It is strongly recommended that you register first in order to
fully utilize the abilities of the forum. Depending on the forum
administrator, some forums may require you to register first before
you can post new topics or replies.
Registration takes only a couple minutes, and allows you to access
additional features (not available to guest users) such as the followings:
Post / reply messages
Edit your posts
Edit your profile and choose avatar
Receive email notification of replies to posts and threads
you subscribe
To register, you will need to specify a username and password,
and a valid email address. Depending on the registration system
setup, you may be required to verify your e-mail address (Admin
has the ability to specify the requirement). In that case, a notification
e-mail will be sent to you immediately after you registered. Please
confirm your e-mail address by clicking on the confirmation URL
printed in the notification e-mail. Once you confirmed your e-mail
address, you will be able to log in, view, post, and use other features
(such as vote, rate message, etc.) in our member-only forums. Back to top
How to Log-in?
You may log in using the link located at the top of each forum
page. A pop-up window will open upon click. At the bottom of the
login window, there is a check box called "Save as Cookie"
(please refer to our user manual for detailed information), and
you can check the box so that you don't have to manually input login
information every time you come to the forum. Remember, do not use
this feature if you are using public terminals to access the forum.
After you logged in, you will see your current login status at
top right corner of each page. Back to top
Why can't I login?
You must register in order to login. If this is not the case, then
you might be entering the wrong username and password; or you might
be banned from the forum admin (a message will be displayed if you
have). In any case, you should contact the forum administrator to
find out why. Back to top
Why do I get logged off automatically? Can I log off manually?
If you do not check the "Save as Cookie” box when you
log into the forum, the system will automatically log you off 99
minutes after you close the browser. This prevents misuse of your
account by anyone else. To stay logged in check the box during login,
but this is not recommended if you access the board from a shared
computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university cluster, etc.
To log out anytime, simply click on the logout link at the top
of each page, and the forum will erase your session information
and bring you back to the homepage of the web site (this is configurable
by administrator). Back to top
I do not wish to appear in the online user listings, can
I choose to hide my online status?
This option is configurable in your profile, you will find an option
"Hide from online user list". Please note that Administrator
has the ability to turn "hiding from online status" off. Back to top
What is the member list and how do I use it?
The Member list displays total number of registered members and
some of their basic information. You can sort the display order
by playing with the arrow keys and
, or searching
member alphabetically.
This page also allows you to send private messages, send e-mail,
visit member’s homepage, or add member to your contact list
(address book/block list) using a combination of check boxes. Back to top
Can I search the board, or do you have Full-Text Index
search?
You may search for specific posts based on words or phrases that
are found in the subject or message body. You may also search by
author name, date range, search within a particular forum or within
an entire category. To access the search feature, click on the "Search"
link at the top of each page.
You can only search forums that you have permission to read. Back to top
User Preference / PM / Subscription / Address Book (My Control Panel)
How
do I change my user settings?
You can change your personal information easily by clicking the
"My Profile" link located at the top of each page. Any
changes you make to your profile will take effect immediately after
you hit "OK" or "Apply".
You can customize the forum display to suit your needs (threaded
tree style, flat style, or simplified flat style), edit your personal
profile, choose/upload an avatar for yourself, or link/upload your
own profile photo! In addition, you can add a signature and have
it displayed under your posts. Back to top
Can I adjust the forum time zone?
You can adjust the forum time zone by setting the time difference
(in hour) between your local machine's time and the server's time.
Back to top
How do I add an avatar/profile photo?
Your Profile photo will be displayed in your public profile, and
your chosen avatar will be displayed beside your posts under your
username.
Our avatar system allows forum members to select an avatar (a small
image) from our avatar collection, or to upload their own images
to use as their avatars.
To select an image from our avatar collection, please click on
the “Click to choose avatars” link located in My Profile
page. Once you click on the link, a window titled "Click on
the avatar you like”, will pop up and will show you a list
of all the avatars to choose from.
To set up your profile photo, you can either put in a link or upload
your own image to our server. To upload a profile photo, you can
click on the “Upload my picture” link. A pop-up window
will appear for you to upload the image from your local hard disk
drive.
Once you have made a change to either avatar or profile photo,
remember to scroll down to the end of the page and click on "OK"
or "Apply" button to save the changes. Please also note
carefully as we have image dimension limits for both avatars and
profile photos. Back to top
What is the signature for?
While you register, you may have noticed a field that asks you
to enter your signature. You can reset your default signature in
My Profile later on. It might be a piece of text or a phrase that
you would like to be inserted at the end of all your posts.
You can also manually turn the signature on and off on a per-post
basis by checking the “add signature” box when you post/reply/edit
your messages. Back to top
What is the Private message system?
All Private Messages are stored in "My Inbox". This
function allows you to send private messages to other members in
the forum. It works just like your everyday e-mail system, but are
limited to registered members. You have the ability to send, to
read, to create/edit/delete folders, to move messages between folders,
and also to delete unwanted messages.
