the IMG tags into the link for you, so you don't need to use IMG button here)
   The picture posted this way can be of any size, it will fit in. If the linked picture is bigger than 400 pixels, it will be displayed in the topic by 400 pixel downscaled thumbnail.
   If the picture was automatically reduced to this size, there will be a link above the picture, clicking it will open the picture in full size in a new window.
   If done well, the IMG link should look like this in your message editing window (also using preview before submitting you can check that everything is OK or not):
   

   Code: Select all

   [img]http://www.yourhost.com/yourfolder/yourpicture.jpg[/img]

   
   
   Note: please put an empty line between the IMG links, if you put more than one into your post, to separate the pictures from each other (to make the post look nice )
   It should look like this:
   

   Code: Select all

   [img]http://www.yourhost.com/yourfolder/yourpicture_01.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.yourhost.com/yourfolder/yourpicture_02.jpg[/img]

   
   
2. The other way, you do not need an image hosting account such as photobucket. You can upload photos directly from your computer.
   When you are writing a new post, you will see underneath a tab thats says 'Upload Attachment'. Click on this, then browse to find your photo file, then click Add The File. Once all your photos have been selected, go back to underneath the post, ensure your cursor is in the position where you would like the photo, and click Place Inline.
   Your photo will then be inserted as a thumbnail into your post. Users can click to enlarge.
   
   Permitted File Types and Sizes are as follows:
   Format: JPG only (no GIF, PNG, BMP allowed)
   Size limits: maximum 256 KB
   Pixel limits: 1024x1024
   
   If you need, please find hereby a direct download link for JASC IMAGE ROBOT software. It is a shareware version, can be used freely. One click to install, and very simple to use for resizing.

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[VladTepes]

There are several ways to send a Private Message (PM):

• You can simply click on the name of the user you want to send the PM, it will bring you to her/his "Profile" page, there you find below in "contact" section a link named "Send private message". Clicking on it will bring you directly to "send PM window", the message will be addressed. You must fill the "Subject:" field - without it the PM will not be sent - and in the text field you can enter your message. To send the message you need to press the "submit" button.
• Next to each post on the right side, under the name and details of the poster there are buttons, the left side one is the PM button. If you simly click on it, it will bring you directly to "send PM window", the message will be addressed to the poster (who's post you have started from), in the "Subject:" field will be the topic title you started from, and the post you started from will be quoted in the message body. You can enter your message (comments, etc.) below and finish the sending with "submit" button.
• In the header section of forum body, you can find User Control Panel (UCP). This is where the private messaging (and other "private" things, setups, located. To PM you may use a shortcut, click on the "(0 new messages) next to the UCP link in the header, it will bring you to the PM section directly. Click NEWPM and type the name of the user you want to send the message to into the top box, then click add. Write your message and click SUBMIT.

Obviously these methods can also be used to send a private message to any moderators if help needed.


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[VladTepes]

Sometimes you might need help from a moderator.

Incase you need urgent help from a moderator, because you made a mistake, started a topic in the wrong place, or it is over the time limit for editing your post but it needs to be edited, or you have double sent a post, OR you have seen a post by somebody else which would be better to seen by a moderator a.s.a.p., because it is rude, or flaming, or else, the VERY QUICKEST way is to press the REPORT button ("!" sign in a triangle) you see on top right corner next to quote button on post in question.
Pressing it will bring you to "Report this message" this message page, here you may (but not must) fill the "Further information:" field, it is the place you can put your request to the moderator (please fill it in properly if you need help/editing with your own post). As usual, to send the report, you need to press SUBMIT button.

The report will be seen only by the moderators, but they will see it much quicker than any other messaging way (even than PM), and can take immediate action.

Obviously the other method to ask for help from a moderator is to send a PM to that moderator you expect the help from.


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[VladTepes]

Go to User Control Panel (at the top) and click Profile. On the left you will see Edit Signature. The following are the settings allowed:

Maximum signature length is 255 characters
Maximum number of links your signature can contain is 2
Maximum signature font size is 100%
Maximum smilies per signature is 5
You can use menu for URL, bold, itallics etc (with the exception of IMG )

Please maintain the size of your signature. Don't make it more than 5 lines (inc. empty lines) high, also no pictures, banners or other place holding thing are allowed in signatures. Thank you for your kind understanding.


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[VladTepes]

Go to User Control Panel and click Profile. You will see the Avatar option on the left.

Avatars linked from another website are disallowed, you must upload your avatar directly from your PC to the forum

Avatar settings are:
Maximum avatar file size is 10240 Bytes (10 KB)
Minimum avatar dimensions are 80x80pixels
Maximum avatar dimensions are 100x100pixels
File format: JPG only

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[VladTepes]

If you simply add the link to a Google Video, users will have to click on this link and go to YouTube site to see the video.

If you use the "Googlevideo" function, the video will show directly within your post and the fellow users will simply have to click play.

To use the "Googlevideo" function, first you will need the the full link (for example: http://video.google.com/googleplayer.sw ... 0&hl=en-CA). From it you need to Copy & Paste the 19 characters after the "=-" sign (in our example: 5645641845232783240) from the link to your post. (Pls note, that there are more than 19 characters after the "=-" sign, please use only the first 19, the remaining - starting with "&" - are not needed). Than highlight the 19 characters and click the "Googlevideo" button in the menu across the top of your post. Your google video will now be embedded in your message.

Example:
It should look like this:

Code: Select all

[googlevideo]5645641845232783240[/googlevideo]

And work like this:



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