Of course, you can send private messages to multi-recipients at
once by inputting their user names (separated by comma) in the recipient
textbox, or simply checking the box beside their name from your
address book and hit "Send Private Message".
Please note that some members may disable the private message system
(editable in My Profile), or put you in their "block list".
In these cases, you won't be able to send PM to them. Back to top
What is the PM Status?
"PM Status" bar at the bottom of the My Inbox page lets
you know how many messages you have stored and whether you have
reached the storage limit. Once your PM folders are full, you won't
be able to take PM anymore. If this happens, simply delete some
old PM's to free up the space. Back to top
Can I track whether a PM message has been read by its recipient
or not?
When you are sending private messages, you can check the box called
"Save a copy to sent folder?". This function allows you
to store messages you sent, and to check whether your messages have
been read by the recipients or not.
To check the PM Read Status, simply go to your "Sent"
folder, and click on the recipients' names. A window, "Checking
PM Read Status", will pop up and show you the result of the
read status.
With our latest release, you can choose to “Always save PM
to sent folder” (editable in My Profile), so you don’t
have to check the box of "Save a copy to sent folder?"
every time you send private messages. Back to top
How can I subscribe to a forum or thread?
My subscription allows you to track the activity of a thread or
a forum. By subscribing to a forum or thread, you will be notified
through e-mail once there is a post. The notification e-mail contains
a link to the newly posted message, and you can just click on it
to view the new message.
To subscribe to a forum or thread, simply click on the Subscribe
icon located right below your login status, and the forum will take
you to the subscription control panel for further customization.
This page allows you to review your subscription, and you can also
remove any subscription you no longer need. Back to top
How do I use My address book?
My Address Book stores all the members you have added to your
contact list. This function works side by side with private messaging
system. When sending PM's to a group of users, you can bring up
"quick address book" for easy access to your contacts.
You can even block any member you don’t like into the "Block
list". Like My Inbox, here you have the ability to create/edit/delete
groups, and to move members between these groups. Back to top
How do I add members to my address book / block list?
There are three ways you can add members to your personal address
book. First of all, in other members' public profiles, right beside
the member name there is aicon
which you can click on to add him to your address book. Secondly,
you may also add members to your contact list/block list from the
Member List interface. The last method allows you to add other member's
to your contact from the message display interface (please refer
to this FAQ). Adding members to your block
list works in the same way. Back to top
What is the online buddy list?
"Online Buddy List" (located both in My Inbox and My
Address Book) allows you to view members in your address book who
are currently online. You can send them PM's or E-mails from the
online buddy list as well. Back to top
Can I block someone because I do not wish to receive any
PM sent from them?
Block list is designed for the need of some members who do not
wish to receive private messages from certain people. If you put
some members into your block list, you will not be receiving any
messages from them because they won't be able to send PM to you.
Messages posted by these people will be hidden from you as well
(please refer to this FAQ). Back to top
Reading Messages
I
have heard of threaded and plain discussion boards. Which formats
do you support?
This forum can be viewed in 2 different formats: Flat
Style (Posts are laid out in plain format) or Tree
Style (Threads can be expanded and collapsed to show the posts within
the thread). Members can switch between these two styles with a
single mouse click. Members can also set their default viewing style
in their profile. Back to top
Do you have any shortcut that can take me to the first
unread post in a thread?
Clicking on
will take you to the first unread post within the thread. Back to top
What do I click to go to the latest post in a thread?
Clicking on
will bring you to the latest (last) reply of that thread. Back to top
Why some messages are being flagged?
Threads that have been replied within the last 24 hours will be
flagged with after
the message subject. Back to top
What are message icons?
Message Icons (appear on the left of each topic) will show the
"mood" of the post. You can select the desired message
icon that best describes your mood when you post. Back to top
Do you support other message sorting systems?
In the message list, you can click on the any column header to
sort the messages (both ascending and descending). There are also
two drop down lists: One of them allows you to choose the time filter,
and the other allows you to filter topics base on the status of
the topic (all messages, polls, or FAQ's). Back to top
How can I print out the message I want?
You can click on the Printable
Version link on the top right corner of the message interface if
you want to print out the page. Back to top
How do I edit or delete a post?
The post options are Delete;
Reply;
Edit;
Forward;Report
Abuse; Bookmark
this page.
You can click on the icons beside each post to edit, delete, and
forward that post. Please note that in some circumstances, forum
moderators or administrator may edit your post. Whenever a post
has been edited, an indicator at the bottom of the edited post will
be displayed. Back to top
What are those tools located next to my post?
These convenient user tools are located next to your posts in the
forum above the author name: View
User’s Profile; E-mail
User; Send
Private Messages; Add
Member to Contact List; Block
this guy and hide his/her messages; Un-Block
this guy.
Block/Hide from certain user's messages is a newly added feature
to enhance your experience when using the forum. Click on the block
icon under the user info field to block/hide all his/her messages,
and place him/her automatically into your "block" list.
To un-block this user and view his/her post, simply click on the
unblock
icon. Back to top
What are Sticky topics?
Sticky topics appear at the top of the message list. They are
often quite important so you should read them when possible. Back to top
What are locked topics?
Locked topics are set this way by either the forum moderators
or board administrators. You cannot reply to locked topics and any
poll it contained is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for
many reasons. Back to top
What is post revision?
Admin can specify whether to enable post revision for each forum.
If post revision is enabled, every message being edited will have
“Revision: 1” link showing at the lower right of the
post.
When a message is edited, the previous version will be stored and
available for viewing. This is a very flexible feature because Admin/Moderators
can decide whether or not a message should be revised when they
edit a message, thus overriding the default setting in the admin
panel. Back to top
Posting Messages
How do I post a topic in a forum?
To post a new thread, click on the
located at the top left of the message list. A pop-up window will
appear and you can write your messages in it. Every forum has its
own permission setting, and therefore, if you don’t see a
post link, please don’t panic, because you may just forget
to log in or simply do not have the right permission to post. Your
permission to the forum can be viewed at the bottom right corner
of the forum. Back to top
How do I add a signature when composing my post/reply?
You may choose to include a signature in your post. If you would
like to add signature to all posts, you can have this preference
set in My Profile (just check the box right under where you type
your signature, and remember to submit the change). Back to top
What is e-mail notification?
This option allows you to be notified once someone replied to your
post. A notification link will be sent to you via e-mail. Back to top
What are message icons?
Message Icon will appear next to each topic. It gives members the
ability to associate a "mood" with their posts. Back to top
What are PGD codes? How do I use these special codes?
PGD Codes are designed to provide simple and effective formatting
methods in a post. There are 16 pre-defined codes, so you don't
really have to type the codes yourself. You can also format a text
block by first highlight a text block and hit the PGDCode button.
Detailed descriptions for all available PGDcodes can be found by
clicking on the "?" link. Back to top
How do I insert the smiley faces to my post?
To add a smiley face in your message body, just click on the smiley
face icons on the left, and the smiley faces will be inserted at
the current cursor position. Back to top
Can I upload an image or attachment to my post?
You may attach a file to your post. The allowed file format and
the maximum file size will be displayed when you click on "Click
here to upload".
For graphical files (jpeg, gif, bmp, png), you can embed the uploaded
picture in the post directly by checking the box: “Embed picture
in post”. Back to top
Can I preview my post before submitting?
Preview your message before submitting. After you finish previewing,
click on "OK" to submit the post or "cancel"
to go back to where you left off in the posting window. Back to top
How do I create and vote in polls?
Creating new poll works just like posting messages. By clicking
on ,
a pop-up window will appear and you can enter your Poll Question
and vote choices in it. If you would like to create a poll that
allows multiple selection (checkbox instead of radio button), check
the “Allow Multiple Selection?” box. Enter the poll
choices below the message body text box.
Once the poll is submitted, members will be able to vote, view
result, edit poll, or even strip poll (some of these options only
applies to the poll creator and the forum moderators). There are
many options provided when editing your poll. You can change your
poll question, add/edit/delete poll choices, and change multiple
selections to single poll selection, etc. Back to top
and
, or searching
member alphabetically. 
Subscribe
icon located right below your login status, and the forum will take
you to the subscription control panel for further customization.
This page allows you to review your subscription, and you can also
remove any subscription you no longer need.
icon
which you can click on to add him to your address book. Secondly,
you may also add members to your contact list/block list from the
Member List interface. The last method allows you to add other member's
to your contact from the message display interface (please refer
to 
Flat
Style (Posts are laid out in plain format) or 
Tree
Style (Threads can be expanded and collapsed to show the posts within
the thread). Members can switch between these two styles with a
single mouse click. Members can also set their default viewing style
in their profile.
will take you to the first unread post within the thread. 
will bring you to the latest (last) reply of that thread.
after
the message subject.
Printable
Version link on the top right corner of the message interface if
you want to print out the page.
Delete;
Reply;
Edit;
Forward;
Report
Abuse; 
Bookmark
this page.
View
User’s Profile; 
E-mail
User; 
Send
Private Messages; 
Block
this guy and hide his/her messages; 
Un-Block
this guy.
located at the top left of the message list. A pop-up window will
appear and you can write your messages in it. Every forum has its
own permission setting, and therefore, if you don’t see a
post link, please don’t panic, because you may just forget
to log in or simply do not have the right permission to post. Your
permission to the forum can be viewed at the bottom right corner
of the forum.
,
a pop-up window will appear and you can enter your Poll Question
and vote choices in it. If you would like to create a poll that
allows multiple selection (checkbox instead of radio button), check
the “Allow Multiple Selection?” box. Enter the poll
choices below the message body text box.
